Roasted sweet potato and black bean tacos. It was Halloween, and I didn’t have a full dinner plan so I went back to an old favorite. Halfway through cooking I realized I was making an orange and black dinner. As Will said, it was a “Halloween miracle!!!” and a new tradition was born. I made a quick cabbage topping by massaging some red cabbage with salt and cumin seeds (a riff on the taco topping recipe in The Homemade Kitchen). Also served with Greek yogurt, cilantro, jalapenos, salsa, and hot sauce.

Roasted tofu rice bowls with miso tahini sauce (tofu roasting method from Thug Kitchen). Another favorite in these parts. For veg I used sauteed collards and cabbage, and shredded carrot which I left raw. I always double this sauce, because having too little sauce is the absolute worst.

Dijon lentils with roasted cauliflower and potatoes (shown as I ate leftover for lunch and read Classic German Baking). I think I will have to update this recipe a bit…I used a whole head of cauliflower (2.5 lbs before I removed the stem) and that was perfect for 6 servings. (I still used 1 lb of potatoes and 2 cups of lentils.) I forgot I was out of whole grain mustard, so I just roasted the veg with oil, salt, and pepper.

Bean and beer chili. Hearty, vegan chili for those nights you want something warming but not quite as heavy as this chili.

Date, feta, and red cabbage salad. This salad is just about perfect. The ingredient list is short and the parts come together quickly (you don’t even make a dressing!). It is crunchy, salty, and a bit sweet, plus very pretty and pink.