Bulgur & Tempeh Stuffed Acorn Squash

Among the squashes, the sweet and meaty winter squashes are my favorite. Not all winter squashes are alike, so, my preference is further refined by the varieties that I've had so far that have the texture and flavor that I consider 'meaty' and mildly sweet.

I am not a fan of spaghetti squash or other similar squashes with a pronounced stringy texture when baked/cooked. I like the chunky meaty texture of Butternut, Blue Hubbard, Sweet Meat, Kabocha, Red Kuri, Delicata, and Danish/Acorn.

Millet & Lentils Stuffed Golden Danish Squash is a favorite. But this time, I went with a mixture of bulgur and tempeh for the stuffing. To quick cook bulgur, I pour some boiled water over it and soak it while getting the veggies ready. To add a kick to it, I sprinkle some Tabasco™ sauce on the squash before stuffing and baking.

Ingredients
One medium acorn/Danish squash

½ cup crumbled tempeh
¼ cup bulgur

veggies:
½ cup chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies, garlic
¼ cup cooked corn
¼ cup cooked black beans
¼ cup diced red and green bell peppers

flavoring herbs:
fresh (or dried) oregano, basil, fennel leaves to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil for sauteing

topping: Feta and Parmesan as needed

flavoring spices:
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper powder
¼ tsp black pepper powder

Tabasco™ Sauce (optional)

Preparation

• Prep: Soak the bulgur in boiling hot water; pre-heat the oven to 400°F; Cut the squash in half, scoop out the pulp and seeds, and make a wide well for the stuffing; spritz some water and rub some salt on the inside of the squash halves and microwave for about 6 minutes on high power till par-cooked
• Stuffing: Sauté the onions, tomatoes, chilies, and garlic in some oil, with a pinch of salt; add the rest of the veggies, soaked bulgur, and tempeh once onions turn translucent, stir in the flavoring spices, cover and allow to cook till flavors meld
• Baking: Sprinkle some Tabasco sauce on the par-cooked squash halves, then fill them with the stuffing and bake in 400°F oven for about 30-45 minutes till squash is roasted to a fine golden brown, and the skin is lightly crispy
• Garnish: Top with feta and Parmesan, some spring onions, cilantro if available
• Serve warm with extra feta and Tabasco sauce on the side

Stuffed Sweet Red Peppers

Stuffed peppers happen frequently in my kitchen, even if only the adults in the family enjoy it.

Most of the time the stuffing is leftovers - typically rice and beans, or TVP, or millet or quinoa. When I found these colorful beauties at the farmers market, I knew they would come home to get roasted/stuffed.

Here's a variety of stuffed veggies showcased in a previous post.

This time I went with some leftover basmati rice sauteed with onions, tomatoes, Ethiopian berbere spice powder, stirred in with some dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.

Zucchini Casserole

à la green bean casserole, but with crispy fried jalapeño topping instead of the usual French fried onions.

We harvested some of the zucchinis from the garden.

I used my trusty Spiralizer to spiralize the zucchinis. Then, salted it and placed it in a colander lined with a towel to absorb the liquids for about 20 minutes while getting the cheese sauce ready for the casserole.

Much like Kohlrabi Au Gratin, this casserole is creamy and cheesy, thanks to heavy cream and cheese; but being conscious of fat consumption, the amount is not too generous, just enough to create the illusion of rich casserole.

And, our local supermarket had French's™ Crispy jalapeños that I wanted to try. Casserole topping seemed the best use for it at this time.

Squeeze out excess water from the spiralized zucchini before assembling in the casserole dish. Make a quick and simple cheese sauce by heating some cream and melting some cheese in it with favorite seasoning.

Bake in a 375°F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes til flavors meld and the cheese is bubbly. Top with the crispy fried jalapeños and bake 3 or 4 minutes more.

Creamy Kohlrabi Au Gratin

At the risk of imitating a broken record, I must mention that I love kohlrabi from the tip of its gorgeous greens to the bottom of its knobby bulb, and can't walk by a bunch at the market without bringing it home.

