Asian-Inspired Soup

• For an Asian-inspired soup, chop the vegetables and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and split the carrots horizontally with a diagonal cut that keeps part of their shape intact. Cook the vegetables in a flavorful chicken or vegetable broth and add frozen pot stickers long enough for them to cook. Finish the soup with a tablespoon of lime juice, a dash of hot sauce and a garnish of either chopped scallions or cilantro. For a little richness, add 1/4 cup chopped avocado to each bowl.

Versatile Stir-Fries

• When you add onion, garlic and protein -- in the form of meat, poultry, tofu or nuts -- to your mix of mushrooms and veggies, you have the makings for a stir-fry to serve over noodles or rice. Keep the carrots whole if they are very small or cut them into bit-size pieces. Use a large skillet set on high heat. For a Chinese-inspired stir-fry, season the mix with soy sauce, ginger, chili paste, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. For an Indian stir-fry, add prepared curry paste.

Veggies and Whole Grains

• Roasting vegetables intensifies their flavors, giving them a creamy inner texture and a crispy, slightly charred exterior. Toss chopped veggies and mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper, but keep the baby carrots whole for a more interesting visual presentation. Then roast the veggies in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes and serve them mixed with farro or brown rice in a warm salad dressed with a vinaigrette or over polenta with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

Vegetarian Pot Pie

• If you have the time and energy, you can't go wrong with a succulent vegetarian pot pie covered with a pastry crust on the top and bottom. Make sure your veggie mix contains a white or sweet potato to add bulk to the pot pie, or add shredded or cubed chicken if you don't need to keep the dish vegetarian. Chop the veggies, mushrooms and carrots into bite-sized pieces, saute them and mix them with a roux flavored with chicken stock and plenty of salt, pepper, sage and thyme before baking them in a pastry-lined baking dish.