Visit the Kitchen Parade weekly blog for another healthful hot-weather dish, a chicken salad laced with chickpeas .

Today's vegetable recipe: Sliced eggplant brushed with vinaigrette, baked, then topped with cheese. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. ~ recipe & photo updated in 2008 ~ 2005: I seem to be on an eggplant kick so had high hopes for this after Day 71 . This time, however, I wanted an easy way to roast eggplant without a lot of oil so I brushed the slices with fat-free Italian dressing from the fridge. Too bad: not so good, even the addition of a bit of feta didn't help. Who knew that cheese couldn't save nearly anything?! The eggplant are pretty, though, yes? I had no idea what the internal structure of an eggplant looked like until these came out of the oven. 2008: This time I used a homemade vinaigrette of 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and a clove of minced garlic (plus lots of salt and pepper) for a beautiful two-pound globe eggplant. Straight from the oven, the slices still tasted quite plain so again, I went th

Today's quick zucchini side dish, just grate a zucchini or two and then sauté in a quick vinaigrette. So easy, so good! Weight Watchers PointsPlus 1. Low Cal. Low Carb. Gluten Free. Paleo. Not just vegan, " Vegan Done Real ". ~recipe & photo updated 2015~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ BACK IN 2005: Just this week, the produce sections in grocery stores seem to be bursting with new fruits and vegetables. The scent of first peaches fills the air, begging to be bagged for home. Who needs farmers markets?! This zucchini is good – very good – and ever so simple. The trick is to salt the grated (or, I suppose, julienned) zucchini for 15 minutes, then to squeeze the liquid out. Then it cooks in just a couple of minutes, tonight, with a splash of the vinaigrette from Day 71 and a bit of fresh thyme. UPDATED IN 2015: How simple this was! It does pay to pay attention to the weight of the zucchini, allow a teaspoon of salt per pound (454g) of zucchini. Any more? The

~recipe & photo updated in 2007~ 2005 Original Text: "There must be a lighter way ... these are addictively good - a problem when they're loaded with olive oil! It may not be the recipe's fault. I couldn't find the pastry brush so dipped the first several eggplant slices into the dressing. I switched to my fingers, which used less of the dressing, but the damage was done." 2007 Recipe & Photo Update: With a silicone pastry brush, 'too much oil' was no problem, in fact, I brushed all the cut surfaces once then had so much leftover that I brushed them again after 20 minutes in the oven. So yes, there is a lighter way and yes, they're still addictively good. 2007 KITCHEN NOTES: While slender Japanese eggplant may be more tender (so I read but I can't tell the difference), the standard 'globe' eggplant is preferable here, because it has a lower skin:flesh ratio. That said, the skin isn't unpalateable so use what you have on hand.

A colorful potato salad made with both potatoes and sweet potatoes, then amped up with crunch and a lively vinaigrette. No mayonnaise! Fresh & Seasonal, A Summer Classic. Great for Meal Prep & Outdoor Meals. Scales from Small Plates to Large Platters. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free.

Oh man oh man. This was soooo good. Good enough for company. And easy. Easy enough for every day. And fast. Fast enough to leave time for putting together the rest of the meal. And made with ingredients that are around 99% of the time. How can this not be a winner? Well, it's not low-cal, that's for sure. This is the highest calorie dish in 69 days. Using half the butter would drop each serving to 4 Weight Watchers points, still a lot for a vegetable and might not be as enjoyable. I'll try this with half the butter. But either way, in my diet regimen, this is for special occasions, enjoying every single bite! TOMATO BREAD PUDDING Active time: 10 minutes Time to table: 30 minutes Serves 4 28 ounce can petite dice tomatoes, including juices (see ALANNA's TIPS) 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 pinches cayenne 4 slices bread (see TIPS) 4 tablespoons butter Preheat oven to 400F. Mix tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauc

I thought this'd be a snap. The lawn needed mowing, a storm was coming and needed to be beat. And the carrots needed to sit before serving. I chose the stove over the lawn mower. The bad news is the storm hit before the carrots were done. (That's why they say, Tomorrow is another day.) The good news is the carrots turned out great and there wouldn't have been enough time to finish the yard anyway. But oh what a pile of dishes! #1 the food processor #2 the pan for blanching #3 the collander #4 the ice water bowl #5 the mixing bowl I did, half successfully combine #2 and #4. And #2 or #4 could be used for #5 if time weren't an issue. At least I made a double recipe, 2X the results for 1X the dishes. But this may not be a keeper (only because of all the dishes it requires) even if it does look beautiful in the refrigerator. (I just love glass containers!) CARROTS WITH DILL Active time: 30 minutes Time to table: 1 - 2 hours Makes 6 cups Water Table s