Quinoa Nut and Fruit Protein Bars

Often I don't want to fuss with breakfast, or should I say most of the time, meaning a quick alternative must be on hand for not only morning grazing, but also healthy bites to satisfy cravings whenever they hit. Energy bars have always been a good choice, though most of the store-bought varieties are filled with artificial sweeteners and are just too sweet and stale tasting. Did I mention how costly they are?

The solution is to make your own energy bars at home, for a fraction of the cost, with total control over what you are adding into the mix, and with very little investment in time. As a health conscious vegetarian, I find that these are especially handy for road trips. Pizza, bland oily salads and bagels just don't satisfy hunger when you need a real energy fix on the road. Packed with protein, homemade energy bars are also a great snack to take to work or school. What I particularly like about these homemade bars is that there is no added sweetener — just the goodness of dried fruit and some unsweetened apple juice. Feel free to mix and match your favorite staples. You really can't go wrong with this recipe.

Teriyaki Mushrooms and Cashews

Fresh or dried, in any and all varieties, mushrooms are undoubtedly a weakness of mine, and so it was with some disquiet to find recently that I had gone two whole weeks without eating them in any substantial quantity! No wonder the craving hit with a vengeance. A breakfast out with a good friend failed to satisfy the need, yielding a very disappointing amount of miniscule mushrooms in a vegetable and egg skillet. So with a light dinner of an Asian-style roasted broccoli with miso-tahini-tamari sauce already mapped out, I decided to quickly fix the craving with these fast and easy teriyaki mushrooms to go along with the broccoli.

Quickly pan-fried over high heat to keep the juices in, these mushrooms are plump and tender and glazed in a simple and zesty homemade teriyaki sauce with a little garlic, ginger and dried red chili flakes to give them a delightful little kick. I really don't quite understand why anyone would bother with a store-bought teriyaki sauce when it's almost the easiest possible sauce to make at home with the quality ingredients you may already have in your pantry or can easily obtain — just a little tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. No more than 10 minutes prep and 10 minutes cooking, and you have a delicious and attractive side dish for any Asian-themed meal and a quick fix for mushroom lovers at that — double or triple the recipe if you're going to be feeding a few people. I also fried up some cashews and tossed them with the mushrooms to give the dish a little extra texture and because, well, fried cashews are always a treat in their own right.

French Lentil Tomato and Harissa Stew

Lentils are the perfect solution for what I call "mid-week meals" when you need a fast and bother-free weekday dinner without giving up taste and nutrition. This is especially true on those days when I haven't planned ahead, because — unlike whole beans which require at least several hours of soaking before cooking — lentils don't have to be soaked at all or need only a couple of hours of soaking to speed up what is already a short cooking process. They're also extraordinarily versatile and can be prepared or paired with almost any number of other ingredients and flavors.

I'm especially fond of the Puy or French lentils that hold their shape when cooked — these beautiful dark green and blue speckled little pearls are especially attractive and toothsome in a soup. Their earthy and peppery flavor combines beautifully with tangy fresh tomatoes and spices, as with this quick and easy thick, nourishing and delicious stew made with lentils, tomatoes and harissa, the classic North African chili, garlic and cumin condiment. It's perfect if you have harissa on hand, whether store-bought or homemade. In fact, I used some leftover green harissa made with fresh jalapeños instead of dried red chilies that I had prepared to serve with some baked chickpea koftas earlier in the week! Delicious, but any variety of harissa will make this stew a savory delight … just adjust the amount of harissa to suit your preferences.

Vegetarian Samosa Cakes with Tamarind Chutney

Happiness to me often comes in the form of savory Indian appetizers, such as samosas. I never can resist playing around with the classic preparation and so, after recent fusion dishes such as samosa potpie and samosa-style stuffed baked potatoes, I now present these soft, lovely little savory "samosa" cakes that reminded me very much of koftas.

These are perfect as an appetizer, but substantial enough to serve as an entrée. It is true that I don't have a samosa "proper" documented on this blog, but my best friend Basil keeps encouraging me to make it happen. And I will, as I have before, complete with photos and recipe this time for my readers. I think that I am going to try a baked version to cut down on the oil. You will all have to stay tuned to see what I come up with. On that note, if you want to skip shallow frying, I think these little cakes could easily be baked in a preheated 350° oven for about 20 minutes until browned on both sides, much the way I do with kofta.