One such bunch got made into this quick and simple Kohlrabi gratin. Casseroles and gratins are a fun vegetarian side for weeknight meals, but, this gratinée took center stage, supplemented by some hemp seed bread and a quick kale+feta salad. For the adults at least. Kids didn't seem that thrilled, but, I am not giving up...

Slice the Kohlrabi to uniform thickness for even cooking.

To speed things up on a weeknight, I par-cook the sliced kohlrabi in the microwave with a couple of tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt, covered, and then assemble the items in the casserole dish.

Some heavy cream and cheese, stirred with some salt and black pepper is all it takes to make this delicious kohlrabi gratin. I used a combination of smoked cheddar, Parmesan, and mozzarella, but any favorite cheese that melts and crsuts would probably be fine.

Since I was cooking in portioned single-serve casserole dishes, I baked them in a 400° F oven, for about 15 minutes till bubbly and then finished off under the broiler to get that top crust. Breadcrumbs optional - I used a small scoop of Panko breadcrumbs for the crusty topping on some but omitted it in others.

Lingcod Fish Encrusted with Mint, Fennel, and Lemon

Fresh mint and fennel from the garden is hard to resist. Being perennials, they come up before the weather warms up for planting basil and lemon grass.

Mix some salt and black pepper with softened butter and rub the fish with it. Dip in flour, dust off excess, and press into Panko seasoned breadcrumbs one one side. For the other side simply place an overlapping layer of fresh mint leaves, then press some breading on top.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet, place the mint side down and sear the fish, leaving it undisturbed till the coating sets. Then, flip over and cook till the other side is set. Then, move the skillet to a 375°F oven and finish cooking. Remove the fish and set it on the serving plate to rest while the sauce comes together.

Lemon Butter Mint Sauce: Melt some butter in the same pan, squeeze some fresh lemon juice, add some mint and fennel leaves, simmer gently. Spoon over fish before serving.

Spring onions from the garden are another treat, they make a fantastic garnish, which I can't seem to resist.

Lingcod with Chipotle Garlic Capers Sauce

Another small hunk of lingcod caught by the other adult in Alaska came in handy for this simple dish.

Sprinkle the fish with some paprika and salt, add a drop of avocado oil and rub the spices in. Dip it into a plate of flour and dust off excess. Then, press into Panko seasoned bread crumbs.

Heat some oil in a cast iron skillet, place the breaded fish and let it sear over medium high heat, leave it undisturbed for 8 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the slice. Flip and cook the other side the same way, without moving it much, till the breaded coating seals the fish.

Transfer to a 375°F oven and finish cooking till internal temperature of the thickest part is 145°F. Remove from pan and allow to rest on a plate while the sauce is getting ready.

The Chipotle Garlic Capers Sauce: In the same pan, after transferring the fish to a plate, saute some crushed garlic cloves, add some stock and chipotle in adobo sauce, simmer gently till thickened a bit. Stir in capers and spoon over the fish before serving.

Green Jackfruit Taquitos

Growing up with young green jackfruit as part of a vegetarian diet, I never gave it much thought, never felt it was supposed to be exotic or that it had the potential to stand in for meat. It was a fantastic element to be relished on its own right, especially in south Indian style cuisine that I was nurtured on.

There are quite a few jackfruit recipes shared here so far, and I've been finding ways to use them in more unconventional dishes as well.

Jackfruit is quite popular in Asian cuisine, especially in Indian cuisine. Not just the ripe fruit used for desserts, and chips, but particularly the young green jackfruit that is treated as a vegetable.

My mom's specialty is "Idi Chakkai" - a Palakkad term for smashed young green jackfruit dish flavored with coconut and chilies, and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I could not have enough of it when I was young.

Jackfruit seed - nicknamed "jacknut" - is another favorite at home, quite a special treat, even though tons of these get discarded every jackfruit season.

The raw green jackfruit when smashed into coarse chunks have the texture of shredded chicken. Being mild in flavor, these raw green jackfruit chunks lend themselves to a variety of deep flavoring, and quite easily make a good meat imitator.

