Gelatin is made from animal collagen, but that doesn't mean vegetarians and vegans have to miss out on gelatin-based sweets like panna cotta, mousse, and jellies. Here are some great alternatives and tips for cooking with them. 

The first few times I tried kimchi it was not, I must admit, my favorite food. Then I met my Korean-American partner, Gregory, moved in with his mom — a superb cook — and within a few months I was wholly converted. These days my mouth waters at the slightest whiff of pungent, fermented cabbage and I'll eat it with everything from fried rice to dumplings, summer rolls, or, ahem, straight out of the jar. I still have a lot to learn from Mom when it comes to kimchi making (there are over a hundred different kinds!) but this mak kimchi, or simple kimchi, recipe has been a great place to start. 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good green salad. But there is a whole world of quick, easy vegetable side dishes that don't involve lettuce. With recipes like sesame roasted snap peas, baked chili-spiked sweet potato chips and grilled cabbage with spicy lime dressing, you now have no excuse. Get out of that salad rut tonight!

As the weather warms up, turning on the oven to roast a pan of vegetables stops being an option, but that doesn't mean you have to spend the next five months eating green salads or steamed broccoli. Instead, look to your grill — or a stovetop grill pan — to quickly transform vegetables into soft, smoky, irresistibly summery versions of themselves. Carrots are one of my favorites on the grill, their charred, sweet flavor needing just a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs to become a simple but surprising side dish.

If you're feeling a little uninspired lately, you aren't alone — we call it the springtime slump. It seems to peak around dinnertime, when the contents of our fridges and pantries just look so...boring. Injecting a new recipe or two into the repertoire just doesn't seem to cut it. Instead, we're here with a whole week of weeknight-friendly dinner menus, with options for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free eaters, too. Ready to shake up your weekly dinner rotation?

Chia seed puddings are all the rage these days, and for good reason. When stirred with water, juice, or milk, the seeds gel up and thicken, creating the most delightful tapioca-like texture. It's easy (no heat required!) and contains all the nutrition of chia seeds, which taste neutral enough that you can play with your favorite flavors. In my case, that means a sweet spring combo of strawberries, coconut, and lime. 

I dare you to open this cookbook from Seattle's Plum Bistro to any page and not think the recipe you find there is completely irresistible. Tiramisu pancakes? Check. Cauliflower bisque with fresh fennel? Yes, please. Black plum and ginger sorbet? Oh, you know it. Chef Makini Howell's recipes are vibrant, wholesome, and absolutely popping with all the fresh flavors of the season. ...Oh, and did I mention they're all vegan?

Q: Help! My father-in-law is coming to stay with us for a few weeks. He's a raw vegan, and I am desperately trying to find a fun, new recipe to share with him. Any ideas?

Sent by Sara

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.

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.