Maren's Kitchen

I’m a bit of a hard sell when it comes to breakfasts. I’m quite content with my protein drink, bowl of cold cereal, or hot oatmeal. But it was nice to stretch our palates a bit with these selections.

Fruits and Smoothies

Fruit Salad	Mean Green Smoothie and Spicy Tropical Green Smoothie
Very Berry Smoothie and Banana Cranberry Smoothie	Strawberry Peach Smoothie and Chunky Monkey Smoothie
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie and Gingerbread Smoothie

Granola and Muesli

Stove Top Granola	Basic Baked Granola
Banana Almond Granola	Banana, Date, and Coconut Muesli
Apple Cinnamon Muesli	Banana Granola Parfait
Cherry Pecan Granola Bars

Hot Cereals

Basic Oatmeal	Slow-Cooked Steel-Cut Oats
Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal	Breakfast Quinoa with Apple Compote
Congee with Dates and Spices	Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding
Polenta with Diced Fruit Compote	Polenta with Pears and Cranberries
Fruited Barley

Hearty Breakfasts

Breakfast Rancheros	Portobello Florentine
Ful Medames (Egyptian Breakfast Beans)

Though we generally aren’t big salad eaters, we enjoyed exploring variations on this theme. Our favorites centered around four ingredients: quinoa, black beans, mung bean sprouts (of which I am a recent convert), and leafy greens.

Grain Salads

Curried Rice Salad	Rice Salad with Fennel, Orange, and Chickpea
Quinoa Arugula Salad	Israeli Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Tabbouleh	Spicy Asian Quinoa Salad
Quinoa, Corn, and Black Bean Salad	Lima Bean and Quinoa Salad
Fruited Millet Salad

Bean Salads

Italian-Style Stuffed Tomato	Tomato, Corn, and Bean Salad
Mango Black Bean Salad	Grilled Vegetable and Black Bean Salad
Fava Bean Salad	Soccotash Salad
Lentil Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs	Mung Bean Sprouts and Spinach Salad
Chickpea Avocado Salad	Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Hearty Vegetable Salads

White Bean, Potato, and Asparagus Salad	Asian Vegetable Salad
Kale Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing	Autumn Mixed Green Salad

This cookbook offers a lot of options for those who enjoy a hot bowl of soup on a cold fall or winter day. Our favorites were Summer Vegetable Soup, Tomato and Red Pepper Soup, Thai Vegetable Soup, and Thai Hot-and-Sour Soup.

Singles’ Soup	White Bean Gazpacho
Summer Vegetable Soup	Potato, Corn, and Bean Soup
Tomato and Red Pepper Soup	Minestrone
Creamy Asparagus Soup	Spinach Vichyssoise
Zucchini Bisque	Cream of Broccoli Soup
Curried Cauliflower Bisque	Curried Potato Soup with Corn and Red Pepper
Corn Chowder	Lotsa Vegetable Chowder
Fall Harvest Vegetable Chowder	Sweet Potato Bisque
Savory Squash Soup	Curried Squash and Apple Soup
Chestnut Soup	Mushroom Barley Soup
Chipotle Black Bean Soup	Split Pea Soup
Lentil Soup with Cauliflower, Potatoes, and Squash	Ful Nabed (Egyptian Fava Bean Soup)
Miso Soup	Thai Vegetable Soup
Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot-and-Sour Soup)

There are few things better than a hot stew on a cold and rainy Oregon day. Our favorite recipes in this cookbook were the Lentil Chili and the Bean & Mushroom Chili.

Quick and Easy Thai Vegetable Stew	Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Stew
Adzuki Bean Stew with Miso	Chilean Bean Stew
Spanish Chickpea Stew	Indian Zuppa with Tomatoes and Fava Beans
Pinto Bean Stew with Hominy and Spicy Cilantro Pesto	Lima Bean Stew
Pumpkin and Anasazi Bean Stew	Tzimmes
Millet Stew	Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Autumn Vegetable Stew with North African Spices	Lentil Stew with Avocado Salsa
Lentil Chili	Bean and Mushroom Chili

We sampled a few of the recipes in this section (and several similar recipes in other cookbooks). Bottom line: We just don’t like wraps enough to make them a staple in our diet.

