Last Wednesday was my father’s birthday so I took it upon myself to make dinner for my family. Of course, since I was the one cooking I subjected everyone to the hippy vegan rabbit food I usually eat. Thankfully my family is willing to try anything, especially if it’s Italian, so I tried a vegan/vegifull version of an Italian favorite: Stuffed Italian shells.

Not only were these delicious and a hit, they were also a lot healthier than I even intended for them to be. The grilled eggplant, replacing breaded and fried eggplant, adds a smoky, charred flavor to the sauce. And the beans in the tofu filling give a good meaty texture contrast. It’s not something I’d throw together on a weeknight, but even so it couldn’t have been much easier to assemble and bake.

Grilled Eggplant Rollatini With Ricotta and Fava Bean Filling

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise 3/4 centimeter thick
• 3/4 cup tofu ricotta
• 1 cup fava beans
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 3/4 cup vegan mozzarella shreds(I used Daiya)
• Fresh basil for garnish
• Oil for greasing

Toss the eggplant slices in oil and grill over high heat until soft and pliable. Remove after grilling both sides and let cool slightly before handling.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the fava beans and ricotta and scoop a couple tablespoons of the filling into the middle of each eggplant slice. Roll up the eggplant and put them end-side down into a baking pan packed together.

Cover the eggplants in marinara sauce and then a layer of cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly—about 15 minutes.

Finish with fresh herbs and serve hot.

This is Italian comfort food at its finest. The melted cheese was like the frosting on the cake. We easily demolished the pan. You could of course use regular cheese and make this a delicious vegetarian dish, too. Whatever you use, just don’t skimp on it.

For a food blogger, I’m not a very adventurous eater. I eat a lot of the same things over and over again. I eat a lot of omelets. I love making raw noodles in peanut sauce. And, when in doubt, I always go back to greens and beans.

It’s not as much of a recipe as a methodology: You take some greens and some beans, sauté flavor into them and boom! It’s a meal. And it doesn’t make you think too hard, which is always nice at the end of the day.

Greens & Beans

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can beans, drained(I like cannellini)
• 2 cups fresh OR 1 cup frozen greens, thawed(spinach, kale, etc.)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Butter(optional)

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onions translucent and garlic is crispy.

Add in the greens and beans and mix them in with the garlic and onions. Add in the lemon, salt, and pepper and cook until heated through. Serve hot.

Sometimes I’ll add an extra clove of garlic just because I can, you know, on the days when I don’t plan on having to speak to someone face to face. I love getting bites of crispy garlic through the dish.

And then there’s butter. I don’t eat butter often, but a pat of Smör Icelandic butter(that’s the good butter Ina Garten’s always harping on about) really hits the spot, especially after it’s melted in.

I didn’t learn to eat with chopsticks until 10th grade. I ate plenty of Asian food before then, but it was usually takeout eaten at home with forks and spoons. If I did use the chopsticks, it was to poke a dumpling from the side and cautiously try to dip it into duck sauce without it falling off.

But then, in 10th grade, a magical thing happened: A Panda Express opened up in the Comm. Ave cafeteria where I ate lunch. I could have Panda Express Every. Day. Let’s ignore how unhealthy that must have been for me—their orange chicken was sensational. It was great enough to motivate me to learn to use chopsticks. 

This is one skill I hold dear to my heart. While I don’t always post it, I love working with Asian ingredients to make flavorful, often unphotogenic meals. You can’t go wrong if you keep adding soy sauce, vinegar, and honey with a little spice. My favorite dish is Pad Thai, but like orange chicken, the original is probably not something you should eat every day. But now you can.

This recipe uses vegetables in place of the noodles to cut down on refined grains and carbs and boost the vegetable servings. Trust me when I say you won’t miss them. The sauce has an extra protein punch from peanut flour, which is higher in protein and lower in fat than peanut butter, which also works well in this recipe in a pinch. I use eggs which are my favorite protein to make this a filling meal but you can swap in cubed tofu to make this a vegan dish. The result is filling and just as delicious as the original. If you don’t know how to use chopsticks yet, let this be a reason to learn.

Protein-Packed Mock Thai

Ingredients(Makes 2 small portions or 1 large):

• 1 zucchini, peeled into shreds
• 1 carrot, peeled into shreds
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup partially defatted peanut flour*
• 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste**
• 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce(or wheat-free tamari)
• 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• ~2 Tablespoons water to thin

*If unavailable, swap for 2 tablespoons peanut butter and omit the water.

**This is the signature flavor of Pad Thai. The best substitute is brown sugar, though the flavor won’t be as complex.

Heat a pan to medium and add in the zucchini and carrot noodles and bean sprouts. Sauté for a few minutes until cooked and softened.

Crack in the eggs and toss the vegetables with them. Continue sautéing until the eggs have completely cooked.

Turn off the heat, pour in the sauce, and toss it together with the noodles until completely mixed. Scoop into bowls for serving.

Garnish with salted peanuts and Thai basil leaves.

Dig in.

What’s your favorite dish to order at a Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurant?