I almost never repeat recipes, except for this one! This loaf is amazing and every time I make it, it only seems to get better! This is prefect to serve to company. It is really is a crowd pleaser and I can’t imagine anyone not liking it! Sweet, nutty and savory, from the chestnuts, walnuts and herbs. Yum!

Black pepper provides a different kind of heat than chile peppers, but people who are sensitive to spices may still find this too hot. So start with the lesser amount of black pepper and add more to taste. Those of you who like fiery dishes may want to increase the chile sauce, but try not to overpower the black pepper.

These are wonderful as they are, if you want to keep it simple and low in fat. However, adding diced chorizo or feta to the batter would upgrade it. Serve with any combination of these condiments: fresh herb salad with lemon and olive oil; sliced avocado, lime juice, coriander and chilli; or diced tomato, red onion, vinegar and olive oil.

Mushrooms!

Actually yesterday was a big mushroom day. I had some leftover
roast field mushrooms with poached eggs for brunch.

Then for dinner the most heavenly mushroom ragu. So simple.

Just pop everything in the oven, stir once or twice and wait. Then
dinner is ready.

I served mine on a bed of raw super finely sliced kale. But you
could use it anywhere you'd normally serve a stew or bolognese.

adapted from a recipe posted to http://community.qvc.com/

Recipe By: Dana Jacobi, Amazing Soy

Recipe by: The Vegetarian No-Cholesterol Family-Style Cookbook

Submitted by: courtney (from Vegetarian Times magazine)

Paneer is a soft fresh Indian cottage cheese made by simply using acid and no rennet. From sweets, to snacks, curries and even flat breads, one or the other form of this cheese is used in North Indian cuisine extensively. Paneer can also be used in kebabs and tikka as an addictive vegetarian option. No one is going to miss the meat!

As much as I love everything about cooking Thanksgiving dinner I stress about one thing....the gravy! A vegetarian friend came to the rescue offering up her vegetarian gravy. Through the years it has been tinkered with and has become my "go to" recipe any time I need the perfect gravy for both vegetarians and carnivores. It can be used on mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing and even turkey! You can use any type of dried mushroom. I have used shitake mushrooms but mixed dried mushrooms will provide more interesting flavors. To make a vegan version substitute olive oil for the butter and additional broth for the cream.

Many vegan versions of meatloaf are made with tofu, veggie ground round, tvp, or even seitan. Those tofu-averse will be happy to know there is no tofu or veggie meats in this loaf. This savory version uses only lentils, cracked wheat, oats, and chia seed, along with a mix of seasonings to make it all magically come together!

"Paneer", or cottage-cheese, is as well-known amongst Americans as Indians. And I personally have friends who love it so much, they make me take them to Indian restaurants for lunches whenever possible. So here's a simple paneer recipe called "Shahi Paneer" that you can easily make at home! It is also by names like "Paneer makhani" or "Paneer makhanvala". So no matter what name you are looking for, the technique remains the same:)

Paneer, or Cottage Cheese, can be enjoyed in various forms, and I can totally relish eating just raw fresh paneer, but the avenues that it provides to cooking are just amazing! Add these cubes to any veggie curry and it transforms into something rich and delicious. So here's another rich and creamy variation that involved shredded paneer, and its my husband's absolute favourite. It's called Akbari Paneer. I first tasted it in a desi restaurant in california, and have been a fan ever since. It has now become a regular paneer delight in our house as it's simple to make and tastes great with any naan, bread or jeera rice!

"Variety is the spice of life"- this shows how important spice is in anyone's life, so today we salute the ingredient which brings spice into our lives, literally. "Chillies" are available in various forms, shapes, sizes and colours, but the end result is always the same, something tasty and spicy. Today I share with you my recipe of Chilli Paneer. Its a favourite amongst elders and youngsters alike. With the succulent paneer (cottage cheese) coated and flavoured in soy sauce and green chillies, this dish is perfect to enjoy with rice or bread/parathas. And simple to cook, it takes not more than 15-20 mins!

