I make eggplant with this sauce quite often. Sometimes I add chopped tomatoes or roughly chopped onions instead of tofu. Sometimes I add a few leaves of parsley or cilantro. A lot of times it's just eggplant without anything extra. It's still very tasty and flavourful. Usually I cook the eggplant in sauce which makes the finished dish look somewhat not too photogenic, so this time I decided to take a different approach and pour the sauce on top. I must say, however, that as soon as I took the picture I mixed everything together and it was as good as always.

For 1 very generous serving or 2 portions if served over rice noodles or vegetables.

• Asian eggplant - 2
• Firm tofu - 1/2 package
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Black bean sauce - 1 heaping tablespoon
• Garlic, minced - 1 teaspoon
• Ginger, grated - 1 teaspoon
• Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
• Parsley, sesame seeds to taste

- Wrap the tofu in paper towel and squeeze excess liquid without breaking the tofu.
- Cube the tofu.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Fry the tofu cubes until the crust forms, about 1-2 minutes, flip the cubes and fry on the other side. You may wish to fry every side or just two.
- Transfer the tofu onto a paper towel.
- Slice the eggplant and quarter each slice.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan and fry the eggplant on medium heat for about 1-2 minutes.
- Make the sauce: mix the black bean sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil.
- Add the sauce to the eggplant, lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and let the eggplants soften for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the tofu cubes to the pan, mix and heat through.
- Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped parsley/cilantro.

Comments
- As I mentioned above, tofu is not mandatory in this recipe. It can be substituted for chopped tomatoes and/or chopped onion, this way everything is cooked together.

Kate from Soupasana and I were recently talking about the sizes of Pumpkin Puree Cans and those are huge (540ml), so I've been trying to use it all up and I finally succeeded!! I've been looking for smaller cans for the last little while, but with no luck; although in my search for them I actually found much bigger cans. And I mean much bigger. I think if I were to buy them, I'd turn into a pumpkin.

I had a little bit of pumpkin puree left after making Pumpkin, Garlic and Chili Bread and "Pumpkin Pie" Bruleed Oatmeal and every time I opened my fridge it was looking at me and pleading to be used. First, I wanted to use it in Pumpkin Oatmeal again, but mornings are frantic with me trying to get ready for work and not be too late. I entertained the thought of making Pumpkin Lentil Soup, but the weather here in Toronto was really hot and eating a hot soup didn't sound like a good idea. Finally, I figured it out - Pumpkin Pancakes! I had some soy milk in my fridge which I wanted to use up, so after having to use that I figured that I might as well try to make the pancakes vegan. I completely made up this recipe and up until I tried the first pancake I was not sure if it would work. Oh my, those were really good!!! They had this characteristic yeasty after-taste which I adore because I decided to be fancy and used yeast as a leavening agent instead of baking powder. Apple sauce and Pumpkin made the pancakes fruity and Bran made them taste a little bit like Bran muffins, so they reminded me of dessert.

for 15-18 small pancakes

• All-purpose flour - 2/3 cup
• White rice flour - 1/3 cup
• Bran - 1/4 cup
• Brown sugar - 2 tablespoons
• Dry yeast - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Pumpkin puree - 1/4 cup
• Apple Sauce - 1/2 cup
• Soy milk - 1 cup
• Oil - 1 tablespoon + more for the pan

- In a large bowl whisk together both flours, sugar, bran, salt and yeast.
- Warm the milk to about 40C (body temperature).
- Add warm milk to dry ingredients and mix.
- Add pumpkin puree, apple sauce and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Fill the sink with hot tap water, place the bowl with batter into the hot water and let stand for about 1-1.5 hours, until the batter become light and very fluffy.
- Whisk in the oil.
- Brush a non-stick pan with some oil and heat.
- Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto the hot pan for each pancake and cook 2-3 minutes on low-medium heat until bubble begin to appear on the surface of the pancakes.
- Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with maple syrup.

Comments:

- Baking powder can be used instead of yeast and in this case there's no need to leave the batter to rise for an hour in hot water. I still urge you try them with yeast as the flavour is very different from normal pancakes.
- More sugar can be added if they are not served with maple syrup or jam.

My inspiration for this dish came from my friend who desperately needed to use up all the canned pumpkin and started adding it practically everywhere. The combination of oatmeal and pumpkin intrigued me to the point that I was thinking about it everyday for about a week before I finally bought some canned pumpkin and decided to try it out. The rest just came together easily since it was a no-brainer for me that pumpkin should be paired with classic Pumpkin Pie spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. The final component, or maybe it's better to call it a technique, was a spontaneous decision. I've had my Brûlée torch for quite some time and only used it twice in the last few years. I also thought that the crunch of hard, caramelized sugar would pair nicely with the soft texture of oatmeal. The result was fantastic, warm and satisfying oatmeal that can easily double as a dessert. I know it's a strange choice to use those fall flavours in May, but the temperature dropped to +5 here in Toronto over the weekend and it really felt more like autumn than spring.

