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!

Gluten Free Cheesecake Parfait Recipe

It's National Cheesecake Day this weekend and, though I’ve made many cheesecakes in the past, my goal was to put a new twist on the special dessert. Since we were invited to our friend Carol's home (she’s gluten intolerant), I decided to make my cheesecake gluten-free.

I made the mousse egg-free and flavored it with both raspberries and strawberries. For a contrast in texture, I added a layer of crunchy, diced yellow nectarines. And to make it look more fun, I topped the dessert cups with pistachio-flavored whipped cream and crushed pistachios. I don’t think anyone missed the crust. For those who could eat gluten, I slipped a ladyfinger cookie into the verrine. How amazing does that sound?

Banh Cuon Recipe (Steamed Rice Rolls)

Bánh cuốn is a Vietnamese specialty made with a very thin, steamed, loosely rolled, rice flour crêpe. The recipe is not that complicated but assembling the rice rolls can be delicate. Unlike French crêpe, the batter is made from combined rice flour, tapioca starch and corn starch, which makes bánh cuốn very flimsy and harder to manipulate. The first rice flour crêpe is never perfect, and I usually thin the batter with more water as I cook them, so they don't turn out too thick. The filling remains exposed since the rice roll is nearly transparent.

This time, I made a meat version with chicken. You could always make the rice flour crêpe with a vegetarian filling if you prefer. I tucked into each rice roll a filling of seasoned ground meat (I used chicken), wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, water  chestnuts and dried shallots. Typically, bánh cuốn is sprinkled with fried shallots (or onions) with nước chấm (fish sauce). I served shrimp cakes and fried taro cakes on the side along with mounds of steamed soy bean sprouts, combined with cilantro, Vietnamese mint (rau thơm), shredded cucumber, lettuce, lime wedges and green Thai chiles.

It's not the prettiest meal, but it's a flavorful, earthy (thanks to the mushrooms), light meal dish. If you want to improve the presentation and avoid tearing, drizzle the rice roll with a little oil and expose the smooth part of the bánh cuốn on top to hide the wrinkly side.

Peach Comte Cheese Appetizer Recipe

I've had in mind for some time now to pair ripe stone fruit with Comté cheese. It's one of the most popular gourmet French cheeses, originating from the Jura region of France. It's fruity with a hint of nutmeg, while still tasting mild. To balance the flavors, I added sun-dried tomatoes, marinated red onions and a drizzle of spicy mint chutney. The peaches were so ripe and juicy that there was no need to quickly blanch them as the skin peeled off very easily.

Over the weekend, we ordered take-out food from one of my favorite restaurants, Shalimar in Fremont. We had a lot of leftover naans, so I used them the next day to make the cheese appetizers. Nothing goes to waste in our home!

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.