Day 1: Grilled Asparagus Pizzas with Gremolata
We love this pizza topped with green asparagus and fresh mozzarella. The heat of the grill can wilt the freshest toppings, so Daniele Uditi of Pizzana in Los Angeles spoons something bright—a blend of fresh herbs, crushed red pepper and garlic—over the pizza once it comes off the grate.
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Day 2: Roasted Veggie Burgers with Carrot Ketchup
Chef Edward Lee of Louisville’s Whiskey Dry isn’t a big fan of the standard veggie burger. Instead of creating a ground patty of beans, grains and vegetables that replicates the look and texture of meat, Lee serves this gorgeous ratatouille-inspired “burger” of colorful roasted vegetables layered with melty cheese. “It looks like a slice of a rainbow,” he says.
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Day 3: Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Ancho and Orange
This vegetarian chili from TV chef Ellie Krieger starts with canned black beans, so it’s super easy to make. A hit of fresh orange adds a warm, sweet note to the rich spices. You can also throw this together in under an hour, which is a total win in our book.
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Day 4: No-Bake Vegetarian Enchiladas
The recipe here is based on a dish created by Los Angeles chef Josef Centeno’s great-grandmother, who raised 12 kids. Because meat was expensive, she often made enchiladas using only vegetables, like carrots and potatoes. For his enchiladas, Centeno makes a sofrito, cooking carrots low and slow in olive oil with garlic and tomatoes.
Day 5: Green and Wax Bean Salad
During the summer, Ava Genes’s chef Joshua McFadden makes this simple, colorful salad constantly. He also changes it up often: You can grill the beans for a little smoke or toss in some pickled ones, mix up the type of olive you use or add a medley of different basils from the market (Thai, opal, lemon or Italian). The possibilities are endless.
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Day 6: Baharat-Spiced Eggplant with Hazelnuts, Cherries and Tarragon
F&W Best New Chefs 2017 Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson, of L.A.’s Kismet, brine eggplant before coating it in a fragrant spice mix and pan-frying. They create a magical plate of that eggplant along with pickled onions, sweet cherries, toasted hazelnuts, creamy lebneh and herbs. This is a vegetable dish that can stand alone as a main.
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Day 7: Vegetarian Butter Tofu
Day 8: Buckwheat Soba Tiger Salad
F&W Best New Chef 2017 Peter Cho, of Han Oak in Portland, Oregon, is a master at riffing on Asian classics. This dish is a combination of three of his favorite plates (tiger vegetable salad, warm spicy tofu and the pork zha jjang hand-pulled noodles) from New York City's Xi’an Famous Foods.
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Day 9: Greens Pasta Salad
Day 10: Green Eggs with Whipped Goat Cheese and Grilled Kale
F&W Best New Chef 2017 Jay Blackinton, of Hogstone’s Wood Oven on Orcas Island, Washington, takes just a few humble ingredients and turns them into a magical dish. Case in point: this “green” egg, which is soft-boiled and dusted in dried kale, then served on creamy arugula-laced goat cheese and surrounded by crispy grilled kale. It looks like a nest—and tastes like heaven.
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Day 11: Spinach-Sprout Salad with Coconut Ranch
Food & Wine’s Justin Chapple uses vegan coconut yogurt as the base for a terrific healthy version of ranch dressing. It’s wildly versatile but also especially tasty on this super crunchy sprout-packed salad. We can almost guarantee this will become your new go-to salad when you have a sudden craving for greens.
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Day 12: Summer Squash Gratin
Food & Wine’s Laura Rege puts abundant summer squash and zucchini to good use in this beautiful and very simple gratin, which gets fantastic flavor from white wine, leeks and Gruyère cheese. Its gorgeous, flower-like design makes it a perfect entertaining dish that will undoubtedly impress guests before they even try it.
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Day 13: Green-Market Tacos with Corn Crema
Day 14: Smoky Vegetarian Beet Reubens
With this sandwich, chef Todd Ginsberg proves that vegetarian versions of classic meat dishes can sometimes be just as delicious. Here, in place of the pastrami, Ginsberg sprinkles roasted beet slices with smoked salt, then serves them on buttered rye toast with all the traditional condiments, like sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and homemade Russian dressing.
