Get rid of the grill and start cooking indoors!

Fall is here, which means it's time to put the grill away and steam up the windows with some indoor cooking. Mark Bittman, author of "How to Cook Everything," was invited on the "Today" show to share a few easy vegetarian dishes. Here are the recipes:

Chickpeas With Broth and Fried Breadcrumbs
Makes 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes with pre-cooked chickpeas

6-inch piece French or Italian bread, 1 or 2 days old
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked chickpeas, with about 2 cups of their cooking liquid (5 cups total)
2 or 3 cups spinach, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Fresh parsley leaves, chopped for garnish

Roughly chop the bread and put it in the container of a food processor; pulse until it is shredded, with no chunks larger than a pea, but most not much smaller. Put all but 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bread and a sprinkling of salt, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the crumbs are nicely browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the breadcrumbs from the skillet; drain on paper towels.

Over medium heat, cook the chickpeas and the spinach in the chickpea broth with the garlic and salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach is soft, about 10 minutes. Diving among 4 bowls, then top with the breadcrumbs. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Tempura: Batter-Fried Vegetables
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Time: About 40 minutes

Corn, grapeseed, canola, or other neutral oil for deep-frying
1-1/2 to 2 pounds assorted vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, winter squash or sweet potatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, string beans, broccoli or cauliflower, leeks, onions
3 egg yolks
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Soy sauce or lemon wedges for dipping

Put enough oil to come to a depth of at least 3 inches in a large, deep saucepan — a larger pan with more oil will allow you to cook more at once. Turn the heat to high until temperature reaches 350°F. Then adjust heat as necessary to maintain this temperature. While the oil is heating, prepare the vegetables.

When you are ready to cook, combine 2 cups water and 2 cups ice, letting it sit for a minute, then measure 2 cups water from this. Beat lightly with egg yolks and 1-1/2 cups of the flour. The batter should be lumpy and quite thin.

Dredge the vegetables one piece at a time in the remaining flour and then dip in the batter. Fry each piece until golden, turning once if necessary, less than 5 minutes total. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, with the soy sauce or lemon wedges.

Eggplant Parmesan
Makes 6 servings
Time: About 1 hour, longer if you choose to salt the eggplant

2 medium to large eggplant (2 to 3 pounds total)
Salt (optional)
Olive oil as needed
Flour for dredging
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups basic tomato sauce
1/2 pound grated mozzarella cheese, about 2 cups (optional)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more if you omit the mozzarella
About 30 fresh basil leaves

Peel the eggplant if the skin is thick or the eggplant is less than perfectly firm. Cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices and salt it if you like.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot (a pinch of flour will sizzle), dredge the eggplant slices, one at a time, in the flour, shaking off the excess. Place in the pan, but do not crowd; you will have to cook in batches. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned, then drain on paper towels. Add some pepper to the slices as they cook, as well as some salt if you did not salt the eggplant. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.

Lightly oil a baking dish, then spoon a little of the tomato sauce into it. Top with a layer of eggplant, then a thin layer of each of the cheeses, and finally a few basil leaves. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up, reserving some of the basil for garnish. End with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling hot. Mince the remaining basil and sprinkle over the top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

String beans With Shallots, Ginger, and Bean Sauce (or Hoisin)
Makes 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

8 ounces shallots (about 6 large)
1/4 cup grape seed, corn, or other light oil
1 to 1-1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, or 2 teaspoons dried ginger
1/4 cup or more ground bean sauce, black bean sauce, or hoisin sauce
1/4 cup or more minced fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

Peel the shallots and cut them in half the long way (most large shallots have two lobes anyway, and will naturally divide in half as you peel them). If they are small, peel them and leave them whole.

Place the oil in a large, nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the shallots and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add the string beans, salt and pepper and lower the heat to medium. Stir the beans occasionally for about 15 minutes until they soften.

When the beans begin to brown, add the ginger and cook for another 3 minutes until the beans are very tender and the mixture is fragrant. Stir in the bean sauce and half the cilantro. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve.

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