Preheat oven to 425°.

Cut the cake of tofu crosswise into 4 slices. Stack the slices and cut them into ½-inch-wide strips. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, slice the halves lengthwise into ½-inch strips, and cut the strips crosswise into 3-inch lengths. Cut the onion into ½-inch-thick slices. Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds, and cut into ½-inch-thick strips.

In a large bowl, lightly toss the tofu, zucchini, onions, and peppers with the garlic, oil, and salt. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and browned.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, reduce the heat, and simmer the potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the potatoes in cold water and when cool enough to handle, cut into quarters.

In a large bowl, put the quartered potatoes and gently mix in the corn, olives, cashews, and parsley along with the Lemon Dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the grits. When the grits and water return to a boil,* stir in the quinoa. Cover, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat and let sit covered for about 5 minutes. If too thick, stir in a little hot water.

*Check cooking time on stone ground-grits, as they may have to cook before adding the quinoa.

Preheat a gas oven to 425˚ or an electric oven to 450˚.

Drain the chickpeas and kidney beans, reserving their liquid. Rinse the chickpeas and kidney beans and mix with the drained black beans. Combine the reserved bean liquids in a large pot with enough vegetable stock to make 8 cups. Bring the liquid to the boil, turn off the heat, add the saffron, and reserve.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, and piquillo peppers, and sauté until the chiles are slightly softened. Add the Swiss chard, tomatoes, and parsley, and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer; then stir in the pimentón and cumin.

Stir in the rice and coat will with the pan mixture, Pour in the reserved hot vegetable stock mixture and bring to a boil. Add the beans and the salt and black pepper to taste. Continue to boil, stirring and rotating the pan occasionally, until the rice is no longer soupy, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the paella to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the rice is almost al dente and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice finishes cooling and is tender but still firm.

In a sauté skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the eggplant, zucchini, onion, and mushrooms until lightly colored but still holding their shape. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, basil, and shallot and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Grind the seeds in a spice grinder and set aside.

In a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, warm the oil on medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, cayenne, and cumin and sauté for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, purée the tomato to make about a 1/4 cup of sauce: if less than a 1/4 cup, add enough water to yield a full 1/4 cup.

Add the rice and tomato purée to the saucepan and stir for a minute or two. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before lifting the lid.

Stir to fluff.

Preheat the oven to 400˚.

Cut cake of tofu horizontally into four slices and set aside. Whisk together all marinade ingredients until smooth. Pour half in a nonreactive baking pan. Place the tofu slices in the pan and pour on the remaining marinade.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, turning the tofu once after about 30 minutes. The baked tofu should be browned, bubbling, and curling up at the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter.

The tofu will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Trim the mushroom stem ends. Remove and discard the shiitake stems because they don't soften when cooked. Separate the mushrooms into two groups: the tougher ones, like portabellos, oysters, porcini, and cremini, and the more tender, like shiitake, morels, chanterelles, and golden trumpets. Gently wipe off any grit.

Heat the sauté pan on high. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the sturdier group of mushrooms. Sauté on high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Push those mushrooms to the side and add the remaining olive oil, the rest of the mushrooms, and the garlic. Lower the heat and sauté, stirring frequently, for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms exude some juice and begin to shrink.

Stir in the salt, parsley, and thyme. Return the heat to high and add the sherry. Scrape the bottom of the surface to stir up any browned mushroom juices and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated. Remove from the heat and add pepper. Reheat gently to serve.

Using a sharp knife, remove the fibrous outer layer of the jicama and add to your compost pile. Slice jicama into desired “French fry” shapes (thick-cut, shoestring, etc.) and arrange on serving plate. In a food processor or high-speed blender, puree remaining ingredients until smooth. Transfer “ketchup” to serving bowl and serve with jicama fries. Ketchup is also tasty as a condiment for crudités, vegetables, grains and salads too.

1.Place jicama in a food processor and pulse until minced, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary to achieve a uniform texture. Transfer jicama to a fine mesh strainer positioned over a sink or bowl and allow to drain for about 20 minutes.

2.In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt; set aside. Using your hands, squeeze excess moisture from jicama by pressing into the sides of the strainer. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Stir in the minced parsley and mint, scallions, tomatoes and garlic. Add dressing and stir well to combine. Will keep in refrigerator for up to 3 days.