Revisiting the Recipe Box

When A Veggie Venture reached Day 365 back in April, I took a break for a couple of weeks. But it was harder than expected -- or wanted to admit, let alone let on -- to NOT cook a new vegetable every day.

• In my stack of cookbooks and burgeoning bookmarks and mailbox-fresh food magazines, oh-so-thousands of recipes called out, "Make me! Make ME!".
  
• In the supermarket and then the spring-start farmers markets, oh-so-intriguing new vegetables seemed to shout, 'Try me! Try ME!'

The only consolation was the sudden availability of time. And so I started to cook from the Recipe Box, remaking the vegetables that appealed a second time. And quite soon, I came to understand that the second impressions might tell the better story: revealing an every-day real-ness -- or specialness -- that transforms just-another-recipe into a household favorite.

So here they are, the second time around.

From A Veggie Venture's Recipe Box

Swedish Beets ... a summer-time staple, just slice one or two into a lunch-time salads ... only 7 minutes hands-on time

Roasted Asparagus with Feta ... simple, perfect treatment for fat spears







African Pepper, Tomato & Spinach ... a delicious side dish or even a vegetarian main dish ... it has a secret ingredient: peanut butter!







From Kitchen Parade column archives

Laura's Carrot Soup ... simple, heart-warming. I'd forgotten just how good this is.

Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup ... perfect for a late-spring cold snap








Asian Chicken Salad ... perfect for warm, busy nights, a rotisserie chicken tossed with spinach, bean sprouts, peppers, mango and a delicious lime dressing.










Alice Waters' Coleslaw ... a warm-weather staple, a pile of lime- and cilantro-brightened coleslaw

Roasted Salmon & Asparagus ... oh-so-weeknight-easy, oh-so-spring-simple, a quick supper before there were Quick Suppers

(c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade