Mushroom, Broccoli and Wild Rice Casserole

Now that winter has set in once more, it's time for baked dinners to hit the oven and table again. Many of us grew up with casseroles featuring regularly at supper times, and although our parents may have stuck to tried and tested but pretty ordinary casseroles — hamburger and tomato sauce, hamburger and noodles, tuna casseroles, to name a few — they strike a comforting chord in us. But now that we're grown up we can load up our casseroles with the top-quality ingredients and flavors that we really enjoy, and still create a comforting and simple meal.

Nut and Raisin Protein Bliss Balls

If you're looking for nothing more than calories to start the day, then boxed breakfast cereals have just what you want, but maybe not a whole lot more except for the vitamins with which they're often fortified — many of these boxed cereals could just as well be stocked in the candy section. But if you're looking for a good morning helping of protein, fiber and essential minerals — the kinds of food values that give you long-lasting energy and health — then homemade nut, fruit and seed treats like these protein bliss balls are just as easy to grab for breakfasts or snacks, and taste better and more wholesome besides. Best of all, these raw nut and raisin bliss balls don't need any cooking and can be whipped up in just 15 minutes to make enough to keep you going for as many or more days than a box of cereal.

Black Chickpeas in a Tamarind Mustard Sauce

One of my go-to simple meals when I don't wish to spend much time thinking about what to make is chana masala, the classic Indian spiced chickpea and tomato curry that I've made and enjoyed probably hundreds of times over the years. This dish started out just with that idea, but after deciding to cook the curry with black chickpeas instead, I ended up creating something altogether different and wonderfully rich and robust after a little added thought.

Indian Rice with Roasted Pumpkin

This year I've been taking full advantage of the local pumpkin season to make nourishing and hearty bean and vegetable dishes. The sweet flavor of fresh cooked pumpkin is a treat on its own, and it adds wonderful depth and substance to soups, stews and curries — and, of course, there's no finer snack than fresh roasted pumpkin seeds as an additional bonus. In this recipe, tender pieces of fresh roasted pumpkin fill out a simple rice dish with fragrant Indian seasonings including panch phoran — Bengali five-spice — for an easy, attractive and delicious side.

Vegetarian Middle Eastern Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

For years I have been meaning to make a vegetarian version of cabbage rolls — shortly after starting my blog back in 2007 in fact. As my mother never made cabbage rolls, and because I adopted a vegetarian diet when I was 18, I never did eat a traditional cabbage roll as far as I can recall, as they are usually made with pork or beef for the cabbage stuffing. As I enjoy coming up with vegetarian versions of meaty classics, and in this case, a vegan-friendly version too, it's a wonder it took me so many years to get around to doing so. Looking for something to make with a mushroom soup I had been craving for a while, cabbage rolls seemed like just the thing.

Whole-Grain Kasha Bread with Chia Seeds

This earthy bread goes well with any variety of meals, and it is very easy to make if you have a food processor or high powered blender. No kneading required. It's an ideal accompaniment to soups and stews, or just on its own, perhaps slightly toasted, with butter or your favorite nut or seed butters. It's also gluten-free, should that be a consideration. I do not have a gluten intolerance, but I do enjoy dense breads such as this one, especially when they are as easy to make as this one is.

Vegetable Vindaloo with Chickpeas

One of my favorite ways to dress up vegetables for an Indian meal is to cook them in a vindaloo sauce. Originating from the Goan region on the southwestern coast of India, vindaloo sauces are fragrant, hot and spicy, but tangy too through the addition of vinegar, tamarind or lemon juice, and are used not just for cooking or marinating vegetables and meat but also chickpeas or eggs.