Tandoori Paneer Tikka - the name itself makes my mouth water!! Succulent cubes of paneer marinated and grilled or baked in a "tandoori oven", then served with grilled vegetables, is enough to tempt anyone on earth. But this time around, inspired by combining the Indian and Asian tastes in one dish, I have tried a variation which still uses a spicy yogurt marinade, but the final Paneer Tikka is then served hot, drizzled with a home-made sweet and tangy mango dressing, and serves to be a perfect side-dish to an Indian meal. Sounds inviting, right? Just wait till you've actually tasted it, maybe you wouldn't like leaving any for your guests!

If you are craving for a simple yet tasty Paneer recipe that won't take hours of preparation, and which you can savor with Rotis/Parathas/Naans or Rice, look no further. Kadhai Paneer is a healthy, nutritious, protein-rich and almost fat-free Indian curry that will leave you satisfied at the end of your meal. Flavored with kasuri-methi, ginger-garlic and a blend of mild Indian spices, it can be ready in a jiffy and can be a perfect accompaniment to bread or rice for a fulfilling weeknight dinner! Sending this over to Srivalli for Monthly Mingle, featuring Kid's Lunches this month!

I can eat Paneer Butter Masala almost every day, but this saturday, our cravings were at a peak-time high as there was light rain outside. Everyone knows I just love Paneer Recipes, and this weekend I decided to make the eternal favorite Paneer Butter Masala, that velvetty-smooth gravy that has all the goodness of indian spices combined with cubes of cottage cheese and garnished with cream and coriander! Now do I have your attention??! Paneer Butter Masala is similar to other paneer gravies, except that as the name implies, it is more rich due to butter and the gravy is thickened by using onions, tomatoes and cashew paste rather than just cream. You cannot go wrong with this, try it for yourself and see!

Believe me, paneer is such a versatile ingredient in Indian cooking, you could make an entire meal using just this, right from appetizers to main course to dessert! Hey maybe they should choose paneer as the next secret ingredient for Iron Chef!:) Till then, try this mouth-watering recipe (adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's cookbook) at home and enjoy its taste as it lingers on your tongue and your senses!

PANEER TIKKA RECIPE

CHANAR DALNA RECIPE

This simple vegetarian curry, full of fresh Indian flavours, is quick to make and cooks in a single pot

A popular choice for all the family, these assemble-yourself veggie fajitas are quick to make and great fun to eat.

I'm in the habit of making low-fat spreads to eat with raw veggies or rye crisp for snacks.  DH is a snacker-- he feels the need to munch every couple of hours or so.  He likes fruit, and soy yogurt, so those are snack staples, of course, but sometimes a savory, protein-rich snack is more satisfying. So that's what I concentrate on keeping in the refrigerator at all times (though leftover homemade soups and grainy/beany salads are good, too).  My Cheddary Spread is a favorite.  But, yesterday I was out of silken tofu (calamity!), so I looked around for what I had-- can of black beans, jar of salsa, could quickly make some Melty Chedda, since it doesn't require tofu. Here's the result, and it passed DH's taste-test with flying colors.

Makes 4 servings

This dish is ideal for freezing. Wrap well and freeze at the end of step 3. Thaw and continue to cook from step 4.

Ever wonder how soybeans turn into smooth, creamy tofu? First, the beans are pressed to extract soy milk, which is then curdled. The curds are drained, pressed, and cut into blocks of tofu.

Madras veg stir-fry

Babycorn with Dal is nothing but crunchy mixed Veggies with Red Lentils. This is a curry with minimal spices so can be served to kids as well.

Mixed vegetables tossed with onion, red pepper with a touch of spice. Light and delicious, and easy to prepare, can be served as a side dish or as a quick snack. Slap it up with a chapatti, tortilla wrap or even a Naan it's truly sensational.

Cauliflower & Broccoli make a good combination from ages. Generally it is cooked in a creamy white sauce or parmesan cheese. Here is an Indianised version of these vegetables - this is a quick way to enjoy these nourishing vegetables in a tasty way!

Gobi Manchurian is a famous Indo-Chinese dish. They are Cauliflower Fritters in spicy Sauce. This dish can be either dry or wet based. Dry Gobi Manchurian can be served as starters or a wet one as a side dish for Rice. Here the fried Cauliflower Floret along with flavourful Sauce strikes a nice balance of sweet + tangy + spicy effect... Ummm yum yum!!!

