Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 4 medium sized red potatoes potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (I prefer to leave the skin on)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• salt to taste
• 1 pound cauliflower (one large head will do)
• 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup peas
  
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cumin seeds, garlic, and ginger paste. Cook about 1 minute until garlic is lightly browned. Add the potatoes. Season with turmeric, paprika, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Cover and continue cooking 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix the cauliflower, tomatoes, peas and cilantro into the saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cover. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking 10 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

You could easily turn this into a carnivorous meal for two by adding sausage.

• 2.5 ounces long grain and wild rice mix
• 1 cup vegetable stock
  
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
  
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used shiitake)
  
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 medium acorn squash
• 3/4 cup water

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, combine the rice with broth and Italian Seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 23-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute celery and onion in oil until tender. Stir in mushrooms, cranberries, and pecans. Remove from the heat. Stir in rice mixture.
2. Cut squash in half widthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. With a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from the bottom of each half so squash sits flat. Fill squash halves with about 1/2 cup rice mixture. Place in a baking pan. Pour water into pan.
3. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until squash is tender. 
   

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  
• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.
2. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on squash.  Cook the squash for another 15 minutes or until squash is just tender.

I cannot recall where this recipe originally came from, but I am glad I finally had the gumption to try it (even with the few tweaks I made)!

• 1 roasted red pepper, skin, stem & seeds removed (the red pepper I was going to roast looked good from the outside, but was not so fresh looking on the inside, so I substituted it for 1 chili in adobo sauce - which gave it a nice smoky flavor)
  
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
• 1-7 ounce can jalapenos, drained
• 2/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium tamari sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (for color)
• dash of hot sauce or salsa

Preparation

1. Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy. Warm sauce gently over low heat and pour over corn chips.

Recipe and photo from http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/

• 2 cups diced tofu, extra firm
• 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
• 3 Tbsp peanut or olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp agave syrup
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or cayenne)
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, grated or chopped

Preparation

1. Add oil, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, agave syrup, lime juice and a pinch of sesame seeds to a satue pan.
2. Saute on medium-high heat for a minute.
3. Chop the tofu into cubes or thin slices and marinate in 3-4 tbsp soy sauce soy sauce and 2 Tbsp water for five minutes (while you do the first saute above).
4. Add tofu to pan with the peanut mixture. Stir/toss well over high heat for a minute to coat tofu.
5. Turn heat to medium. Cover pan and allow steam and heat to cook tofu for a few minutes. Constantly move covered pan around, to preventing burning.
6. Uncover pan and check for doneness of tofu. It should be fluffy from the steam and cooked through. If the mixture looks dry, add a Tbsp of water and a tsp of soy sauce and re-cover to steam. Once the tofu looks fluffy with a few browned edges, turn heat to medium-low.
7. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes and toss tofu a few times-gently. Pour in sesame seeds. Allow the seeds to stick to tofu. Add more or less if necessary to coat about 1/2 of the total surface area of the tofu.
8. Saute sesame crusted tofu for a few minutes, uncovered. Sesame seeds should be crusted and lightly toasted.

Serve over a bed of fresh chopped cabbage or on a bed of steamed veggies and brown rice.

Adapted from www.eatingwell.com

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 15- or 16-ounce can plain pumpkin puree, (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups dried cranberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with a light coating of walnut oil; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Combine whole-wheat flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a mixing bowl; mix well, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingertips. Whisk together pumpkin, yogurt, oil, eggs and egg whites in another bowl until well combined. Stir the pumpkin mixture and cranberries into the dry ingredients until completely blended, but do not overmix. Divide the batter between the loaf pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let the loaves rest in the pans for 5 minutes; turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from: www.care2.com

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

Preparation

1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil.

2. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.

3. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.

5. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot or ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time. Blend the soup with the fresh rosemary leaves until smooth and free of chunks. Pour smooth soup into a heat-proof bowl and continue until all of the soup has been blended.

6. Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through. Serve hot.

• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped, seeds removed
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 8 crimini mushrooms, quartered
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 15 oz. black beans
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeños, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup enchilada sauce
• 9-10 small corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place first 5 ingredients on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until vegetables are coated. Roast vegetables for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the vegetables and reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine roasted vegetables, beans, spices, garlic, and jalapeño. Stir and season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour enough enchilada sauce into the bottom of an 8x8 baking pan to cover the bottom so the tortillas don't stick. Add a layer of tortillas, to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Top with 1/2 of the vegetable/bean mixture, enchilada sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat for a second layer. Top with with a layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

4. Bake enchiladas for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are bubbling. Remove enchiladas from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Adapted from www.theppk.com

• 8 oz dry round udon noodles (I like buckwheat udon, which is made from a seed and has many health benefits)
  
• Olive oil for sauteeing
• 1 pound broccoli florettes (6 cups)
• Medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Big pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 cups vegetable broth mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. First boil water for the udon. Cook udon according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute broccoli in a few drops of oil and a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes. Keep covered while cooking, lifting the lid just to stir a few times. In the meantime, prep everything else.
3. When broccoli is done, remove from pan and set aside. Next saute onions in a drop of oil, with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes. You want them to retain some crunch. Remove from pan (transfer to the same bowl as broccoli to cut down on dishes). Now you’ll make the sauce in the same pan.
4. Saute the garlic and ginger in a little oil for about 1 minute. Mix in the red pepper flakes. Add the vegetable broth/cornstarch, the curry powder and soy sauce. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Let thicken a bit, for about 3 minutes. Mix in coconut milk and turn off the heat.
5. Add noodles to the pan and mix to coat. Then fold in the broccoli and onions. Divide between bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds.