Vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Source of Recipe
“The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen: Use the Power of Food to Cook Your Way to Better Health” by Devon Young (Page Street Publishing Co., $22, available on Amazon)
Serves/Makes/Yields
4

I was well into my twenties before I learned to appreciate cauliflower — and I am so glad that I did. This bland and oddly textured food is totally transformed when it is roasted, and it becomes a rich, buttery and nutty meal. High in fiber, as well as B-complex and C vitamins, the humble cauliflower is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory — both qualities that contribute to general good health and a radiant complexion. Cauliflower is an abundant source of sulfur, which is thought to help reduce breakouts.

Sweet potato and black bean enchilada stew

Sweet potato and black bean enchilada stew
Source of Recipe
“The Dude Diet Dinnertime: 125 Clean(ish) Recipes for Weeknight Winners and Fancypants Dinners” by Serena Wolf (Harper Wave, $29.99, available on Amazon)

This sweet and savory comfort food fiesta always hits the spot; is packed with fiber, potassium and disease-fighting antioxidants; and requires zero tortilla stuffing or rolling. I beg you to try this vegetarian wonder as is, but if you or a loved one is prone to “where’s the meat?!” meltdowns, go ahead and add some shredded chicken or browned chicken sausage to your pot. — Serena Wolf

 

Swiss Chard and Kale Gratin

Swiss Chard and Kale Gratin
Source of Recipe
America's Test Kitchen
Serves/Makes/Yields
8 to 10

For a creamy, rich green gratin with a crisp, flavorful bread-crumb topping, we started with a mixture of kale and Swiss chard. Sturdy kale kept the gratin fluffy and tall; Swiss chard collapsed when cooked, but its plentiful tender stems added bulk. Steaming the greens in a Dutch oven cooked them quickly and eliminated the need for blanching or sautéing in multiple batches. To keep the gratin from being liquid-y or sogging out the crumb topping, we kept the amount of cream to 1 cup, just enough to give the dish a silky richness.

Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake

Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake
Source of Recipe
Ali Slagle, NY Times
Serves/Makes/Yields
4

For those of you who love lasagna's edges, where sticky tomato meets crisp cheese, this whole dish is for you — even the middle. A tube of tomato paste here mimics the deep flavors of sun-dried tomato. Frying a few generous squeezes caramelizes the tomato's sugars and saturates the olive oil, making a mixture that's ready to glom onto anything you stir through it. Here, it’s white beans, though you could add in kale, noodles, even roasted vegetables. Then, all that’s left to do is dot it with cheese and bake until it’s as molten or singed as you like.

Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric

Spiced Chickpea Stew With Coconut and Turmeric
Source of Recipe
Alison Roman, NY Times
Serves/Makes/Yields
4 to 6 servings

Spiced chickpeas are crisped in olive oil, then simmered in a garlicky coconut milk for an insanely creamy, basically-good-for-you stew. While the chickpeas would be good as a side dish, they are further simmered with stock, bolstered with dark, leafy greens of your choosing and finished with a handful of fresh mint. When shopping, be sure to avoid low-fat coconut milk, coconut milk meant for drinking or cream of coconut: All are very different and would not be suitable here.

Spiced Seared Eggplant With Pearl Couscous

Spiced Seared Eggplant With Pearl Couscous
Source of Recipe
JULIA MOSKIN, New York Times
Serves/Makes/Yields
4

This is a great weeknight one-dish dinner, and vegetarian (or vegan if you like) to boot. It is from the cook Adeena Sussman, who divides her time between New York and Tel Aviv, where pearl (or Israeli) couscous is called “p’titim,” meaning flakes.

 

Chickpea and Couscous Salad

Chickpea and Couscous Salad
Source of Recipe
Dillons My Magazine
Serves/Makes/Yields
6

Protein-rich chickpeas make this a hearty vegetairan option. This make-ahead salad is a real crowd pleaser.

Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole

Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole
Source of Recipe
Alton Brown, Show: Good Eats Episode: Every Grain Old Is New Again
Serves/Makes/Yields
8

Ancient American grains like amaranth, chia and quinoa are making a comeback due to their versatility and nutritional content. Alton Brown shows how to make the most of these very old kitchen newcomers.

Grilled Eggplant With Sesame and Herbs

Grilled Eggplant With Sesame and Herbs
Source of Recipe
Christopher Kimball, Boston Globe - August 7, 2019
Serves/Makes/Yields
6

We like serving the eggplant in its charred skin, but the cooked flesh also can be scooped into a bowl, mashed, and mixed with the herbs, then finished with olive oil and lemon juice. Look for smooth, unblemished eggplants, and leave the stems on when halving them.