The husband and I love to entertain at home, and while the usual fare is something simple but comfortingly delicious like roast chicken or something on the barbecue, we have quite a few vegetarian friends- and this, one of our favorite things to serve them, is always a winner.

For these rolls, you must use Vietnamese rice paper, which is very affordable, and readily available at your local Asian food store- or online at Amazon!

Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
1/2 cup fresh beansprouts, washed and dried
1/4 Chinese cabbage (wombok), shredded finely
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
12 Vietnamese rice paper rounds
1 cup shredded cooked chicken (optional)
Dipping sauce (recipe follows)

We like to serve everything in separate bowls, allowing guests to take what they like for their rolls. The chicken here is optional- if going vegetarian, omit it.
You’ll need a large, flat plate or platter into which you pour some warm water. And here’s how to assemble:

For each roll, take a rice paper round, immerse it in the warm water for a few seconds- until it’s slightly soft, but not falling apart. Transfer to another plate, fill with the vegetables and/or herbs (and chicken if using) of your choice. Roll, tucking ends in. Dip in dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/8 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or patis)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 dried red chili, minced

Combine all ingredients together. Mix well, and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.

The husband and I are back doing low-carb, which means that our vegetable bin is full of cauliflower again. When rice is so much a part of your culture, as it is with us, finding a good rice substitute when you’re low-carbing is essential. And cauliflower, which is perfectly creamy and bland, contains only 14 grams of carbs for a medium-sized head.

I’ve made it like couscous, grating raw cauliflower then lightly sauteing it, but lately it’s been far too hot to spend time in front of a stove, so we’ve been oven-roasting our cauliflower. Here’s how:

Oven Baked Cauliflower

1 medium head of cauliflower
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Salt & Pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Bring some water to a boil.

Prepare cauliflower by cutting into florets, blanching for 5 minutes in boiling water, and straining.

Lay cauliflower in a baking dish. In the dish, add garlic, lemon juice, and about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss together, and sprinkle with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until very light brown.

Delicious with roast chicken or pork chops- or any other low-carb dish of your choice.

One of my favorite things about giving up meats for Lent is the chance it gives us to try out new and delicious vegetarian dishes. This, Pappa al Pomodoro, is a tomato soup we’ve often ordered at various Italian restaurants, but had never tried to make at home… until today.

What it is, basically, is tomato soup. Simple, delicious tomato soup- and when made with the best ingredients available, it’s spectacular.

Tomato soup, spectacular? Trust me. This is good stuff.

Homemade Pappa al Pomodoro

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (**Important: buy the BEST canned tomatoes you can find, preferably from Italy, organic if possible)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
3-4 cups day-old country-style bread, chopped or torn
grated Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano, if you have it)
fresh basil leaves, optional

In a medium sized soup pot over medium, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, and about 3/4ths of the onion. Cook for around 7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the garlic soft (but NOT burnt). Add diced and crushed tomatoes, and season with salt & pepper.

Add chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to simmer, add bread pieces- and stir as it simmers… keep stirring and it will thicken, like a stew. You want it nice and thick, but not too thick that you can’t drink it like a soup.

Remove from the heat, season some more if necessary, and serve with grated parmesan and fresh basil (if you like).

One of the things my husband and I try to do every Lenten season is give up meat. Well, as much meat as possible. We love salads, of course, and a our fresh tomato and cheese sandwiches are particularly satisfying, but when we want something with a little more heft, we turn to potatoes. Baked potatoes.

My usual baked potato features a very generous amount of crispy bacon bits (the real stuff, mind you- none of that bottled capsicum “bacon”), but for Lent we do without. And you know what? The baked potatoes are still awesome. I’m convinced it’s the sour cream and chives- one of the best combinations in the world.

Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream & Chives
Serves 4, or 2 very hungry people

4 large russet potatoes
vegetable oil (Canola or Sunflower)
Kosher salt
For topping:
good butter, salted
sour cream
chives, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes well with a brush or scrubber under cold running water. Wipe gently with an absorbent cloth until dry.

Poke around 8 deep holes on each potato, using a good sturdy fork. I use a regular table fork. Coat lightly with vegetable oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and put on a baking sheet. Bake around an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, or until the flesh beneath the skin feels soft.

Serve immediately with some good butter, sour cream and chives. If you like, wrap the potatoes in foil first- this helps prevent the skin from shriveling too much.

Indian food is not something we have on a daily basis- something I wonder about every time we do have an Indian dish, because seriously? The cuisine is awesome. Some of my favorite vegetarian options are Indian, and when you combine just the right amount of spice and cool and perfectly cooked Basmati rice- it’s almost unimaginably good.

Case in point: for dinner last night was Dal Aloo, which is basically a lentil and potato curry- but tastes like so much more. Make this today, and you’ll agree:

Dal Aloo

3 large potatoes
1 cup dal (lentils) – I used yellow
coconut oil (may substitute with vegetable oil)
4 small yellow onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup coconut milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala spice powder
salt for seasoning

Combine dal (lentils) and potatoes with enough water to cover, and boil until cooked.

In a medium to large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in coconut or vegetable oil. Add cup of coconut milk, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce flame to low, and add spices (coriander, chili powder, turmeric, Garam Masala). Mix it up, stirring continuously.

Add potatoes and lentils to the saucepan, as well as some water (around 1/4 cup). Simmer, and adjust seasoning.

Serve with a good amount of fluffy Basmati rice- or some flatbreads.

And I know how imprecise the recipe seems, but that’s the beauty of Indian cooking, I think. It’s definitely not a “set it and forget it” thing- with Indian food, you want to be standing over the stove, tasting here, tasting there, adding this and adding that.