Yellow Lemon Rice with Fried Cashews

Rice is a nutritious and versatile food that has been a staple around the world for millenia. It is easy and fast to prepare, depending on how creative the cook is feeling. The possibilities are endless and rice is tasty on its own with just a little butter or you can spice it up a bit like I did with this easy to prepare yellow rice with toasted cashews. For an especially satisfying meal, I suggest you serve this rice with spicy chickpea koftas and mushroom curry.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Miso and Lemon

Dinner planning can often be a chore in itself, and side dishes are sometimes the piece of the puzzle that can be rather elusive — strange as that sounds when a side can be something as easy as steamed or roasted vegetables with minimal seasonings, a simple salad, or an easy rice dish, to name just a few common approaches to fill out a meal. But depending on the meal you are planning, it can be enjoyable to dress up sides for something that's a bit more special. And when it is easy, such as this recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts, then all the better, especially if the seasonings complement the other components of the meal.

Tossed with white miso, lemon juice and just a few simple hot spices, the Brussels sprouts are roasted to a tender golden brown, just perfect for serving on the side with any meal that's looking for some bold, spicy and colorful flavors to add. If you like Brussels sprouts as much as I do, this will be a recipe you'll be turning to again and again.

Sun-Dried Tomato Penne with a Creamy Cashew Sauce

Pasta may not appear on my menu all that often, but because most pasta dishes are easy to put together and provide a creative template for flavors that suit one's tastes, I focused on some of my favorite flavors in this attractive penne dish. And accordingly, this one is bursting with strong and intense flavors. Tart sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and spinach, plenty of tangy lemon juice, and some heat from some hot chilies, all nicely balanced by a creamy and all vegan cashew sauce. This dish takes very little time to prepare, and if you are liberal with your choice of garnishes, then each mouthful is a veritable taste experience of intensity that you won't soon forget. This recipe just might end up on your monthly rotation of easy favorites.

No-Bake Caramel Fudge

I grew up in a family where a dessert was the finishing part of almost every meal, and although I've long since lost the craving for confections after every dinner, I still occasionally enjoy having something around when the sweet tooth hits. But it's a very rare instance these days when I make a sugary dessert — in fact, I've hardly used white granulated sugar in years. Like my tastes in food generally, I've found that I much prefer healthier alternatives these days.

Making fudge from raw, natural and healthy ingredients is one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to enjoy those occasional indulgences. The preparation is nothing more than combining the few ingredients — usually a natural nut butter, a little natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup, and sometimes coconut oil or butter — and then refrigerating or freezing. Raw fudges are delicious and satisfying without the guilt of store-bought or sugar-laden baked treats.

The combination of medjool dates, cashew butter and a little maple syrup in this simple no-bake fudge tastes remarkably just like caramel and has the moist crumbly texture of soft toffee. Don't forget to scrape out every little bit of the fudge mixture from the bowl of the food processor to tide you over while the fudge sets.

Aloo Mattar (Potato and Pea Curry)

Aloo mattar is a classic Punjabi dish consisting of potatoes and green peas simmered in a spicy tomato gravy. Those are the central components of the dish, although spicing and preparation varies from cook to cook. This is my latest version of this dish that usually appears on most of the menus at the Indian restaurants I have dined at. I don't order it as much as I would like, as I am usually torn between it and mattar paneer. Although you can never get enough peas in my opinion, I usually end up just ordering one or the other and then choose other options from the menu.

Portobello Chickpea Salad

This is the kind of salad that's perfect to serve at any time of year. It's filling enough to serve as a light dinner main, with slices of herb and balsamic marinated portobello mushrooms roasted to tender perfection and served over a bed of mixed greens and plump golden chickpeas tossed with a spicy mustard dressing. And topped with toasted mixed nuts, slices of fresh avocado and cherry tomatoes, it's a colorful blend of tastes and textures too.

If you're looking to fill out the salad further, add some bean sprouts with the mixed greens.

Tamarind Lentil Curry

Although I didn't grow up with tamarind or even having heard of it, once I discovered south Indian food I've always kept tamarind pulp or paste around in my pantry to add its wonderful tangy, sweet and sour flavor to curries and chutneys. It's one of my favorite ingredients, and I never go very long without using it.

Mixed Greens and Herb Salad with Goat Cheese

When the temperatures are soaring, such has been the case this summer here in southwestern Ontario, nourishment that requires little fuss or cooking is usually on the menu. And although this light green salad would be a fine accompaniment to a meal anytime of the year, plenty of fresh herbs makes this an especially refreshing one in the summer.

