Creamy Puy Lentils with Tahini, Cumin and Red Onion

As I rarely use canned beans, I have to think ahead and soak legumes and grains the night before. On those occasions when I forget, lentils are usually the solution because they require little soaking time, if any at all. Here peppery marble specked French Puy lentils come together with Middle Eastern tahini and cumin flavors in an easy but nourishing and palate pleasing dish. Puy lentils hold together well when cooked and they don't need soaking. In this case, simply simmer them up until tender and then add them later in the dish. Spicy, nutty and fresh, served with brown rice or some olive oil coated lightly toasted pitas, everything you need for a nourishing meal is here, especially when a side salad or vegetable dish makes an appearance at the table.

Staple Corner: How to Make Your Own Za'atar

My first taste of this popular Middle Eastern herb and sesame seed blend was an extraordinary burst of tangy, zesty and salty flavors. I make a lot of spice blends for my kitchen from scratch, but never one that tasted so good just on its own. In fact, it is eaten almost on its own, often served with just bread and olive oil. Highly aromatic as well as delicious, consider using za'atar to make simple oil or yogurt dressing or sprinkle it on fresh tomato slices or Middle Eastern vegetable dishes.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Pudding Cake

Oatmeal is pretty standard breakfast fare around my house, but it's usually simply cooked on a stove-top and served plain with a little milk, maple syrup and some berries. But I do enjoy going the extra step once in a while to make a baked oatmeal pudding, and with plenty of pumpkin purée in the freezer, it was an easy choice to go with a baked pumpkin oatmeal with all the pie spices that fill the kitchen with delicious aromas.

Soft, creamy and chewy, this oatmeal pudding comes out of the oven like a flour-less coffee cake, and is as nourishing as it is simple to put together. Soaking rolled oats in plain good quality whole fat yogurt overnight before baking breaks down the grain's complex proteins into easily digestible components and results in a delightful spongy and almost custardy texture in the finished cake. And, of course, there's pumpkin and some toasted pecans… It's not too sweet, either, sweetened with just a quarter cup of maple syrup, but you can make it a sweeter dessert pudding cake by increasing the maple syrup to a half cup. You can use canned pumpkin easily as long as it is not the already spiced and sweetened pumpkin pie filling.

Vegan Black Bean Brownies

Considering how much I adore legumes and how important a role they play in my daily diet, I suppose it's no wonder they recently showed up in a dessert. Mind you, these earthy brownies are not too sweet and healthy enough to eat for breakfast in addition to a snack. The beans, combined with the dried cherries, cocoa and vanilla add an almost coffee-like taste and if you wish, to bring that out further, add a few teaspoons of brewed strong coffee to the mixture.

I could hardly wait for these to cool in the pan before eating a few. Because they have black beans in them, they are more substantial than most brownies I've encountered, and as a consequence, I put off eating dinner because I was rather stuffed!

Vegetable Coconut Sambar

Spicy sambars are generally the first course of traditional South Indian meals, followed up by brothy and lighter rasams and other vegetable dishes, such as poriyals. These thick soup-like creations can be made up of pretty much any vegetables you have on hand and are typically served with rice and other accompaniments. A typical base for sambars is tamarind, dal and yogurt. They are substantial enough to serve as the main course of the meal, as I did with this one with some rice on the side and some Indian flat breads.

Here, an easy paste is prepared for inclusion, and the base is one of toor dal and tamarind, with eggplant, pepper, potato and drumstick as the starring vegetables. I think this must be my first time cooking with drumstick. It is easily found at Asian and Indian grocery stores. Long and skinny, it is somewhat squash like and a popular addition to curries, dal dishes and soups. It comes from the Moringa tree. In addition to the immature seed pods, which are known as the drumsticks themselves, the leaves, mature seeds and even the roots are edible.

The texture of the drumstick adds a nice contrast to the softer eggplant and potato as the outside of the drumstick stays rather firm during the cooking process. This is fiery version of sambar with toor dal, coconut, slightly bitter fenugreek and sweet tamarind. I would suggest it is best served with a hot bed of fresh cooked white rice to cut some of the heat, pappadums as an appetizer, and some Indian flat bread if you are serving as a main meal.

Fig Salad Dressed with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Figs are not something that appear on my table very often, and the reason surely must be because the fig season seems so dearly short. It is certainly not about the sweet and unique taste they contribute to dishes, especially salads such as this balsamic dressed one with bitter radicchio, fresh basil and peppery watercress. This is a bold salad that can be enjoyed year round as a bit of hunting in even modest size cities will result in figs to adorn this dish. In this case, these figs were imported from Israel and I had no reason to complain about freshness, despite the fact they were imported from overseas.

Savory Coriander, Black Pepper and Cheese Shortbread

Just one nibble and you will be hooked on these savory coriander and black pepper shortbread bites with Gruyère cheese. I've made them on the smallish side so when I say I ate three of this little melt-in-your-mouth shortbreads in one sitting, I don't feel so guilty. Besides, it is no secret that I adore small things, and that preference extends from my eating habits into most other aspects of my life, with the exception of long pieces of well crafted music and literature.