Vegetarian

Dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, typically take less than 20 minutes to cook and have a dreamy texture. If you want to use canned chickpeas in this recipe, use two cans (about 16 ounces each). In the Andalucia region of Spain, writes Jeff Koehler in the book “Spain: Recipes and Traditions From the Verdant Hills of the Basque Country to the Coastal Waters of Andalucia,” spinach and stewed garbanzo beans (as they’re called there), are popular tapas fare. Traditionally, crusty bread is pounded with toasted garlic to make a paste, which is stirred into the dish.

Millet, a tiny gluten-free seed, originated in China and therefore lends itself nicely to Chinese flavors and preparations. Millet is often cooked one of two ways: with lots of liquid and a longer cooking time to create a porridge-like consistency or with less liquid and a shorter cooking time for a lighter dish similar to quinoa or couscous. Here, use millet in place of rice to make the Chinese-American staple. Use leftover millet or cook it fresh (and take care not to overcook) and use it the same day.

Cook the brown rice and quinoa separately (they’ll keep their integrity that way). Then stir in sauteed mushrooms and plenty of parsley. All three components can be cooked in advance and reheated together in a low oven.

Kathy Gunst says in 2014, vegetables will be the new meat. Gunst’s celery slaw is a recipe that has veggies front and center. (Kathy Gunst/Here & Now)

Kathy’s Note: Make the dish at least an hour before serving.

This one-pot dish is comfort food made healthful. It can be served on its own or over brown rice.

MAKE AHEAD: The stew tastes even better after a day’s refrigeration; it can be refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.

RECIPE SOURCE: From Elaine Gordon, a master of public health professional and a master certified health education specialist. Her Web site is EatingbyElaine.com.

Pan-frying and then glazing tempeh with a sweet-and-sour mixture of miso and mustard gives it a big hit of flavor. This dish pairs tempeh with collard greens that are quickly cooked so they keep more of their color and texture.

From Washington Post Food editor Joe Yonan, author of "Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook" (Ten Speed Press, 2013).

Serve this sauteed zucchini, turmeric, and yogurt dip as an appetizer with toasted pita or flatbread or as a sauce with kebabs.

Loving the flavor and look of Hasselback potatoes, I knew it wouldn't be long before I found myself grilling them again. This time around I went with a sweet potato rather than a russet since they're one of my favorite winter foods.

I kept the process exactly the same: slicing, washing, then jump starting the potato cooking process in the microwave. Then the partial cooked spuds were finished on the grill, where they fanned out and got crisp around the edges, while being soft and smooth on the inside.

Of all the Thanksgiving staples, I've never been able to get behind candied sweet potatoes. These orange tubers are one my favorite fall vegetables for their warming sweet flavor, and I can't understand why you'd want mask that sweetness with more sugar, and then top it off with marshmallows? In contrast, if I were doing a sweet potato dish, it'd be something more in line with this sweet potato and corn salad.

I was psyched about this recipe from the get-go. I have a growing affection for vegetarian Indian cuisine, and thought the pairing of sweet potato and eggplant couldn't possibly go wrong. This recipe also included a heartwarming little story of a guest bringing this meal over with a few roses for the author, Aum Shanti. I was so locked in that I didn't bother to read the specifics—and when the finished dish emerged, it was a perfectly dry mix of sautéed vegetables. It wasn't repulsive, but nothing was really there to bring it all together.