In local Asian grocery stores, various brands of canned young green jackfruit are available at a reasonable price. I prefer the ones canned in water rather than in brine. But, the brined ones are not too salty so they work well in savory dishes.

I've sauteed them with a light coating of barbecue sauce and used them as pizza toppings, and in Sloppy Joes.

In this taquitos recipe, the green jackfruit is flavored with Taco Seasoning and used as a filling with beans and cheese to make scrumptious taquitos.

Simply add beans cheese and seasoned green jackfruit into a corn tortilla, roll it up and bake it, or pan fry it.

Melomakarona-Inspired Honey Orange Walnut Cupcakes

Cakes not being my favorite, I rarely make them unless the kids ask for it as a treat on birthdays and other special holidays. So far, they've preferred the simple hearty flax-bran-loaded muffins or fruit tartlets or mini pies that I offer as desserts anytime they feel like having a sweet treat.

When I do make a few different kinds of sweets on and off, of course, fruit pies turn out to be one of the top favorites, especially during the berry season when we pick berries from local farms, and later in fall when apples and peaches and cherries rain from the sky.

Cupcakes being my daughter's favorite pastime, along with cake pops -- dreaming up the varieties and drooling over pictures of them in books and web -- I end up making a few with her, based on her current choice.

Speaking of cake pops, and birthdays, she made these Shaun and Shirley cake pops along with some oddly crazy chicks for her brother's birthday. As cloying as I find the candy melts for cake pops, it seems like an easy, quick, satisfying treat that kids can make and decorate on their own. Less work for me, and I don't have to eat it anyway. Microwave Mug Cakes are the easiest to make, which can then be used to make the cake pops.

Back to the Honey Orange Walnut cupcakes, this time, it was the Greek delicacy Melamakarona that inspired them. Honey and Citrus. Fresh and sweet for a springtime indulgence.

Drizzling some freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with honey onto the cupcakes before serving make them moist, almost juicy. The cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg add that warmth and sweetness that enhances the sense of indulgence.

Typically, I don't have self-rising flour handy, so, I mix a small batch every time a recipe calls for it: simply mix 1 cup flour, with 1½ tsp baking powder, plus ¼ tsp salt.

Ingredients
Dry:
3/4 cup self-rising flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8th tsp ground cloves
1/8th tsp ground nutmeg
Wet:
5 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup superfine sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp orange zest
Topping:
¼ cup minced/chopped walnut pieces
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Preparation

1. Sift the Dry ingredients into a small bowl
2. Beat the Wet ingredients until light and fluffy
3. Fold in the dry ingredients into the whipped wet ingredients and mix gently till well incorporated
4. Spoon into muffin cups
5. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool a bit, then prick the cupcakes with a toothpick so it can hold the drizzled toppings
7. Topping: Stir the honey, cinnamon, and orange juice till well blended, and drizzle spoonfuls on each cupcake; sprinkle minced walnuts and serve warm or chilled

Southwest Rice Stuffed Red Peppers

Stuffed vegetables are always fun. And, not just vegetables, anything that lends itself well to stuffing seems a fair game.

Millet and Lentils Stuffed Golden Danish Squash is a particular favorite in autumn when these dainty squashes flood the local farm markets.

Kohlrabi Greens Dolma Bites is another favorite, especially during the Kohlrabi season when local farms and CSA showcase these lovely bulbs aka enlarged stems above the soil.

Stuffed Kohlrabi in Coconut Cream Sauce is another seasonal favorite much relished by the adults in the house

Stuffed Okra might be an acquired taste for some, but, it seems like another favorite at home.

Zucchini Mahshi, inspired by Lebanese-cuisine, is an easy summer favorite of stuffed zucchini served in a spicy sauce.

Nutty Fruity Rice-Stuffed Swiss Chard Dolmas are perfect when these lovely greens are in season in my home garden.


