For our entire marriage, my husband and I have been navigating a blended family dynamic at the dinner table, one that comes from our vastly different culinary upbringings. He was raised by strictly meat-and-potato Midwesterners, and I was raised by a California vegetarian.

While I was never a strict vegetarian myself, it was not in my frame of reference to think that a meal had to include meat. Needless to say, my husband's idea of what made a meal was a little different from mine.

Today, more and more people, young and old, are exploring the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, creating a similar dinnertime dilemma for many families. How do we satisfy everyone's wants and needs with the same meal?

I've been married too long to a meat eater to say with a straight face that he's just as happy with a tofu and quinoa casserole as he is with a steak and baked potato, but family life is all about compromise. With that in mind, we agreed years ago that we'd bring a healthy mix of both culinary philosophies to the table.

Meatless meals have yet to result in a full-on mutiny by my husband or my three sons, but when the meal doesn't feel hearty enough, I do get some forlorn looks. To avoid the "Where's the rest of the dinner?" stares, I try to make those meals as satisfying as possible.

Of course, pasta can definitely be the platform for a hearty vegetarian meal, but in an effort to expand my culinary horizons, I like to explore other meat-free options. Now that summer is nearly here and produce will be at its peak, the task is that much easier. Grilled vegetable sandwiches, hearty summer vegetable soups or even a simple meal of bruschetta, topped with juicy tomatoes and basil with a drizzle of olive oil, all take their turn as the evening's main event.

One dish that seems to meet with everyone's approval is Crispy Corncakes with Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Avocado Salad. The cakes are made without flour or eggs, so they have a satisfying denseness, contrasted by a delightfully crispy, almost lacy crust. I like to top it with a light, but interesting salad, with black beans, roasted corn kernels and pieces of avocado scattered through.

Yes, you could serve these cakes as a side dish to grilled steak, chicken or fish, but they're so good on their own that you won't miss the meat.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredith@meredithdeeds.com. Follow her on Twitter: @meredithdeeds.