For 1 large serving

• Rolled oats - 1/2 cup
• Soy milk - 3/4 cup
• Canned pumpkin puree - 1/2 cup
• Vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ground dry ginger - 1/8 teaspoon
• Nutmeg - a pinch
• Ground cloves - a pinch
• Salt - a pinch
• Dark brown suger - 1 + 2 teaspoons

- In a small pot, whisk together the milk and pumpkin puree.
- Add all the spices and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. Heat the mixutre.
- Add the oatmeal and cook whicking occasionally for about 7-10 minutes until the oatmeal is soft and the liquid is absorbed.
- Pour the cooked oatmeal into a bowl and spread the remaining 2 teaspoons of brown sugar on top. Torch the sugar until it hardens. Alternatively, place the bowl under a broiler for couple of minutes to melt and caramelize the sugar.

Comments
- Regular milk or any other type of non-dairy milk can be used in this recipe. Water can also be used.
- Use the spices according to your taste. I don't like cloves too much and next time I am going to omit that spice.
- Canned pumpkin can be substituted for normal pumpkin, which should be baked and processed in a blender.

I don't really like apples. They are probably my least favourite fruit. Well, actually I don't like fruit too much. If I have a choice between vegetables and fruit, I'd definitely go for veggies. I'd rather eat a whole tomato or a cucumber than an apple or a pear. Still, not all fruit are so low on my list of favourites. I absolutely adore mangoes and I love juicy and perfectly ripe watermelon; I crave tangerines during winters and nectarines when it's warm. Apples, however, are rarely present on my kitchen counter. But I must admit, that when it comes to pies, apples are one of my favourite choices and they only come second to cherries. So, what a girl can do when she suddenly craves that apple pie taste, but has absolutely no desire to make a pie? A Baked Apple of course! Well, the "of course" part apparently is not that obvious as it turned out that some people have never even heard of such a thing as Baked Apple.

recipe for one serving

• Apple, washed and cored - 1
• Dates, pitted and chopped - 2
• Pecans, chopped - 1.5 table spoons
• Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon
• Brown sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon

- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
- Pour the lemon juice inside the apple.
- Mix the dates and pecans together.
- Place the nut mixture into the apple.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, sprinkle on top of the filling.
- Place the apple in an ovenproof dish.
- Bake for around 30 minutes until the apple is soft and the skin is wrinkled.

I recently visited a fellow cooking enthusiast, and she made the most amazing and delicious lunch I had in a very long time. There was a light, summery salad made with spinach, prosciutto, mozzarella and peaches. Little pancakes with cream cheese, smoked salmon and dill. Grilled herb marinated scallops and tiger shrimp. Spaghetti with lightly cooked vegetables. And there were tiny pastries with eggplant and tomatoes. (There were three different desserts as well!!!) It was the first time she made those pastries and she used the recipe from some cookbook, but the actual dough didn't work too well. It was extremely crumbly and a bit sandy. My friend was really upset about it, but the filling of those pastries was absolutely delicious. So, I got her recipe for the filling and I used the other dough recipe that I knew would work. The result was really good! Juicy, tasty, garlicky filling wrapped in thin layer of tasty pastry. I made a simple dip for those little pies: equal measures of mayo and yogurt cheese mixed with minced garlic and cilantro. Perfect combination!

filling recipe adapted from carina-forum

makes eight medium (12 cm) pies

Pastry

• Unbleached all purpose flour -500ml (2 cups)
• Salt -2.5 ml (1/2 tsp)
• Water - 60 ml (1/4cup)
• Maple Syrup - 15 ml (1tbsp)
• Canola oil - 125 ml (1/2 cup)
• Oil for brushing

Filling

• Tomatoes - 250 g (2 medium)
• Eggplant, cut into 2cm cubes - 500 g (1 medium)
• Onion, chopped - 1 medium
• Cilantro, finely chopped - 1 tablespoon (my store didn't have fresh cilantro, so I used one frozen cilantro cube)
• Garlic, minced - 1 clove
• Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon (I didn't use it)
• Tomato paste - 1 teaspoon (forgot to use it)
• Olive oil, salt, pepper

- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).

- Heat some oil in a large pan and saute the onion until it's soft.
- Add the cumin and cubed eggplant to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and drop them into cold water for 2 minutes.
- Peel the tomatoes and chop them.
- Add the tomatoes to the eggplant and cook for another 10 minutes until the eggplant is cooked.
- Add the minced garlic into the mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cilantro, salt and pepper. Let the filling cool.

- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup, combine the water and honey.
- Add the oil.
- Pour over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until flour is just moistened.

- Roll out the dough to 3-4 mm thickness.
- Cut 12 or 8 cm circles, put some filling in the middle and fold the circle in half to create a half-moon shape. Press the edges together with a fork.
- Put the pies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the pastries with milk, eggwash, or oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the dough is baked through and golden brown.

