Today's vegetable recipe: Thin slices of green tomatoes baked in a gratin dish with garlic and a small measure of cream and fresh Parmesan. Savory. Simple. Low carb. When do we pick green tomatoes? Only when they're at risk of being lost to frost! This is the lesson learned early this summer, when I thought I was being oh-so-smart about getting 'out ahead' of green-tomato fans with Old-Fashioned Green Tomato Pie . Ha! My pal StephenCooks -- who, sadly, has lost his yen for blogging -- gently wrote, "In my world, the only time I make anything from green tomatoes is when the first frost threatens ... a farmstand operator told me that she never sold a green tomato before October until that movie made people want them 'out of season'." Oops. From now on, green tomatoes at the end of the growing season , okay? FAITHFUL READERS may recognize a pattern: few new recipes during the month of October. For the third year in a row, October is the time when ...

Today's soup recipe: An easy soup made with little more than peanut butter and chicken stock with a little rice for thickening. Will win no beauty awards but is surprisingly delicious and quite hearty. With this recipe for peanut soup, I'm stretching the idea of 'vegetable'. Peanuts are, of course, not vegetables but legumes -- though they are not nuts , they're seeds of a small bush and actually -- did you know? I didn't! -- grow below ground. Starting off, I had little hope for this soup, it tasted pretty flat. But after a few hours in my new programmable slow cooker , wow, what a change, the flavors really developed. Don't skip the jalapeños and red pepper flakes, they're needed to offset the peanut creaminess. It is rich so for those watching calories, plan on a half cup serving and a big salad for lunch or supper. SLOW COOKER PEANUT SOUP Hands-on time: 20 minutes Time to table: 6 - 7 hours Makes 6 cups 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 yellow onion, choppe...

Today's coleslaw recipe: A cabbage slaw with apples, chives and bacon stirred in. Low carb. Weight Watchers 0 points. Do you belong to the Bacon Club? You know, where members sign onto the idea that everything -- everything -- tastes better with bacon? You know, like Candied Bacon Ice Cream and Breakfast Cookies and Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies and Dark Chocolate & Bacon Cupcakes , even Bacon Vodka and a Bacon & Marmalade Sandwich or Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Icing . I'm not kidding. Sign me up. This coleslaw was so-so ho-hum tasting without the bacon but moved into gobble-it-up territory once the bacon was stirred in. [ Note to Vegetarians ] AUTUMN SLAW with APPLES & BACON Hands-on time: 20 minutes Time to table: 20 minutes Makes 7 cups DRESSING 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1-1/2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon kosher salt Red pepper flakes to taste SLAW 1 shallot, minced 2 tabl...

No recipe right now but I'm going to go out on a limb here -- won't many of us be happy to save $5 after spending $25 on groceries? If so, don't miss this downloadable coupon from Whole Foods that's good for one purchase a day per customer through October 22. (Me? I'm off to buy ink for my printer. I wonder if there's a coupon for that!) How did I learn about Whole Foods' offer? I 'follow' Whole Foods on a service called Twitter. You can, too and if you like, you can follow me on Twitter too. DISCLOSURE: For anyone who's wondering, I have no relationship with Whole Foods (except as a regular occasional customer) and get no compensation from Whole Foods to share this information. They don't even know I'm doing it! But as you know, I'm committed to helping people save money on groceries and if you already shop at Whole Foods, this is a great offer. ASIDE: Whole Foods recently sponsored a budget meal challenge for food blogg...

Today's simple recipe: "Peperonata" is the classic Italian dish made from peppers, onion, tomato and potatoes. It's a rustic, Italian antipasto cooked slowly on the stove, then served either warm or at room temperature. We love the richness of Peperonata with Potatoes, once it's you'll love having it on hand, it's very easy to use. A Classic Vegetable Dish from Tuscany. Beautiful Color. Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Late Summer & Early Fall When Peppers Are Plentiful. Great for Meal Prep. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly.

Today's vegetable recipe: Cooked cabbage in a sweet and sour sauce with ground caraway. Inexpensive to make and filling. Traditional fare from Eastern Europe. VEGETABLES ARE NOW COOL American readers, check the produce section in your local supermarket -- there will be new labels, 'COOL labels' they're called, where COOL stands for Country of Origin Labeling. The 2002 Farm Bill requires that food retailers (groceries, not restaurants) begin labeling the source of many foods, including produce and many meats, beginning September 30th of this year. So now we'll know -- if we want to -- that October's asparagus comes from somewhere in South America and August's oranges from southern Africa. (More about COOL on BlogHer, September 30: The Day Your Grocery Store Gets Cool .) My own observation is that the stores are labeling vegetables, but in different ways. If a bunch of beets, say, has a twist tie, the label's on the twist, so very hard to get to. If the co...

Hey, fruit people. Here's a great way to up your fruit game, an autumn version of that favorite cream cheese dip, just cream cheese, canned pumpkin, a natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey, plus the all-important pumpkin pie spice. As fruit dips go, this one is unusually healthy thanks to a high proportion of pumpkin:cream cheese and a small measure of sweetener. Real Food, Fast & Casual. Just Ten Minutes & Four Ingredients. Budget Friendly. Little Effort, Big Taste. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

How many of our moms used to cook cauliflower and then cover it with a cheese sauce? Now this childhood favorite is adapted for today's real-world busy families: the cauliflower is cooked in milk that thickens into a cheese sauce and is finished with cheesy bread crumbs under the broiler. All in one skillet! It's great comfort food, whether as a side dish or even a satisfying, healthy cauliflower casserole, just add protein. Weeknight Easy, Holiday Special. Budget Friendly. Quick to Make. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian.