Eggplant Pasta Sauce Recipe

A warm pasta dish is the ideal comfort food, especially with the temperature dropping drastically in the Bay Area. There are no more fresh tomatoes in our planter and I had no canned tomatoes in my pantry either. With a tomato-based sauce out of the question, I made my own creation with a buttery cream cheese base. To that, I added roasted eggplant pulp for smokiness, roasted bell peppers, button mushrooms, garlic, sage and smoked paprika to complement the eggplant.

I used Wellenband egg noodles that I sautéed with the eggplant pasta sauce and added a little pasta water to finish the dish. I found the versatile shape of Wellenband pasta very original; the ruffles hold the sauce beautifully in their ridges. I also like the nice medium size; they can be eaten in one bite, which avoids any messiness, especially for children.

Savory Apple Side Dish Recipe (Baked Stuffed Apples)

Apples are the quintessential fall fruit. They're a great substitute for boring vegetable side dishes or potatoes. Granny Smith apples work wonders in savory dishes because they have a crunchy, crip texture with a hint of acidity.

This particular side dish is ultra-easy to prepare. I stuffed the apples with a combination of freshly cracked walnuts and hazelnuts, red onions, pure cane sorghum (you could also use maple syrup) and a few spices. To add a little tenderness and sweetness to the dish without overwhelming it, I alternated a few slices of McIntosh red apples and stuffed the apples with Kentucky pure cane sorghum from Bourbon Barrel (check out the tip section), which has a texture similar to corn syrup but is so much more flavorful. I placed a little apple cider at the bottom of  an oven-safe baking dish, added the savory stuffed apples and baked them for about 30 minutes. Et voilà!

Tofu Scramble Recipe with Green Beans

Tofu is probably the ingredient I cook the most. Since there are five vegetarians in my home, I've learned to deep-fry, stir-fry, sauté, boil and grill tofu. My husband Lulu isn't a strict vegetarian; he eats eggs only if they're blended in desserts and the egg taste isn't detectable. He wouldn't eat eggs in the form of an omelet or scrambled eggs. I came up with this vegan egg substitute by boiling tofu as a first step, then scrambling the tofu, then finally sautéing it with turmeric to replicate the color of real eggs.

I cooked the mock scrambled eggs with French green beans and served it with steamed jasmine rice. This meal is complete while remaining healthy and still very tasty. Bon appétit!

Warm Vegetable Salad Recipe

I'm still on the quest to follow Joy Bauer's 90 |10 food philosophy. By that, she means eating healthy foods 90% of the time and splurge on treats the remaining 10% of the time. Today I paired a very healthy portion of seasonal vegetable salad with a much more reasonable serving of succulent roasted a leg of lamb, which I admit is probably not the healthiest dish (look out for that recipe soon - probably when I feel less guilty!). The salad consists of zucchini, white asparagus and carrots cut into long, thin linguine shape strips. The trio is quickly sautéed with coriander and ginger and finished with lemon juice. The result is a crunchy, naturally sweet, warm salad with a little fresh zing from the lemon.

What I like most about this dish is how vibrant the colors are. Over-cooking veggies depletes their nutrients and can result in less attractive hues, so make sure you give the veggies just enough time to soften and you'll have a beautiful dish.

Breaded Tofu: Tofu Parmesan Recipe

Tofu parmigiana is one of the many variations on meat dishes I make, so I'm able to share a similar meal with my husband Lulu, who is a vegetarian. The last time I prepared this dish was to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a romantic dinner. It was a perfect date-night menu: I had chicken and he had tofu.

For this version, I breaded firm tofu with Japanese bread crumbs (panko). First, I flavored the panko with dried oregano and garlic powder. Then, I pan-fried the panko-dredged tofu, layered it with a creamy tomato sauce and a few slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and topped it all with Parmesan cheese. The cheese finished melting in the oven, and with a garnish of sweet basil the dish was complete. I served it with a side of linguine pasta. I guarantee you this dish is as delicious as the meat version!