Roasted Cauliflower Rice with Cranberries and Almonds

Who doesn't love roasted cauliflower? This vegetable is delicious in all cases, but when roasted the natural sweetness comes out, caramelizing and deepening into all its richness. Don't believe me? Just ask my nearly nine-month-old daughter - it's one of her favorites! And who can ask for a better endorsement than that?

In this case, the cauliflower is "riced" and combined with slivered almonds and dried cranberries for the perfect sweet and savory blend. This might be meant as a side, but you'll be going back for seconds and thirds, making this the star of the meal.

Time: 35 min (or 25 with pre-riced cauliflower)

Sesame-Ginger Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

Who doesn't love a good stir fry? They come together quickly, they're warm and flavorful, and they can be designed to fit any palate. They're essentially guilt-free comfort food, and who can resist that?

In this case I combine tofu, broccoli, and baby bok choy for a vegetable-forward dish that will even satisfy a meat-lover. Bonus? If you're in middle of baby led weaning with an 8-month old, as I am, then the broccoli easy translates to dinner for the little one! She does love her brassicas...

I used a pre-made sesame ginger sauce from Wegman's so it comes together extra quickly, but don't worry if you don't have a Wegmans nearby. Use another pre-made (low-sodium!) sauce or quickly whip up your own with some soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and fresh garlic and ginger.

Time: 30 min

Roasted Onions and Portabellas with Swiss Chard-Grain Pilaf

Oh, winter. Or, to be fair, late fall. Is it weird to anyone else that winter doesn't start until the end of December? To me, December will always be winter and March will always be spring but, alas, I guess I don't get to make that determination.

Still, with the cold weather, whatever season it may be, comes the craving for warm, filling, comfort food. However, comfort food and health have historically rarely gone together... but that simply doesn't have to stay that way. This vegan (yes! vegan comfort food!) meal hits all of the right notes - thick textures, hot food, sweet and savory notes - without any of the guilt. You can feel free to bring out the big (really, quite enormous by historical standards) dinner plates this time because there's no reason to skip seconds on this dinner. It's packed full of veggies and whole grains with little else, leaving you content and full yet happy with your decisions.

Time: 55 min

Mushroom-Hazelnut Tagliatelle

Okay, so it's not the healthiest meal I've ever made, but it's certainly not bad either, and sometimes you really just need a comforting plate of pasta. Besides, I'm a sucker for all things mushroom and this dish highlights the best fungus ever produced by nature. What's not to love?

Doubling down on the carbs, I paired this meal with some garlic bread. Typically I like to make my own, but as regular readers know, balancing a baby with my career and other responsibilities means that as much as I love cooking, shortcuts are now far more welcome than they used to be. While I'll still whip up my own garlic bread at times, this weeknight meal meant I purchased a frozen garlic bread from my neighborhood grocery and popped it in the oven. The best garlic bread I've ever had? No, but it sure did hit the spot as this meal came together in under half an hour.

Time: 20 min

Vegetable Noodle Passata

Passata? Eh? If you aren't familiar with the term, don't worry. I had never heard it before coming across this recipe I adapted from Wegmans, but I was curious to learn more. Turns out, it's a tomato puree used most frequently in Italian cooking. It's pure tomatoes, cooked and strained, and ends up thinner than a paste but thicker than a sauce. Can't find it in your local supermarket, though? Not a problem! Simply substituting tomato sauce (the canned, no sodium version) with a bit of tomato paste (ditto) mixed in will yield a similar-enough result.

This recipe makes the passata into a (what else?) fresh tomato sauce over veggie noodles and potatoes. It's hearty enough to be a stand-alone dinner but healthy enough that you don't have to worry about going back for seconds. I made it with zucchini and yellow squash "noodles" but get creative here - really any vegetable noodle would work well! Let us know in the comments if you find a particular tasty combination.

Time: 40 min

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Rice and Sauteed Greens

I'm not usually a scallop fan, but my mother convinced me that these large sea scallops, on sale at Wegmans, were sweet, tender, and delicious and worth an extra trip to purchase immediately. She was right! I followed her instructions to the T (thanks, Mom!) and ended up with an absolutely delicious, incredibly healthy meal that came together extremely quickly but was still impressive enough for a fancy dinner party.

I did very little to the scallops, letting them shine on their own, and paired them with some cauliflower rice and sauteed greens. I purchased the cauliflower already riced to speed up the process but you can easily rice it yourself using a food processor if you can't find it already cut or want to save some extra cash!

Time: 25 min

Tahini Cauliflower and Chickpea Quinoa

Yum! This vegan dish manages to hit all of the right notes. Even dedicated meat-eaters won't realize they're enjoying an animal-free meal since this entree is filling, delicious, and flavorful with a mix of textures and colors that leads to a delightful meal.

I served it along with some roasted delicata squash (an easy and delectably sweet favorite of mine) but this could easily stand alone or go with many other sides. Or, mix together a big batch and take it to work for lunch all week. The added bonus of a vegan meal? It keeps extremely well (and this one works at room temperature just fine) making it an easy to-go lunch.

Time: 40 min