Soup

(Spicy Chicken Broth with Chicken, Vegetables, and Chick-Peas)

Start with vegetable sticks and dip from the supermarket. Warm tortillas and a plate of sliced red onion, orange and avocado are nice sides. To end, sprinkle rum and brown sugar over fresh pineapple chunks. Look for the coconut milk in the Asian foods section of the grocery store.

This is a delicate onion soup, a nice change from the heartier types which are so well known.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Roasting the yams gives this soup its richness; a swirl of cilantro-flavored yogurt adds even more taste and color.

Tomato and Bread Soup

This recipe yields enough to have leftovers the next day. Serve with glasses of beer or Zinfandel for a warming autumn supper.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. The fennel is the special flavor in this soup.

In 1991, the National Cancer Institute identified phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables; these compounds may be cancer fighters.

This is one of my mother's recipes and call me biased, but it's the best around. This is a vegetarian black bean soup, and one of the keys to its success is the quality of the olive oil: use the very best you can find. You can make the soup a day in advance and it will taste even better the next day. This is a no-fail recipe that I know you're going to enjoy.

On a recent trip to California, Susan Livingston of Marblehead, MA had a caramelized garlic and onion bisque at the Edna Valley Bistro in San Luis Obispo. It was so unique and outstanding that she made a point of complimenting the chef, Herbert Norton. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Though egg drop soup is not traditionally made with noodles, we love the texture and substance they add.

This is also terrific with yellow tomatoes. Garnish with thin cucumber slices and some chopped red onion, if desired.

Thyme really shines in this soup; sautéed apples are an interesting sweet garnish.