Several times a week, I pull out a small and inexpensive immersion blender or its attachments. It doesn't replace a blender, a food processor or a mixer, but it sure is handy for small jobs, well worth the $25 invested a couple of years ago. (2008 Update: The Braun product I have is being discontinued but there are many brands of immersion blenders .) What's shown is the 'motor' (the top piece) attached to a mini food processor (the bottom piece). It includes a cup with a food-processor-type blade that's just perfect for small jobs. The cup includes both a rubber piece that works both to stabilize the cup for standing/processing and as an air-tight cover. There's also the immersion blender itself, which makes quick work of most soups without the hassle of getting out/cleaning/putting away the blender or big Cuisinart food processor. One word of caution: the immersion blade must be fully immersed in the soup - otherwise, soup will splatter all over. There's a

One of my favorite salads from the first year of A Veggie Venture, canned garbanzo beans mixed with summer-fresh vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and corn plus a smidgin of heat from a pantry ingredient, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Lots of rave reviews! Fresh & Seasonal. A Summer Classic. Great for Meal Prep. Easy Weeknight Supper. Low Carb. Low Fat. Scales from Small Plates to Large Platters. Weight Watchers Friendly. Easily Vegan. Naturally Gluten Free.

Would you rather eat exotic edamame (ed-uh-MAH-may) or spartan SOY ? Take your pick becuase they're the same thing, fresh soy beans. And they're delicious! Now that they come shelled and frozen, they're easy to cook and easy to find year-round. This is an okaaaaaay salad. But if you don't yet know how good edamame beans taste, don't make this your introduction: you might not return. As it turns out, the recipe seemed familiar. Sure enough, when I waded through its reviews on Epicurious, I made it a year ago and had the same reaction: good enough but just okay. The carrot flavor and texture overwhelm the delicacy of the beans. Looks great, though, doesn't it? You don't often get such great color on your plate! Leftover Update: This either grew on me or improved with a day in the frig. So I'd now recommend it even though it doesn't pay edamame their due. Buying Tip: At my grocery, the produce section at my grocery sells 10-ounce packages o

Today's summery pasta salad recipe: My go-to pasta salad during summer, packed with lovely Mediterranean flavors, radicchio, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Keep Summer Orzo on hand for a quick side salad straight from the fridge or better still, as a bed for grilled fish or sautéed shrimp ... this is no heavy pasta salad, it's light and fresh and at least to my taste, downright habit-forming. Great for Meal Prep. Potluck Favorite. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real .

Some people carry knives when they'll be cooking somewhere else. Me, I carry a microplane. With just a few whisks, it makes piles and piles of fluffy Parmesan, lemon zest, lime zest. This is one of several versions. I like its broad face. I like the rubber handle. I like the fine rasp. Nov 2006 Update: While I love the fine grate, I really really love the ribbon grater, especially for Parmesan and chocolate. In my kitchen, both are necessities. I've also learned to measure by weight, not volume, whenever a microplane is used. Think about getting the finger guards. While I've only scraped myself once, it was sore for several hours ... and I have a friend who loves her Microplane but does have trouble getting scraped.

Today's vegetable sandwich recipe: Quick and easy, just baked eggplant slices paired with a healthy green hummus. Not just vegan, " Vegan Done Real ". WAY BACK IN 2005 Talk about supper in a flash! It could be made still easier with a supermarket hummus. But the hummus took 10 minutes to pull together in the food processor AND, very unusually, has no added fat. I made it a few days ago (and didn't get around to the eggplant) and since it was around, had it with tomato sandwiches, grilled pepper sandwiches, etc. It's even good plain on toast! You could make it in advance, too. Or there's time to mix it while the eggplant broils. UPDATE I just love it when A Veggie Venture's first-year recipes still appeal. In all honestly, as much fun as I was having exploring new ways to try vegetables, I was also kind of flailing around, a new recipe for every day. Looking back, as a result, those vegetable recipes tend to be quick and easy and healthy, the kind of fo