"vegetables" news and stories

Just as our thoughts are turning to farm-fresh summer produce, here comes this bit of good news: the Environmental Protection Agency has announced a ban on endosulfan, a toxic pesticide related to DDT and one of the last of its kind to remain on the market in the U.S.

The ban may have come too late for this growing season, but by next year we could all be enjoying a whole bevy of veggies that are free of endosulfan residues: cucumbers, summer squash, green beans, lettuce and tomatoes. These, according to WhatsOnMyFood.com, are some of the produce with the highest traces of endosulfan. Celery, apples, peaches and kale are also affected.

Besides those of us who thrill at the sight of big leafy green baskets of kale, farm workers are also celebrating the ban. It was their union that led the charge in challenging a decision by the federal government eight years ago that growers could still use endosulfan with some restrictions. Since then more and more scientific studies have pointed to the hazards of a chemical compound that (like its cousin DDT) has a propensity to accumulate in the bodies of humans and wildlife. Tests in lab animals have demonstrated endosulfan's toxic effects on the nervous system as well as on the kidneys, liver and male reproductive organs. (No doubt lab animals are celebrating the ban, too.)

Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."

Dinner is just a phone call and a drawer full of takeout menus away -- but why fuel the fire of the single-living stereotype? Hang up that phone and get in the kitchen!

A takeout feast without the help of your favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant can be ready before the delivery boy could possibly get to your door.

Toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds give the stir-fried eggplant a nutty taste and a subtle crunch, while red-pepper flakes add a touch of heat and smokiness. Here, the classic vegetarian stir-fry brings in a Greek meze feel when served alongside crunchy pita chips for scooping.

Get the recipe after the jump!

It took Hanukkah celebrants more than 2,000 years to hit upon the dish that's now considered the quintessential holiday food.

Potato latkes, as inextricably linked to the wintertime festival as dreidels, menorahs and chocolate gelt, are such a relatively recent addition to the Hanukkah canon that food writer Mimi Sheraton -- who grew up in a Jewish family in Flatbush -- was 30 years old before she realized the oily pancakes were connected to the holiday.

"Though my family observed that holiday with the weeklong lighting of the silver candelabra ... I never knew those marvelously crisp, hot, onion-scented latkes had anything whatsoever to do with the celebration," Sheraton wrote in 1981.

For many years, they didn't. While food plays a ritual role in many Jewish holidays, the only edible tradition associated with Hanukkah was the rather loosey-goosey custom of eating something with oil in it.

Can you not almost smell the buttery aroma of these sauteed leeks wafting through the kitchen?

This garlic- and onion-related vegetable happens to be, admittedly, a personal discovery that's relatively recent, but one whose potent yet subtle flavor has wowed. Not only is the smell alone lust-worthy, but the silky ingredient is equally desired for its texture as well as its flavor. And even others have praised the vegetable for powers beyond its flavor alone -- according to records, Nero was under the impression that leeks improved his singing voice and, consequently, he consumed the scallion-esque vegetable quite ravenously on a daily basis.

What do you use your leeks in? Spill your suggestions after the jump!

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