No surprise that something called eggplant lasagna contains eggplant. But in this recipe, the eggplant actually replaces the lasagna noodles! Is that a good idea? Yes: This was one of the best, maybe the best, lasagnas I've ever eaten. That said, I credit the slow-roasted tomatoes , Batch 11 to be specific, rather than the eggplant. I'd recommend the base recipe with traditional noodles any day. (Folks from the Southern Hemisphere: Are you planning to slow-roast tomatoes this year? I really really REALLY recommend it! Just LOOK what's possible when you do!) No: The inspiring recipe called for a fussy, time-consuming process for precooking the eggplant, one I'll never repeat. I think there're other ways, however, like this one . Yes, But: The eggplant lasagna is about 1/3 lower in calories and contains fewer than 1/2 the carbs. That said, neither version can be considered 'diet' food. If I were going to splurge on lasagna, I think I'd go whole hog, so to

One of my oldest recipes, a garlicky pasta with strips of tender cooked spinach. This one requires will power: I could eat the whole pot if I let myself! ~recipe & photo updated & reposted 2012~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ 2006 Original: Funny. This pasta and spinach has been a year-round favorite for so long that it's made two cookbooks, one for church, one for family. So how nearly 300 Veggie Venture days have passed without its appearance here is beyond explanation. But with little ado, here it is, just simple orzo with spinach, Parmesan and pine nuts. Fast, easy, and unless you're a carb counter, not entirely unhealthful. 2012: Funny again. I still make this recipe off and on, it's so easy to throw together. The trick is to use plenty of garlic and let the garlic essence really develop as it turns golden. REVIEWS "I use this recipe for inspiration all the time. ... I've passed it on to many friends, and have probably posted it to my Facebo

Until introduced to Indian home cooking exemplified in food blogs like One Hot Stove , Mahanandi , Food, in the Main and Hooked on Heat , my experience with Indian cuisine was limited to two favorite restaurants (one a Friday-night hangout during grad school in Austin, another here in St Louis), a tiny grocery in Dallas that sold fresh curry leaves alongside saris and -- most famously -- London take-away. If I had my druthers -- and I have, despite considerable objection -- take-away curry would be the choice for at least one, and preferably two, meals a day in London. So at home, I struggle to replicate that fiery, steaming goodness and still please the American palates which pull up chairs at my table. The dozenth version of something close is the subject of this week's column in Kitchen Parade.

The Sugar High Friday online edible events are always a welcome challenge for A Veggie Venture. But January's mean'n'lean Sugar LOW Friday created a special, um, opportunity. Sure, there're vegetables in cakes and sweets and even sorbets and ice creams (oh! I can't wait to spring one or two cold ones on us all some warm day soon!) and all calling for piles of sugar, buckets of butter. So like every good writer who starts over entirely when a sentence doesn't work, I decided to turn the SHF/SLF thinking upside down by choosing not a sweet, not a dessert, but instead a dessert replacement ... a snack. A vegetable snack, of course, made from protein-rich edamame beans. With NO cream. And NO sugar. And only a tiny bit of oil. And quite tasty to snack on after supper, at your desk ... although some messy but no more than a potato chip or even popcorn. I tried two versions, one roasted with olive oil and salt (on the left) and another microwaved and tossed with groun

~recipe & photo updated 2012~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ 2006 Original: Talk about a ***** five-star ***** recipe. Fast. Easy. Delicious. Cheap. Healthful. That said, I made a big mistake with this pur&eacute:e. It doesn't belong on the "side", it belongs "under" – a big plopful under a lambchop, pork medallions, even a slice of meatloaf. The orange and ginger flavors are subtle, just enough to stop mid-bite to wonder, Hmmm, what's that taste? TURNIPS vs RUTABAGAS Like yams and sweet potatoes, grocery stores often interchange turnips for rutabagas. One would be as good as the other here, but Stephencooks has side-by-side photographs so at least you know what you're cooking!

Contemplating homemade vegetable stock, I struggle with whether the vegetables are actually going to waste . But what's the one vegetable that all cooks always throw away half to three-quarters of? Leeks, of course. The green stalks are tough and inedible and recipes always specify, 'white and light green parts only'. So after making this soup , just to see what would happen and with nothing to lose, I threw the leftover leek stalks into a pot along the leftover peels from a russet potato. The result? A lovely, sweetish, onionish stock. And absolutely no waste. NO WASTE LEEK STOCK Bookmark or print this recipe only Hands-on time: 5 minutes Time to table: 1 hour Made 4 cups 8 cups water Peelings from a potato (optional, I suspect) 'Green parts' from 5 leeks, roughly chopped Start the water to bring to a boil. Add the potato peels and leeks and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. (c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade

(Many thanks to Brian Naughton for Tomato Republic, his photo oh so evocative of stars on a flag field. Vegetable-wise, it'll have to keep us happy for six more months, until real-life tomatoes are worth eating again!) Are you the author of a vegetarian or vegan food blog? Or the author of a food blog that features vegetarian or vegan dishes occasionally? Or are you a carnivore who regularly writes about vegetables? Does your blog have an easy-to-find category for vegetarian dishes? or vegetables? or salads? And everyone, where do you turn for meatless inspiration -- favorite blogs? websites? cookbooks? I'm building a resource site -- here at The Veggie Evangelist -- with lists of vegetarian and vegan blogs along with what I call 'veggie-loving' sites , that is, bloggers who write regularly though not exclusively about vegetables. Just click on through , then leave a comment in the appropriate list. I'd love to hear from you -- and, hint, hint, doing