Red Lentils in a Spicy Tomato Sauce (Ye'misser Wot Be'timatim)

A "wot" — or "wat" — is a traditional Ethiopian stew made with meat or vegetables and seasoned oil and served with injera, a spongy fermented flatbread made from the small Ethiopian grain called teff that has a nutty and somewhat sour taste. In this wot, ideally suited to vegetarians, the meat is replaced with cooked lentils, and the usually pre-prepared seasoned oil is replaced with olive oil in which onion and various spices are cooked briefly before adding the remaining ingredients for a quick version of the "ye’qimem zeyet" seasoned oil that is a staple of Ethiopian cooking.

Mango Lime Chili Salad

Mangoes are one of the most refreshing fruits and so well suited to hot summer days. As much as I enjoy eating slices of fresh mango in warm weather, the fruit also goes well dressed up in sweet, salty and spicy summer salads too. In this refreshing salad, the natural sweetness of mangoes is complemented by fresh lime juice with some heat from fresh hot chilies. It's one of the easiest salads I make, and it is best made ahead of time so the salad can sit in the refrigerate to allow the mango to marinate. Depending on how sweet your mangoes are, use more or less sugar as desired. I served the salad over mixed greens, though it could easily be served just as is, almost like a condiment.

Beetroot Paneer Kofta

Served all the way from the Middle East through India to central Asia, there are as many versions of koftas as there are tastes and preferences. Although originally made from ground meat, there are countless vegetarian versions of these little "meatballs", or sometimes rounded patties, to be found too, many made with cooked beans, potatoes or paneer cheese instead of meat, but always with herbs and spices. Often they are served in a creamy sauce.

Chickpea Flour Pancakes with Crispy Paneer and Lime Pickle

My discovery of Indian food many years ago had an enormous effect on my kitchen, transforming the way I cook and the way I eat. The variety of ingredients — pulses, vegetables, spices and seeds — is without doubt nutritionally beneficial to vegetarians, but it was the array of flavors and techniques in Indian cuisine that really captured my imagination.

Among my favorite Indian foods — and something I always order on the rare occasion when eating out at an Indian restaurant — are savory flatbreads, paneer cheese, and Indian pickles. Indian cooks are wonderfully creative when it comes to flatbreads, using a variety of different flours and seasonings to come up with countless textures — light or substantial — and flavors. Paneer cheese is creamy and delectable, holds its shape when cooked or fried, and absorbs the flavors of the spices or seasonings in which it's cooked — I always keep a few blocks in the freezer for when the temptation strikes.

But it's the mustard-cured pickles that might have been the greatest revelation. Completely unlike pickles in North American or European traditions, Indian pickles brined in mustard oil with a pungent blend of mustard seeds, spices, salt and vinegar — known as "achar" — are unbelievably vibrant and bursting with sour and spicy flavor. If you've never tried them, you must the next chance you get at an Indian restaurant or when shopping at an Indian grocer where they are always available in jars — mangoes, chilies, limes and mixed are the most commonly found. But be careful not to eat too big a mouthful on your first try — they are very potent and do take a bit of getting used to for many. After a little while, you might find it an essential way to finish off an Indian meal.

This recipe combines the best of all of these worlds — spicy chickpea flour pancakes are covered with cubes of paneer cheese that are fried in Indian lime pickles and garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and dill. It's a very simple dish to make, and has all the flavor that a devotee of Indian food could wish for. It makes for a great lunch or light dinner at any time of year, and you'll want to make it again and again.

Blackberry Chia Jam Breakfast Bars

My breakfasts most often consist of oats or other rolled grains soaked overnight in plain whole fat yogurt in the muesli tradition and then topped with fresh or dried berries — it's a very healthy and filling way to start the day. But there are times when I like to prepare something a little different ahead of time but without sacrificing nourishment or convenience. So I often will make pans of breakfast bars filled not just with oats but also with nuts, seeds, and fruit.

