Eggplant Bundles

The sharpness and piquancy of eggplant and Romano cheese are mellowed with pine nuts and dotted with the sweetness of raisins — a blend of flavours characteristic of Italy's south, particularly Sicily. You can easily double these attractive eggplant packets to serve a crowd.

Classic Pesto

Pesto is traditionally an uncooked sauce made of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Prior to the days of food processors, the ingredients were crushed using a mortar and pestle. This fresh-tasting sauce is an ideal topper for pasta, pizza, bruschetta, grilled meats and more.

Cilantro, Chili and Sunflower Seed Pesto

This extremely versatile pesto includes unexpected sunflower seeds instead of the usual pine nuts. Check the label to ensure the sunflower seeds were processed in a nut-free facility. This pesto is perfect for brushing over grilled meats or fish. You can also mix it with chopped tomatoes and onions for a zesty salsa.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Roasted Pepper and Cheese Tortellini Salad

Fresh ingredients, ready-made pasta and an easy dressing come together deliciously in this hearty salad.

Marion Kane's Pasta Salad

As the food editor of the Toronto Sun and co-author of the cookbook Best Recipes Under the Sun (Totem Books, 1987), Marion Kane has a busy time testing recipes and reviewing restaurants. Her teenage daughter, Esther, 18, loves this vegetarian pasta salad, which her mom says is "a super sidekick for barbecued meat or fish." Kane suggests varying the veggies according to the season; "Go for contrasting colours if possible."

Roasted Pumpkin Pasta

As a lover of pumpkin and pasta it seemed like a natural fit. I love the flavour that roasting bring out in many ingredients. It's the simplicity of this dish that makes it extraordinary. I usually serve it with a spinach, mushroom, and red onion salad.

Curried Wheat Berry Salad

Flecked with bits of red pepper, pale cheese and green parsley, this salad is appealing and intriguing. Wheat berries are either soft or hard: soft take 15 minutes less than the hard to cook.

Orzo and Mushroom Salad

Orzo, a small rice-shaped pasta, gives a pleasant texture to totable salads. Other small pastas, such as tubetti or farfallini, are just as delicious, as are slightly larger shells or penne. Cooking the mushrooms and onions in the dressing infuses them with flavour.

Spinach, Tomato and Portobello Pasta

Kamut pasta, made from an ancient form of whole grain wheat, is usually found in the organic section of many grocery stores. You can use any whole grain pasta or even regular pasta for this dish.