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Day 15: Marinated Feta with Nectarine and Tomato Fattoush
Day 16: Spinach Shakshuka
Instead of making shakshuka with red tomatoes, as is customary, Portland, Oregon, chef Jenn Louis opts to make hers with a mix of Malabar spinach and tomatillos, along with jalapeños, cilantro and spices. The result is a bright, tangy and spicy brunch dish that’s ideal with slabs of rich, toasty challah.
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Day 17: Quinoa with Spinach and Roasted Almonds
We make this evergreen quinoa salad all year long. It’s so simple and quick (it comes together in just 40 minutes) that it’s ideal for a vegetarian lunch or dinner when you're tight for time. The chopped almonds add fantastic crunch and a nice hit of protein, so you'll feel full and satisfied.
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Day 18: Double Drive-Thru Veggie Burgers
Vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli is famous for her deliciously charred veggie burgers. For a “special sauce,” she swaps out mayo for silken-tofu mayonnaise to make a tangy-sweet vegan take on Thousand Island dressing. If you're not looking to go the vegan route with your fixings, you can totally use Thousand Island dressing.
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Day 19: Asparagus-and-Zucchini Frittata
Vegetarian brunch dishes can be a challenge with all that bacon out there. Chef Chris Behr of the Rome Sustainable Food Project makes a versatile frittata with crisp spring vegetables that can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Serve for brunch with an accompanying platter of crusty bread, fresh fruit and cheese, or for lunch with a green salad.
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Day 20: Knife-and-Fork Grilled Cheese with Honey
Chef Chris Cosentino proves here that you can elevate the humble grilled cheese sandwich into something magical with just a few tweaks. His buttery, crisp version is filled with luscious Taleggio cheese, then drizzled with honey and sprinkled with flaky salt and coarsely ground black pepper. It’s so simple, but also jaw-droppingly good.
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Day 21: Spicy Eggplant Gratin
Day 22: Whole-Roasted Kohlrabi
Day 23: Beefsteak Tomato and Burrata Salad with Olive Streusel
Day 24: Roasted Carrots with Lebneh, Urfa, Pickled Shallots and Lime
Tangy lebneh is an excellent match with the sweet roasted carrots in this great recipe from Georgia chef Hugh Acheson. It’s worth making the quick pickled shallots, too, for extra flavor. We would gladly eat these tasty carrots as our main dish or on the side of a hearty salad.
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Day 25: Cabbage, Watercress and Pine Nut Dumplings
This delicious dumpling recipe comes to us from chef David Chang of the Momofuku empire. Be sure to chop the filling for these vegetarian dumplings with a knife; they become too wet and pasty in a food processor. We liked the dumplings boiled in water, but they're also delicious cooked in a steamer.
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Day 26: Yellow Lentil Dal with Tofu
Here, we amp up boldly spiced lentil dal with soft tofu, making it into a substantial, vegetarian meal. It takes under an hour to create from start to finish, which is definitely a weeknight dinner plus. With the use of coriander and cumin, the flavors won't taste like a last-minute effort.
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Day 27: Busiate with Brussels Sprouts, Mint and Two Cheeses
Day 28: Beet-and-Quinoa Salad
This insanely easy salad from Julie Pointer Adams, author of the book Wabi-Sabi Welcome, is all about the beets. Double the recipe and make enough to last for the week—the beets hold up nicely and the plump raisins absorb the olive oil, making for a delicious, no-fuss work lunch.
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Day 29: Mushroom Frankies with Cilantro Chutney
Frankies, a Mumbai-style wrap created during the British rule of India, involve griddling a roti with a little eggwash to create a thicker bread ideal for holding a rich, saucy filling. At Pondicheri in New York City, chef Anita Jaisinghani swaps the typical chicken tikka masala version for this equally satisfying vegetarian wrap with mushrooms, sweet potato and a bright cilantro chutney.
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Day 30: Snap Pea-Radish Salad with Herbed Yogurt
The herbed yogurt in this dish from Portland, Oregon chef Joshua McFadden is our new summer staple. Mix up the herbs (we like tarragon, dill and cilantro in here, too) or add in some minced shallot or chopped pickled ramps leftover from spring. The recipe is incredibly versatile—any peak-season summer produce will work.
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