Ooooops. If that looks like a whole lotta roughage, you're right. This quick-sauteed watercress wasn't inedible taste-wise but it was unchewable tooth-wise, unless perchance you're a cow. NEXT TIME Read and heed the instructions: "two bunches watercress, coarse stems discarded". Because watercress is so healthful and this bit cooked in literally two minutes, "I'll be back." Stems discarded. FROM THE ARCHIVES For other quick-quick vegetable recipes, see here in the Recipe Box . SAUTEED WATERCRESS Bookmark or print this recipe only Hands-on time: 2 minutes Time to table: 3 minutes Serves 1 1 teaspoon olive oil Watercress, coarse stems removed, washed in running water, shaken but not spin- or towel-dried 1 tablespoon garlic (from a jar) or 1 clove minced garlic Squeeze of lime juice Salt to taste Heat the oil in a skillet til shimmery. Add the watercress (NO COARSE STEMS!) and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and lime juice and c

It's the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere. Today it's even snowing here along the Mississippi River flyway, sure to further invigorate the bald eagles that fish the river. And the obvious answer to "What's for lunch?" and "What's for supper?" -- for humans, anyway -- seems to be soup. The pair of quick soups featured in this week's Kitchen Parade column , one broccoli and one cauliflower, are low-fat, low-carb and deliciously simple and well, simply delicious.

Winter salads are so wonderful! This salad is a simple combination of watercress (or arugula or another salad green) with tangerine and blue cheese crumbles, way more than a sum of its parts. The dressing has citrus flavor too, boosted by a spoonful of orange juice concentrate, one of my favorite ingredients. Seasonal. Easy Weeknight Supper. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly & Freestyle Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free. This salad is so simple and sooo good. Call it "my favorite new salad". It had me dreaming! It had me planning a 6am grocery run! Better yet: I just talked to the produce manager by phone. The beautiful bags of watercress he found in the back for me yesterday for $2 a bag are expired now so he's going give me whatever I want for a buck! We'll be wallowing in watercress for a few days! Any ideas? What would you do? And can I preserve it somehow? The magic is in the combination of the peppery watercress with the tang of tan

For weeks, my sister has been raving about spaghetti squash. (Don't you just wish she'd do a guest post? All in favor, comment Aye!) But taste-wise this version turned out bland and watery -- it just didn't work, despite all the good ingredients. (See? Don't you think my sister should do a guest post? No pressure though, 80KD!!) And even though it was very convenient to cook the squash in the microwave (right in its own skin with no pan!), it was a real pain to pick the seeds out of the strings afterward. NEXT TIME I'd be tempted to skip sauteeing the butter/garlic/spices (thus eliminating an extra pan) and just stir them into the hot strings. And I'll definitely cut the squash in half to remove the seeds before cooking. FROM THE ARCHIVES For other microwave vegetables, see here in the Recipe Box . SPAGHETTI SQUASH with MOROCCAN SPICES Hands-on time: 1 minute up front, 10 minutes at the end, occasional attention in between Time to table: 35 minutes Makes 5 cup

Truth be told, my kitchen drawers are emptier than one might guess, mostly because I buy few – and keep still-fewer – single-purpose utensils. But here's the thing. ONE TOOL Once upon a time, I was enamored with an avocado knife, that's the avocado-shaped specialty knife shown on the left, there. For years, it worked great, earning a permanent home here because it was small and yet ever so practical for piercing and loosening the avocado pit, slicing the skin and then scooping out the flesh. You could say, I suppose, that this single-purpose tool was in fact, yes, multi-purpose! VS THREE TOOLS And then again? That avocado knife has been replaced by not one but three "tools" – not purchased especially but ones I keep on hand and use for other purposes many times a day. First, a serrated knife, technically it's a tomato knife but I use it ALL the time. (Use it to slice the avocado open.) Then a serrated spoon, technically it's a grapefruit spoon and again,

Elegant, yes? And unusual too. And considerably fussy (especially for more than a couple of people) although all the prep is done ahead of time so perfect for company. They were also forgiving with oven time (while the onion picture was taken after 35 minutes in the oven, the onion eating happened after a whole 'nother hour in the oven thanks to an unexpected last-minute grocery run) . And tasty? That too. And perfect for an all-courses-lavender dinner party . NEXT TIME I'd .... include the chopped bacon; cook the stuffing first in a skillet, as if for a turkey; use smaller onions; repeat the individual servings but with smaller onions, in smaller ramekins placed right on the plate. FROM THE ARCHIVES For other out-of-the-ordinary vegetable recipes, see here in the Recipe Box . SLOW-ROASTED STUFFED RED ONIONS with LAVENDER & THYME Bookmark or print this recipe only Hands-on time: 30 minutes (about 15 for scooping out the onions) Time to table: 1 hour, 45 minu

braise [BRAYZ] A cooking method by which food (usually meat or vegetables) is first browned in fat, then cooked, tightly covered, in a small amount of liquid at low heat for a lengthy period of time. The long, slow cooking develops flavor and tenderizes foods by gently breaking down their fibers. Braising can be done on top of the range or in the oven. A tight-fitting lid is very important to prevent the liquid from evaporating. (Thank you, Epicurious.) I must have skipped class the day braising was covered. (This is when my home ec teacher-mother should chime in how I would know ALL about braising had I only taken Foods I in high school -- which I refused to since she was teaching it -- instead of passing out to Foods II. It was a sweet joke between us; according to her, anything I didn't know, and there was and is much, was covered in detail in Foods I.) But I'm catching up! This is the first time I've braised anything and already I'm imagining fennel and leeks and