Moroccan-Spiced Sweet Potato and Chickpea Soup

This vegan dish is spicy but not wild

An aromatic blend of sweet potatoes and chickpeas? Sign us up!

This soup sports flavor that’s assertive but not overpowering. And it’s light enough for a first course. Or you could ladle up extra-large portions, pair it with salad and crusty bread, and serve it as a main dish.

Tasty, zippy, versatile – it’s a real meal deal.

Lentil, Rice, and Pea Salad

This healthy change-of-season dish makes a great main or side

As the weather makes its leisurely turn from chilly to warm across much of the US, our appetites are beginning to change too. We may still crave some hearty dishes, but we’re looking to lighten things up a bit.

This Lentil, Rice, and Pea Salad is perfect for the seasonal transition. Lentils and rice give comfort during the cool days that still linger on, while peas add color and a touch of spring.

This dish delivers as a meatless main course, but it also makes a tasty side. It’s vegan and gluten-free, too, so you can serve it wherever. Best of all, it’s equally good warm or chilled.

So what are you waiting for? No matter what the weather is like in your part of the world, you can make a dish that promises sunny days ahead.

Curried Green Tomatoes

A spicy way to use end-of-season tomatoes

Throughout much of the US, we backyard veggie gardeners are mourning the end of growing season—and remembering the fresh, ripe tomatoes of summer.

We’re also faced with a culinary dilemma: What to do with all those green tomatoes that are still on the vines? They won’t have time to ripen, but we need to pick them before the first frost.

Green tomatoes may not be as alluring as their ripe alter egos, but they have tart, bright flavor. Which makes them exquisite when combined with spicy curry.

And cooking them takes just a few minutes. So you can have curry in a hurry.

Lentil and Tomato Soup

Hearty, rich—and perfect for cooler weather

Today is autumnal equinox, the first day of fall in the US. For many of us, that means cooler weather is on its way (if it hasn’t arrived already).

So goodbye summer—it’s time for heartier fare. And if you need to warm up on a chilly day, there’s nothing better than soup. I particularly like ones that feature dried legumes or pulses.

Like this great Lentil and Tomato Soup. You could serve this in small portions as a starter, but it cries out to be a meal in a bowl. Maybe pair it with some of that wonderful Beer Bread we posted about last week. Add small salad if you’re particularly hungry. And of course include a nice glass of wine (or a bottle of beer).

Bliss.

Lentil, Quinoa, and Zucchini Salad

This healthy, protein-rich vegan dish can be a main or a side

In much of the world, September brings in-between weather. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re anticipating cooler temps, but we’re still seeing many warm (as in hot!) days. In the Southern Hemisphere, people are looking forward to warm weather, though the cold may still linger a while.

So planning meals can be a bit of a challenge, wherever you are. Warm temperatures call for something light. But that hint of chill makes you crave something with a bit of substance.

For weather like this, my go-to is a main course salad—particularly one with dried pulses or legumes. Vegetables keep it light, but pulses/legumes add a bit of oomph (not to mention protein). Mix in some quinoa, and you have a nutritional powerhouse.

Best of all, main-course salads can make a perfect “Meatless Monday” option for those who want to eat vegan or vegetarian at least one night a week. Add some bread and maybe a nice glass of wine, and you’re set—no matter what the weather gods throw at you.

Summer White Bean and Quinoa Salad

Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers flavor this protein-rich vegan main course dish

By the time midsummer heat rolls around, I’m craving light and fresh dishes.  And I’m in luck, because right now in the US we’re enjoying an abundance of locally grown vegetables (including some from our own backyards).  Tomatoes and cucumbers are my favorites — for a few short weeks in summer, their flavors are at a peak.  With the hot weather we typically face at this time of the year, they’re about all I want to eat.

But of course we need a bit more than that, so it’s time for main-course bean and/or grain salads loaded up with ripe summer veggies.  Today’s salad is really a meal in itself, although you may want to add some bread — and if you’re feeling indulgent, a nice glass of wine. 

You’ll probably have some leftovers, which will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.  Pack them in small containers, and you can brown bag them in lunches for the next day.

So this recipe gives you a terrific-tasting, exceptionally healthy main-course salad.  And you can enjoy it again for lunch the next day.  Totally keen — or is that quin?

Soupe au Pistou

Pesto Is the Classic Garnish for this French Provençal Vegetable Soup 

Pistou is the French version of Pesto sauce. It is most often associated with the Provençal dish, Soupe au Pistou.

Although you can serve Soupe au Pistou almost anytime, it’s best from late spring through early fall (which is basil-growing weather). So it’s in season right now. And it’s versatile — the best versions contain whatever vegetables are in season and fresh.

So all that zucchini and summer squash that’s coming online in your garden, or overflowing the bins at your farmers’ market? This soup is their fate.

Roast Asparagus

Roasting Intensifies the Magnificent Flavor of this Springtime Favorite

Springtime means asparagus.  Oh sure, asparagus is available in our supermarkets year round.   And often it’s pretty good.  But early spring brings locally grown asparagus — the freshest and most succulent of the year. 

