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Day Nine: Lemon Spinach

THIS is my idea of a vegetable heaven! Fresh and fast and flavorful! The inspiration for tonight came from this morning's visit to the farmers market. My favorite stop is to see Charles, a farmer in his late 70s, old and frail enough that I always breathe a sigh of relief when he returns each spring. Charles is a bit bent over but still spry, his eyes a bit bleary with cataracts but still sparkle for regular customers. I came home ruby-red spears of rhubarb and a huge bag of fresh spinach, dirt still on the roots, leaves deep in color, deep in flavor. The recipe comes from a favorite cookbook, French Food at Home by Laura Calder, one I turn to again and again for spare and simple -- and delicious -- food. I'll make this again soon -- trying supermarket spinach and halving the fat. LEMON SPINACH Active time: Maybe 10 minutes? (mostly washing spinach leaves) Time to table: Maybe 20 minutes? Serves 2 1 pound fresh spinach 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Grated

Day Eight: Sautéed Balsamic Peppers ♥

Need an extra-quick and extra-easy bell pepper side dish? You don't even really need a recipe, just a little nudge of an idea. So here it is. Cut up some bell peppers, saute them in a skillet with a little onion, then finish with a splash of balsamic vinegar that forms a thin glaze. So there you go. :-) Come back any time. Real Food, Fast & Casual. Just Two Ingredients! Not Just Easy, Summer Easy . Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Little Effort, Big Taste. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly.

Asparagus Tapenade ♥ Recipe

A bright green asparagus spread for crackers, sandwiches, pasta, steaks, "scoops" and more, just lightly cooked fresh asparagus plus garlic, walnuts or sunflower seeds. It's not really a tapenade (since it has no olives). It's not asparagus pesto (but has basil and walnuts). It's not really an asparagus dip (it's thicker than a dip). What the heck do we call this delicious stuff??? Fresh & Seasonal, a Summer Classic. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free.

Day Six: Cauliflower with Lemon-Cilantro Dressing ♥

Today's easy cauliflower recipe: Just large florets of cooked cauliflower tossed in a lemon-cilantro vinaigrette. Low calorie. Low carb. Weight Watchers friendly, just 1 point for PointsPlus! Not just vegan, " Vegan Done Real ". ~recipe & photo updated 2014~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ When I tried this simple cauliflower recipe for the first time on just Day Six of A Veggie Venture in 2005, well, honestly, I was un-impressed. "Maybe" I said, then conceded "probably not". I found it filling but oddly unsatisfying and time-intensive for a weeknight supper, all in all, not a promising combination. When I tried it again nine years later, wow, what a difference: I loved its taste and found it very easy to prepare! It's a simple way to serve cauliflower. Large florets are cooked and then doused with a simple lemon-cilantro vinaigrette. I served it at room temperature, more cauliflower salad than cauliflower side vegetable. Frankly, two

Day Five: Sautéed Broccoli with Garlic, Orange, Oyster Sauce ♥

~ recipe updated & photo added 2007 ~ 2005: A keeper! The basic technique is a great way to skillet-steam/sauté broccoli, then add other flavorings. I will definitely do again in other ways. Frozen broccoli crowns might work too. But: this veggie business takes time! This took only 20 minutes but it was hands-on the whole time. Perhaps vegetable "recipes" are best planned for nights when cooking tasks are shared, when the rest of the meal is super simple like heating up leftovers, something in the oven, omelets or sandwiches? 2007: Agreed, this is a keeper! I skipped the sesame seeds. I toasted fresh garlic (gorgeous) in just a tablespoon of oil (which drops the calories and Weight Watchers points) and used lemon zest instead of orange. Next time, I'll use either the garlic or the oyster sauce, instead of both, with the zest. SAUTÉED BROCCOLI WITH TOASTED GARLIC, ORANGE AND SESAME Hands on time: 20 minutes Time to table: 20 minutes Serves 4 generously 2 teaspoons sesa

Day Four: Honey Carrots

~Recipe updated & photo added in 2007~ A favorite! Unfortunately for those of us who love shortcuts, frozen carrots don't work, nor do those little pre-peeled bags of carrots. But good news: it takes only 6 minutes to peel two pounds of carrots! (Yes, I've timed it ...) No cilantro? Try honey and black pepper, or honey and curry powder, or honey and chive, or honey and basil as pictured. 2007 Note: This recipe was first published on only Day Four of A Veggie Venture, before I'd figured out standard serving sizes for vegetables and so the recipe specified 2 pounds of carrots for four (generous) servings. It's likely the quantity came from the source recipe, which unfortunately wasn't documented. But it wasn't too many days later when I determined that my standard would be, one pound vegetables = four servings, and so it continues to this day. HONEY CARROTS Hands-on time: 10 minutes Time to table: 30 minutes Makes 8 servings 2 cups water 1 teaspo

Day Three: Lemon Asparagus ♥

Today's vegetable recipe: Simple steamed asparagus with a lemon-garlic butter. Weight Watchers 1 point. Low carb. ~ recipe updated & photo added in 2008 ~ 2005: Tonight I learned about a new must-have for the kitchen: an asparagus steamer. The spears cook upright, spears down, tips up. So even thick spears didn't need peeling, which is a pain. Even though it's a single-purpose tool, for my money (and space) it's a winner. This recipe is so simple, who'd think it could be so delicious. Be generous with the garlic -- although I know purists will scoff, I'm happy with minced garlic from a jar. 2008: Ah, the simple pleasures of asparagus. This time I used my own asparagus steamer and fresh garlic. Delicious! VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES ~ more asparagus recipes ~ ~ more spring recipes from Kitchen Parade, my food column ~ LEMON ASPARAGUS Hands-on time: 10 minutes Time to table: 30 minutes Serves 4 1 pound asparagus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 3 garlic