Vegetable Cutlet is a spicy snack which is a blend of vegetables and some Indian spices. This is quite a flexible dish which can be eaten as an appetiser, side dish with the main course or even as a snack with Tea.

Mushroom Masala is a spicy form of Mushrooms cooked in Tomato gravy with other spices. You can try this curry when your crisper is clean and empty or just left with minimal vegetables :-p...This can be served with Basmati Rice or any Indian bread.

Yellow Thai Curry is a speciality of Thai Cuisine. Generally Thai cooking involves Coconut milk or cream which makes the gravy rich and creamier. This curry is made by boiling mixed veggies in Coconut milk and of course the Thai Curry paste. So if you are a big fan of Coco milk why not give it a try?

Kidney, black and navy beans make this chili a hearty version of the classic, full of vegetables, savory spices and fresh cilantro, too. Serve with a sprinkling of regular or dairy-free shredded cheese over the top, if you like.

Almost every meal I remember fondly has had rice playing a significant role in it. Like most Indians, I have it every day. Sometimes three times a day. And in all this time, never once have I ever tired of it. The countless rice recipes in Indian cuisine and the various side-dishes that rice plays a perfect canvas to probably have something to do with it.
Families usually buy rice by the sack full. A few hundred pounds to last the year. And a lot of care is taken to source the perfectly aged grain. The older it is, the better. The last few weeks have seen the cool winds recede and the heat making itself comfortable. Summer is here. Which means only one thing: The last harvest of fresh peas needs to find a way to my table before I have to settle for the frozen ones through the rest of the year.
With plenty of rice at hand, I thought there's no better way to say farewell to these emerald morsels than with Mutter Pulao (rice cooked with peas). The subtle, fragrant spices coat the rice, and the peas add a wonderful sweet burst to the dish.
It's a recipe full of nostalgia for me, because we'd eat it often as children. My brother and I would hastily pick out the succulent peas as soon as the pulao was served and each of us would vie for the bigger haul, when no one was looking.
All sibling rivalry would be forgotten as soon as we started eating, of course. It's one of those dishes that make you too happy to snitch.
So tonight, Peas Pulao it is. Yet another meal to reminisce.

I like to think of Serious Eats and A Hamburger Today as more than just a food blog. It's really a relationship between the editors and contributors, and you guys: the Serious Eats Community-At-Large. A like with any relationship, occasionally the routine can hit a rut.
I've tinkered with and written about burgers a whole lot in the last couple of years. So much so that there are, in fact, times when I'm simply at a loss as to what to tinker with and write about next. But if there's one thing that being married has taught me, it's that whenever your relationship hits a holding pattern, it's always best to turn to your spouse to seek for ways in which to liven it up. You see that way, if it works out, everyone's happy. And if it doesn't? Well it makes it a heck of a lot easier to blame the other person. This is valuable relationship advice. Take note.
So when it came time for me to write another burger-based installment of The Food Lab, I decided to take my own advice to heart and went searching for ideas on my Facebook page, through my Twitter feed, and via our message boards. The overwhelming response? Veggie burgers.
Don't like that idea? You've got nobody to blame but yourselves.
Personally, I do like a good veggie burger. And I'm not talking one of those hockey puck, soy protein, faux-meat, painted-on-grill-mark atrocities aimed at vegetarians who secretly (or publicly) miss meat (more on my stance on faux meat here). I'm talking a veggie burger that actually tastes of grains and vegetables. A veggie burger that celebrates its veggie-ness yet can stand up to and be complemented by the typical toppings and condiments you'd find at a backyard cookout. I'm talking a veggie burger that even a meat-eater would happily eat—topped with cheese and bacon, if they want.
And heck, just for the fun of it, why not add an extra challenge here and make the burgers 100 percent vegan as well?

Welcome to another installment of My Family’s Favorite Recipes!

If my daughter had her way, we’d eat pasta at every meal. Lasagna, mac and cheese, chili mac–she’s not picky, she’ll devour any of them. About once a week I give in to her demands, and the dish I most often make is this one, which she calls “That Pasta with All the Vegetables and White Sauce” because I’ve never come up with a catchy name for it. It’s perfect because it fulfills her desire for noodles and my need for vegetables. In fact, it contains twice as many vegetables as pasta, a good thing in my opinion.

