Cream of Artichoke Soup
Serves 6 people

750g Jerusalem Artichokes 1 lemon, thickly sliced 4 tbsp margarine 2 onions, chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 ltr vegetable stock ( Salt and pepper, to taste) 2 bay leaves 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tbsp lemon juice 2/3 cup of light yogurt/light cream

1) Peel and slice artichokes. Place in a bowl of water with lemon slices.
melt margarine in a large pan. Add onions and garlic and cook gently for about 3-4 minutes, or until soft.

2) Drain the artichokes and discard lemon and add to pan. Mix well and allow cooking for about 2-3 minutes without allowing to color.

3) Add the stock, salt, pepper, bay leaves, nutmeg and lemon juice. Bring slowly to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

4) Remove and discard bay leaves. Let soup cool slightly. Blend in a food processor until soup is smooth (no lumps).

5) Pour soup into a clean sauce pan. Reheat soup and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in yogurt or cream. Do not bring to a boil.

6) Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with grated carrots and
chopped parsley.

Chicken consommé
Serves 8-10 people

1 1/2 ltrs of chicken stock 2/3 cup of medium sherry 4 egg whites plus egg shells Salt and pepper (to taste) 4 oz of cooked chicken breast (thinly sliced)

1) Place stock and sherry in a large pot and heat gently for about
5 minutes.

2) Add egg whites and shells to stock and whisk until mixture comes to a boil.

3) Remove pot from the heat and allow subsiding for about
10 minutes. Repeat heating and subsiding process 3 times.
This enables the egg white to trap sediments in the stock to clarify
the soup. Let the consommé cool for about 5 minutes.

4) Place cheesecloth over a clean pan. Ladle the soup over the cheesecloth and strain the soup into the pan.

5) Repeat the straining process twice, and then reheat consommé.

6) Season with salt and pepper and add the chicken slices.

Pasta with green vegetables
Serves 4 people

320g of whole wheat pasta 1 broccoli head, cut into flowerets 2 zucchini, sliced 225g asparagus spears 115g snow peas 1 cup of peas 2 tbsp margarine 3 tbsp of vegetable bouillon 4tbsp of tomato sauce Freshly grated nutmeg 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1) Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat.

2) Put the vegetables into a steamer basket set over the pan of boiling water and cook until vegetables are soft. Remove the vegetables from heat and refresh in cold water. Drain and set aside.

3) Put the margarine and vegetable bouillon in a pan over a medium heat. Add the vegetables and toss carefully with a wooden spoon until the have heated through.

4) Stir in the tomato sauce and heat without bringing to a boil.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

5) Cook pasta in a large salted pot of water. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until just cooked. Drain pasta and transfer pasta into a large serving dish. Spoon over vegetable sauce and add parsley. Sprinkle cheese as desired.

Chicken with Orange Sauce
Serves 4 people

2 tbsp Canola Oil 2 tbsp Olive Oil 4 x 8oz Chicken Breasts 2/3 cup brandy 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 2/3 cup of orange juice 1 oz Zucchini, cut into thin strips 1 oz red bell pepper (cut into thin strips) 1 oz shredded leek 14oz of whole wheat spaghetti 3 large oranges cut into segments 2 tbsp fresh chopped tarragon 2/3 cup ricotta cheese Salt and Pepper

1) Heat canola oil and half the olive oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown. Add the brandy and cook for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes.

2) Reduce the heat and add the orange juice, zucchini, red peppers and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

3) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, or until done. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the pasta.
Add orange segments, chopped tarragon and ricotta cheese to the sauce and cook for about 4 minutes.

4) Put the chicken on top of the pasta, spoon over the sauce.

5) Garnish with the orange segments and tarragon.

Seafood Stir Fry
Serves 4 people

100g thin asparagus spears, (trimmed) 1 tbsp corn oil 1 leek, (shredded) 2 medium carrots. Julienne (thinly sliced) 100g baby corn, cut into 4s 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp honey 1 lb assorted shell fish Egg noodles (cooked)

1) Bring small pan of water to a boil over medium heat. Blanch the asparagus for about 1-2 minutes drain and set aside.

2) Heat a large wok over medium heat. Add oil, when hot; add leek, carrot, and corn. Cook for about 3 minutes.

3) Add soy, oyster sauce and honey to wok. Stir in shell fish and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the blanched asparagus and cook until assorted shell fish is completely cooked.

4) Pile noodles onto a serving plate and spoon over the
seafood stir-fry.

Baked Fennel
Serves 4 people

2 fennel bulbs 2 celery stalks (cut into 3 inch pieces) 6 sun dried tomatoes, cut in half 1 cup of diced tomatoes 2 tsp dried oregano 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

1) Trim the fennel and discard any of the tough outer leaves.
Cut the bulb into fourths.

2) Bring a pan of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the fennel
and celery and cook until just tender. Remove and drain.

3) Put fennel, celery and sun-dried tomatoes into large
oven proof dish.

4) Mix the tomatoes and oregano together and pour mixture
over the fennel.

5) Sprinkle on cheese and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375 F for
20 minutes or until hot.

Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4 people

8 medium-size Russet potatoes 1/4 cup fat free milk 1/2 cup fat free sour cream 1/2 teaspoon garlic cleaned Salt and pepper to taste

1) Boil potatoes until soft, drain, cube and mash in a large bowl.

2) Bring fat free milk to a simmer and add garlic, cook just enough to
flavor the milk with the garlic.

3) Add all ingredients together and mix until smooth.

Mocha Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups sugar free chocolate wafer cookie crumbs 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans 4 tbsp butter 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, (softened) 1 cup brown sugar substitute 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 tsp instant espresso coffee powder 2 tsp all-purpose flour 1 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 400-degrees

1) Combine the chocolate wafer cookie crumbs, pecans and butter or margarine and mix well. Press into the bottom and 1/2 up the sides of one 9-inch spring form pan.

2) In a large bowl, with and electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and brown sugar substitute until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and espresso until smooth and well blended. Approximately 2 minutes. Add the flour and sour cream and beat until smooth. Scrape filling into the prepared crust and smooth top.

3) Bake at 400-degrees for 15 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 300-degrees and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheesecake is set around the edges but still jiggles slightly
in the center.

4) Let cake cool for two to three hours then refrigerate until well chilled. Approximately 6 hours or overnight. One hour before serving, run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the cake from the spring form pan. Slice and serve.