Brussels sprouts are shredded and sauteed until soft then tossed with cubes of ham and toasted pecans. If you hate Brussels sprouts, you’ll absolutely love these.

Mashed potatoes are mixed with root vegetables to make a deeply flavored, satisfying side dish. For the mashed potatoes, use russets or Yukon Gold.

This grilled vegetable sformato is pretty and filling enough to be a main course. Inside the sformato are peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cheeses, pasta, and pistachios. It makes a stunning weekend meal.

For this hearty Moroccan tagine, squash, whole shallots, prunes, garbanzos, and almonds are slowly cooked until tender then is served over couscous.

by Sara Engram and Katie Luber with Kimberly Toqe
from The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009)
Serves 4
Elegant but easy, a frittata is perfect for those special-occasion breakfasts. The basil and anise …

by Paula Wolfert
from Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking
(John Wiley & Sons, 2009)
Serves 8
This famous ribollita soup is not really a soup in the literal sense; rather, it is a thick panade, or porridge, of bread, vegetables, …

by Mary Cech
from Savory Baking
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Makes 4-6 servings
This delicious puttanesca-style spicy tomato crumble with a crunchy topping is great with grilled fish. For an interesting change, scoop a large spoonful on top of fresh …

by Mary Cech
from Savory Baking
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Makes 8 servings
Don’t expect to have leftovers of this crunchy sweet potato, raisin, cranberry strudel. Brown butter and toasted pecans bring a rich buttered nuttiness to the earthy sweet …

by Maggie Foard
from Goat Cheese
(Gibbs Smith, 2009)
Serves 4
These eggplant wraps are the absolute perfect hors d’oeuvre or picnic food. They can be made and assembled a day in advance and refrigerated. The wraps travel well and …

Penne agli Spinaci e Ricotta
by Giuliano Hazan
from Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 Quick and Easy Recipes
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009)
Serves 4
When making tortelloni filled with spinach and ricotta, I sometimes ended up with leftover filling. …

Turkey and fall vegetables stew is a saffron broth. Underneath is toothsome couscous. The vegetables include carrots, parsnips, squash. This dish is heart and a great way to use up leftover turkey.