And I am back again with my favourite ingredient - avocado. This time it's paired with my new favourite - arugula. Well, I used arugula before, but only recently I fell in love with this fresh, peppery, a little bitter, spicy and even a tiny little bit garlicky green. It has the most refreshing and complex flavour that I found in any lettuce, cabbage or other salad base ingredient. It's absolutely amazing and it pairs just wonderful with buttery avocado. I really think it's a match made in heaven: buttery avocado and spicy arugula... mmm... The salad is very easy with no real proportions, but it's really really good.

recipe very literately adapted from carina-forum

• Arugula
• Avocado
• Thyme
• Oil (olive, sunflower, or even avocado oil)
• Freshly squeezed lime juice
• Sea salt
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper

In case if you were wondering what was that green thing in the background in my Homemade Tortillas post, it was Avocado Hummus. Since I am currently addicted to avocados, I just knew that I had to try this recipe when I saw it. I can't say that I like hummus very much. I mean I can eat it and enjoy it, but it's not something I usually crave. This recipe was a bit too much on a hummus side for me, so I think it would be better with a little less chickpeas and a bit more avocados. So, here's my less hummus-ey version, but all the ingredients can be increased or decreased based on your personal taste.

recipe adapted from carina-forum

• Chickpeas, drained and rinsed - 1/2 to 1 can (add more or less depending on your love for chickpeas and desired taste)
• Avocados - 2 small
• Tahini paste - 1 tablespoon (optional)
• Lemon juice - 2-3 tablespoons (to taste)
• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
• Water - enough to thin the dip to the desired consistency (3-5 tablespoons)
• Salt, pepper

- Process all the ingredients except for te water in a food processor, until they become very smooth.
- Add some water to thin out the dip to the desired consistency.
- Season to taste.

I have a love and hate relationship with vegetables. On one hand I like them, but on the other hand I only like them certain way. For example, tomatoes - love them fresh, there's nothing better than juicy and meaty tomato cut in half and sprinkled with a little bit of salt; and the smell, ah... they smell like summers and my childhood, when I went to my grandparents' cottage in the summers and they grew so many different kinds of tomatoes there. But tomato sauce is something I don't like, I also don't like tomatoes in soups or stews. Bell peppers - I love them with dips, but I don't like them in fresh garden salads (go figure) and I also really don't like them in chunky soups, although I like pureed soups with peppers. I know, I am strange! And the list goes on and on, I like eggplants very cooked and soft and thin, if they are too thick, I won't eat them. I like pumpkin in soup, but not in chunks, carrots raw, but not cooked, etc, etc, etc... So, I can't even really say what my favourite vegetable is, because I usually think of myself as a person who doesn't really like vegetables, but then I think of avocados (not technically a vegetable, I know) and I forget all my complaints about veggies. I adore them and I think that probably almost any savoury dish tastes better with avocado. Just puree it with a little bit of lemon juice and sour cream (or tofu) and you get a wonderful, luscious, creamy sauce that works amazing with fish, chicken, steak, salad, savoury cakes, eggs, sandwiches and million other things. Ok, I should stop here, because I can sing the ode to this humble ingredient for a very long time. So, let me present my very simple version of Guacamole recipe.

• Avocado - 1
• Tomato, seeded and chopped - 1
• Chili pepper, seeded and chopped into tiny pieces - 1 small
• Cilantro, chopped - 2 tablespoons (not used here)
• Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons (or more)
• Salt, pepper

- Cut avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh.
- Cut the avocado into bite size pieces.
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix gently if you'd like a chunkier guacamole.
- Or alternatively, mash the avocado with fork and fold in the rest of the ingredients for a smoother version.
- Serve with flat bread.

Well, apparently I was really excited when I saw those small cute eggplants last week, because I didn't just buy a couple, I bought a lot of them. And although I wasn't impressed by their taste, I still had half of them left and they were looking at me every day, begging to be cooked. So, yesterday I finally had a chance to make something with them. Since I am still not back into my full cooking mode, my fridge is a little (a lot) empty nowdays, but I had a couple of tablespoons of the Dill Garlic sauce left from last week (it keeps really well in the fridge, similar to pesto). And with a few simple ingredients found in my pantry and on my fridge shelves, I was able to transform the eggplants into something quite delicious and completely different.

recipe loosely adapted from carina-forum

• Baby eggplants - 3
• Dill Garlic Sauce - 2 tablespoons
• Your favourite oil (sunflower, olive, walnut, etc) - 70 ml or more
• Maple Syrup - 2 teaspoons
• Chilli Garlic Sauce (store bought) - 2 heaping tablespoons or to taste
• Balsamic vinegar - 2 teaspoons
• White wine vinegar (I had Cava vinegar) - 2 tablespoons
• Salt, pepper

- Slice the eggplants into 1 cm slices.
- Put them into a colander, salt them liberally and let stand for 30 minutes to drain some moisture.
- Wash the salt out of the eggplants and broil them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are cooked through.
- Meanwhile mix all the ingredients for the sauce together.
- Put the cooked eggplant slices into a dish and cover them with the sauce.
- Leave the eggplants into refrigerator to marinate for a few hours.