E got lucky this week because I made it twice. Since it’s always been one of those “throw in a little this and a little that until it tastes good” dishes, I didn’t have exact ingredient amounts, so I had to play with the recipe a bit to get to where it would work without my giving you vague instructions like “If it looks too dry, add more milk” or “Keep adding garlic until you repel vampires.” There’s still a little of that, but if you follow the basic recipe, you should come out with pasta and vegetables that are coated in a light, flavorful sauce that tastes surprisingly rich for being so low in fat. It’s one of those “home-cooking” dishes that’s good enough to serve to company.

The recipe below uses a full pound of pasta and makes a lot; besides being hearty eaters, my family likes to have leftovers to fight over for the next day or two. If you’re cooking for one or two, you may want to make half a recipe, so I’ve made that easy for you by including a printer page for the 4-servings version of the recipe. And don’t miss the note on how to make this a Ridiculously Easy recipe, which, truth be told, is how I usually make it.

With a toddler and a beer nerd/ultramarathoner in this house it is imperative that there are healthy yet delicious (extra points if it pairs well with a cocktail) snacks on hand at all times.Crunchy, healthy, and satisfying, these roasted chickpeas do the trick. Inspired from a recipe for cumin and yeast roasted chickpeas from an issue of Food & Wine, these roasted chickpeas using caned chickpeas are fast and simple to make.

Packed with protein, zinc, and folate, these crunchy and delicious roasted chickpeas are not only healthy but seriously addictive. Here are three of our favorite flavor combos: Sriracha, Lime, and Cilantro; Sea Salt and Rosemary; and Honey. The 3-year-old sidekick, Mia, loves the Sea Salt and Rosemary and Honey and can eat them faster than my husband. Best eaten warm but can be stored in an air-tight container, this amazing snack will be gone fast. Make extra.

Did you guys know you can pretty much make a veggie burger out of any combination of beans, grains & greens? Provided you get a consistency you can shape into a burger (even if it is delicate) you really have myriad options in the v-burger department.

This recipe is amazing.  The crispy outside and juicy yet firm insides of the chipotle seitan will call to you in your sleep.  This seitan would be great in many recipes, but works especially well in a gordita style tortilla wrap because of the flavor and texture of it.  It would also be great over rice, veggies, or in any Mexican dish that calls for beef.  I cannot stop eating this.  If this weren't a vegan blog, you might be scared by some of these pictures.  The seitan really, really looks like beef in most of them.  

Somewhere in between burgers and falafel you get quinoa cakes. The benefits? These ones are gluten-free, vegan and packed with protein, but you’d never guess it. Serve instead of a veggie burger, or throw on top of a salad and drizzle with tahini.

Whatever you do, you should probably make a double batch.

Too often when I'm out of gluten-free crackers and don't have time to bake, I find myself reaching for potato chips instead. What can I say? I like the crunch. But, to state the obvious, a potato chip is not a cracker.
Thankfully I discovered these simple-to-make tortilla crackers. While they won't fool anyone into thinking they're eating a saltine, they really are cracker-like. Somehow they go into the oven tasting like tortillas and come out with a cracker-like texture.
To make them, lightly brush seasoned olive oil on both sides of gluten-free corn tortillas. Flavor the oil with any seasoning you love; I usually reach for chili powder. By combining the seasoning with the olive oil, every bit of the tortilla gets evenly coated with seasoning.
Then pop them into an oven and bake until crisp. It's a good idea to keep an eye on them after about seven minutes. They can go from, "Oh, don't they look nice!" to "Oh my goodness! Something's burning!" pretty fast.

A Facebook friend asked me recently if I had a list of my favorite recipes, and I was sorry to say that I didn’t. But what a good idea! Or so I thought, until I started to name all the recipes I considered favorites and found that the list would be so long that it would be useless. So I decided to reshape the question: Which recipes do I make over and over again? I decided to focus on the recipes I actually make week-in and week-out plus a few that I make regularly for holidays or special occasions, such as green bean casserole for Thanksgiving.

After I thought of it like that, my list became both much shorter and much less fancy. It includes the Dirty Little Secret Soup that I make once a week (a little differently each time), the chickpea “tuna” salad I pack in my daughter’s lunch, and at least 4 different kinds of split-pea soup. All have been thoroughly tested and are dishes that we–teenager included–love. You can see the full list of my family’s favorites here (it’s now a regular category in the recipe index).

