We've finally reached the tipping point between yearning for the arrival of fresh green things and actually seeing them start to show up in stores. Asparagus! Spring arugula! Artichokes! Pea shoots, soon to be followed by actual peas! It's time to satisfy our cravings for all things crisp, fresh, and green, and here are 10 vegetarian pasta dishes that will surely do the job right.

I was always scared to attempt risotto, so it wasn't until culinary school that I realized how easy they actually are. Time consuming, yes. Hard? Not at all. But then I discovered baked risotto and I've never looked back. This version with peas, asparagus, and pancetta is a personal favorite, and the epitome of spring! 

Despite the fact that I'm not a vegetarian, I find that most of my tried-and-true favorite cookbooks are about vegetarian cooking, such as Sundays at Moosewood and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  While Moosewood and VCE are well-known to most of us, I'm pleased to talk today about a well-respected but still lesser-known cookbook: the award winning The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by chef, cooking instructor, and author Peter Berley.

Spring salads are coming! Spring salads are coming! Depending on where you live in the country, you might be starting to see more colorful produce and interesting vegetables at your market. But if spring produce hasn't yet made its way to you, never fear. There's an easy way to amp up your seasonal salads by adding a dramatic pop of color and delicious crunch: black sesame seeds.

Looking for something a little different from the usual crostini hors d'oeuvre? How about a sweet potato — sliced into rounds, roasted, and topped with a zingy miso sauce. It's a flavorsome little bite to whet the appetite, plus it's perfect for gluten-free and vegetarian folks.

Party appetizer rut? Trying to impress the coworkers? Want to elevate date night to a whole new level? It may be time to break out the waffle iron. 

"Go ahead and lick the spoon — there are no worries when you bake vegan!" As a guilty spoon-licker myself, reading this made me laugh out loud. I had to concede the point. These are the exact same decadent, caramel-drizzled, chocolatey, creamy desserts we know and love, but made without a single egg or drop of dairy milk entering the picture. Chloe Coscarelli won Food Network's Cupcake Wars with her vegan Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (yes, the recipe is in the book!), and with Chloe's Vegan Desserts, she shows us that cupcakes are just the tip of the iceberg.

I just love a good egg salad sandwich: the creaminess of the eggs and mayo, the crunch of celery, the faint but not overwhelming tang of raw onion.  So perfect!  I go for egg salad when I want the simple, unchallenging comfort of nursery food.  Unless of course I'm feeling a little reckless, in which case out comes the curry powder. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's nail the classic, uncomplicated egg salad recipe first.

Dinner parties don't have to be grand, formal affairs. Nor do they have to center around a big platter of meat. This easy, vibrant vegetarian spread feels special without the need for culinary fireworks. All you need is a few friends, a few chairs, and a free evening to bring everyone together.

A simple puréed soup is something I turn to often, usually relying on a creamy tomato, but lately I've been relying instead on a lightly-spiced cauliflower soup. Cauliflowers are easy to come by and quite inexpensive at the markets (in Seattle anyway), so as you sit and wait for true spring produce (peas, favas, asparagus!), this is a good recipe to tide you over.