Lettuce Wraps

Hummus and Tabbouleh Wrap	Stir-Fried Lettuce Wrap with Hummus and Fresh Herbs
Portobello Wraps	Thai Portobello Wraps

Tortilla Wraps

Portobello Mushroom Tacos

Veggie Fajitas

We prepared a smidge over half of the available recipes in this section. The stand-outs include: Spring Pasta Salad, Macaroni Salad, Penne with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and Peanut Noodles with Broccoli. That being said, many of the dishes were a bit pasta- or noodle-heavy for our taste.

Pasta and Noodle Salads

Spring Pasta Salad	Macaroni Salad
Ponzu Noodle Salad	Indonesian Noodle Salad
Mango Pasta Salad	Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad with Pineapple Chutney

Warm Pasta Dishes

Spaghetti with No-Cook Tomato Sauce	Penne with Chickpeas and Spinach
Penne with Broccoli Rabe	Pesto Pasta with White Beans
Rigatoni Antipasta	Penne with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Penne with Spicy Eggplant	Mushroom Stroganoff
Pasta with Peas and Curried Cream Sauce	Spaghetti and “Meatballs”

Warm Noodle Dishes

Stir-Fried Noodles with Spring Vegetables	Udon Noodles in Kombu Broth
Peanut Noodles with Broccoli	Udon Noodle Stir-Fry

We sampled most of the vegetable recipes and found that our tastes tended toward simpler fare –Basic Vegetable Stir-Fry and grilled vegetables. We also liked the Baked Spaghetti Squash with Swiss Chard; it’s a tasty way to take in some leafy greens.

Stir-Fried, Grilled, and Hashed Vegetables

Basic Vegetable Stir-Fry	Stir-Fried Vegetables with Miso and Sake
Miso-Glazed Squash with Spinach	Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms	Grilled Cauliflower “Steaks” with Spicy Lentil Sauce
Grilled Eggplant “Steaks”	Ratatouille
Spicy Sweet-and-Sour Eqqplant	Eggplant Dengaku Stir-Fry
Indian Spiced Eggplant	Spiced Green Peas and Yams
Braised Red Cabbage with Beans	Mixed Winter Vegetables with Spicy Poppy Seed Sauce

Stuffed and Baked Vegetables

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Swiss Chard	Baked Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Lentil Sauce
Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes with Spicy Cilantro Pesto	Poblano Pepper with Chipotle Black Bean Sauce
Southwestern Twice-Baked Potatoes	Millet-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Asian Stuffed Mushrooms	Stuffed Eggplant

If you’ve opted for a whole food plant-based diet, you’ve pretty much signed on to revel in the wholesome goodness of beans. Recipes worth repeating from this cookbook include Black Beans and Rice, Cuban-Style Black Beans, and Chickpea Caponata.

Bean, Corn, and Summer Squash Sauté	Cannellini Bean Ratatouille
Black Beans and Rice	Jamaican Black Beans
Cuban-Style Black Beans with Cilantro Rice	“Refried” Beans and Tomatoey Rice
Texas Caviar	Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Stew
Koshari (Lentils with Rice and Macaroni)	Mujadara (Lentils with Rice and Carmelized Onion)
Red Lentil Dal	Chana Saag
Curried Chickpeas and Rice	North African Chickpeas and Vegetables
Chickpea Caponata	Spicy Chickpeas and Fennel

Our household tends to go light on grains. However, we couldn’t resist the Whole-Grain Corn Muffins (which we’ve already made several times), and Polenta Pizza with Tomatoes and Basil, and the Mushroom Barley Risotto.

Rice Dishes

Pineapple “Fried” Rice	Red Curry “Fried” Rice
Stir-Fried Rice with Asparagus and Red Pepper	Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Rice in Garlic Sauce
Sweet-and-Sour “Meatball” Stir-Fry	Eggplant and Chickpea Rice Pilaf
Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Rice Pilaf	Green Chile Rice with Black Beans
Vegetable Biryani	Wild Rice, Cabbage, and Chickpea Pilaf
Ethiopian Wild Rice Pilaf

Corn, Polenta, and Millet Dishes

Whole-Grain Corn Muffins	Basic Polenta
Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushrooms	Polenta Pizza with Tomatoes and Basil
Polenta Pizza with Pesto, Caramelized Onions, and Potatoes	Cabbage and Millet Pilaf

Quinoa and Other Grains

Orange Quinoa with Black Beans	Spinach, Mushroom, and Quinoa Pilaf
Bulgur Pilaf with Chickpeas and Summer Squash	Bulgur Chickpea Pilaf
Bulgur Pilaf with Walnuts and Dried Fruit	Barley and Yam Pilaf
Mushroom Barley Risotto