Anyway, the stuffing this time was rice, flavored with Southwest-inspired spices and vegetables -- corn, black beans, red peppers, onions, ancho chilies with some Taco seasoning mix.

Brush the red peppers with oil and roast them in the oven for a short time, then stuff with rice and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Finally, top with some mozzarella and Parmesan and broil right before serving.

Herb-Walnut Encrusted Wild Alaskan Ling Cod with Kale Pesto

Ling cod is mild and buttery, perfect for fish-and-chips or broiling with a crusty topping. We had a hunk of it caught in Alaska by the other adult last summer that I wanted to use up.

Herb-Walnut crust that crisps under the broiler, with a layer of Parmesan cheese forming a crunchy topping, seemed like the way to go. Typically, butter is used for the crust, but I went with olive oil in this recipe.

Paired with Kale Pesto made with sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, this was a nutty, seedy treat one winter night.

I did leave the fish a tad longer in the broiler than I intended... that seems to happen a lot when I ignore the oven timer and focus on something the kids have drawn me into... but, it was still all good. It helps to keep an eye and check often when broiling.


Kale Pesto:
1½ cups chopped kale
½ cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste

Pulse the ingredients till desired coarseness/smoothness for the pesto.

Herb-Walnut Crusting:
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil or freeze dried basil
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste


Ling cod cut into portioned chunks
1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil (or any oil)
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
3 to 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese,grated, to use as topping

Preparation

1. Start the Crisp Julienned Veggie Salad as below, and allow it to marinate while the fish is getting ready
2. Pulse the Herb-Walnut crust ingredients and keep handy
3. Preheat the oven to Broil at about 370 °F
4. Rub the fish with some salt and smoked paprika, if using
5. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet, place the fish gently, allow to brown a bit, then flip and brown the other side, on medium low heat, till mostly cooked through on the inside
6. Turn off the stove, apply a layer of the Herb-Walnut crust on the fish and place the skillet with the fish under the broiler and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes till the crust turns brown and crunchy
7. Sprinkle a layer of grated Parmesan and continue to broil for a few minutes more till crisp on top
8. Remove from the oven, serve on a bed of Kale Pesto, accompanied by Crisp Julienned Veggies salad.

Crisp Julienned Veggie Salad:
Julienne some beets, colorful bell peppers, yellow sumer squash, purple onions, carrots, ginger
Toss with some lemon juice, salt, and apple cider vinegar
Serve as a side salad to add a cleansing freshness to the palate

Green Plantain Oven Fries

Green Plantain, a member of the Banana family, is one of my favorites, although I cannot handle much of it thanks to its high starchiness and its tendency to cause digestive discomfort. Plantains are not usually eaten raw, they need to be cooked.

Botanically Banana plant is an herb, its fruit is considered a berry. Which is a fun trivia I never tire of sharing. Every part of banana plant is used in India, including its pseudo stem which can grow over 20 feet tall. Banana leaf is used as a dinner plate and a food wrapper; stem can be used to make a savory dish, called Koottu, with lentils; banana flower can be made into an incredibly delicious banana flower paruppusili; and of course, the berry/fruit itself can be cooked up in many ways, either raw green or ripe.

Plantain cooks up much like potatoes in many Indian dishes and is enjoyed as chips in many parts of south India. Riper plantains, not the raw green ones, are much relished in dessert form with a touch of brown sugar.

Green plantain fries in this recipe is baked in the oven at 400 °F for about 30 minutes or till desired crispness.

Skin and cut the plantain into thin sticks, toss with some olive oil and salt, and bake, stirring once or twice to get all the sides evenly crisped.

To keep up the Indian theme, I served it with some mint chutney for the adults, but the kdis prefer it with the ubiquitous ketchup.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Not a top favorite among the winter squashes, Spaghetti squash gets its turn in my kitchen a few times during fall/winter months.

Brush with olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper, maybe a touch of paprika, and bake in a 375 °F oven for about an hour.

Once baked and ready, however, the strings of spaghetti squash are handy for making other dishes, like this Spaghetti Squash Thai Curry/Soup.

