Crab Spring Rolls

Fresh spring rolls filled with noodles, crab, vegetables and tons of herbs served with a sweet-and-sour sauce is a great communal recipe — everyone can take turns wrapping a couple. This type of roll, originally a Vietnamese specialty, is so popular that it has become ubiquitous in Thai restaurants.

Three-Bean Lentil Soup

Mildly exotic with curry, this nourishing soup is brimming with healthful things such as fibre. You can also follow our variation below to cook it in the slow-cooker, a favourite method for Alecia Watson of Penticton, B.C. She says that when she fills the slow-cooker up with all the goodies that go into a homemade soup before she leaves for shift work, she knows there will be a potful of love — and soup, too — to feed her family.

One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore

"We always have several cans of mushrooms on hand to throw into spaghetti sauce for something special," says reader Mary Ann Dudragne via the Internet. Here, we've added chicken and an extra-easy cleanup to this one-pot recipe.

Lemon-Yogurt Coffee Cake

Yes, there are treats at the spa. Portions are modest, yet they satisfy that sweet craving. The usual 1/2 cup (125 mL) of butter in a cake like this has been reduced. Serve warm.

Warm Roasted Potato Salad

Campfire Crumble

A little smoky flavour adds authenticity to a tasty dessert cooked over the fire or a camp-stove burner. Use any dried fruit you like (small fruit will not need to be chopped) or substitute pears for apples. Leftovers are terrific for breakfast.

Chilled Raspberry Chiffon

Pretty in pink, this is a light, melt-in-your mouth dessert. Pasteurized egg whites are available in the dairy or freezer section of the supermark

Top-Your-Own-Chili Pasta

Beef Patties with Mustard Sauce

Use grainy Canadian mustard to give these patties that special touch!

Salmon Pasta Salad

Start with melon wedges to whet your appetite for this quick and light dinner.