Vegetarian

All Red and Ready-to-Go Pizza
Put the flat bread spread with the toppings on an oven tray and use the "top brown" setting. It's ready when the cheese bubbles -- three to five minutes.

Amish Potatoes with Lima Beans
Cubed potatoes are sautéed with onions and lima beans and seasoned with parsley and paprika.

Base for a Variation on Hummus
Keep this on hand for a quick meal, or prepare in batches to give as gifts.

Blender Bean Dip
Drain and rinse beans and put into blender. Drain tomatoes and add to blender. Add cumin, chili powder and cilantro. Blend to desired consistency. Refrigerate until ready to serve with baked corn chips or toasted whole-wheat pita triangles.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Bananas that are getting past ripe work perfectly in smoothies. Peel them, wrap them in plastic, and freeze them.

Carrot Oat Bran Muffins
Applesauce adds moistness without fat. A non-nutritive sweetener also cuts the calories.

Cheddar-Vegetable Surprise
Each serving contains about 202 calories, 10 grams protein, 4 grams fat (18 percent calories from fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 33 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, and 551 mg sodium.

Ciabatta Pizza
Ciabatta, the Italian flat bread popular in panini (toasted sandwiches), makes a handy pizza base. You can reduce the carbs and calories slightly by pulling out some of the soft interior.

Do-It-Yourself Minestrone Soup
In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and pot herbs.

Do-It-Yourself Trail Mix
Toss wheat cereal and cashews with raisins, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, or chopped dried apricots.

Florentine-Swiss Omelet for One
Two eggs, shredded spinach, and reduced-fat Swiss are perfect partners.

Fresh Cranberry Applesauce
Peel and core apples. Chop apples and put into a microwave-safe dish with cranberries. Add water. Cover and microwave on high for four minutes. Stir in sugar (or sweetener) and mash with a fork to desired consistency. Serve warm immediately or refrigerate

Fresh Lemon Broccoli Pesto-Style Sauce
Put all ingredients in blender and blend for about 20 seconds. If mixture is too thick, add a little more vegetable broth. Serve hot or cold.

Fresh Mushroom Sauce
Pour over pasta or serve with grilled meat, chicken or fish.

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use, or use immediately. To make the dipping sauce, put it in a blender and blend on high about 10 seconds.

Fruited Buckwheat Pancakes
Add chopped peaches after you have poured the pancakes on the griddle.

Garlic Walnut Sauce
This is a great sauce for meat, fish, fowl, or pasta. You can also use it as a spread for crackers or bread.

Garlic Whipped Potatoes
Boil potatoes with garlic, then mash with sour cream and whip until smooth.

Go Swiss with Rosti
Rosti has been called the national dish of German-speaking Switzerland. Rosti is similar to hash browns and is usually topped with cheese.

Herb Roasted Potatoes
Roast new potatoes with fresh rosemary and a little olive oil.

Mediterranean Vegetable Strata
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. You can prepare this dish in advance, refrigerate it and bake it in the morning.

Oriental Greens
After combining ingredients, cover and chill for two hours before serving.

Pineapple Smoothies
Just three ingredients: pineapple chunks, vanilla yogurt, and ice. Quick and yummy!

Pink Lemonade
Turn your lemonade pink with fresh, ripe strawberries.

Pitcher-Perfect Iced Tea
You can use regular, decaffeinated, or herbal tea. Let it steep for five to seven minutes.

Red Rosemary Vinegar
To prepare as a gift, strain the vinegar into pretty bottles. Add a fresh sprig of rosemary to each.

Roasted Asparagus
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness of asparagus), shaking once to turn spears. Pour on balsamic vinegar and serve hot or at room temperature.

Roasted Vegetables
Roast carrots, turnips, squash, and garlic for about an hour, stirring once or twice.

Spicy Asian Veggie Pasta
Serve this dish hot, at room temperature, or chilled as a side dish—to grilled salmon, for instance.

Stacked Fruit Salad for One
If you use the can as a mold, remove it carefully. Cover loosely and refrigerate, unless you're ready to eat it at once. If you use the ring mold, some juice may leak out during refrigeration. Use a paper towel to dry the plate just before serving.

Strawberry-Kiwi Spritzer
For a cool, summer drink, mash kiwi and strawberries and mix with plain seltzer and ice.

Summer Vegetable Curry
Serve with hot rice and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

Tico Stuffed Peppers
Costa Ricans, who call themselves "Ticos," regularly eat rice with beans. This meal is generally lightly seasoned, which allows each diner to add condiments to individual taste.

Tofu Stir-Fry
You can make this dish in a wok or a large frying pan. If you're not feeling vegetarian, you can add shrimp.

Topped Potatoes
Sour cream or butter taste delicious on baked potatoes, but they come with a price: Both contain saturated fat and cholesterol. Here's a healthy, and tasty, alternative topping for your next baked potato.

Vegetable Dip Mix
These ingredients are in the right proportions for one batch of dip mix. For a gift jar, keep adding a round of all five ingredients until you have enough to fill the jar.

Vegetable Tart
Pre-bake the crust, then spoon in the filling and top with shredded cheese.

Vegetarian Chili
Textured vegetable protein makes this dish a hearty vegetarian meal.

Whole-Grain Party Mix
You can make a healthier party mix by using whole-grain cereals, olive oil instead of butter or margarine, and soy nuts or wasabi peas rather than the usual mixed nuts.