Miso Ginger Soba Salad

The star of this meal is definitely the dressing. Made with protein-rich white miso, maple syrup and a little heat from punchy ginger, it has a light, yet full-bodied, flavour. Make a double batch to keep on hand—it's great on rice, noodles and nourish bowls (see tip, below), too.

Honig Lebkuchen

These German honey gingerbread  cookies are like Christmas cake: They need time to develop flavour. Store in a cookie tin or wrapped in foil in a cool place for at least 3 weeks or for up to 3 months.

Sugar Pie Verrines

Gluten-Free Double-Chocolate Biscotti

These double-chocolate biscotti make a sweet treat for those with gluten dietary restrictions (though no one will believe they’re gluten-free!).

Bonnie Stern's S'mores Chocolate Bark

There are many recipes and sophisticated variations for chocolate bark, some mentioned below, but I have found over and over again that this riff on s'mores is the one people can't resist. (Not sure if that is good or bad.) The better the quality of chocolate you use, the better the results.

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Stir-Fry with Bean Sprouts

A little chicken goes a long way with a wealth of healthy vegetables that kids will gobble up. They'll love the sweet-and-sour flavours of this nice gloppy sauce, which is perfect over rice. If you don't have a microwave oven, serve the crunchy bean sprouts raw.

Maple Sandwich Cookies

Three forms of maple add just the right amount of sweetness to these simple cookies. Maple sugar is available in the baking aisles of large grocery stores or in gourmet food shops. Use leftover maple sugar to flavour coffee and oatmeal or in place of white sugar in selected dessert recipes.

Rutabaga Soup With Chive-Basil Oil

This wholesome soup will warm you up on chilly evenings, and it's especially satisfying when served with the herbed oil topping. Use the leftover oil in a salad dressing or drizzle it over pasta, a roast or steamed vegetables.

Hermit Biscotti

Hermit lovers will get a kick out of this super-crunchy version of the classic holiday cookie. Dried fruit can get rock hard if it sits on the shelf too long (say, more than six months), so use fresh, plump dried fruit for the chewiest texture in these biscotti.

Blueberry Cornmeal Cobbler

This fruity dessert takes only minutes to prepare, making it a lovely finish to a weeknight meal. Cornmeal adds a bit of crunch to the classic biscuit topping.