What on Earth was wrong with the generation before mine? When I was a kid, vegetable dishes were wretched. I’ve never been a picky eater, but back then, even I turned my nose up at mushy lima beans or the peas that had any semblance of flavor boiled out of them. Then came the middle times, when vegetarian and vegan dishes began to improve, as long as they didn’t try to imitate meat. And now, we’re in a very exciting time, where items like vegetarian burgers are entering the popular consciousness, and with the proper toppings, can get close to approximating their beefy equivalents.

So, now it’s your turn to contribute to the wealth of recipes that are tasty enough to satisfy us demanding omnivores. What are your best Vegetarian & Vegan dishes? The easiest way to make a terrific vegetable side dish is to simply drizzle whatever veggie you like with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then roast at 425° F for 20 minutes, but let’s hear about some hearty entrees, too.

As always, when posting your recipe, please clearly delineate the ingredient list, the directions, and any other helpful notes you might have.

Here are a couple of recipes to get you started:

Spinach Balls

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes frozen chopped spinach
• 2 cups herb stuffing mix
• 2 small onions, chopped fine
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 2/3 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F.

2) Cook and drain spinach according to package directions.

3) Put the spinach, chunks of onion, and the herb stuffing into a food processor and process until fine and homogeneous.

4) Empty into a medium bowl and mix in remaining ingredients.

5) Make into bite-sized balls, and bake on a cookie/baking sheet for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Notes:

-The food processor is not mentioned in the original recipe, but it’s by far the most convenient way to make these and make them consistent.

-I find it helpful to cover the baking sheet with Pam-sprayed foil.

-The spinach ball mixture will seem wetter than it should. It’s fine, just squeeze off any excess moisture when forming the balls.

-The mixture can be made ahead of time and refrigerated in order to firm it up a bit before baking.

I was also looking around for other inspiration, and found a vegan Greek dish called briam, which appears to be a close cousin to ratatouille:

Briam:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 large zucchini, thinly sliced
• 4 small red onions, thinly sliced
• 6 ripe tomatoes pureed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400° F.

2) Spread potatoes, zucchini, and red onions in a 9×13-inch baking dish, or preferably a larger one. Use 2 baking dishes if necessary. Cover with pureed tomatoes, olive oil, parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss all ingredients together so that the vegetables are evenly coated.

3) Bake, stirring after 1 hr. until vegetables are tender and moisture has evaporated, about 90 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Notes:

-If the vegetables are too dry in step 3, add a few tablespoons hot water. There should be no water left in the end, however.