Hummus Bread {Gluten-free, Vegan}

Made with hummus and tahini added to the dough, this is one of the most captivating breads I have made for quite a while, and it's quite filling too even though it is a fairly light bread. The flavors of hummus and tahini don't overwhelm the taste of the bread but add the lovely Middle Eastern savor of chickpeas and sesame. It is very easy to make, is yeast-free, and does not require a lot of kneading, and once it is cool, one slice is quite substantial. Its earthy flavor is nicely enhanced with butter and a sprinkle of mixed seeds, and the bread toasts well too. I believe that this bread will become a staple in my kitchen.

I haven't been making gluten-free breads for very long, but the more I experiment, the more I enjoy the gluten-free baking experience even though I do not have an intolerance to gluten myself. I used a combination of sorghum, buckwheat and brown rice flours in this loaf, but it should work well with any gluten-free grain flour. The leavening comes from baking powder and baking salt instead of yeast.

For this recipe, I made a batch of hummus with za'atar, but any basic hummus recipe will do, and it is a great way to use up any leftover hummus. The za'atar can easily be left out of the hummus recipe, though I did add some for some extra flavor because this bread is open to a multitude of seasonings.

Fudgy Chickpea Tahini Brownies {Vegan}

I usually resist labeling a recipe as "best-ever", but I am tempted to say that these really are the best-ever fudgy brownies I have made to date — which is a tall order, considering how many tempting brownies recipes I have made over the years. And they take little time at all either — really a fuss-free fudge.

Sweetened only with dates and a small amount of maple syrup, the perhaps surprising ingredient is cooked chickpeas, but the blended chickpeas are what give these brownies a delightfully creamy texture that it just the right density — not too heavy and not too light, with just a little extra bite from dried cherries. And it doesn't hurt that the chickpeas give you an additional boost of protein too. Tahini is another ingredient that I have found works wonders in desserts not only to bind ingredients but also to add the distinctive earthy and nutty flavor of sesame. And the only flour used in these brownies is almond flour, making them gluten-free as well as vegan.

Savory Chickpea Loaf with Barbecue Glaze

Bean loaves are a great way to feed a large family, or a small family for a number of days. Loaded with beans and any assortment of grains, vegetables or seasonings you like, these loaves are a great template for a cook's creativity and can provide all the nourishment you need in a single dish. Additionally, slices of this loaf may be served up as burger patties. This delightful loaf also freezes well, and slices can be reheated in a lightly oiled skillet for a quick and easy meal solution.

This chickpea loaf is made with brown rice, mushrooms, and an assortment of healthy vegetables and warming spices, all topped with a glaze of barbecue sauce . Instead of using eggs to bind the ingredients, I've used aquafaba — the viscous water in which chickpeas have been cooked or the liquid found in a can of cooked chickpeas. This is the second time I've used aquafaba to bind ingredients in something to be baked or roasted — the first time was in a batch of lemon poppy seed muffins that came out perfectly.

The use of aquafaba — from the Latin aqua (water) and faba (bean) — was only discovered by a vegan French musician in 2014, but it has turned out to be a marvelous discovery for vegans who are looking for a substitute for eggs for baking and binding. The starch and protein composition of aquafaba makes the liquid act so much like an egg in its abilities to foam, thicken, gelatinize, stabilize and bind that it can be even be whipped up to make meringues or marshmallows.

Many guides are available on the internet to help you make your own aquafaba — such as this one — but the easiest way to obtain it is to reserve the liquid found in a can of cooked chickpeas. If you don't want to use aquafaba, feel free to use two beaten eggs in this recipe or, if you want to keep it vegan, two flax eggs made by whisking 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons water and letting the mixture sit for 15 minutes before using.

Quick and Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce

Time and energy permitting, I always prefer to make my sauces and dressings at home. Not only are they cheaper than store-bought versions, the taste is far superior and the cook gets to control the portions and seasonings. Usually homemade condiments last for a least a few weeks in a covered container in the fridge depending on what you are making up.

