Rice is the overlooked salad base for summer fare.
Even with the tomato blight, it's still the season for a nicely chilled gazpacho -- whether classic and tomato-y, or perked up with a few almonds or peaches.
Eesh! According to the National Cancer Institute, only 1 percent of kids are meeting the healthy food intake suggestions set forth by the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.
Make the most of your vegetables with Two-For-One Veggies and Salad.
Wine of the Week: 2007 Macmurray Ranch Pinot Noir -- it's "substantial," but not "heavy."
Meat may be the undeniable star of the grilling show, but zucchini -- when drizzled with olive oil and lightly seasoned like this one from Life's Ambrosia -- pops up during summer months for its 15 minutes (or rather, three months) of fame.
It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating zucchini season by watching the chefs in the Gourmet test kitchen make the most of the versatile veggie. Now, as we creep slowly toward the end of August and, sadly, the culmination of zucchini's prime season it's time to throw the last -- and the best -- of the summer squash on the barbie so it can go out in style. Because no matter how good a vegetable is on its own, everything is better with those glorious grill lines.
Bastille Day occurs at the height of summer, when summer vegetables are clamoring for attention from rows and stakes in the garden and tumbling out of bushel baskets in the marketplace. The shiny, waxen skins of eggplant and zucchini beckon the home cook to the pleasures of vegetables fresh from the embrace of sunshine and soil. Fat, juicy tomatoes are plentiful, as are fragrant bundles of leeks and fresh herbs.
Provençal cooking celebrates the earthy traditions of the French countryside and southern France in general, with food as simple and good as bread, wine, cheese. A tian -- a layered, baked vegetable dish that originated in Provence but is also common to city kitchens -- is the perfect complement to this French holiday. Unlike a gratin, a tian does not include bread crumbs or cheese, which allows the juices in the vegetables to evaporate in the oven's dry heat, concentrating their flavors.
Beyond the jump is an original recipe for tian of summer vegetables, which has been streamlined for the home cook while retaining fidelity to the original French dish. Serve this with your Bastille Day poulet, boeuf or pouisson, and watch as wine glasses around the table clink and diners agree: "Vive la France!"
Ubuntu Sommelier Daniel Sarao Photo: Michelle Branton
At Ubuntu, Napa Valley's acclaimed vegetarian restaurant slash yoga studio, it falls to wine director and general manager Daniel Sarao to find harmony between the lush bounty of on-site gardens and a vino list sparkling with biodynamic sips.
The son of Italian immigrants who taught him an appreciation for wine, Sarao put himself through college and grad school working at restaurants, cutting short a trajectory towards a liberal arts Ph.D. for the life of a full-time oenophile. We chatted with him about the myths around pairing wine with veggies (yes, you can drink red!), the wonders of caramelizing and five inexpensive summer sippers to pair with grilled veggies.
Are you a vegetarian? I am not a vegetarian. The chef is not a vegetarian and neither is the owner. But we believe that vegetables can stand on their own. We are breaking the stereotype.
How much of what you serve comes from your garden? Right now we get about 75 to 80 percent of our ingredients from [our garden]. Our goal is to get almost everything from there. It makes an amazing difference. Squash and peppers are [in season] right now.
Learn more, plus five great wines for under $25 to pair with vegetable dishes, after the jump.
'Vegetables Every Day' Recipes by Jack Bishop HarperCollins -- 2001 Buy it on Amazon
Part cookbook, part reference book, 'Vegetables Every Day' is an A to Z guide to produce that includes everything from familiar favorites like carrots, mushrooms and onions to more exotic selections like malanga, cardoons and kohlrabi. The book's 350 recipes are geared proudly towards the home cook: They're practical, down-to-earth and ideal for a busy weeknight. The only lavishness is found in the flavors that author Jack Bishop coaxes from simply yet lovingly prepared vegetables.
Takeaway Tips: Bishop organizes his vegetables alphabetically, with a few recipes for each utilizing different cooking methods. The okra section, for example, includes Grilled Okra, Sautéed Okra with Garlic and Hot Red Pepper Flakes, Stewed Okra and Tomatoes and Cornmeal-Crusted Okra. Each veg comes with an introduction that covers its history, common names, seasonal availability, best cooking methods and tips for selection, storage and basic preparation. See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
I've often felt that cooking cauliflower is no-win situation. Either you serve it "healthy" - say, steamed with a little salt and lemon juice - and it tastes like packing peanuts (well, packing peanuts with lemon juice), or else you smother it with cheese or butter or creamy curry sauce and completely destroy its virtue. But recently I have seen the error of my ways. The key to cauliflower that's delicious and healthy (and easy): Roast it, with just the tiniest bit of bacon.
