Vegetarian

Any hearty, piquant soup with bits of ground or chopped beef could fairly be called a goulash. This all‐vegetable spin achieves a similar texture and flavor with fried crumbled firm tofu, along with ginger, garlic, chiles, and fermented black beans. If you don't have time to freeze or press the tofu, use it straight from the package; the texture will be a little less meaty, but cooking will help the extra moisture evaporate. For a more traditional take on the classic Eastern European goulash, see the variation.

If you've somehow missed that kale chips are a "thing," with recipes flooding cooking sites and packages of commercially made chips now turning up even in ordinary supermarkets, trust us: Tossing torn leaves of kale with oil and salt and baking them until crispy is a worthwhile endeavor. The slightly browned leaves take on a nutty, sweet taste and a pleasing, brittle texture.

This soup is incredibly easy to make. Simply sauté the onion, carrots, garlic, and ginger with the spices, toss it all in a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until creamy bliss results. The warm ginger and spices bring a little heat and intrigue to the soup, and the coconut milk adds to the creamy flavor and texture, making this soup taste decadent and full of depth.

You smash half the chickpeas in this recipe to make a spread, sort of a warm rustic hummus enhanced with garlic cumin and hot pepper, along with a liberal drizzle of olive oil. You can use either freshly cooked dried beans or canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), though freshly cooked is always preferable. Tuck some into a pita for a vegetarian sandwich or serve as a dip to eat with bread and olives; a dollop of minty yogurt and a drizzle of tahini sauce make nice additions.

The recipes here is vegetarian and nearly vegan. It doesn't rely on either animal products or heavy carbs as belly-filling crutches, but instead allow the vegetables themselves to become centerpieces. A whole head of cauliflower boiled and then roasted until gloriously browned. And yes, they can be main courses.  The cauliflower could just as easily accompany larger dishes, but its supple textures and rich sauce — romesco — help them register as meaty and filling.

I first ate a whole tandoori cauliflower many years ago at an Indian restaurant back in Toronto. I clearly remember the server setting the giant platter down on our table, a big, auburn vegetable head in the center surrounded by pickled onions, herbs and chutneys. There was almost something majestic about how it was presented, and it made us all feel like royalty.

One thing I love about being in America are the amazing sandwiches you can get just about anywhere. On our California honeymoon I ate my fair share, and although Kauai seems rather far away from the mainland, there are health food stores selling amazing things between two slices of bread all over this island. Hoorah!

The curried vegetables will heat quickly in a skillet, then drop a few eggs in little wells in the vegetables until the whites just set. The dish is reminiscent of Middle Eastern shakshuka. Use toasted naan to scoop up sauce and golden runny yolks.

On a blustery evening, a pot full of well-seasoned vegetables is a satisfying meal. This saucy curry includes chunks of potato, squash, cauliflower, carrots, and green beans, with a handful of chickpeas. What makes the dish delectable are the aromatics — onion, garlic, ginger, chile pepper, and plenty of warm spices. Yes, you can easily reach for a jar of curry powder, but the stew will taste fresher and brighter if you mix coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon to create a blend of your own. Heat the spices in oil so the flavors toast and mellow.