First, a big welcome to all of the new GoodNewsVeg subscribers who have come to us through the 10-Day Greener Plate Challenge. I’m glad you’ve found your way here! And, if you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time; the Challenge starts on February 4th. Click for more info. You’ll be joining 700+ eaters from around the world (a special welcome to Happy Pear followers from Ireland). I promise you’ll learn tons about the link between climate change and food, and have fun doing it. Plus there are awesome prizes.

Now, for today’s topic: What are you going to make for dinner tonight?

How do you typically decide what to cook? For most, the key factors are:

  • how much time we’re willing/have to spend
  • who we’re cooking for
  • what’s available in our pantry and/or fridge

Then there are cravings. Mine typically involve dumplings — in soup, stir fry, or simply tossed with chili oil.

Once in a while, I think about what I haven’t eaten enough of lately and how I can integrate it into a meal. Usually, that’s beans.

I’ve posted dozens of recipes on GoodNewsVeg, and I’ve tackled all of them. But, just as most people only make a few recipes from a cookbook, I realized there are a few recipes I make repeatedly from my recipe gallery. Most are simple, while others require way too much time for my husband and me, so they’re reserved for guests.

To start the New Year, I’m sharing my 14 Favorite GoodNewsVeg Recipes. Some, like crispy tofu croutons, I make at least once a week, because my husband loves them as a breakfast protein boost, and I snack on them. Others, like dumpling stir fry, I would eat every night if I weren’t so obsessed with getting a variety of nutrients, through Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen.

Here’s a New Year’s Resolution that will be easy to keep: Browse through GoodNewsVeg, find a couple of recipes that appeal to you, and resolve to give them a try. By next year, you’ll have a list of your own 14 Favorite GoodNewsVeg recipes!

 

Dumpling Stir-Fry

What I Crave Always: Dumpling Stir Fry. I learned to use dumplings in stir fry from Hetty McKinnon, one of my favorite recipe developers and New York Times Cooking contributor. I use store-bought frozen veggie dumplings, and any vegetables I have in the fridge. Hint: Double the amount of veggies this recipe calls for. (That’s always a good idea, for most recipes).

Best Use of Broccoli: Energizing Broccoli Dal. I cannot think of another recipe that packs as much health into a single pot, requires very little prep — and tastes so good. It calls for red lentils, so no bean-soaking involved.

Most Delicious Sauce: Easy Peasy Peanut Sauce. I remember the exact moment I made and tasted this peanut sauce. (My husband thinks my mind works weirdly, because so many of my vivid memories involve specific details around food). Make a batch of this sauce in 5 minutes, and you can make anything sing. Drizzle it on steamed veggies, tofu, couscous, rice — just about any meal you want to eat out of a bowl.

Crispy Tofu Croutons

Best Tofu: Crispy Tofu Croutons. If you think you don’t like tofu, you just don’t know how to make it. The key is to schmush out all of the water, season it well, and crisp it up. Bake it in an oven, or my preferred method, in an air fryer. Use whichever herbs and spices you like. Eat these as a snack, or as part of a protein-packed bowl (see above, Most Delicious Sauce).

Favorite Salad: Mexican Kale Salad. I first tasted this at the Boston VegFest, when my friend Diana, the recipe creator, made it at a demo and passed around samples. That was about six months ago, and I’ve been making it ever since. Your body will say, “thank-you, yes!” after feeding it this luscious, sweet-and-tangy salad.

When I Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Black Bean Burritos. Consider this recipe a template. Start with a can of black beans, a tortilla or burrito wrapper, and add whatever you like. I tend to eat this as a bowl, with a mixture of lettuce and brown rice or farro (any grain will do) as a base.

Kale Chips

How To Get Anyone to Love Kale: Kale Chips. I eat an entire bunch of kale when I make these. How is it that popcorn became the default food people eat at the movies, and not these? I just don’t get it.

Favorite Sheet Pan Dinner: Crispy Gnocchi with Roasted Tomatoes. I’m no fan of sheet pan dinners; they take longer than their name implies, and if there are multiple ingredients, I find that one winds up over-cooked and others under-cooked. This one works. It’s simple, and adding spinach or any leafy green towards the end of its cooking time adds a boost of potassium, iron, Vitamin C, and lots more good-for-you nutrients.

Favorite Meal-in-a-Bowl Soup: Curried Lentil Soup: One of celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s (simple) masterpieces. Most of the ingredients are likely to be in your pantry. It’s a brilliant use of cilantro (for those of us who like it). I will never tire of this soup.

Black Bean Lentil Taco Soup

Soup with Most Protein, Fiber and Flavor: Black Bean Lentil Taco Soup. The key to this soup’s umph is making your own taco seasoning. It will be a well-spent 3 minutes.

My Latest Favorite Winter Soup: Butternut Squash Lentil Soup. I made this for the first time last week, and immediately emailed the recipe to three close friends. Now that’s a good soup!

Favorite Bowl of Pasta: Slurpy Spaghetti and Tempeh Meatballs. Spend as much or as little time on this as you want. Skip the slurpy sauce and use jarred. (You’d be missing out big time, but it’s a useful workday hack). If you don’t know tempeh, this is a great intro. Don’t expect meatballs made from tempeh (fermented soy; firmer than tofu) to taste like meat. They taste nuttier, and are just — if not more — delicious. Without the cholesterol.

Popcorn Okra

Favorite “Exotic” Appetizer: Popcorn Okra. When I asked for okra at my local market, the guy stocking the shelves looked at me blankly. So did the guy he asked. So I walked across the street to the Indian market, where they knew what I was after. Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, and tons of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fiber. Better than the “real” popcorn, I promise.

Crowd-Pleasing Dinner Party Effort: Nirvana Enchilada Casserole. Like any good lasagna, this casserole is a labor of love. But when you have people you love coming to dinner, it’s worth the effort.