Lamb Provencal is another way of using breast of lamb. The breasts are left whole and poached in water to make the meat tender and to melt most of the fat from inside the layers. The lamb is then browned in the oven, topped with a mixture of parsley, garlic, onion, and bread crumbs, and baked some more. After poaching, the breasts could be grilled on a barbecue or crisped under the broiler. They will be crusty on top, but cooked inside.

Whole onions baked in aluminum foil, a very simple recipe, go well with this dish.

Onions in Papillote

Introduced to India by Portuguese settlers, this spicy stew can also be made with pork, beef or lamb. Serve over steamed basmati rice.

Spice meter: 3/5

not tried yet

This light, low-carbohydrate breakfast or lunch dish combines two of Dr Weil’s favorite ingredients – greens and fresh ginger. Baby spinach or other baby greens work great in this recipe.

This side dish makes four servings; it’s perfect to keep in your fridge to add to stir-fries or pasta dishes. Use as many different mushrooms as you can find, especially the healthier varieties like shiitake, enoki and oyster mushrooms. The dried porcini or cepes really add a lot of flavor. You’ll find them in little packages near the produce stands.

This delicious and easy soy-based dressing can stand head to head with everyone’s favorite – ranch dressing. Look for silken tofu in shelf-stable cardboard containers. It has a different texture than regular tofu and is good for dressings and desserts. This dressing is good on a tossed green salad (remember to pick dark green salad greens), but equally at home on a baked potato or as a dip for raw vegetables. Add a bit of fragrant bleu cheese if you like.