As I was making the list, I asked my husband to help me think of every meal we eat regularly, and I was a little surprised to discover that several of the dishes in our regular rotation haven’t appeared on the blog. I guess I’ve been so busy trying to feature new recipes that I haven’t bothered with the very simple, stand-by dishes that make up a big part of our diet. So I’ve decided to rectify that. For the next three weeks, I’ll be adding a new “old” recipe each week. I’ll reveal what food we always travel with and tell you how to make the vegetable-rich pasta dish my daughter loves.

My first old favorite reveals another “dirty little secret” of my family’s eating habits: about once a week, we eat burritos for dinner. On really rushed nights, we rely on canned fat-free refried beans (I know, I know–sodium and BPA, but we’re talking emergency meals) and wrap them in whole wheat tortillas along with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, jalapenos, and my daughter’s specialty, guacamole (there’s another recipe I’ve never posted.) But when I have leftover brown rice, I skip the refried beans and throw together this easy Spanish rice. It makes a great burrito filling or side dish and doesn’t take much longer than heating up a can of beans.

Eating more vegetables is never a bad idea and one of the most enjoyable ways to make it happen is familiarizing yourself with the joys of Indian cooking. If tackling it seems intimidating, try out this Bihari Green Beans Masala adapted from The Occasional Vegetarian. It's a great recipe to get you started.
It starts with the combination of green beans and almonds (anyone else reminded of green beans almondine?) then employs a palette of spices you probably already have on hand: cumin, paprika, coriander, and red chile flakes. Toasted with onion and garlic then simmered in coconut milk with stubby little green beans, this simple recipe leaves you with a rich dish of spicy-creamy beans that are just waiting to be spooned over a steaming plate of basmati rice.
No more complicated than your run-of-the-mill green bean recipe, this one is packed with big spices, sweet coconut milk and beans that are so satisfying, they verge on meaty, not to mention give you some confidence to move onto other vegetarian, Indian-inspired cooking projects.

I'm not sure what initially attracted me to this recipe in the March issue of Bon Appétit. I've never encountered a tofu, onion, and pepper dish quite like this before. In fact, even the idea of roasting tofu was new to me.
But there was something appealing about that citrus marinade, which balanced fresh lime juice and cilantro with smoked paprika and cumin. I was especially intrigued since the marinade would also be used as a sauce, albeit after some honey was added.
Regardless of what you think of the flavors, which I quite enjoyed, you can't argue with how easy this is to prepare. The ingredients for the marinade are roughly chopped and then tossed into the blender. The tofu is marinated for only 15 minutes, but it sucks up a lot of flavor in that time. It's then simply placed on one half of a baking sheet, with the onions and peppers on the other side.
Roast for 20 minutes and you're done. As for a side, white rice works well, though the recipe also claims that corn tortillas would work, too.

This Black-Eyed Pea Curry from Suvir Saran's Masala Farm is the kind of recipe that'll make you realize you're definitely not eating enough black-eyed peas. This good-luck-in-the-New-Year legume makes an absolutely perfect curry candidate when simmered in a deeply spiced tomato broth.

It's good to have something that can be easily eaten in one hand and that is cooked on trays in the oven. Thisis perfect cocktail-party food.

This lightly curried egg-noodle dish, which can also be made with chicken or prawns, is a favourite in our house. It has a lovely salty sweetness, which is nicely offset by the crisp salad it's served with.

Although this dish takes a bit of work, the end result is well worth it. The mix of mushrooms provides a lovely depth of flavour and richness that more than makes up for the lack of meat.

There's little that tastes as healthy and satisfying as a bowl of warming lentil soup. I use a mix of puy and red lentils for texture, and, as always, it's the addition of a few extras at the end that makes the difference.

Vegetable Biryani is a spicy rice item with a combination of Vegetables and Indian spices. This is actually a Mughlai dish but has gained popularity in Indian Cuisine. This can be served as a main dish with any gravy or Raita.

