Lemon cucumbers, unlike the name suggests, are not lemon flavored or lemon-sized. They can get larger than 3 inches in diameter, sport a stripey thin yellow skin, have a muted watery cucumber flavor, and have quite a crunch.    Starting as a prickly little fuzzy thing, they tend to retain some of those spiny hairs as adults which wash off easily.  I like to stuff them and make Oi-Sobagi style spicy pickles. Or, slice them and make Sunomono. Sometimes they make it into yogurt-based Raita or a simple Oi-Kimchi. This time, I made a vinegar-based cucumber, peppers, chil ..read more

    Summer garden was a fun activity with moderate yield and immense satisfaction. One large zucchini about a foot long and 4 inches in diameter seemed like a prime candidate for stuffing and baking. I just used the bottom half for stuffing and saved the top half for enjoying another day. Any filling - like rice or ground turkey or grilled fajita veggies, or a combination of all of these - will work. I went with grilled veggies and Mexican-flavors-inspired brown rice that was leftover. Top with melty cheese like Cheddar or Colby Jack or Provolone, or a combination of these, and fi ..read more

  From the infant white button, to the teenaged cremini, to the adult portabello, these fleshy mushrooms are hard to resist. Chunky, robust, and flavorful when sauteed, they make a hearty winter soup. I have refrained from putting down exact measurements here to allow for easy customization. Ingredients About 2 cups chopped or sliced Cremini or portabello mushrooms 1/2 Onion, chopped About 2 cups Vegetable stock (or bullion substitute per taste) About 1/4 cup heavy cream  dried medium sage leaves (or 1/4 tsp ground sage) dried bay leaves 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp black pepper, ground ..read more

  Potatoes and onions have become quite the staple in today's cuisine that the market is flooded with them throughout the year. And yet, there is something satisfying about growing a few in the backyard as they are easy, no-fuss plants that manage to survive despite my neglect. Potato plant's flowers are rather unassuming yet sprightly when in bloom.    Baby potatoes are fun to dig up and use, as long as they are not green. A growing potato with its multiple arms and tentacles seems quite alien and spooky, if I let my imagination run a bit wild. When the plant has withere ..read more

Cinco de Mayo is around the corner, but, it is never too early to enjoy Mexican-inspired foods. Poblano peppers seem a bit pricey, so, I indulge every once in a while and bring a few home to fire roast and incorporate in some home-made dishes. In addition to roasted poblano peppers and pineapples, I added some diced green apples, Walla-walla sweet onions, corn, black beans, and red bell peppers to bring a mix of textures and flavors to this salsa. Some of the pineapple juice from the canned pineapples, plus lemon juice, and a generous dash of seasoning that includes salt, oregano ..read more

Fall greens from last year are at the end of their lifecycle, flowering and going to seed now. If I am not too lazy, I hope to save the seeds and use it again this year. After the cold winter, it is refreshing to see the hardy annual greens in the garden survive and thrive till they give up: Kale, Chard, and Collard greens. Arugula has flowered and gone to seed as well. Time to dig up the patch and start afresh... Anyway, I have been incorporating these greens from the garden in my cooking lately. Collard greens is a special favorite thanks to their sturdy leaves and their tender stems ..read more

Bitter gourd is another favorite of mine, which is an acquired taste for many, thanks to its -- er, bitterness. Indian bitter gourd is about 5 inches long and deeply ridged with a darkish green skin. Chinese bitter melon is about 7 inches long, or even 8 inches, with thicker flesh and lighter color and milder flavor, still quite bitter, of course. I like both varieties, and each lends itself well to certain types of dishes, as in the many bitter gourd and bitter melon recipes shared here. Tempeh, fermented soy beans, lends itself to many interesting additions. Here, it is sauteed with on ..read more

It's been a while since I posted any new recipes here. I've been making some of the staple comfort foods that I've already posted here, plus, I've been lazy. The never-ending title for this post is basically the ingredients list. Eggplant is eggplant: people love it or can't stand it. I am crazy about it, as can be seen from the zillion-odd eggplant recipes here featuring this gorgeous purple berry. The spices bring in the kick that eggplant seems to lack. Also, cooking the eggplant just enough so it is tender but nor mushy brings some texture to this dish that can be appealing. Ingre ..read more

There seems to be a fish theme going on here lately, with this third post in a row. The wild Alaskan salmon caught over summer and frozen for later is now so handy for a quick and sumptuous meal. Some fresh greens from the fall garden was handy for this dish: Lacinato kale and Baby Romaine leaves make a lovely crisp bed of salad to serve this spicy pan-seared salmon dish. Salmon was rubbed with a mix of spices: cayenne pepper powder, berbere powder, salt, onion powder. Mix the spice powders in some ghee to make a paste and rub on the salmon. Home-made ghee is an indulgence every once i ..read more

In keeping with the fish theme here, this Lahori Fish Fry is a perfect snack food that can be made into a meal with some standard accompaniments. Over summer our fresh-caught Alaskan Halibut was frozen for later use so as to savor the flavor and make the catch last longer. Halibut and Salmon seem to be the only two fish that kids and the other adult seem to relish the most, cooked up in any which way that suits my mood. Typically, Lahori fried fish is not served with any sauce, it is enjoyed as a fried snack food along with chutney. The seasoning and batter mix makes all the differenc ..read more