Apricot Strawberry Blackberry Jam Cookies

Sugar. Butter. Flour.

Just three basic ingredients and umpteen variations to make yummy goodies.

This time, I went with Flax Oil Omega Butter Light, with a combination of Splenda and demerera and granulated white sugar, regular all purpose flour, plus egg yolks, of course. The texture came out more or less like shortbread cookies.

Jam filling is the fun part. Jars of homemade home-canned jams made from fresh u-pick berries were sitting in the pantry.

I don't have a consistent standardized recipe for these jam cookies, but it's hard to go wrong with these basic ingredients as long as we keep an eye on the consistency and proportions. I prefer to chill the dough before shaping and baking.

Ingredients
3/4 cup Smart Balance ™ Omega Butter Light
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp demerera sugar
2 Tbsp Splenda
1½ cups all purpose flour, plus or minus to make the dough not too sticky
2 egg yolks

Cream the butter, sugar and egg yolks; then fold in the flour till it comes together and forms a dough. Refrigerate for about half an hour. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes till the edges turn brown.

Baked BBQ-flavored Halibut with Charred Eggplant and Steamed Asparagus

I had some Kolhapuri Thecha leftover from my previous venture. To balance its heat, it seemed like sweetish BBQ Sauce would be ideal. So, I slathered both these flavorings on the halibut filet and baked in a 400° F oven for about 25-30 minutes till done. Simple, no fuss dish.

The pristine Alaskan fish caught over summer and brought home by the other half feels like a precious resource, fast dwindling...

Some steamed asparagus plus some char-broiled eggplant slices round out this sumptuous weeknight meal. The asparagus sat in the steamer a bit longer than I intended, but, it was still fine.

Salmon en Papillote

The nicer adult in the family brought back lovely, pristine Chinook Salmon from his fishing trip in Alaska. Plus, humongous halibut, lean cod, and some yelloweye.

As I was exploring ways to cook the salmon, the ever-popular en papillote appealed to me to be the quick and easy thing.

I would've preferred to slather on some South Indian spices and wrap it in banana leaf and bake it. Maybe next time...

Since this was good-sized skin-on fillet, it was easy to sear the skin first and then cut to portioned pieces for baking.

Although sauce is optional and Salmon-purists may frown upon added flavors, this time the dish was asking for my favorite fresh herbal chimichurri sauce using the fennel, mint, and oregano from the garden. A generous layer of this chimichurri sauce was spread on the salmon.

Some flame-blistered chilies, sliced lemons, fresh fennel leaves, mini red bell peppers, and slivered garlic went into the packet as well.

Parchment paper packets were not fancy, just a rectangular piece that wraps tight and seals, with just enough room to puff up in cooking.

Bake in a 450° F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. I went with longer baking time and the parchment paper browned a bit, but it's all good.

Portabella Stuffed with Chard, Peppers, Peas

"Giant Fungus? No, thank you!"

That seems to be the trend with the majority of the population in the household.

I happen to love mushrooms of all kinds, especially portabella/cremini. With fancy names like that, how can one sideline them as mere fungi.

Every once in a while, I make it just for myself, as an indulgence. Not an elaborate recipe, but whatever is handy as a stuffing is fine with me - like, leftover rice and beans, TVP, or just cheese and tomatoes and onions.

This stuffing here is my all-time favorite for portabella. Fresh chard, colorful peppers, red onions, jalapeños, peas in a creamy cheese sauce. Simply saute the veggies till softened, add some cheese and heavy cream to make a thick filling.

Rather than bake it in a 400 °F oven for about 10 minutes, I went with cooking it in a cast iron skillet. Gill the portabella and drizzle some Braggs Liquid Aminos and Balsamic vinegar, add some stuffing (I like to pile it on), cook in a lightly oiled hot cast iron skillet with a fitting lid on. Then, remove the lid and cook till done, adding more cheese or filling as desired.

