Zesty Roasted Chickpeas

This a delicious snack food that is easy and economical to make at home. When the chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are roasted for a long period of time, they take on a wonderful crunchy texture. Many different spice mixes can be applied to these. They'd be great with just salt and pepper! However, I am a lover of all things garlicky and oniony so I present these delicious (and addictive) roasted chickpeas. Serves 2 (or 1, really).

Vegetable Lasagna

This is a vegetarian lasagna worth making and eating tonight! The lasagna's step of roasting the vegetables with copious amounts of garlic really brings out everything wonderful about eggplant and summer squash. The original Cook's Illustrated recipe leaves out the traditional layer of creamy ricotta—I put it back in because it just adds so much. This lasagna was supposed to have 3 layers of traditional noodles, however, I ran out of them. I substituted penne in the top layer, and I must say, the crunchy, nutty taste of it was intoxicating—like eating a slice of baked ziti (mmm...baked ziti). This makes 8 slices in a deep lasagna dish.

Blueberry Scones

It's that time of year again when the blueberries are on sale! I got a box for my 4th of July party and had a bunch of leftovers for my favorite scone recipe. These are delicious with a dollop of whipped cream or eaten with cup of hot coffee. Makes 8 "Starbucks-sized" scones.

Dill Potato Salad

For our 4th of July festivities this year I made my new favorite potato salad. Potato salad and I have had a difficult relationship in the past. I do not like pickles (although I love the taste of dill), eggs, or liberal use of yellow mustard in my potato salads—all of which dominate at most family gatherings. This recipe is perfect for those that like the scrumptious flavors of dill and sour cream. Enjoy! This serves 6 to 8 people.

Harvest Salad

The description is simple: mixed greens topped with roasted beets, diced Gala apple, grilled chicken, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted walnuts served with a rosemary-balsamic vinaigrette. This is an elegant anytime salad, and, without the chicken, could be a wonderful first course salad for Thanksgiving. As is, this recipe serves one.

French Provençal Dinner Menu

Today, I made a meal that transported me to distant, sun-drenched paradises. There is nothing that makes me think of summer more than veggie-filled mediterranean favorites. Everything seems to be at the height of its tastiness, so I urge you to seize the eggplant!

This dinner consists of: Ratatouille, Lemon Risotto with Broccoli, and, because my family needed a protein, grilled chicken. Serves 6 (or 2 with 4 "TV dinners" going into the freezer for later)

Ratatouille

The original French Provençal peasant food that makes me want to say it would not be so bad being a French peasant. Mark Bittman calls this "the original 'what do we have on hand?' recipe" and, indeed, you should go into this with such a mindset. If you'd like to throw in mushrooms or a different kind of squash, please go right ahead. The essentials are zucchini (and/or eggplant) and tomatoes, otherwise it's up to you.

Lemon Risotto With Broccoli

Today is a day for experimenting and one of those dishes I've been meaning to try is risotto. I picked up the basis for this recipe from Central Market a couple months ago. It is an understatement to say this dish was the perfect use for some extra broccoli. It was delicious, fresh, and ethereal! You must try this!

Jim Lahey's No-Work Bread My Way

This is the now-famous bread recipe of perfectly textured french bread baked in a heated Dutch oven. There are many variations (and opportunities for variation) of this recipe. This loaf was fairly close to the original. Be aware: this recipe takes about 24 hours from start to finish, so please plan ahead.

Cornbread Muffins

The perfect accompaniment to Turkey Chili, this recipe is a Jessica Seinfeld creation. These usually become desserts to my meals. I warm the muffins, drizzle them with honey, and serve with green Tabasco sauce. Divine!

Black Bean, Corn, and Edamame Salad

This recipe is originally from Central Market, but it is so amazing, I absolutely must feature it! Packed with protein and fiber, this salad is a healthy and delicious alternative to the usual, fatty summer salads that show up at barbeques. Here, I have paired it with my oven-fried chicken which makes a fabulous cold lunch for the next day.

Potato and Chickpea Curry

It's been awhile since I made any sort of Indian cuisine. I was inspired while eating Tasty Bite's Bombay Potatoes. It's a pretty simple, vegetarian, and delicious entreé that can be customized in a number of ways. To the vegetables, you could add cauliflower, peas, or fresh diced tomatoes—whatever your heart desires, really.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

I first had this soup at an Italian grocery and sandwich shop in Pike's Place. I had no idea the flavors of carrot and ginger could work so well together, so, of course, I had to duplicate it at home. For making a smoothly blended soup, an immersion blender is essential. Although, if you do not have one, the soup may be blended in a blender after it has cooled (if you put the hot soup in a blender, the gases inside will force the top of the blender off and the hot soup splatter will hurt you!)

Vegetarian Chili

Sometimes you just don't want to eat meat or the fat that comes along with it. This chili is great just topped with fat-free yogurt (or fat-free sour cream) and mozzarella cheese or, for a more decadent comfort-food-dish, top a baked potato with this chili. Yum.

However, if you'd like to add some meat to this, brown 1 pound lean ground turkey. Add one tablespoon, or so, Worcestershire sauce to the meat. Add this meat to the chili after the addition of the water. If adding the meat, you can take out the mushrooms and bulgur, if you like.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Recently, I had a wisdom tooth pulled. The perfect solution to not being able to chew was a creamy, filling soup. So, I developed this delicious and unique cream of broccoli.

Veggie Omelet

This veggie omelet was made with my Full-Circle produce. I swear this has a good day's worth of veggies in it, and most of those are dark, leafy greens. This could serve two people or one ravenously hungry me.

Breakfast Burritos with Mexican-flavored Bean Burger

Looking for an inexpensive protein source and great way to use some of my produce, I delved into Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. There, I found a great bean burger recipe and added my own flavor combination to. But, I didn't stop at that page. Bittman also had the fantastic idea of breakfast burritos that you make, then wrap in foil, store in the freezer, and pop in the oven for breakfast on a busy morning. It's fantastic, healthy fast food you made yourself. Brilliant! These are freakishly tasty with some extra salsa or Tabasco. The bean burger makes more than enough for burritos. The breakfast burrito recipe makes 10.

Thrifty Food Tip: Beans

This week we find ourselves down to the bone, money-wise. So, desperately looking around my kitchen for cheap food options, I stumbled on my forgotten dried bean collection. Whenever I need beans for a recipe, I eyeball the dried beans and think about how frickin' long it takes to cook them into a usable state. Then I go to the store to pay about a dollar a can. No more, I say! All it takes is a little time, stovetop space, and Ziploc bags to have yourself a rather large store of recipe-ready frozen beans. In a short afternoon, from a few small bags of dollar Walmart beans, I have made the equivalent of 15 cans of beans! Not too shabby. If you're curious about the things wrapped in foil, consider them a preview of the amazing breakfast burrito recipe premiering tomorrow! I've included a how-to after the break.

Eggnog Cookies

These cookies are absolutely wonderful and are a must-bake. The nutmeg in these imparts a slightly egg-noggy flavor. These are fantastic for the holidays and anytime you are jonesing for some 'nog.

Penne Alla Vodka

This delicious pasta dish has subtle creamy flavor and richness. In the original recipe by Lidia Bastianich, she uses whole cream, however, a marvelous substitute for cream in sauces such as this is to blend nonfat cottage cheese and a little milk (depending on how thick you want your "cream") in a food processor. When you add the blended cottage cheese to the hot pan, it will separate a bit, but with heat, the cottage cheese should melt into the sauce. This dish is wonderful on its own, but if you wish to make this a complete meal, grill some garlic chicken (recipe to follow) and serve with a side salad.