If certain folks had their way, chili would be made with nothing but beef, chilies, and the hair off a Texan's back. If you're one of those folks, well here's a recipe for you. Yippie ki-yay, and all that.
Well if you're one of those folks, move along, this is not the chili you are looking for.
If, however, you are open to such atrocities as beans in your chili, keep reading. Why does vegetarian chili get such a bum rap? I mean, there's the obvious: chili is a divisive issue, even (or especially?) amongst those who love chili.
But hey, guess what? Beans can taste good in chili. Tomatoes can taste good in chili. (Don't believe me? Try out this recipe). Heck, even pork and tomatillos can taste good in chili.
So why shouldn't we be able to make a completely meatless version that tastes great as well?
Turns out we actually have quite a few great tasting vegetarian chilies on the site already, but all of them (and pretty much every vegetarian chili recipe I've seen) fall under the fast-and-easy, 45-minutes-or-less category.
This in and of itself is not a bad thing—vegetarian chilis as a general rule don't need to be cooked as long as meat-based chilies because vegetables tenderize faster than meat—but long, slow cooking also nets you another benefit in the flavor development. Fast chili recipes are inevitably not quite as rich and complex as you'd like them to be.
My goal this week is to create a 100% vegan chili recipe that has all of the deep chili flavor, textural contrast, and rib-sticking richness that the best chili should have.

I realized I don’t have a super basic sausage recipe on the site and so here it is! The now classic, always magical, seitan and bean steamed-in-tinfoil sausage. Perfect for grilling, sauteeing or tossing into stews.

In case this is your first time making a vegan sausage, here’s what’s going down: You’re going to mash some beans in a mixing bowl and then throw in the other ingredients and mix. Then you’re going to roll ‘em in tinfoil like a Tootsie Roll, and steam them. And then, like magic, you will have vegan sausages. Easiest thing in the world!

You need a supply of fresh steamed rice noodles for this recipe. Check your local Chinatown or a good Asian grocery. Steamed rice noodles need to be used the day they are made. Do not refrigerate them or they will become brittle/stale very rapidly. If you can't find chow fun noodles, and cooked vegan Chinese noodle will work.

It’s every girl’s worst nightmare. Just a few weeks shy of my 39th birthday, trying to drift off to sleep, I was suddenly seized by a terrifying thought. “I have never porcini crusted anything.” Maybe porcini crusting went out of style with The Rachael haircut, but it’s still my idea of a fancy meal.

And Valentine’s Day is coming up, so maybe you wanna’ get a little fancy? Porcinis remind me of wet leaves, red wine and cozy cloudy evenings. Their sensuous woodsy taste just oozes romance. They’re a little pricey, but dried ones aren’t too bad — I think one ounce set me back under four bucks at Whole Foods. You grind them up in the blender, mix with breadcrumbs and seasoning and voila! Delicious crust.

Even though you might not make this recipe any day of the week (but you might), it isn’t difficult to do. My favorite part is that the accompanying Shallot Gravy is made with both the leftover marinate and the leftover crusting mixture.

I served over Scallion Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Beets. You can definitely have the whole menu done in an hour or so (not including marinating time). Here’s how: Marinate the tofu during the day. Then when you get home, first thing you do is prep the beets and get them in the oven. Then prepare the potatoes. Now prep the shallots (this is the hardest part! Shallots can be a real pain.) Blend the porcinis before blending the mashed potato ingredients so that you don’t have to wash the blender out. Now make the sauce, porcini crust and, finally, cook the tofu. That may sound confusing, but once you read through the recipes, you’ll get it.

Welcome spring--or vegetarian guests--to your table with this delicious main-course recipe that is destined to become a favorite for family and feasts alike. For killer veggie burgers, serve any leftover slices on toasted whole wheat buns with lettuce and spicy mustard.

Steaming the tempeh first helps it stay moist and absorb this flavorful marinade. Any leftovers can be added to salads, sandwiches and vegetable dishes.

Use in sandwiches or wraps, or serve on a bed of sautéed veggies like spinach, carrots, bok choy or bell peppers.

For the best presentation, choose a mix of red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers.

This hearty loaf combines tofu with onions, carrots, garlic and parsley and bakes up firm and sliceable. Try adding any of the following to make this vegetarian take on a classic comfort food even more delicious: ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, or dried basil, oregano or thyme. Top slices of the tofu loaf with vegetarian mushroom gravy, or pair them with brown rice or quinoa pilaf.

