20 min.

If you love the versatility of store-bought bouillon or stock cubes, but want to avoid onions and garlic in your cooking, here’s a lovely alternative you can make yourself.

As vegetarians it is important to make sure that we have enough protein in our diets. Many plant-based proteins must be eaten with some sort of grain in order for it to become a whole protein. Luckily for us combining plant proteins with grains is easy and delicious. For example rice and dahl, peanut butter and bread, and of course beans and rice.

As a child okra (also known as lady’s finger or bhindi) was always a struggle for me to eat. I would force it down with a wrinkled nose, disliking every aspect of the experience. I have now come to the conclusion that it wasn’t so much the vegetable that I was so averse to, but the way in which it was prepared. If you are not careful with your okra, it can make any dish into a slimy, gluey creation. Of course if that is what you are going for, and I have to believe that some people are going for that, then right on.

Summer is quickly approaching and the temperature, where I live, is slowly creeping towards 90. As it gets hotter and more humid my tolerance for hot food goes down. When it’s above 90 degrees I often turn to sandwiches, wraps and salads--and this particular wrap is filled with yummy goodness. Also, lettuce is in season and makes a lovely addition to any wrap, sandwich or salad.

Hari Caran dasa, the head cook of Gopal's Restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand, says that cucumbers are at their best when they're about 10 inches (25 cm) long, firm, bright green, and shiny. If the skin is tough, you can peel or score it; if the seeds are large, it will be worth the extra time to scrape them out.

Delicious "burgers" made out of split peas, oats and carrots. They are ridiculously easy to make and just as easy to eat. Bhima burgers are delicious on home baked buns or also plain with some ketchup or chutney.

This version of the famous English dessert has delighted customers at Gopal’s Restaurant in Melbourne for many years. Succulent stewed apples, folded with fresh blackberries, are baked with a buttery, crunchy topping and served with cream or hot custard.

This recipe is from Kurma Dasa's book "Great Vegetarian Dishes".

Plain Basmati rice is a great accompaniment to many meals and is delicious to sometimes eat on its own. Plain rice is the cornerstone to many Indian vegetarian meals and making rice is essential to Indian vegetarian cooking.

The crust for a nice pumpkin mousse pie.

A nice gravy to top mashed potatoes or biscuits, by Mantrini Devi Dasi.