Pattypan Kootu

My friend Patty came home for dinner over the Fourth of July weekend, and I thought I'd have some pun fun by making her a Pattypan Kootu with veggies straight from my yard.

This spring, I picked up the plant at my local nursery simply because I got a kick out of the pictures of aliens with the name "flying saucer squash" emblazoned on the tag. I had seen this really cute-looking veggie before at the store, but never picked it up because honestly I wasn't sure what to do with it.

But when my plant grew to elephantine proportions by early summer and began shooting out plump, star-shaped, yellow-green fruit faster than I could say "unidentified flying object," I had to learn, and fast.

Google told me that pattypan are rather like zucchini, and indeed they are, with sweet, pristine-white flesh that can be eaten raw in salads but is also great cooked. It was particularly, meltingly delicious in this healthy kootu.

Mango Muffins

These Mango Muffins were born of the ethereal urge for breakfast gluttony combined with a practical need to finish that mango puree in the refrigerator before it went bad.

I tweaked my Banana Muffin recipe to make these, replacing the two bananas with two cups of the mango puree that I had left over after making my Mango Cashew Cream. And just for the heck of it, I used nutmeg as the spice in these muffins, instead of cardamom which is my usual favorite spice for anything mango. I love nutmeg but don't use it nearly as much as I do other spices in my kitchen, and their mysteriously rich kick in the muffins reminded me of what I'd been missing.

Coconut Quinoa

A quick post today on Coconut Quinoa, a delicious option for those hurried weeknights. Coconut Rice is one of Tamil Nadu's most delectable dishes, and one I was introduced to when I married a Tamilian. Tamilians love their rice dishes, and with good reason: Coconut Rice, Tomato Rice, Tamarind Rice, Brinjal (Eggplant Rice), Sesame-Seed Rice, Lemon Rice, Curd-Rice are all not just easy and quick meals to make, they are also incredibly healthy.

Rice dishes are also a staple for picnics or travel or any event that requires food to be served and eaten with minimum fuss. Although you can always team up your prepared-rice dish with some sambar or kootu, you don't really need it: some crispy, fried poppadums or vadams (lentil, rice or sago crackers) and you are all set.