One of the pitfalls of winter is the tendency to eat heavy, hearty food... which can end up putting weight on. So, to lighten the load, we may want to consider eating lighter vegetarian fare. Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, the sky is the limit for ideas since here in Maryland we have so many wonderful vegetable ingredients.
I did some digging in the web and came up with a handful of very appealing recipes.
One great place to start is to make a chili based on a variety of peppers and a mixture of assorted beans. The aim is to present a varied mouthful with every bite. This recipe calls for a wider variety of peppers than we might see in the average grocery store, but there are numerous Latino bodegas in town that specialize in some exotic varieties. Start with some sweet dried peppers like costeño or choricero. Work in a few hot dried chilies like arbol or cascabel; and finish up with rich, smoky chilies like ancho or pasilla. For the beans you will use garbanzo and kidney beans. And for the seasonings you want cumin, oregano and the flavorful vegetable paste marmite. The entire recipe is long and complex and thus perfect for a leisurely Saturday afternoon. Here is the link: https://www.seriouseats.com/best-vegetarian-bean-chile-recipe
Lentils certainly know how to play well with other vegetables, so a lentil and squash soup makes perfect sense. This recipe from Serious Eats has a Provencal twist to it. You start by sautéing a mirepoix of celery, carrots and onions and adding a bit of garlic. Then comes two whole zucchinis chopped up plus a large can of plum tomatoes. Good quality vegetable broth is our principle liquid and grated Gruyère cheese is our garnish. And when it's finished, don't forget to stir in a spoonful or two of EVOO. It's what the French would do. Here's the link: ttps://www.seriouseats.com/provencal-lentil-zucchini-soup-recipe
It's nice to have a vegetarian main dish presented at dinner, and so a mushroom and carrot Shepherd's Pie is a great choice. Shepherd's Pie involves a savory chunky filling topped off with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. For the filling you'll want an assortment of three or four mushroom varieties, some chopped carrots and parsnips. A little tomato paste, red wine and veggie broth round out the recipe along with your favorite herbs and spices. Some long slow cooking will allow all the flavors to mingle. While that's going on, whip up a batch of mashed Yukon Gold potatoes to top it all off, and you've got a very attractive main course for your winter table. Here's the link: https://pinchofyum.com/vegetarian-shepherds-pie
