Salade Niçoise

Ingredients for Dressing: Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard, Salt and Pepper.

2 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, 1/2 part mustard, salt and pepper to taste - whisk together.

Ingredients: Butter lettuce (not shown,) fresh tofu (cubed,) avocado (sliced,) grape or cherry tomatoes (halved,) hard boiled egg (peeled and halved,) green beans (blanched,) red onion (thinly sliced,) new potatoes (boiled and cut into wedges,) green and black olives (sliced,) capers.

Choose an attractive platter and create a bed of salad leaves. Carefully arrange ingredients symmetrically on top of leaves. I tried to keep the colors balanced on each side. How much of each is up to you. Sparingly drizzle a small amount of dressing over top. Other ingredients could include bell peppers and artichokes. Traditionally this salad contains tuna, but that's just gross.

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

recipe somewhat stolen from gourmet.com

I've made this 5 times for various fall parties this month. It's been a hit at every one of them. I didn't have Gruyere or Emmental cheese, so I used Parmesan and fontina. And a couple of times I didn't have cream, so I used milk and it was fine. I left out the nutmeg and added parsley for a more savoury flavour. The only problem is how to serve it. It's an appetizer, but it's not really finger food. You need a plate and a fork to eat it. And a big spoon to serve it.

Butternut Squash Frittata

Then I made the same thing with leftover butternut squash. I really like making these because I am so bad at making omelettes. I don't know how short order cooks make them so thin and perfectly folded. Anyhow, If it's closer to lunchtime when I have breakfast on a Sunday, I usually serve it with salad instead of more traditional breakfast accompaniments.

Corn Mash Frittata

The hot sauce is from my friend Bridget. It's yummy, hot, flavorful, and goes well with eggs.

I had leftover corn mush from when I strained the bisque. It was pretty tasty, so I made up a use for it. Whisk 3 eggs, 1 cup corn mush, 1/2 cup natural yogurt, a little cream, salt, pepper. Saute 1 small diced onion with 1/2 of one diced jalepeno in a cast-iron skillet with a generous amount of olive oil. Once onions are soft, pour in egg mixture and bake at 350 until set. Top with cheese and hot sauce if desired.

Corn Bisque

Ingredients: 4 ears corn, kernels cut off with knife

3 T butter

1 Sweet onion, diced

4-6 cups vegetable stock

2 T honey

Heavy cream (optional)

Paprika

salt and pepper

Saute onion in butter 2mins. Add honey, salt and pepper to taste, and corn and saute until soft. Add 4 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 mins. Allow to cool. Blend in batches in food processor. Strain through a mesh sieve. Add a teaspoon of paprika. Add 1/2 cup or more cream if desired. Serve hot or cold!

Tofu Bánh Mì

The sandwich is a product of French colonialism in Vietnam, and combines both French and Vietnamese ingredients.

Bánh mì is a Vietnamese baguette (I buy mine at Jay International) made with both wheat and rice flour, but more popularly known as a type of sandwich traditionally made with this type of bread.

If tofu isn't your thing, fried eggs also make a delicious banh mi. I get weird looks from most local banh mi joints when I ask for one made with tofu, so I make my own most of the time. This place makes the tastiest tofu banh mi, and the most delicious fried mung bean spring rolls.

Ingredients: Clockwise from upper left: Cilantro, soy sauce, mayonnaise, pickled turnips (any kind of pickle will do,) tofu, diced carrot and onion, daikon, jalapeno, baguette

Cut baguette in half lengthwise. Mix together one part soy sauce with two parts mayo. Spread that on both sides of baguette. Sprinkle on the diced carrots and onions. Add a layer of thinly sliced jalapenos. Add a layer of thinly sliced tofu, followed by a generous bunch of cilantro, and finally with daikon and pickled turnips.

Bourbon Pumpkin Ice Cream

I'm no expert on sweet foods. And experimenting with ice cream can be dodgey. So I used this recipe, and pumped up the cinnamon a little bit. I also served some bissinger dark chocolate almonds, which were amazing.