As a vegetarian who also likes to explore and create in the kitchen, I always find it intriguing to come up with vegetarian versions of classic dishes where meat is a signature element of the dish. Spaghetti bolognese is one such popular dish found in restaurants all over the world where it is usually served as a plate of spaghetti topped with a more-or-less thick tomato and meat sauce.

Despite its popularity worldwide, you may be hard pressed to find spaghetti bolognese in Italy however. What passes for a bolognese sauce here in North America should probably be more properly described as a ragu sauce from southern Italy where tomatoes grow in abundance. So while a bolognese sauce and a southern Italian ragu sauce both consist of minced meat (usually beef, but occasionally pork, chicken or even fish) cooked with onions and carrots and frequently celery, a bolognese sauce depends much less or not at all on the addition of tomatoes and is also made with white wine. Moreover, a bolognese sauce is never served with spaghetti and is mixed in with the pasta — usually tagliatelle but almost always a wider shaped pasta — rather than served over top.

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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 Although originally made from ground meat, there are countless vegetarian versions of these little "meatballs" to be found too, many made with cooked beans, potatoes or paneer cheese instead of meat, but always with herbs and spices.

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Wanting a light and refreshing salad to go along with a Middle Eastern meal featuring baked homemade falafel served up in wraps, the idea for this easy-to-prepare fresh salad is based on tabbouleh. As I had some freshly ground za'atar on hand, I decided to power up that idea to include spices, cherry tomatoes, mixed bell peppers, lightly roasted cashews, and za'atar marinated pieces of sheep's milk feta cheese.

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Since mattar paneer is one of my very favorite Punjabi dishes, I have made several different versions over the years. Some included a fair amount of yogurt for a rich and creamy element, while others were more classic in that the cubes of tender milky paneer cheese were simmered in a spiced tomato gravy with a swirl or two of yogurt or cream added into the dish near the end of the cooking time. Sometimes I have included mint, and other times, choose dried fenugreek leaves to compliment and enliven the spices. This version also focuses on a thick rich tomato base which takes precedence as the vehicle for the paneer cheese and peas and, of course, a range of aromatic and hot spices, but because I also wanted to add a creamy element to the dish, I prepared a cashew paste that is included for a pleasant balance of earthy and spicy.

The paneer cubes may be pan-fried in some oil until lightly browned on the sides, before adding them to the dish. This of course makes the paneer firmer in texture and the paneer will assert a more prominent showing in contrast to the other components in the dish. As a good paneer should be firm, I didn't think it really necessary and as it has a high melting point, the cubes still hold their shape and I thoroughly enjoyed the creamier texture achieved by skipping that step. Either way, a good mattar paneer is one you won't soon forget.

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