Chicken Enchilada with Spinach and Beet Greens

I wanted to use up the chicken breasts that the other adult brought home recently. Kids suggested Orange Chicken. And, after the recent pressure-cooker chicken breasts, the other adult was open to anything I came up with. 

As I was putting away the clean pressure cooker in the lower cupboard, its unassuming cousin, my little Crock-pot® slow cooker, peeked out shyly. The decision was made: Throw in a couple of chicken breasts, some herbs and spices and leave it overnight and wake up to a perfectly juicy, tender, fall-apart chicken, effortlessly. Which is what I did.

The chicken breasts stewed in the crock-pot with some brown sugar, Braggs liquid aminos, white wine vinegar, mirin, cumin powder, and chili powder.

Now what to do with the fall-apart crockpot chicken, was the question. Chicken Enchiladas Rojas seemed like the thing.

Rather than rolled up corn tortillas, this is layered like lasagna which makes it so much easier to assemble.

The sauce is just store-bought El Pato™ Jalapeño Salsa mixed with some Valentina™ Salsa Picante. Sometimes I make the sauce with tomato paste and chipotle in adobo sauce.

Some leftover home made black beans refried beans was handy, plus Colby Jack, queso fresco, and mozzarella, and home garden spinach leaves that bolted.

Ingredients:
18 to 24 corn tortillas
3 cups grated cheeses, combined
1½ to 2 cups sauce
1 cup packed spinach leaves
1 cup chopped beet greens
2 cups mushy, flavorful refried beans
vegetable oil spray

Preparation

1. Spray some vegetable oil and lay the corn tortillas overlapping slightly. 
2. Then spread a layer of sauce, refried beans, shredded spicy chicken, greens, and cheese, in the casserole baking dish. Keep layering and finish with corn tortilla layer on top, reserving some sauce and cheese.
3. Cover with Aluminum foil and bake in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes. 
4. Then remove the foil, top with sauce and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes. 
5. Turn off the oven. Top with reserved cheese and leave it in the oven for a few more minutes till cheese melts in residual heat.
6. Serve warm, garnished with cilantro and spring onions, and a side of plain Greek yogurt and Salsa Picante for dipping

Kohlrabi Pizza

Our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) basket for this summer came with a small bunch of cute little baby kohlrabis, with a lovely purple one to boot.

These tender kohlrabis are almost like watery green pears or green apples -- crunchy and pleasantly sweet -- and are perfect addition to fresh summer salads.

I was thinking about other ways to incorporate kohlrabi into everyday foods as I opened a kitchen cupboard looking for nothing in particular. A box of Almond flour pizza crust mix stared back at me -- the one I "won" by doing Zumba for an hour at a sponsored event at kids' school without flopping down exhausted. And, that's when the stars aligned themselves obligingly: Kohlrabi pizza!

Tender kohlrabi bulbs peeled and sliced thin, some kohlrabi leaves, plus some Walla Walla sweet onions, garlic shoots, and black olives (mostly for color) became the toppings for the almond flour pizza.

With these bright greens for toppings, the usual red tomato-based pizza sauce was antithetic. So, I looked in the garden for inspiration.

Some fresh oregano, mint, fennel, and basil beckoned. I walked around with my kitchen shears making a snip here and a snip there, tenderly, to get a happy little bunch of fresh organic herbs.

One Serrano chili with 1 cup packed chopped home garden herbs, plus a splash of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil got ground up together to make a heady, aromatic chimichurri-like sauce. No cooking involved. Bonus: this sauce doubles as a great salad dressing!

So, with the sauce befitting the toppings, all that was left to do was make the almond flour pizza per package directions.

It turned out yummy, if I may say so myself. The only thing I'd do differently next time is to add the tender kohlrabi leaves as topping much later-- possibly closer to finishing time -- so as not to crisp it up too much. And, probably try my usual from-scratch pizza dough.

This was the "adult" pizza that evening. The kids got their own personal pizzas with their favorite non-kohlrabi toppings when they casually suggested, "just put it in my salad, Mama, not on my pizza," which left me beaming anyway because, well, at least they are not rejecting kohlrabi altogether.