They will also be more interested in maybe helping at home to cook the veggies for dinner.

In my case I had a bunch of lovely swiss chard and some corn. I decided to make a pasta dish. I had a stuffed pasta in the freezer I purchased at Eataly in NYC.

I sauteed some pancetta and added shallots and garlic. I then added the fresh corn, some fresh tomato sauce and the swiss chard. It was super simple and very delicious. I cooked the tiny pasta and added some pasta water into the sauce. A few minutes later I had a delicious, healthy- farm to table food.

• 1 pound stuffed pasta- like a small ravioli cooked, and a cup of pasta water to spare
• 1/3 cup pancetta, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
• 1 to 2 ears corn, off the cob
• 1 cup fresh tomato sauce
• Salt
• ½ cup Pecorino, grated

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or till it becomes crispy. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute on medium heat. Add the corn and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the Swiss chard and the cooked pasta and the tomato sauce. Mix well and add half-cup pasta water. Mix well and add the cheese and taste for seasonings. Add salt and more pasta water if needed. Serve hot with bread and a salad.

One of the predominant flavors in this dish comes from lemon grass. I absolutely love the lemony flavor it provides to Thai and Vietnamese dishes. For a while now, I have been buying fresh lemon grass from Whole Foods but not until recently is when I realized how to get maximum flavor out of the herb.

The trick is to cut the green part out and peel the outside layers of the white part. The internal tender white part is the one to use. It can be smashed with the back of a knife and chopped. I used the white aromatic part to make this delicious stir fry.

I used cornstarch and salt to coat the firm tofu and sauteed it lightly in a non-stick pan. I then cooked it with the snow peas and added the flavorful sauce consisting of tamari, fish sauce, palm sugar, etc.

I loved the subtle flavors of the fish sauce, lemon and orange juice coming through loud and clear. I served it with some delicious brown rice and it was a yummy, healthy meal.

• 1 (12 to 16 ounce) block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon salt

Add the cornstarch and salt into a zip lock bag. Add the tofu and shake the bag until well coated.

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Saute the tofu till all sides are golden brown, about a minute or two on each side. Place the tofu on to a lined plate.

• 4 stalks fresh lemon grass, tender part only, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoons chili paste
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or 1 tablespoon honey)
• Juice of one navel orange
• 1 teaspoon corn starch

Mix the tamari, fish sauce, chili paste, palm sugar, orange juice and corn starch in a small bowl. Keep aside.

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 cups snow peas
• Juice of a lemon

Heat a wok like saucepan and add the oil. Add the lemon grass and garlic. Saute on high heat for a minute. Add the onion and sauté for another minute.
Add the snow peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the tofu and mix well – gently, making sure not to break the tofu.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and serve.

Well, I finally made them- it is the same recipe as the others but this one has a healthy dose of delicious apple cider. I dusted the outside with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Since it is Halloween today- do make them. They are delicious and healthy. It will be nice for everyone to eat something healthy for a change on Halloween..

• ¾ cup raw sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup extra light olive oil
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup fine raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, cider and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Divide batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling about ½ full.
Bake for 15 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar and cinnamon into another small bowl and mix well.

Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the cinnamon sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.

So, in order to make duffins, I decided to invert the two and use the cream cheese as a filling in the middle.

The result was delicious- well, eventually. I made one batch and had a few friends taste test for me and give me some critical analysis. My daughter is the most honest taste tester I have- she has no qualms about telling me when things are not right. She told me the duffins didn’t have enough pumpkin flavor and the filling tasted too much like cream cheese and not like a frosting. She was right- I had forgotten to add vanilla extract in the cream cheese mixture.

The second batch included more spiced including cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It also included the missing vanilla extract. The result was delicious.

Make these for halloween…

• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup extra light olive oil
• ¾ cup 1% milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Filling

• 2 oz cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Keep aside.

Topping

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• ½ cup fine raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Add a quarter cup batter in each cup. Add a teaspoon of cream cheese on top. Top each cup with the rest of the batter to cover the filling.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar into another small bowl.

Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.

I made this one with peas but I also added a variety of different spices- which are not my usual. I used curry leaves and mustard seeds. The mix of spices gave this dish a fabulous flavor. My daughter loves keema- her favorite is the one I make with cauliflower. She devoured it with two big rotis and a glass of milk….

• 1 pound ground turkey meat (dark meat)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 7 to 8 curry leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 inch piece of ginger, chopped
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1½ cups frozen peas
• ½ cup chopped cilantro

Process the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and keep aside.

Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and the bay leaf. Saute for 30 seconds on high heat or till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the onion mixture and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the ground turkey and turn the heat up. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, coriander and cayenne. Turn the heat down to medium low and cover with lid. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas, stir well and put the lid back on. Cook for 5 minutes. Take the lid off and turn the heat up and cook off any excess moisture. Check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro.