Happiness to me often comes in the form of savory Indian appetizers, such as samosas. I never can resist playing around with the classic preparation and so, after recent fusion dishes such as samosa potpie and samosa-style stuffed baked potatoes, I now present these soft, lovely little savory "samosa" cakes that reminded me very much of koftas.

These are perfect as an appetizer, but substantial enough to serve as an entrée. It is true that I don't have a samosa "proper" documented on this blog, but my best friend Basil keeps encouraging me to make it happen. And I will, as I have before, complete with photos and recipe this time for my readers. I think that I am going to try a baked version to cut down on the oil. You will all have to stay tuned to see what I come up with. On that note, if you want to skip shallow frying, I think these little cakes could easily be baked in a preheated 350° oven for about 20 minutes until browned on both sides, much the way I do with kofta.

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The tomato sauce I present here was made with fresh tomatoes from my garden. All of a sudden I found myself with an excess of them and figured a rich and luscious homemade tomato sauce made perfect use of the harvest. I can't imagine making a sauce this delicious during the winter months when the fresh tomatoes available are expensive and rather bland. Canned varieties often don't satisfy my palate either. I was delighted to go "grocery shopping" in my backyard for hot peppers and fresh herbs to complete the experience.

I made this sauce for another reason too. I recently came across a recipe that Rosa posted for ricotta gnudi. It looked so gorgeous and was completely new to me, so I figured, why not give it a try. I admit that I was rather nervous, as I didn't know what to expect, but I adore ricotta cheese and it pairs so well with tomato sauce. Dumplings I have made, yes, but these are unlike any dumplings I have tried to date.

What is gnudi you may ask? These pillowy little pasta-like dumplings are Tuscan in origin and are much like a gnocchi without the potatoes, so they are lighter and easier to prepare. They sort of reminded me of ravioli, without the pasta component. Once you have tried them, you will find yourself craving them time and time again.

I left the ricotta mixture to chill for an hour or so in the refrigerator before shaping them, but the dough was still rather sticky and I started to worry that the gnudi was going to fall apart when I added it to the water. Gently shaping them with floured hands on a floured surface helps, and I am still researching all of the different ways cooks can make their own gnudi, and that may take a while, as there appear to be a variety of methods and flavor combinations. For the most part, they didn't fall apart and although these little bites of goodness might not look all that pretty at first to you, when you add the sauce into the mix, it becomes an attractive plate indeed. The gnudi is fairly mild on its own, making it a perfect vehicle for the slightly spicy and herby sauce.

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Any combination of vegetables can be used in this nourishing and spicy curried millet and vegetable soup. I used millet, but feel free to substitute quinoa instead. As with most soups, it tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had a chance to blend together. Make it up ahead of time and simply heat it up before serving for lunch or dinner the next day. The recipe yields a large pot making it an ideal soup to serve if you have lots of mouths to feed or if you want leftovers for a few days.

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When I want a snack or a quick bite for breakfast, I often just want instant gratification and don't wish to clatter and bang around dishes and pots and pans to gratify the mind and tummy. An easy and healthy solution is to have a batch of power-packed homemade protein treats on hand at all times such as these seedy little cocoa and peanut butter energy bites that are packed full of nutrients, sweet without any added processed sweetener, and just bursting with dried fruit goodness. They take very little time at all to mix up and they are raw too. No baking required.

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