Fruits and Vegetables Archives | Page 4 of 30

Honey Butter Whipped Sweet Potatoes

November 11, 2016

My Thanksgiving preferences typically go in this order of importance –

√ Pumpkin pie (specifically my grandmother’s recipe)
√ Stuffing
√ Sweet potatoes
√ Brussels sprouts (yes, a vegetable!)

You can really just leave turkey off my list entirely. I’d rather dip into my calorie and carb savings account for the four options above.

I don’t have time this November to do a full Thanksgiving post series like my Thanksgiving Cooking for Two last year, but I can’t let the season slip by without sharing a few menu options. Specifically this one from my top four categories of Thanksgiving foods.

October Snapshots

October 7, 2016

Do you ever have those days when you are convinced that no one gets you?

I do. And they’ve been happening a lot more frequently.

But it’s okay. I do it to myself. I’m a nerd in the true sense of the word when it comes to food, fall and farms. I think this is why social media was invented. Way, way back in the day, there was someone sitting around who felt like no one got them. So they decided to find a way to surround themselves with people around the world who did.

That has to be factual, right? I’m sure it’s documented somewhere.

For example, just the other day I came across the largest, most gorgeous persimmon tree I’d ever seen. It was full of fruit and towered around me in every direction. It had to be years and years old. It was next to a store and when I checked out, I gushed to the cashier about how beautiful the tree was.

She looked at me like I was an alien.

Nope, didn’t get me.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Wheat Berry Salad with Tahini Dressing

October 3, 2016

Brussels sprouts are a year round food for me, but the frequency that they appear in my meals picks up when fall rolls around. I’ve already stocked the fridge twice with them in the past two weeks. They are a clear favorite in the vegetable category right now. In the grain category, wheat berries are holding their spot at number one. I can’t get enough of a simple wheat berry salad.

I’ve never served the two together so when I was tossing around ideas for a fall salad, I decided they would probably go pretty well together, especially with a nutty tahini dressing.

Grilled Baba Ganoush with Basil Garlic Olive Oil

July 26, 2016

My goodness they were monsters!

I’m not sure if I’ve been growing and buying Japanese-style eggplants for too long, or if things have changed, but the American variety of eggplants at the supermarket last week were absolutely huge.

They were eye-catching, though. So much so that I took one look and decided it was high time I made baba ganoush again.

Cantaloupe Tomato Salad

July 19, 2016

If you’ve been reading my blog a long while this combination won’t surprise you. I starting eating one form or another of cantaloupe tomato salad back in 2011. For those of you who might be new readers, hear me out.

I know it sounds like a strange combination, but I promise it is so good! There is something about the sweetness of both the melon and the tomatoes that is delicious when combined and then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with black pepper. It’s a refreshing twist to most of the summer salads you’ve had so far this year.

Berry Salad with Basil, Mint and Feta

June 16, 2016

This berry salad combines blackberries and strawberries with fresh herbs from the garden. It’s my celebration of access to so much delicious local produce all summer long.

A couple of weeks into the month of May, it dawned on me that I have yet to live in a place where so many of summer’s fruits and vegetables are in season at the same time.

I realized it when I stopped by the farm stand to grab some berries and found myself staring at cherries, strawberries, boysenberries, blackberries and blueberries. All local, all harvested that morning just a few feet away.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Radishes

March 3, 2016

I feel like the simplicity of this recipe might be a little shocking. Despite my past endeavors of making pierogi, massaging kale and letting flavors blend for a few days in the fridge, these roasted radishes take about 15 minutes start to finish.

Roasted Cranberries with Greens

October 29, 2015

Every year, I go to the grocery store mid-October and ask if they have fresh cranberries. Every year the hard working person in the produce section tells me that they don’t come in until mid-November. So last week my expectations were low, but I had my eye out anyway.

When I turned to find a pile of bags front and center in the lettuce row, I’m certain my cheer carried itself to the freezer section across the store.

Rumor has it the season arrived earlier this year. As a result, it will end earlier to. So stock up. I’ve already started.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear and Red Walnuts

October 7, 2015

This butternut squash dish is not sweet. I repeat, this dish is not sweet.

If you are like me, no matter how many versions of winter squash you’ve made or been exposed to, your brain still thinks of nutmeg, cinnamon and maybe even maple, when you envision the rich, orange, tender squash.

Okay, I’ll admit that this does contain cinnamon. But cinnamon is one of those interesting spices that can swing sweet or savory. It this case, it’s savory.

The secret to this recipe is some heat. You don’t have to burn your mouth off, but use at least a medium spicy chili powder. I could even see a chipotle chili powder working. When you use these deeply flavored spices you get a beautiful balance of slightly sweet squash, with earthy pear, a bit of heat and crunchy walnuts.

This September

September 22, 2015

I’m usually not one to comment on how quickly or slowly the months go by. It varies for me from year to year. It all depends on what I have going on.

Lately though, I’ve been thinking a lot about this September. Mostly about how it came along quickly, after what felt like a long August, and now suddenly it’s almost gone.

There are 3 very good reasons for this.