Strawberry Chia Oat Bars

I made these oat bars with a strawberry jam filling with easy breakfasts in mind, but they were so enjoyable that I found myself serving them for dessert as well. The cookie-like oat crust is made with sunflower seeds, pepitas and tahini for a good helping of protein and flavor that would make it a treat all by itself. But a strawberry chia seed jam filling and a light streusel-like topping of more of the oat, seed and pepita mixture makes these bars very much like a berry crisp.

Lemony Quinoa with Black Chickpeas and Spices

While this is technically not a one-pot meal, as the quinoa and chickpeas are cooked separately, this nourishing and balanced dish all comes together in one pan, with very little preparation time. I find dishes such as this one are perfect for mid-week meals when I don't have the time or inclination to fuss over dinner. As is usual in my kitchen, I like to spice things up, but as always, my recipes are guidelines that can easily be adjusted to suit ones tastes. I like the unique texture and stronger flavor of black chickpeas, as they do go well in spiced up dishes, but yellow chickpeas could easily be used instead. Serve with a vegetable side, or include some greens, such as spinach or green peas, during the last few minutes of the cooking time.

Eggplant and Green Pea Curry (Baingan Matar Masala)

Eggplant is a sadly neglected vegetable, I think mainly because many people who first encounter eggplant find it bland or mushy. But if a bit of care and attention is taken, then eggplant can shine in its own right, and certainly enhance a dish. It's only been over the past several years that I've learned to appreciate eggplant, but now that I do, I love exploring new ideas for featuring this versatile vegetable in my meals. This colorful eggplant and green pea curry is easy to put together and has a wonderful flavor profile with turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilies, tomatoes and tamarind paste providing a spicy and tangy warmth. Plump and just lightly cooked green peas add a little pop to each bite and lend the curry a pleasant fresh sweetness. Serve this with flatbreads for a light lunch or with rice and lentils as a main dish.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins {Vegan}

Muffins are always a treat to have on hand, and these moist and not-too-sweet muffins come with a good dose of fresh citrus flavors and poppy seeds for an ideal quick breakfast, light lunch or a snack pretty much any time of day. Light and fluffy, easy to whip up, they are also dairy-free and egg-free.

The perhaps unusual ingredient in these muffins is aquafaba, which serves as a truly wonderful vegan replacement for eggs. Anyone who has opened a can of beans or cooked dried beans will be familiar with aquafaba, even if they haven't heard of it before, because it's the slightly gelatinous liquid that remains in the can or in the pot once they're cooked.

For baking purposes, aquafaba is usually the liquid used to cook chickpeas. The easiest way to get aquafaba is to reserve the liquid from a can of chickpeas, but it can easily be made at home too, by reserving the cooking liquid from a pot of cooked chickpeas, although attention has to be paid to the method used as you want the liquid to have the viscous quality needed to act as a binder. It is a matter of proportion of water to beans, and some cooks recommend boiling rinsed and un-soaked beans for several hours, while others soak the chickpeas overnight, drain and rinse, boil for an hour, and then let the pot sit overnight with the beans and their cooking liquid in the pot before draining the liquid. Sometimes the aquafaba needs to be reduced to minimize the water content. The cooked chickpeas may be used in any recipe where cooked chickpeas are desired.

Until now, I have only sometimes used reserved chickpea cooking liquid for the purposes of thickening up sauces and curries. I'll be exploring the wonders of aquafaba in the future, so stay tuned to Lisa's kitchen for more recipes and methods.

Bulgar Wheat and Mixed Mushroom Pilaf with Cilantro Chutney

Bulgur wheat is one of those ingredients that might not be in everyone's pantry but probably should, especially for those who want something on hand for making quick, easy and delicious meals. Cracked and parboiled hulled kernels of wheat, bulgur is a common part of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines and cooks in very little time. Best of all, it has a rich nutty taste and aroma that makes it good enough to eat on its own with just a little salt.

Tahini Oatmeal Cookies {Vegan}

For the past few years, my approach to baking has changed. I avoid refined sugars, many of the baked goods I make are now free of eggs and dairy, and sometimes they are free of wheat flour as well. Cookies are one such example, and because a good store-bought cookie is hard to find — they are almost always too sweet for my more savory tastes, and include ingredients I don't often know how to pronounce or identify — I always make my own cookies when I have a craving.

