Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes

Vegetables deserve better than being the thing people push around their plate while waiting for the real food. The recipes here treat vegetables as the main event, not a side act. Roasted cauliflower with tahini that's genuinely better than most meat dishes. Stuffed peppers that are filling enough for dinner. Mushroom stroganoff that makes you forget it doesn't have beef in it. I'm not vegetarian myself, but I cook vegetable-forward meals at least three times a week — partly for health, partly because good produce cooked simply is one of life's great pleasures. The trick with vegetables is high heat and not crowding the pan. A roasted zucchini with plenty of space around it caramelizes beautifully. The same zucchini crammed into a full pan steams and turns to mush. Mushrooms follow the same rule — cook them in batches if you have to, but give them room to brown. Season boldly. Vegetables can take more salt, acid, and spice than most people think.