With Easter coming soon, what better vegetable to grace your table?  Not only is asparagus seasonally appropriate, it combines well with the ham or lamb that many people like to serve. 

Although asparagus is wonderful no matter how you cook it, I have a soft spot for Roast Asparagus.  This veggie has extraordinarily good flavor to begin with, but roasting deepens and concentrates it.

Roast Asparagus tastes equally good hot from the oven or cooked ahead and served at room temperature.  What’s more convenient than that?

Hungarian Noodles and Cabbage with Bacon

This Traditional Hungarian/Polish Dish Delivers Rich, Satisfying Flavor

This dish is popular in many countries.  Particularly in Hungary, where it’s called Káposztás  Kocka.  And in Poland, where it’s known as Kluski z Kapusta.  In some US ethnic communities, it’s called Haluski.  Same recipe, different names. 

When a dish is so widely loved, you know it has to be tasty.  And this one is.  The cooked cabbage becomes tender and sweet, melting into the noodles.  It delivers the sort of Old World flavor that you pay a chef big bucks to create.  But why go to a restaurant when it’s so easy to make at home?

You may have leftover cabbage (cooked or uncooked) from St. Pat’s.  If not, cabbage is currently plentiful and inexpensive in many supermarkets.  So now is the time to make this charmer!

Steamed Vegetables

The Perfect Way to Cook Your St. Patrick’s Day Cabbage 

This Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day, and many people will be celebrating with Corned Beef and cabbage.

It’s tempting to boil the cabbage in the same pot with the Corned Beef.  After all, you already have a big ‘ol piece of beef simmering in water, so why not plop your cabbage in along with it? 

Well, that works, and might be traditional.  But the salty broth your corned beef cooks in can mute the flavor of the cabbage.  And most people cook cabbage too long, resulting in an odor many find offensive.

A better way to cook cabbage — or just about any veggie — is to steam it separately.  It will taste much better, look more attractive, and retain more nutrients. 

And steaming is almost as easy as boiling.

Bean and Cabbage Soup

The Distinct Flavor of Caraway Seeds Is the Secret Ingredient

Ever have cabbage that’s been boiled to a pulp?  Yeah, me too.  And a tasteless, stinky mess it is.

But cabbage that’s been lightly cooked, just until it loses its crunch?  That’s a different beast.  It has actual flavor!  And when you marry it with white beans and potatoes?  That’s a combination most people find pretty tasty.

Particularly when made into soup.  Particularly when made into this soup!

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Spice Up Your Winter with this Vegan Beauty

January is National Soup Month. 

It’s also National Oatmeal Month and National Hot Tea Month.  And some sources even claim it’s Prune Breakfast Month.  But that’s too much excitement for me.  I’ll stick with soup.

Besides, soup is perfect this time of year.  The weather is cold in most parts of the US, so a hot bowl of warming and filling satisfaction sounds mighty attractive.  And as noted last week in the recipe for Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup, after the recent holiday excesses it’s nice to eat simple, healthy food again.

Cauliflower is both exceptionally healthy and in ample supply at the supermarket right now.  So why not turn it into soup?  Jazzing it up with Indian “curry” spices makes the dish even better.

Roast Cauliflower

For People Who Think They Don’t Like Cauliflower

A lot of people say they don’t like cauliflower.  In most cases, that’s because they’ve only had cauliflower after it’s been boiled to death.  Bummer — too much boiling turns this vegetable into a bland mushy mess, and the unpleasant cabbagey cooking odor can be a turn-off.  Misguided cooks may try to cover up the mess with a mystery “cheese” or “white” sauce, and then bake the whole thing into submission.  Their guests suffer collateral damage. 

So cauliflower can be a tough sell.  But roast cauliflower?  It’s like a different vegetable.  Roasting deepens and concentrates flavor.  The vegetable becomes sweeter, and reveals hidden taste dimensions that most people find irresistible.

Best of all, it’s an easy recipe that practically cooks itself.

Tuscan Bean and Pasta Soup

This Vegan Italian Recipe Makes the Best Bean Soup

After a long, wonderful holiday season full of rich (and fattening!) food, many of us are craving healthier fare.  And with the colder weather typical of January, simple but hearty recipes sound mighty appealing.

There’s nothing quite as hearty (or simple) as recipes based on dried beans, legumes, and pulses.  These little nutritional powerhouses are great sources of protein, complex carbs, and fiber.  Because they’re one of our oldest foods (dating back over 7000 years, according to some estimates), they feature in many of the world’s cuisines, offering us a wide variety of recipes and traditions to draw from. 

Italy’s rich culinary heritage includes numerous dishes that incorporate dried legumes and pulses.  Some of my favorites are soups.  Typically, these are meal-in-a-bowl recipes that are easy to make and that deliver comforting, satisfying flavor.  Today’s recipe may be the best of the breed.