Serve this dish (inspired by the Middle Eastern classic, Mujadara) either as a vegetarian main course or a hearty side.

This dish is spiced with garam masala, a blend of aromatic spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Serve with naan or other soft flatbread. Since tofu sometimes sticks to the skillet when pan-fried, use a nonstick skillet if you have one on hand.

This recipe comes to us courtesy of the Renegade Lunch Lady Chef Ann Cooper and her book Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed our Children. These lentil patties are delicious as well as healthful, and can be served as a burger on a whole grain bun, or as an entree with rice and some grilled veggies.

These easy-to-assemble burgers can be shaped ahead of time and cooked off when you're ready to eat.

A great vegetarian dish as part of a Chinese banquet or just a nice midweek supper on its own with steamed rice.

A healthy breakfast doesn't need to taste boring - add zing to your morning with salsa and sweetcorn pancakes.

I get blank stares when I ask my vegetarian cooking students if they’ve ever eaten seitan (say-tahn). Yet, hands go up when I ask if anybody has ever eaten mock chicken, beef, or pork in a Chinese vegetarian restaurant. The name is foreign but you may be more familiar with the product than you think.

Sometimes you gotta take a break from the hard-core carnivordom, and these are the way to go—just ask our staff, who eat them around the clock. These balls happen to be Mike's favorite too. You'll often find us at the bar with a big bowl, topped with Classic Tomato Sauce or Spinach Basil Pesto and a side of steamed or sautéed spinach. And when it comes to kids, this is a great and tasty way to sneak in more veggies.

Beans and legumes are among the healthiest foods you can eat. A vegetable protein, they contain fewer pesticides than animal products. They’re low in fat, and are versatile enough to absorb flavor from a wide variety of flavors and spices. With so many warnings about chemicals in canned foods, now might be the time to make the switch to home-cooked beans.
Dried beans are usually very cheap, although they take a while to cook from scratch so consider energy usage when making price comparisons.  Make a large quantity and freeze to make the effort worthwhile.  I’ll give a few methods.

My next guest post comes from my awesome friend, Andrew, of Eating Rules, an amazing blog that focuses on healthy eating by following three simple rules.  Whether he’s challenging you to avoid processed foods or encouraging you to look closely at food labels so that you’re making the most nutritious choices possible, Andrew makes you think about what you’re putting into your body (something which a lot of us don’t do often enough).  The best part is that he does it in a truly approachable, positive way, without that hefty serving of guilt that some writers serve with their health lessons.
For this post, he’s created a fabulous, basic recipe, that also helps me cover another one of the topics I keep meaning to get to here on PGEW: making homemade stock.  I’ve referred to my homemade veggie, chicken, and turkey stocks in the past, but have yet to get them up on the blog.  And I’m kind of glad now, since Andrew’s veggie stock looks so much better than mine!  Let’s check out this great recipe that helps make the most of any extra produce you may have. 

Potato And Pea Curry (Aloo Matar)

Mushroom Lasagna

Popular in Israel, this shakshuka works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Baked Falafel Pita Sandwiches

Let’s face it, cabbage is a tough sell. Even though it’s what makes coleslaw coleslaw and it’s a crunchy companion to a fish taco, most people associate it with their grandmother’s boiled cabbage fouling up the air with its death-like aroma. That’s why I’m titling this post Sexy Cabbage Sexytime because the other night, I came up with a way to cook it that’s so terrific, so genre-shifting, it’ll forever change the way that you think about cabbage.

Keftes de prasa are de rigeur at most holiday celebrations on the Sephardic side of my family. Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Hannukah--it doesn't matter. Any excuse is good enough reason to enjoy these simple leek fritters. Not much more than leeks, eggs, and breadcrumbs, they are deceptively delicious and addictive. Almost like latkes but with leeks instead of potatoes.
Like latkes, they are great fun at a celebration, but after sitting out for too long, they lose that perfect crispness that makes fried food really special. If you make them for a small group and serve them fresh from the pan, I guarantee your guests will be begging for a return invitation.
In this recipe, I've actually synthesized a couple different traditions. In my family, the leeks are boiled. I found a very similar Syrian-Jewish recipe for Ejjeh b'Kerrateh in the superb Aromas of Aleppo by Poopa Dweck, where she sautees the leeks, producing a stronger, better oniony flavor. The Syrian version also adds subtle flavors of allspice, cinnamon, and hot pepper, which I've listed as optional ingredients. I like them, but my wife found them distracting. On the other hand, the Syrian version doesn't use any breadcrumbs, which I think are an important textural element.
If you are nice, maybe someday I'll tell you about serving keftes de prasa in a sandwich, like falafel. (By the way, you may find keftes called kyeftes, keftedes, or kifticas. Our family pronounces them koof-teek-az.)

