Spinach

This classic recipe is a good way to highlight this nourishing green vegetable. The rich flavor of pine nuts and sweetness of raisins are surprising yet compatible in tandem with the spinach.

This colorful salad dresses up a plate, especially if the central dish is monochromatic. With spinach and oranges, it packs a lot of valuable vitamins. I recommend this salad frequently throughout the book.

This colorful mélange of flavors and textures is easy enough for a weeknight meal, yet gorgeous enough to impress guests.

A feast of color and texture, this salad is, in a word, dazzling. As the centerpiece of a meal, it’s a pleasure to make and serve, ready in minutes.

Big quesadillas make a filling one-dish meal that is easily completed with a salad on the side. Here is the first of a trio of such fare.

Here’s a lovely, light pizza that’s perfect for a springtime meal.

One evening not long ago, I had about one hour to make dinner for the family—and eat—between getting home from one activity and going out to another. I improvised based on what was in the fridge rather than following a recipe. This was the result; everyone liked this simple dish so much that I was compelled to compose a recipe for it, and have followed it many times since.

Since my family loves lentils, I keep a few cans of organic canned lentils on hand to use when we want a meal with this nourishing legume in a hurry. To make this dish a little fancier, try using beluga lentils, as I’ve recommended in earlier recipes. These diminutive, gleaming black lentils contrast attractively with the spinach and dried tomatoes.

I fully admit that this recipe screams “emergency dinner!” But it’s spicy, hearty, high in protein, and best of all, ready for the table in about twenty minutes. Some nights, you need a main dish like that, and this one never disappoints.

Prepared polenta provides an easy way to add variety to the dinner repertoire. I often use it sliced and sautéed as a side dish, but occasionally, it will become an intrinsic part of a recipe, as it is here.

In this tasty “down home” dish, bits of tart apple add a delightful flavor twist. If you have the time, make a pan of your favorite vegan corn bread.

Caravan of Dreams is one of the restaurants where my family likes to eat when we’re in New York City. It’s a funky, comfortable place in the East Village, with food that’s hearty and innovative (and all vegan). Once, my younger son ordered the Green Garden Platter, described as “seasonal mixed greens sautéed with grilled marinated seitan, garlic, and olive oil, topped with grilled carrot polenta in mushroom gravy.” I was intrigued by the combination of seitan and polenta, so when I got home, I made my own version, which bears little resemblance to the restaurant’s. There’s something enticing about the seitan/polenta synergy, and with the addition of greens, the result is a great-looking, hearty dish.

Tofurky sausage is a fun protein source that provides plenty of flavor and spice to a meal. I prefer it to other kinds of faux sausages because it’s made with tofu and seitan rather than textured soy protein (see notes on this product in the introduction, page 19). The bold taste of Tofurky sausage provides a perfect foil for fresh greens.

An appetizing, mildly spiced mélange of nourishing beans, grains, and greens, this makes a stellar centerpiece for a soup-based meal. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein, making this practically a meal in a bowl.

My older son loves a very simple red lentil soup served at a local Middle Eastern café. It’s good, but to my mind, not very interesting, so I created my own version, with a little more style and substance. I make this regularly and he rarely clamors for the café version.

For this bountiful vegetable soup, the less cooking time, the better. Everything should remain bright green and just tender-crisp.

This Asian-style soup is ideal when you’re in a hurry. It can be on the table in about twenty minutes.

I like to make this quiche in late spring, when asparagus is at its prime. When selecting asparagus, look for straight, firm, bright green stalks with deep green or purple tips. The fresher, the better, so purchase your asparagus as close as possible to the time you plan to make the quiche.

This savory Italian pastry is traditionally served on Easter Sunday, but it is delicious any time of year. If you want to drain the ricotta, place it in a sieve lined with cheesecloth for about an hour; discard the liquid before proceeding.

Puff pastry replaces phyllo dough to produce handheld individual servings of spanakøpita, a Greek spinach-and-feta pie. As such, the turnovers are quicker to assemble (no buttering and stacking of sheets necessary) yet still bake to a crisp, golden, flaky finish. You can prepare and freeze the turnovers two months in advance, then bake them straight from the freezer. Because feta cheese is on the salty side, taste the filling before seasoning it.