If I had to vote for the easiest meal I’ve posted in this Meatless Monday blog over the past few years, it would probably be this one. Normally, I cook everything from scratch. Because of this, I assume anything I make is going to take time. The toppings for this gem took only a few minutes to prepare. This makes it a great in-a-hurry meal for busy days. Like pasta puttanesca, it is salty and forward-flavored. There are many legends about how the name, “puttanesca” came about. The most family friendly of them is this (from Pasta Amore): “Some believe...

  Many omnivores harbor the mistaken impression that vegetarian food is boring, that it’s lacking in flavor. I think I understand why. Way back in 1978, when first I stopped eating meat, I do remember craving heavier flavors. My tastebuds were used accustomed to heavier flavors. Back then I made a lot of omelets, ate lots of pizza and in general felt attracted to bolder flavors. The further I drifted from eating heavy meats, my tastebuds became more sensitive to subtler flavors. While most of what I eat these days is simple and subtle, I do enjoy a robust meal from...

My garden kale has made a big comeback. July’s oppressive heat was not kind to it. Nor was the aphid infestation. But as it's gotten cooler, my kale is plentiful. As for the aphids, I hired some helpers, a package of ladybugs, to take care of them. Garden-fresh kale, like so many other veggies, is just better when you grow it yourself. It’s naturally tender, so it generally doesn’t need “massaging” with oil when you plan to eat it raw. Of course, if you’re buying kale at a market, massaging it (rubbing it with some oil until it’s soft) tenderizes...

I know, I know. Asparagus is a spring vegetable. Having just passed Autumn Equinox, I’m aware that we’re now in the opposite of spring. Still, when I saw a beautiful bundle of pencil-thin organic asparagus at my favorite local grocery, I had to nab it. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also their last bundle. And thin asparagus is just so elegant. I love roasting veggies. Roasting concentrates the flavors and caramelizes them. But pencil-thin asparagus needs a different treatment. Roasting tends to shrink veggies. When you roast thin asparagus it almost disappears. So instead, I decided to lightly...

This week’s Meatless Monday recipe is another example of my current crush: vegan bowls. What attracted me to this one was the sweet potato-black bean combo that I always love. But what really set it apart was the tantalizing idea of raspberry-chipotle salsa. I had to try it. This is one of the most flavorful bowls I’ve made. It’s pretty simple too. I found the recipe at Connoisseurus Veg. All told, it took about 45 minutes from start to finish. The sliced avocado didn’t make it into the photo—oops!—but do add up to half an avocado to each bowl. Meatless...

The vegan bowls just keep coming. And why not? This, along with the other bowls I've shared in the past few months, is a complete meal. I love having a variety of flavors and textures all in one bowl. This one-dish wonder fulfills my intention for every meal to be at least half veggie and half protein. The avocado sauce is refreshing and adds a nice kick. This particular bowl took three pans to make—a medium sauce pan for the quinoa, a cast-iron sauté pan for the chickpeas and a flat roasting pan for the veggies. The original recipe from Avocado Pesto calls for...

One of the most fun things about the new bowl craze is the opportunity for creative fun. As I was pondering what to make for dinner last evening, I decided to make a bowl out of stuff I already had in my pantry and fridge. As it turns out, I was able to make a bowl with a coherent theme: Mexican. I've read a few recipes for burrito bowls. The one I made last evening incorporated elements of some of these, but also included my own ideas. I wanted to include a veggies that aren’t typically a part of burrito bowls, so...

Few things are as refreshing on a hot summer day as watermelon. A slice of juicy watermelon is just the right taste and texture for taking the edge off a sweltering afternoon. The reason might well be that watermelon is 92 percent water. But in addition, has significant amounts of  vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. It’s also very low in sodium and calories. In July I attended an 18-day silent meditation retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In addition to the glorious 18 days of silence and meditation, the meals are always a treat...

Last week, I published a recipe for a quinoa roasted veggie bowl for Meatless Monday. In the description of the recipe, I mentioned that the recipe I found online yielded a whole lot more quinoa than was needed for the bowls. The excess quinoa from that recipe was more than enough for another few meals, so I searched my cookbooks for another recipe that would accommodate all that extra grain. This tasty, well-balanced, protein-rich recipe is what I settled on. My partner and I enjoyed three meals from this salad. Unlike pasta salads, where the pasta soaks up the dressing, resulting in a...

Roasted veggies are just so good. They don’t take a whole lot of time to prepare and cook, and they’re really flavorful. Roasting seems to concentrate their flavors. I made this recipe for my partner and me. As much as I love roasted veggies, they don’t work all that well as leftovers. So I chopped enough veggies for four servings, using the measurements below. Then I tossed all the veggies together and roasted half of them the first day. This made plenty of veggies for both of us. The next day, the bowls took very little time to prepare because my...