Pan roasted vegetable ratatouille

Mélange de courgettes, de tomates, de poivrons, et d'aubergines

1. Dice zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper or sweet peppers, and tomatoes. 
2. Mince garlic or use garlic salt, pepper, minced basil (or fresh thyme).
3. Pan roast in olive oil until the vegetables are cooked thoroughly.

You can add an Asian twist with minced green chilies and low sodium soy sauce.

Pan fried salmon with lime and fresh thyme

1. Remove scales, clean, and pat dry a salmon fillet. Cut into serving size. ( I use a pair of scissors for cutting the skin ).
2. Drizzle evenly :  freshly squeezed lime,  garlic salt, low-sodium soy sauce, chopped Thai chilies, and freshly ground pepper.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan, place the salmon with skin facing down. Cover and cook. Flip.
4. Flip one more time, raise the heat to make the skin crispy if you prefer.  Serve with your favorite sides.

Salad ideas

Salad greens with dry cranberries, honey-roasted almonds, feta and balsamic vinaigrette

Salad greens with julienned carrots, endive, dry apricots, pistachios, blue cheese crumbles and white balsamic

Baby spinach with caramelized walnuts, grape tomatoes, cheese crumbles 

Buttermilk pancake with orange blossom honey and pecans

Recipe: 1 egg, 1 cup all-purpose flour, pinch of baking powder, salt, sugar, 1 cup buttermilk. Blend the ingredient (egg first)and shallow fry in 1 tsp melted butter. Top with honey and pecans

More smoothies

Banana spinach smoothie with Bulgarian buttermilk. My occasional attempt to be kind to my body. And its yumm.

Ginger-apricot smoothie

Add crushed ice or cold water to get the right consistency if you are using Greek yogurt.

Chingri Malaikari (Jumbo prawns cooked in coconut milk and yogurt)

1. Clean, remove shells and de-vein the jumbo prawns.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Rub salt, turmeric, red chili powder, a squeeze of lemon juice. Keep aside.
   
3. In a non-stick, heat mustard oil and saute the prawns on both sides until red. Remove from oil.
   
4. Add 1 tsp ghee and finely minced onions. Fry a little then add minced garlic, ginger and green chilies. 
5. Add 2 tsp of plain yogurt. Add 3-4 tbp of coconut milk. You may add 1 tsp of tomato paste for tanginess. When the gravy is about done, add 1 tsp sugar and then add the fried prawns. Cover and simmer. Flip once.
6. If the gravy is too thick -add 1 cup of warm water. Taste for salt. You may sprinkle crushed pepper if you like. You may also add a pinch of  home made garam masala and/or bhaja masala.

Best served with steamed rice

Basil chicken fried rice

1. Saute some red cabbage, red bell pepper and red onions in a non-stick.
2. Add some cooked chicken (deep fried when we made chili chicken) green peas, finely chopped Thai chilies, cracked pepper, salt, chili oil and low-sodium soy sauce.
3. Add parboiled rice (you may use Jasmine rice if you want), washed with cold water in a strainer (to prevent the rice from sticking later). Stir well. Add chopped basil leaves when the rice is almost done.

I had it with lobster in dry shrimp paste from New Penang Garden, Milpitas. You may also enjoy it with a chili-garlic hot sauce.