Fusilli Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash

Pasta is always a hit in my home. This time, I paired fusilli with roasted butternut squash, fresh edamame soybeans and creamy eggplant. The sauce is made from puréed grilled eggplant mixed with cream cheese, onions and garlic. The winter squash gives more body and a deep orange color to the dish, and of course a pleasant sweetness.

My poor husband caught a bad cold that kept him in bed all weekend. I've been taking good care of him, feeding him comfort food and lots of fluids. Even though it might not cure his cold, this creamy pasta dish will cheer him up a little!

Eggplant Rollatini Recipe

Eggplant rollatini (rolled and baked eggplant) is one of our family's favorite dishes. It is basically a twist on eggplant parmesan, minus the breading and frying. Grilled sliced of eggplant are rolled and filled with fromage blanc, then baked in tomato sauce. Eggplant is a vegetarian's delight; the thick slices of eggplant provide a meaty texture, while the fromage blanc supplies a luscious, creamy filling that contrasts with the crunch of the almonds.

The dish takes quite a bit of time to make, but your hard work will definitely be rewarded. It is ideal if you're searching for a great comfort food recipe.

Baigan Bharta Recipe (Indian Eggplant Dip)

If you're an artichoke and spinach dip lover and don't feel guilty about the calories, baigan bharta is for you. Eggplants are chopped into small pieces, boiled until softened and drained. Then they are sautéed in oil until all the liquid has evaporated. After that, the eggplants are flavored with onions and many Indian spices. Once the mixture cools completely, yogurt is added and folded into the eggplant mixture. Raw onion is also added for a little bite to the Indian-style dip. Though non-traditional, I also add fromage blanc, which helps give a creamy and rich texture to the dip; it's also lower in calories and has less cholesterol than cream cheese.

Today was Game 1 of the World Series, featuring our hometown San Francisco Giants. I made this dish and served it with warm tortillas chips for Lulu and the girls to munch on while they watched the game. I don’t understand baseball, but I can definitely say that the food was a home run. That’s a baseball term, right?

Seafood Crab Salad Recipe

I bought 2 fresh crabs from the seafood market and was planning on making my favorite dish: tamarind crab. But as I was prepping the ingredients, we had surprise guests for lunch. So I improvised a crab salad with what we had available in the kitchen. All the extra ingredients and flavors in the salad help stretch the number of servings you can get out of 2 crabs, which is perfect when you’re entertaining.

To begin with, I boiled the crabs, removed the crab meat and drizzled it with lime juice. I added roasted green bell pepper, tomatoes, avocado and grilled eggplant. I served the crab salad with a flavorful wasabi-coconut salad dressing and toasted bread on the side.

Baghare Baingan (Indian Eggplant Masala Recipe)

Baghare baingan, also known as eggplant masala, is one of my father-in-law's favorite dishes. I learned how to make the Indian eggplant dish in thick masala sauce from Lulu's late grandma Baji. This South-Indian vegetarian dish is a specialty from Hyderabad, the city where Daddy is from. It's quite pleasing for vegetarians and non-vegetarian eaters alike as the eggplant have a very meaty texture.

The cooking procedure requires several steps. First, the small eggplants are deep-fried to soften the firm flesh, then it's simmered in a thick sauce made from peanuts and sesame seeds. The dish is finished with baghar, which is the final red oil layer commonly in a lot of Indian dishes.

For this dish, you should use Indian eggplants. They have a shiny skin and a firmer flesh with less bitter taste than regular eggplants. Their flavor is fairly mild, but like other eggplants, the flesh acts like a sponge and absorbs all the strong flavors of the sauce. Make the effort to find these eggplants at your local Indian supermarket; it’s worth the try!