I used to tear up like mad (and that includes when I was storing my onions in the fridge, so they were plenty chilled) and then I read somewhere to cut next to an open flame and the updraft (or something) would draw the fumes/volatile oils away. So I set up my cutting board next to the gas stove, turned the closest burner and chopped away. Works like a charm!!!

I like to do a Middle Eastern thing with my lentil soup - I saute my aromatics with lots of za'atar and then add some pomegranate molasses at the very end, just until I get that hit of acid in the background.

I'm intrigued! Can you post a recipe or point me in the right direction for parsnip cookies?

I'd make Smitten Kitchen's warm salad:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/war...

Yikes! I've never had someone make any recipe of mine!

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/war...

no,it's my own creation:

Mushroom-Spinach Casserole

1 cup red lentils
2 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
2 cloves garlic, minced
5-7 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, sautéed briefly (or a bag of frozen, chopped spinach – thawed and wrung dry in a clean dishtowel)
1 leek, sliced finely
10-12 oz. chopped mushrooms
1 ½ cups fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
1-1 ½ Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
salt & pepper

1) Preheat oven to 375. Prepare spinach, breadcrumbs, cheese, leeks, garlic, & mushrooms.
2) Put stock, in a small sauce pot and add lentils and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid absorbs and lentils are soft. Discard bay leaf.
3) While lentils are cooking, sauté leeks, garlic and mushrooms in pan. When leek/garlic/mushroom mixture is done, fish out a handful of nice-looking sliced mushrooms for the top of the casserole.
4) Put sautéed leek/garlic/mushroom into a large mixing bowl, and add lentils, spinach and breadcrumbs. Add mustard. Add cheese last, then salt & pepper to taste.
5) Lightly beat two eggs and stir in lemon juice, then add to mixture in bowl.
6) Spoon into a loaf pan (arrange mushroom slices on top if you want) and bake at 375 degrees for an hour until golden.

This onion tart is my new favorite dish EVAR:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/oni...

I also make the warm salad of butternut squash and garbanzos with a lemon-tahini dressing from Smitten Kitchen and it's really wonderful. Best of all, it's vegan and gluten-free, so all my friends can (and will, happily) eat it!

I also make a spinach-mushroom casserole that sounds boring, but makes my husband groan with pleasure. I think it's the mustard and cheddar.

Don't forget to make some corn stock from the cobs after you scrape or cut the kernels off!!

Well, we're vegetarians with a new baby and have been the recipients of food from our amazing friends. They've brought over pasta salad, sesame noodles, carmelized onion quiche, spinach kugel, potato salad and gazpacho. All very, VERY, VERY welcome! I'd imagine the quiche, sesame noodles, kugel and gazpacho could be frozen.

Here's a lovely zucchini & ricotta galette from Deb at Smitten Kitchen:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/06/zuc...

Based on a recommendation by Mark Bittman about peanut butter, I've swirled almond butter into dal and into pureed roasted vegetable soup. It adds a lovely flavor and creamy mouthfeel!

My husband is lactose intolerant, so we already have to pay through the nose for vegan "ice cream" and don't have the breadth of choices that dairy-eaters do. So for us, making it at home is far superior on all fronts. I use a $9 machine I bought at the thrift store and it works like a charm. I haven't broken it out yet this year, but last summer we use it to make all kinds of delicious flavors, like ginger vanilla and balsamic blackberry. YUM!!!

When I make my roasted vegetable stock, I take all the veggies and a little of the resultant stock and puree the whole lot as a basis for a really lovely soup. Then I might add a little curry powder and cashew butter for a rich, Indian-flavored soup... or some smoked paprika... or top with a little yogurt and lemon zest...

In the summer, I use citrus zest like it's going out of style. That's not really an herb or spice, but that's my answer anyway :-)

For your southwestern flavors, add some pinto beans or similar, toss with a vinaigrette and you have a great dinner salad. Or serve beans dressed with salsa on the side. Or mound the salad on a bed of grains, like farro.

I've made a ratatoille-like preparation and served that on baked potatoes. Sure, some cheese would make it richer, but it's still tasty!!

Roasted or grilled veggies tossed with a homemade citrus vinaigrette like orange sesame on a bed of grains is my go-to spring/summer dinner.

I like to make this banana "ice cream" - it's basically pureed frozen banana, but if you do it when the fruit is dead ripe, it really does have a creamy texture. There's the sugar of the fruit in it, obviously, but no added sugar. Here's a "recipe":
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ti...

Last week I bought a bunch of fiddleheads at the farmer's market. I steamed them first to kill whatever needs killin' then sauteed them with a little minced onion and butter, added chunks of roasted sweet potato and white beans and tossed it all with an orange sesame dressing. It was really, really good!

I am trying to recapture our "trip of a lifetime" two years ago to the enchanting Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. We had ema datse (chilis cooked in cheese) almost every night at dinner and I loved it! I'd like to make it here in the US but I'm stumped as to what cheese (or combination of cheeses) might best mimic the cheese that was used in Bhutan. It's a long shot, but do any Chowhounds have any ideas or experience?

they've expanded into the tattoo parlor that used to be next door and have more seating - gone are the two-seater diner booths. and when i went two or three weeks ago they only had a few beers available and were still allowing people to bring their own liquor.

Has anyone gone here for dinner yet? Not the special opening for the rehearsal party, but their regular menu? I thought it was supposed to open for dinner this past Monday...

I understand that the Blue Elephant on Wickenden in Providence opened for dinner this Monday. Has anyone been yet? If so, did you notice how vegetarian-friendly the menu is? When it was Ristorante Romanza, there was only one veg entree option, but it was so good that we didn't care.

The Millstone isn't bad, and they have a good wine selection. Absolutely ZERO vegetarian entrees, but the chef made something special for us without hesitation. There's a place right on route 4 called the Colonial Inn (I think) and I've had good food there. The breakfast place someone mentioned is Blackwater Bill's, next door to the Kearsarge Mini Mart. Good if you like diner food (and I do!)

We went last Friday and I thought it was so-so. The service wasn't particularly swift, but that will probably iron itself out. The special soup of the day, tomato basil, tasted and had the consistency of a pasta sauce. Ick. The parsnip brandade is excellent - you might recognize it from La Laterie, where the Local 121 chef used to work. We had a pasta dish with eggplant and tomato in it - that was so-so. I think it has potential, but right now it's only so-so.

The Waterplace Park location has (at least posted) a nearly identical menu to Twist on Wayland Square. I noticed this while walking to the mall and was very disappointed - I expected something a little higher-end than Twist in that gorgeous location. Do report on the menu if you go? I'd love to be wrong!

I am new to Chowhound, so I apologize if this is obvious or this topic has been discussed to death already, but is there a vegetarian board or blog or other area here? It seems to me that vegetarian foodies NEED a Chowhound forum to discuss their experiences in "regular" (not specifically vegetarian) eateries. How else are we going to know which restaurants have decent vegan options and which try to serve you a steamed veggie plate, or who sneaks chicken stock into their tomato soup and whose pumpkin gnocchi is to DIE for?? I'd love to know if there's support for such a forum/board and if Chowhound has any plans to add one.