Curried Indian Vegetable Soup

This Indian-style vegetable soup has for many years been one of my very favorite soups to serve to friends — in fact, I never like to go very long without making it again. It makes a large pot and goes well with a variety of Indian dishes. Plenty of vegetables feature here with tantalizing Indian spicing and a little coconut milk or yogurt to give the broth a nice touch of creaminess. If you are serving this as the first course, take care, because I bet your guests will be lining up for seconds and that just might spoil the main course. This soup also makes for a fine lunch or light dinner, perhaps served with some crusty bread or some rice and a legume main, or some Indian flatbreads, such these savory rice and urad dal pancakes. Make sure not to overcook the peas, as they literally pop in your mouth if added at the end of the cooking time.

Thai-Inspired Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Soup is of course to be enjoyed no matter the time of year, but during the cold winter months, soup is one of the most comforting meal options. This creamy carrot and sweet potato soup makes good use of winter root vegetables to make a soup that's both hearty and warming, which is just what we want when the cold winds are howling outside.

Roasting the carrots and sweet potatoes enhances their natural sweetness (and gives you an excuse to turn on the oven if it's particularly cold outside). But it's the Thai-inspired hot and aromatic seasonings — chilies, lemongrass, red curry paste, as well as the coriander seeds that are roasted with the vegetables — that give this soup its heat, balance and allure. Coconut milk and the addition of some almond butter make this pureed soup especially creamy and thick, with the pleasing contrast of crunchy toasted tamari almonds should you choose to include those as a garnish, which I highly recommend. The soup does have a spicy kick, but it's warming without being overpoweringly so.

Roasted Squash with Rice and Lime Pickle

Though I enjoy the quiet of winter, in Canada there are not many local seasonal vegetables to be had. However, I try to eat with the seasons nonetheless, and winter squash is one of those vegetables that is seasonal in both autumn and winter months. And there are multiple varieties to keep things interesting. Since I hadn't made a squash dish for a while, and was looking for a vegetable dish to complement the other dishes I had on the menu, I decided to make this dish which features not only squash but also rice. The inspiration for this recipe came from Meera Sodha's Fresh India, which includes over 100 unique, straightforward and interesting recipes based on traditional Indian recipes.

Indian Paneer Lentil Kofta in a Creamy Spiced Fenugreek Sauce

Koftas are round dumplings of cooked seasoned foods served in sauce that are part of cuisines from the Middle East, India and central Asia, and although koftas were originally made from ground meat, vegetarian koftas made with lentils, paneer cheese, potatoes or other vegetables are popular in India. Given my fondness for "little foods," koftas are a favorite of mine, and I've made numerous versions over the years with many of these ingredients.

High Protein Breakfast Bars

Like so many of us these days, my husband rarely has time in the morning for a proper healthy breakfast before going off to work. Pouring a bowl of cold breakfast cereal or having a store-bought breakfast bar is a quick fix for many people, but the appetite for morning nourishment is only briefly whetted by these highly processed and sugar-laden foods. Without taking much time at all, I can easily make him one or two weeks' worth of quick morning breakfast bars that are far more nutritious than anything bought at the store.

Roasted Tomato Chickpea Soup

Tomato soup is not something that I appreciated until I started to make my own. Canned varieties just never pleased me, as they are overloaded with sodium and always taste like they were dumped from a tin, as they are. But I have quite a few homemade favorite tomato soups now — using my own ingredients, the tomato flavor is much more robust.

Chickpea Falafel Bites

I've made these delightful little bites a few times now, and they are certainly worth the fuss, as they are quite filling, and may be spiced up to suit your taste. Each time I've made them, the dough was quite soft, and I was rather nervous they would not hold together, but with some careful handling of the dough, and well greased palms, these little bites hold together remarkable well when baked, so don't be tempted to add too much chickpea flour, as you do want a dough that is soft. Chilling the mixture in the fridge for at least a few hours is recommended, or even overnight if you have the time. I also highly recommend the tahini dip, which complements the flavors present in the falafel bites, so named because they remind me of falafel.