Chef and author Zohra Levacher has created a seasonal menu that showcases the versatility and nutritional value of legumes. Her recipes, featured in her books So Nat - Vegetables and Flavor and Chiche! Dare the Legumes, include dishes such as prune-cucumber, orange-lentils, and mint-almonds. These recipes draw on global culinary traditions and are designed to be both cost-effective and eco-friendly. Levacher emphasizes the importance of combining cereals with legumes to achieve a complete set of essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. At her Parisian eatery, So Nat, Levacher experiments with ingredients and reimagines traditional dishes as plant-based versions. One example is a coral lentil and tomato mousse inspired by Lebanese hummus, and a grilled stuffed cabbage filled with white beans. In her book Chiche! Dare the Legumes, which is prefaced by François-Régis Gaudry, Levacher presents over sixty recipes ranging from fritters and pancakes to desserts and beverages. These recipes are based on her own experiences and are meant to inspire readers to explore plant-based cooking. Levacher’s salad of coconuts, cucumbers, plums, and peanuts is designed to offer a range of textures and flavors. She uses ingredients like ginger, mint, and nora pepper to enhance the dish. She also incorporates lactofermentation, a method of preserving food using natural bacteria, in recipes such as her Cold Squash Soup with Cornichons and Fermented Plums. Her main dish, Mima's Chorba, is an adaptation of a traditional Algerian soup. She uses rice noodles instead of wheat vermicelli and tamari instead of salt, and includes seasonal mushrooms and mâche. This dish is inspired by her mother’s recipes and reflects her diverse culinary influences from regions such as Italy, India, Mexico, and the Middle East, as detailed in Jean-Robert Pitte’s At the Table of History and the World. Levacher also shares a recipe for a chocolate mousse made with red bean juice, which she discovered through her own cooking experiments. The mousse is paired with a citrus cream made from grapefruit and bergamot orange. She recommends soaking legumes overnight and using the cooking water in other dishes to reduce waste. At her restaurant, she uses all parts of vegetables and herbs, including stems and leaves, to minimize food waste. Levacher encourages readers to be flexible with their ingredients and to adapt recipes based on what is available. She views cooking as a journey of exploration and intuition, believing that the best results often come from adapting recipes rather than following them exactly. Her approach highlights the creativity and sustainability possible in plant-based cooking.