Healthy comfort foods

When the weather is  cold, you want sauce and noodles, and creamy food like mac and cheese and casseroles. Canned soups, butter and cream are used to make white sauces for these dishes that is loaded with fat and calories. Try this super easy and fast vegan white sauce for a healthier alternative. To make it gluten free, use cornstarch instead of the flour. You could even use it as a white gravy over potatoes or breakfast biscuits! Make endless variations by changing the liquid to broth (now this is starting to sound like the delicious veggie gravy we had at Thanksgiving!)

Tasty whole grains and canned beans recipes from the pantry

This is a great slideshow from the NYTimes that might have the most diehard meat-eater wanting to sample the mostly veg recipes. They are lovingly shot and most include grains that you can buy in bulk and store in your cabinets. The next time you think there's nothing to eat, turn to these ideas.

Stealing recipe ideas from stores & restaurants

Breaking out of the food rut. Sometimes it seems like I am eating the same things over and over. That's when it's time to look for inspiration. Instead of starting with cookbooks, start by looking at stores with good deli items or the menus of restaurants you love then hit the cookbooks or online recipes and make your own versions of those items. I've ordered some of these 500 calories, 4 minute veggie meals from Fresh Direct in the past when I was working full time and trying to finish my thesis. Some of them were great with a lot of flavor, others ho-hum. But they all shook me out of the rice and beans mode when I had more time to cook and they helped me add protein options other than tofu and beans!

Three sustainable dishes for the non-cook: stir-fry, lentils and rice, cabbage salad

Mark Bittman introduces three basic recipes for the non-cook that are the building blocks for making your own dinner. Try these even if you are already a cook and post your variations. Thanks to the people at Sustainable Flatbush for sharing this via Twitter (full disclosure: I discovered it on their website).

Glazed Salmon with Spicy Grapefruit Relish from whole living.com

Michelle calls this the best salmon dish she's ever made. Fresh salmon and tart grapefruit seem like a good way to pretend at least for one dinner that you're on vacation somewhere tropical in the depths of winter.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

This is incredibly tasty and simple to make. The garnishes are a MUST. They really make the dish so earthy and tasty. Recipe Link

Mixed greens with smoked gouda (allrecipes)

Tweaked from allrecipes.com, this salad turned out nicely.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (I only used 1 tablespoon thinking 1/4 cup would make the dressing too salty/watery)
2 cloves garlic (I only used one and it was enough)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (did not have any)
8 ounces smoked gouda cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used about 2 of soy gouda)
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 10-oz package mixed salad greens (I used 1/2 head of fresh green chard cut into 1/2 inch strips)
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, stir together the balsaic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and basil. Add cheese and tomatoes, tossing to coat. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to marinate.

Place salad on serving plates. Top with the cheese and tomato mixture. Season with black pepper.

***In my quest to cut down on my vegetarian fallback of cheese sandwiches and other fat-heavy dairy products, I found this soy cheese. This was my first time trying soy gouda -- I found it at Todaro Brothers on Second Avenue. I tried putting it on top of a potato-and-onion omelet this morning and broiling it in the oven, but the soy cheese did not melt and bubble like regular cheese, so it might be best used cubed in green salads or in a cold pasta salad. The texture was good and I thought it tasted like gouda. There was also a soy mozzarella so I plan to play with that and will report back soon.