"vegetable lovers" news and stories

One of the things I love best about summer is the abundance of fresh, flavorful vegetables (I realize I sound a little like an ad for the Vegetable Council of America, but bear with me). Often, I'll make an entire meal out of a big plate of grilled zucchini, roasted asparagus or even just sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with salt. Yesterday, I steamed up a pound of green beans for lunch and ate the whole thing. I let them cook until they were tender, but had just a little bit of crispness left and then drained them. Keeping them in the pot in which I had done the cooking, I added a small pat of butter (no more than I could in good conscience eat in one sitting), and a sprinkling of salt, pepper and garlic powder (sometimes it just hits the spot).

The thing I love about have a big plate of veg for lunch is that it feels so indulgent. I love that I can eat as much as I want and not have to share them with anyone. In the matter of full disclosure, I should probably say that I come from a family in which the leftovers we battle over after Thanksgiving and Christmas are the green beans with toasted almonds and the roasted brussel sprouts with toasted walnuts (we like our veggies with nuts around the holidays). Oh, and I am not a vegetarian. I can and do go for the animal protein almost daily. I just like my veggies too.

I write this to find out, are there others of you out there like me? Those who eat their salads out of serving bowls and get defensive when someone enters the room with a fork and a hungry look in their eye. Who think nothing of sauteeing a pound of spinach and calling it dinner. Who make the grilled veggies their main course and don't understand when friends invite them over for dinner and serve nothing but meat and starches. Vegetable lovers of the world, unite!