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I come from Brooklyn, where one of my fondest childhood memories is the daily walk I took with my father and uncle to the neighborhood bagel bakery (in Boro Park).

I now live in California, after living 20 years in Massachusetts. I have never been able to find a Brooklyn-style bagel, and I wonder if they still exist.

My childhood bagels were hard and chewy, there was no way to make a sandwich from them. I ate them radially, schmearing the exposed end with cream cheese and eating my way around.

At the company cafeteria today, everyone was talking about bagels, and all but one person laughed at me for eating bagels the way I did. The one person who concurred with me, was a Bulgarian. He was a true Bagel maven.

fried zuccini!

okay so my favorite vegetarian recipe is my grandmother's dafina ( a moroccan jewish sabbath dish). it's usually made with a calf's foot but because my mother won't eat red meat, my grandmother makes it for her with wheatberries. essentially you add layered slices of onion, potato, sweet potato, cinnamon, paprika, a cup and a half of wheatberries tied up in a cheesecloth bag, a whole garlic bulb (unpeeled), raw eggs (in their shells), some olive oil and some water, put it all in a slow cooker and let it simmer for about 14-16 hours. by the next day everything has browned and caramelized so deeply even meat lovers go nuts for the dish. the eggs turn dark brown inside and the paprika gives everything a smoky flavor.

gah! i'm so homesick!

Roasted cauliflower with Dukkah!

Spinach Panade, w/ veg stock, inspired by the Zuni cookbook.

Black figs with basil, olive oil and balsamic, perched on grilled bread covered in chevre.

Awesome mix of tart, savory, and sweet. Not to mention crunchy and soft.

squash risotto.... or broccoli peanut soup... or bok choy sauteed with garlic sauce

My personal variation on Chana Masala wherein I add a bit more nutmeg and some cinnamon as well as ground dried apicots. It makes it a bit sweet as well as spicy.

Mark Bittman’s Favorite Vegetarian Paella
His is Paella with Tomatoes. I am already a huge fan of tomato-based rice dishes but this paella, rich with saffron and smoked paprika and topped with lightly seasoned fresh tomatoes, looks absolutely amazing

The green enchilladas with summer veggies from The Greens Cookbook.

Mac & Cheese always, but veggie dumplings are a close second.

yellow curry with tofu and tons of fresh veggies.

my mom's ratatouille. and lately, i've been obsessed with making Alton Brown's Lemon Sesame Glazed greens. if it's just me at home alone eating, i'll halve the recipe and dig in. i love the combination of the honey and red pepper flakes, which i tend to add more to the recipe than mr. brown calls for.