Ricotta Gnudi with Homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce

The tomato sauce I present here was made with fresh tomatoes from my garden. All of a sudden I found myself with an excess of them and figured a rich and luscious homemade tomato sauce made perfect use of the harvest. I can't imagine making a sauce this delicious during the winter months when the fresh tomatoes available are expensive and rather bland. Canned varieties often don't satisfy my palate either. I was delighted to go "grocery shopping" in my backyard for hot peppers and fresh herbs to complete the experience.

I made this sauce for another reason too. I recently came across a recipe that Rosa posted for ricotta gnudi. It looked so gorgeous and was completely new to me, so I figured, why not give it a try. I admit that I was rather nervous, as I didn't know what to expect, but I adore ricotta cheese and it pairs so well with tomato sauce. Dumplings I have made, yes, but these are unlike any dumplings I have tried to date.

What is gnudi you may ask? These pillowy little pasta-like dumplings are Tuscan in origin and are much like a gnocchi without the potatoes, so they are lighter and easier to prepare. They sort of reminded me of ravioli, without the pasta component. Once you have tried them, you will find yourself craving them time and time again.

I left the ricotta mixture to chill for an hour or so in the refrigerator before shaping them, but the dough was still rather sticky and I started to worry that the gnudi was going to fall apart when I added it to the water. Gently shaping them with floured hands on a floured surface helps, and I am still researching all of the different ways cooks can make their own gnudi, and that may take a while, as there appear to be a variety of methods and flavor combinations. For the most part, they didn't fall apart and although these little bites of goodness might not look all that pretty at first to you, when you add the sauce into the mix, it becomes an attractive plate indeed. The gnudi is fairly mild on its own, making it a perfect vehicle for the slightly spicy and herby sauce.

Spicy Curried Millet and Vegetable Soup

Any combination of vegetables can be used in this nourishing and spicy curried millet and vegetable soup. I used millet, but feel free to substitute quinoa instead. As with most soups, it tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had a chance to blend together. Make it up ahead of time and simply heat it up before serving for lunch or dinner the next day. The recipe yields a large pot making it an ideal soup to serve if you have lots of mouths to feed or if you want leftovers for a few days.

Cocoa Fruit Energy Bites

When I want a snack or a quick bite for breakfast, I often just want instant gratification and don't wish to clatter and bang around dishes and pots and pans to gratify the mind and tummy. An easy and healthy solution is to have a batch of power-packed homemade protein treats on hand at all times such as these seedy little cocoa and peanut butter energy bites that are packed full of nutrients, sweet without any added processed sweetener, and just bursting with dried fruit goodness. They take very little time at all to mix up and they are raw too. No baking required.

Mini Gruyère Scones

Seems I have a reputation for making savory quick breads to go along with a meal. Whenever I suggest, or simply serve them up without saying a word, the response is always positive. An empty plate is always a sign of appreciation. My latest excursion into savory meal accompaniments somehow had to be cheesy as the weather gets cooler. There is nothing quite like Gruyère cheese, smoky or otherwise. It's truly a wonder the small block even made it into the scones, but I am glad it did, strutting it's goodness with flair as it does in these little bites. Nothing more needs to be said. Easy, irresistible and just fine with tea or any meal that you wish to adorn.

Butter Fried Corn with Potatoes, Beans, Peppers and Mushrooms

Colorful stacks of fresh local vegetables are practically bouncing off the market shelves and bins these days, and there may be no better way to enjoy the vibrant fresh tastes of the local produce than to fry them in plenty of good quality churned butter. I'm especially smitten with slathering butter on ears of amazingly sweet local corn, but I can't resist all of the other local vegetables either — tomatoes, green beans, garden peas, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, radishes, carrots and so many more. It's been a bumper crop this year, so why restrict yourself? Fry up a bunch of these seasonal goodies in one pan, and you've got an extraordinarily flavorful, colorful and wholesome plate that will be gone in no time.

Green Peas Curry (Mattar Masala)

I could assert that this green pea curry smothered in a rich and spicy tomato herbed sauce is restaurant quality, but that would be an understatement and wouldn't be quite the truth either, as this dish is even better than any such preparation I have ever enjoyed outside of my home.

Red Lentil and Moong Dal

There are times when there is nothing more comforting than a simple lentil curry. Spiced with attention, showcasing staples from the pantry, and vibrant tomatoes from my backyard garden, simplicity in this case steals the show. In my opinion, such easy dals, especially suited for busy midweek meals, are sometimes just as good, maybe even better, than more elaborate preparations. The creamy texture of the dal is an ideal base for rich and pungent spices and audacious hot chilies. In fact, this dish is so delightful and flavorful, it deserves a spot on any table with an Indian theme, no matter the occasion or lack thereof.