When cooking a recipe that is all about a leafy dense green, I often turn to bacon to liven it up and make it more pleasing. Somehow it is much easier to sell Swiss chard soup as a dinner option when I tell the husband it is bacon and chard soup. Ni lie involved, that’s what it is and it is delicious.

Crab Risotto made from Homemade Crab Stock

This recipe was designed for Dungeness crab but should work for other kinds of crab as well. It was meant to go hand in hand with the crab risotto recipe. From one cooked crab you can make the stock, the risotto and even have some stock leftovers, perfect for saucing a pasta or forming the base of a bisque!

This chickpea and kale stew is the ideal nutrient dense comfort food to inhale after a day of wintery outdoor activity. Beans and greens are both hearty and healthy and will warm you from the inside up. In this recipe a portion of the chickpeas are blended to form a sauce so creamy that you will swear that a heel of parmesan has been bubbling away in it all day.

This chickpea stew can be easily converted to vegan simply by omitting the chorizo. The recipe makes for excellent leftovers and great lunches and freezes well.

Here is another adult-oriented tomato soup recipe for the colder weather. Rather than warm Indian spices and cashews, this tomato soup is inspired by the south of France. The soup has subtle flavours of fennel and lavender and is finished with whipping cream and fresh tarragon.

Try serving this soup with a grilled sandwich of brie and apples. If you have fresh tomatoes feel free to substitute for the canned whole tomatoes the recipe calls for, just make sure they are skinned first.

Carrot soups are endlessly variable and very inexpensive to make. Carrots also pair very well with almost every nut imaginable, making this carrot, tarragon and walnut soup recipe very much a meal unto itself. The cream is a nice addition but very much not necessary if you are watching your figure or want to make a vegan carrot soup recipe. If you are freezing the soup, don’t add the cream until you are reheating it.

After the creamy zucchini pasta recipe I was inundated with requests for more zucchini recipes. I heard your pain. I am also drowning in little green squashes so here is another zucchini recipe. This vegetable stew is a perfect way to use up that one zucchini you didn’t notice until it got so big you could use it to club intruders.

I love ratatouille, and secretly make it year round. This zucchini and tomato stew is very similar except it uses warm middle eastern herbs and spices, and salty feta cheese which should be slightly melty when you eat it. Serve it as a side dish to lamb, tossed with quinoa, or over pasta. If you serve it as a side dish, you may want to simmer it uncovered for a few more minutes to evaporate some of the juices.

This corn chowder recipe doesn’t have very many ingredients, so I suggest making this with really fresh corn. Instead of the usual bacon, this chowder uses chipotle powder for heat and smokiness making it a perfect vegetarian chowder recipe.

This fragrant soup recipe has warm aromas of cumin, cinnamon and ginger. With your first mouthful you will taste sweet tomatoes softened with the tangy yogourt. After each sip, your mouth will tingle from the gentle spice. I suggest you make a double batch and freeze it for those cold winter months.

(Don’t forget to serve with a grilled cheese.)

I love baked beans because of their acidity and sweetness; that balance is also the key to a great recipe and the reason they pair so perfectly with hearty grilled meats like ribs.

Now, when you make baked beans don’t undercook the actual beans. Think texture. not bite.

Also, these beans are even better the next day, so make them ahead or throw them in the crockpot and forget them. Though unorthodox they also make a tasty meal when served over a batch of quinoa with a bit of sauteed greens.

The key ingredients here are the anise, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Don’t skip the step of charring the onion and ginger as they become nice and mellow that way. If you can’t find beef shank then any beef stew cut will do, I like the shank because of the marrow and gelatin you get from the bones. If you don’t serve the shank on the bone, scoop out the marrow and spread it on a bit of bread, it’s delicious. Just trust me on this one.