Eating

Ingredient cost for a week's worth of pungent and deeply delicious Asian sauce base: about $3. Make it in 5 minutes. Use it for the next five days with noodle soup, stir fry, fish, meat and egg dishes. A vegetable-filled ramen for $2/person. A week's worth of superior dinners for $15/person.

Polenta-Portobello Pizza. For a beautiful dish, this has to be the easiest, quickest, cheapest thing going. Delicious, too. Whole grain corn and a big, meaty mushroom. Required skills: stirring, slicing. Not much of either.

Eat delicious stuff that's heavy on fruits, vegetables and whole grains, bigger on fish than meat and very low in processed industrial foods - and have plenty of room for great snacks and desserts! Click for a few really healthy, tasty Costa Rican-inspired treats.

A deliriously delicious dessert for four or brunch for two - for less than $2. Sweet with zero added sugar. If you've been resisting home-making pizza - or banana cream pies - I hope this one'll push you over the edge.

Light, bright, luscious and aromatic. Leftover chicken tossed in a vegan dressing with an amazingly rich, creamy feel. The tastiest, throw-it-together-from-leftovers meal of the month. A very delicious meal with a very low glycemic load.

Costa Rica ranks #1 on the Happy Planet Index. Think they eat well there? I'd guess they're Happy about their diet because their food tastes so good. Sure it's healthy, but it's really fun to eat. Here's a Happy Day in the Life.

The French Way. For breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Hard to beat if you're in the mood for something warm and melting. Sweet and salty. Luxury in your mouth. For $2.50.

Luscious, rich, aromatic. Without all that last-minute stirring. Just get it started an hour before you want to serve and eat. Elegant and hearty. Great served with almost any vegetable or alongside fish, chicken or meat.

It warms and soothes. It's smooth and refined, but it's substantial, not weenie. It's delicious in a way that's simple and complex at the same time. It's sweet. It's earthy. Smooth and creamy with zero cream or milk. You gotta make this.