RECIPE comes from: “Vij’s: Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine” by Vikram Vij, Meeru DhalwalaVij’s note: This cauliflower rice pilaf tastes great with raita or plain yogurt as a light meal on its own. Otherwise, it’s a great accompaniment to any meat curry. When cutting the cauliflower, use as much of its stalks as possible.

Kathy Casey Food Studios Testing Notes: When preparing this recipe, we thought it would be great with the addition of dried currants. If serving as part of a vegetarian entree, top with plain yogurt and toasted almonds. We also really liked it paired with the Roasted Cauliflower with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives http://www.recipething.com/recipes/show/7836

I make this with organic canned kidney beans since I don’t have a pressure cooker yet, so I’m going to rewrite the recipe to reflect that, but if you have dried, you can certainly pre-cook them. Also, this is another recipe we sometimes double (the leftovers are great for days).

It was incredible cooked in a pumpkin (<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/chanale/297551026/">see photo</a>).

“A tasty twist on pasta dishes, this salad is brimming with bright, colorful vegetables and the earthy flavor of mushrooms. It’s delicious hot as a dinner entrée or as a cold salad for lunch. If you can’t find udon noodles, you can also substitute vermicelli, a very thin spaghetti.”

“This little dish makes a good mid-morning snack, especially for people trying to restrict their carbohydrate intake. Pestos are a great ingredient to have on hand; experiment with some of the more innovative varieties – just make sure to read the labels carefully.”