Fish and Fennel Soup

Light and fresh yet satisfying enough to be a meal, this soup is ready in just minutes. Chunky with white flaky fish in a pale pink broth, it is attractive, too. You can use shrimp instead of fish if desired; just cook until pink.

Roasted Fillets with Orange Caramelized Onions

The pink flesh of salmon looks lovely with the orange-and-green-flecked caramelized onions. If you wish, choose other types of tender fish, such as halibut, snapper, pickerel or tilapia.

Ginger Chicken & Vermicelli Bowl With Sesame-Yogurt Dressing

Mike's Quick Lunch World-Famous Macaroni and Cheese

Chicken, Snow Peas and Cashew Stir-Fry

Stir-fries are great summer meals - quick, healthy and popular with kids. Try this one from the "20-minute Suppers" story in our August 2004 issue.

Deep-Fried Zucchini Thins

At Milos, the elegant Hilton Hotel restaurant opened just before the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Montreal-based restaurateur and owner Costas Spiliadis cannot take these thins off the menu. To be enjoyed to their fullest, it unfortunately requires that someone fries while everyone else munches. I recommend you take turns at the stove.

Soy-Lime Soba Noodle and Edamame Salad

These cold Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba noodles) are incredibly refreshing on a warm summer day. Once cooked, toss them with a little oil to prevent them from sticking. Add the dressing just before serving so that the noodles don't absorb it all.

Tofu Sesame Noodles

Onion & Coffee-Marinated Hanger Steak

Tired of eating the same old barbecue basics all summer long? Put hot dogs and hamburgers on the back burner and elevate your grill game with this succulent dish instead.

Baby Bow Tie and Walnut Pasta Salad

Farfallini are tiny bow tie-shaped pasta; other small pastas, such as orzo (rice-shaped pasta), stellini (small star-shaped pasta) and ditalini (small tube-shaped pasta) are also suitable. Toasting some of the pasta boosts the flavour as well as the visual appeal.