Toor Dal with Drumstick Vegetables (Indian Lentil Recipe)

If you're not familiar with drumsticks, they are long, thin, green pods commonly used in Indian cuisine. They are often used in sambar soup but they can also be a substitute for spinach or green beans in dal dishes.

I prepared toor dal, which is the most common lentil paired with drumsticks, although I've seen this dish prepared with mung beans and chana dal (garbanzo) as well. To guarantee optimum tenderness, I choose immature drumsticks at the market; otherwise they become a little too fibrous. When the lentils are soft and gravy-like, drumsticks are added. The drumsticks are chewed until all the artichoke-like texture is eaten, then the outer skin is discarded. If you can get your hands on some, give them a try. They're definitely out of the ordinary.

Israeli Couscous Risotto with Roasted Bell Peppers

Risotto is a traditional dish made with rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. Usually, I add rice-shaped pasta (such as orzo or melon-seed pasta) which add more creaminess to the risotto. The problem was that today I unfortunately had no Arborio or Carnaroli rice in my pantry. I experimented with the only starchy ingredient I found in the kitchen; Israeli couscous. Israeli couscous is a small-grained toasted pasta.

I flavored it with roasted bell peppers. It's not very traditional but I found the starchiness of the couscous worked well. Surprisingly, the new version of risotto was very popular among the children in my house. I'm definitely going to make this dish again, maybe with other flavorings.

Quinoa Patties (Galette de Quinoa Recipe)

Quinoa is my go-to ingredient whenever I'm preparing a light, gluten free recipe. I've used it in the past in side dishes and appetizers. I've always wanted to use quinoa to make a vegetarian main course, and today I think I've accomplished that.

I created little patties flavored with carrots, crimini mushrooms, eggplant and blue cheese. I bound them using a combination of lecithin and xanthan gum. You could always use eggs instead.  Making quinoa patties is simple. The filling should be moist and the outer part of the bite should have a crisp crunch. And after a healthy, light dish like this one, you can splurge on a decadent dessert. At least, that's what I tell myself!

Beet Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe

Orzo salad is an easy one-dish, summertime meal. You could add anything you like, so you can adapt the recipe to fit whatever you find at the market. The most labor intensive work involved in preparing the salad is chopping all the ingredients. For this version, I added cherry tomatoes, broccoli, sugar snap peas, pickled carrots and canned black beans. The main event though, was the addition of the roasted beets. I prepped them in the morning and let them cool to room temperature.

We spent a very low-key, relaxing weekend and I didn't feel like cooking a ton, raising the temperature in the kitchen with the stove and oven during the afternoon, as the temperature got higher. This cold pasta dish was light, complete but still flavorful, and we got to enjoy it by the scoopful in our garden.

Tofu Asparagus Stir Fry Recipe

This tofu dish usually accommodates everyone in my family; the tofu is fried, then sautéed along with vegetables (I cooked with asparagus and green beans today) in a mixture of black bean and chili garlic sauce.

The story behind this dish is funny. The dish is named after my father-in-law, Mir. Several years ago, he went to a Chinese restaurant for a dinner meeting and they serve this as an appetizer, similar to chips and salsa in a Mexican restaurant. It was much saltier and spicier than the recipe I make now. He liked it so much he asked the waiter to bring him a whole plateful so he could have it for dinner as a main course. And thus Mir's Special was born.