Tortilla casserole isn't authentically Mexican, beautiful, or fancy in any way. It's simply a delicious, homey way to put a healthy and inexpensive vegetarian entree on the table. If you have kids, odds are it will be a hit with them too. In my family we like to put something like this together on Sunday night and refrigerate it, then bake and serve it for dinner early in the work week. That guarantees us at least one hot home-cooked meal even if no-one has time to cook.
The most complicated thing it asks you to do is dice an onion.
This recipe is for the basic tortilla casserole. The most complicated thing it asks you to do is dice an onion. You can embellish the basic recipe in any number of ways. For example, add finely diced zucchini or bell pepper, roasted poblano peppers, or corn kernels. You could also replace the refried beans with whole pinto or black beans, or add a tablespoon or so of minced chipotle pepper to the sauce.
If you have time, garnishes of crema (Mexican sour cream), fresh cilantro, and lime slices are nice. This dish provides a great opportunity to break out all of those hot sauces crowding your refrigerator door—everyone can doctor it up to their own preference of chile heat.

It's the first real hurdle in a resolution diet: the Super Bowl. Every year, millions of blossoming healthy eaters are trapped in a 10x10 room with 50 friends, a 50-inch television, and more temptations than a Motown reunion. And while I would never advise depriving oneself of nachos and beer, there are ways to curtail the damage to your diet.
Parking yourself by the crudité table is one option, as is loading up on less fatty foods like popcorn, salsa, and pretzels. If your friends are all classy-like, shrimp and other non-fried seafood are excellent choices as well. Light beer is an acquired taste, but Sam Adams makes a decent brew, and I've never heard anyone complain about Corona Light. Chili, which we've discussed here before, is another excellent way to chow mightily without torpedoing your diet.
You can bring your own, cram it with vegetables and legumes, and no one will be the wiser. White Chicken Chili and Pumpkin Turkey Chili are stellar selections, as is Winter Vegetable Chili, the cover recipe from this month's Food & Wine.
Though entirely vegetarian, the chili is substantial, and packs some serious heat. Bizarrely, the parsnips are the highlight, since they pair beautifully with the chipotles.
It's a sweet, smoky combination I would not shy away from serving to Mike Ditka, John Madden, or two of the three Manning brothers. If you've never bought canned hominy before, I found it in the Latin foods section of my supermarket.

I'm not sure I really have any business cooking a recipe for chili that's not only vegetarian—making it a contradiction in terms—but also pulled from Patricia Wells' The Provence Cookbook. I think we all agree that the French are many things, but chili experts is not one of them. It's more like a vegetable stew with a healthy kick of chili powder. But when you get down to it, who really cares as long as it's delicious?
This certainly is. Essentially a slew of vegetables sweated then simmered with puréed tomatoes, chili powder, kidney beans, and rice, the result is healthy, hearty, and cost almost nothing to make. The aromatic vegetables make a wonderful base for the tomatoes, while the rice carries it into a full meal.

I've been talking smack about this recipe for months. Whenever my wife and I can't decide what to make for dinner, she'll lobby hard for this one—and it makes sense. I love black beans and we tend to have the rest of the ingredients around the house. It's a perfect pantry meal. The only problem? I couldn't picture how they'd turn out. I feared they would become chalky and dry like hockey pucks.
But that couldn't be further from the case for this Epicurious recipe. Perhaps stuffing them with loads of veggies and chiles helps them stay moist.
My only criticism? The "spicy" label is a misnomer. Unless you think "medium" packaged salsa is spicy, then you'll need to add some firepower of your own. Hot sauce these guys at will.