I simply toss the cauliflower florets in a mixture of olive oil and mustard, throw them on a baking pan with a handful of whole peeled garlic gloves and some chunks of slab bacon, sprinkle on a little salt and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The cauliflower gets soft on the inside and crisp and caramelized at the edges, the mustard-olive oil mix gets condensed and flavorful and a little sticky, the garlic cloves become pungent and golden. The bacon, barely more than a condiment, adds depth and crunch (though it could easily be omitted). This, with some garlicky lentils, has been my go-to weeknight meal for the past month. Try it - you won't be sorry.
There's Mona Lisa, dressed in folds of deep green kelp, her tofu noodle hair hanging down over her white rice face. And there's Van Gogh's iconic self portrait, its frenetic lines rendered with vari-colored snippets of leek. The melting-faced horror of Munch's The Scream is represented by psychedically twisted slices of carrot and sweet potato. The goulishly curious medical students in Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson have had their faces replaced with bulbous knobs of pickled cabbage; the cadaver is, cleverly, a hollowed-out squash filled with beans. Warhol's Marilyn Monroe gets the cabbage treatment too, Picasso's The Dream is a vision in tofu, and David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps looks ever-so-slightly less noble on a potato steed.
Genoa, the culinary capital of the region of Liguria in Italy, has one of the most colorful indoor food markets that I have ever been to - Mercato Orientale. Some of the narrow cobblestone streets surrounding the market are permeated by a smell of fresh focaccia bread. As you enter the market, you'll notice various cheese stalls, meat stalls, and bakeries that border the market. In the center, there are produce stalls with some of the brightest fruits and vegetables that I have ever seen.
The produce display is gorgeous and informative. Each item has a sign explaining where in Italy it's from. The vendors are more than willing to explain what makes their produce unique and the best way to eat it. If you speak even minimal Italian, I encourage you to interact with these friendly vendors. For me the highlight of the market was the produce.
If you live in a large city in the U.S., you can find nearly any kind of produce, but often it's in questionable condition. Either it's way too under ripe or the quality is just horrendous. At the Mercato Orientale, I was overwhelmed by the incredible quality of nearly every vegetable and fruit. If you're going to be in Genoa, I highly suggest you visit this market located at the corner of Via 20 Settembre and Via Galata.
I have a weakness for Trader Joe's Green Protein smoothies. However, it gets to be an expensive habit and so most of the time, I try not to indulge. I've always thought that I should experiment with my own green smoothies, but I've never have the guts to add spinach or chard to my strawberries, banana and yogurt, fearful that they will become inedible. However, it appears that Lelo has been doing just that to great success (in a Vitamix, the blender I covet). Check out her post for more guidance on how to drink your greens!
During the winter, carrots are one of the few vegetables still being sold in large quantities. They are often planted in early spring, mature in early autumn, and are stored for winter consumption. They're a sweet and tasty source of vitamin A, and they're high in fiber.
Besides their vibrant orange color, carrots add a distinctive bright sweet taste to dishes. They can serve as part of a traditional crudités along with raw celery, broccoli, and cauliflower. Or, you can make them the centerpiece of a dinner table.
Next Thursday, I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner by myself for the second time in my life (the first time I flew solo was five years ago, right when I was coming down with the flu). I'm still tweaking the menu, mentally debating whether I want to make standard mashed potatoes or find some oven space for the roasted variety.
For the rest of you who are still contemplating whether you want to serve string beans or green peas, here are a few more side dish suggestions for you to contemplate. These all come from the Slashfood archives, which is a terrific resource when you're looking for mealtime inspiration.
For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. The boxes can range from austere lacquered trays to multi-tiered Hello Kitty confections of neon pink plastic. The meals themselves are anything from rice and leftovers to elaborate themed affairs of Pikachu-shaped dumplings with sesame seed eyes and carved radish trees. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.
Today's lovely bento, from Mimisimos, is a minimalist work of art. There are two onigiri (rice balls) with tuna salad and bits of nori, a line of cherry tomatoes, a nectarine with a blackberry in the center, and some extra tuna salad on lettuce with some sliced cucumbers. Lovely, highly edible, and healthy.
Have you ever made up a great stir-fry or fajita mix and then struggle to eat all the tasty veggies before they go bad? There are other ways to use those great, leftover veggies.
While in the throes of the sticky days of summer, you don't need to heat up your kitchen to make a filling and gourmet meal. It's the perfect time for a healthy and filling salad.
'Vegetables Every Day'
A cucumber. A pickle. They're the same thing, but are they fruits or vegetables?
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate
