Dopiaza (Indian Onion Curry Recipe)

This Indian dish consists of a generous amount of onions, both cooked in the curry (masala) and as a garnish. Onions are added at two stages during cooking, hence the name dopiaza in Urdu ("two onions"), [according to Wikipedia]. The sauce contains onions of course, ghee and yogurt and is flavored with ginger-garlic paste as well as several Indian spices.

Our garden is still filled with the red Creole onions Lulu planted this season. The onions are so fragrant and prolific; I thought the best way to use a large quantity was to make dopiaza. I tried to choose same-sized onions for even cooking.

If you have leftovers, you can make upside-down savory onion tarts the next day. 

Onion Bhajis (Indian Pakora Recipe)

Piaz pakora are the Indian version of onion rings. According to Wikipedia, when onions, on their own, are prepared in [pakora batter], they are known as onion bhujia or bhaji. Regardless of how you refer to them, the onions are cut into thin wedges and dipped in a pakora batter, which is a mixture of besan (chickpea) flour and spices. A quick turn in the fryer and they are ready to serve.

Lulu's aunts, Sherin and Sara, stayed with us this weekend and made these wonderful fritters. They're typically served as a snack, but they would make wonderful appetizers as well. Fried food is always a crowd pleaser!

Zucchini Radiatore (Vegetarian Pasta Recipe)

I love the vegetables my husband has been harvesting this season. We've had lovely zucchini so far. I've already used the zucchini flowers and stuffed them with risotto, and today I sautéed the zucchini with radiatore pasta. Lulu also pulled plenty of red Creole onions from the ground, so I used them to flavor the vegetarian pasta dish.

If you're able to plant your own vegetables, you should try zucchini. The young ones are sweet and more tender. They're fairly easy to plant, and if you take good care of them, they can be prolific.

You could pair any other pasta with the veggies in this dish, but I think the lace-shaped pasta looks very fancy. To make the dish a little healthier than my usual pasta dishes, I added very little cheese (I used Asiago for its strong flavor) and instead used enoki mushrooms, which resemble strings of cheese. It’s a great way to trick the kids, both little and big, into eating healthy!

Trenne Pasta with Napa Cabbage and Chorizo (Pasta Con Verza Recipe)

Chorizo, cabbage and sage may not be an obvious combination, but they work incredibly well together. The vegetarian chorizo, or "soyrizo", adds a ton of spice and the Vitamin A-packed Napa cabbage imparts a subtle sweetness to any meal.

I just made a batch of vegetarian chorizo today, which is what inspired me to make this dish. There are many good reasons for making your own, but the main reason is that it's much healthier (no cholesterol) than the meat version, without sacrificing flavor.

I paired the chorizo and cabbage mixture with triangle-shaped trenne pasta because it's much more fun for children than "boring" penne pasta. It's also a great way to get fussy kids to eat their cabbage. For all those people out there who think that healthy has to be tasteless, you need to try this dish. It's bursting with flavor without packing on the calories.

Glass Noodles with Vegetable Stir Fry (Jap Chae)

 This glass noodle dish (also known as cellophane noodles, dam myun in Korean and harusame in Japanese) is made from sweet potato starch. The dish is very similar to chow mein, but aesthetically the noodles look translucent once they're boiled and their texture is chewier.

I prepared the noodles with king mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, pan-fried tofu, baby spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and cauliflower. The dish is relatively easy and quick to make if you have all the veggies prepped in advance.