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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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