Squashes

Spaghetti squash is my favorite squash of the season. I really enjoy the vegetable-like strands of flesh that resemble spaghetti, hence its name. It is a nutritious low-calorie and gluten-free substitute for pasta and works well with most sauces. I made an Asian inspired dish with it the last time – Stir-Fry Spaghetti Squash with [...]

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Kabocha Cranberry Brown Rice Couscous

Biren on January 30th, 2013

Couscous originated from North Africa where it is usually served with a meat or vegetable stew. Like pasta, it is made of semolina flour but instead of mixing the flour with water and egg to form a dough, it is simply moistened and rubbed between hands to form tiny spherical granules. As you can imagine, [...]

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Zucchini and Egg Fried Rice

Biren on January 25th, 2013

I am so glad it is Friday and the weekend is just round the corner. The weather is supposed to be warmer next week and that makes me smile. I have to admit that the last two years of “milder” winters have caused my blood to “thin out” and so the cold seems a little [...]

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Stir-Fry Spaghetti Squash with Shrimps

Biren on December 29th, 2012

Spaghetti squash is a long oblong winter squash with a bright yellow rind. It actually looks more like a melon than a squash. The flesh is creamy yellow in color and solid when raw but falls away from the fruit in strands or ribbons like spaghetti when cooked. The best way to cook it is [...]

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Pumpkin Pakoras

Biren on November 14th, 2012

Fall is going by very quickly and winter will soon be upon us. In fact, we had some snow on Monday. It felt very cold as is usually the case with the first snow fall of the season. Fortunately, it did not stay around for too long and melted right off. I don’t think I [...]

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Spiral Vegetable Tian

Biren on September 17th, 2012

A vegetable tian is a composite of roasted vegetables sometimes with cheese on the top, layered attractively in a shallow dish. The vegetables are usually sliced into coins and arranged in an alternating manner to form a colorful display. This beautiful dish uses the abundance of summer vegetables like zucchinis, summer squashes, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, [...]

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Hōtō Nabe (Flat Noodles Miso Hot Pot)

Biren on February 17th, 2012

Hot pots and nabemono are especially good during the colder months. The cooking can be done and kept warm at the table on portable stoves or in electric pots. I like to serve them in the weekends when dinner can be enjoyed at a more leisurely pace. The ones I have shared so far are [...]

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