Too late, I realized that the inspiring recipe's warning "Just be sure not to overcook the broccoli" should have been heeded. So my version was overcooked. But this simple cold broccoli salad has potential. It's just (next time, quickly blanched) broccoli with chopped celery or fennel (for crunch!) tossed in a simple vinaigrette with olives, green onions and capers. NUTRITION NOTES ... This is a great low-carb and low-calorie choice for carb counters and Weight Watchers. NEXT TIME ... This would be an easy salad to keep adding to. Cherry tomatoes. Bits of cheese. Red pepper. FOR THE RECORD ... This is my contribution to ARF Tusdays, the antioxidant-rich inspiration that happens at Sweetnicks every Tuesday. It's easy to join in -- do! FROM THE ARCHIVES ... This is my favorite broccoli summer salad -- no cooking required! It's in the Recipe Box . BROCCOLI SALAD with OLIVES Bookmark or print Broccoli Salad with Olives Hands-on time: 20 minutes Time to

Here in the oh-so-green hills of eastern Missouri, it's strawberry time! The local berries are in a couple of weeks early this year and the verdict is: glorious! This week's Kitchen Parade column is all about strawberries, strawberry salads, to be precise. First is a Strawberry Pepper Salad that's worthy of the best berries, my favorite (and kid-friendly!) green salad in a long, long time. And for days when only supermarket berries are available, there's a Strawberry Spinach Salad with a Poppy Seed Vinaigrette. Very good! For the record, this is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen . (c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade

Oh, what a sad day. It was likely the last of the local asparagus, fat and fresh-perfect from the field. (For St Louisans: Scharf's Farm raises the best local asparagus I know ... their stand is at Soulard Market on Saturdays (and perhaps Fridays?) in the north building on the Broadway side, midway on the north side of the aisle. It's worth finding for a couple of weeks early, St Louis' best strawberries are here too ...) But the pimenton, a smoky Spanish paprika, entirely overpowered the asparagus. It was the inspiring recipe's second choice but the first was chili powder ... which I suspect would be equally overpowering. FOR THE RECORD ... This is another contribution to the Asparagus Aspirations at Seriously Good. My favorite entry so far is asparagus with anchovies and garlic -- very worthy of local asparagus! But scampy Kevin seems especially taken by Lemon Lovers' Lickin' Good Roasted Asparagus . And because the asparagus came from a local far

It's the time of year when I leave behind the keyboard at five o'clock and happily head straight outside -- where I throw a frisbee for the dog who's not getting a good walk and then haul mulch, transplant ferns and hostas and perennial flowers, edge gardens, pick up &*$%# sweetgum balls, train rose bushes along the fenceline and ivy up the trellises, and ... and ... Just before dark, I move inside, glad that supper's waiting, something light and fresh and as spring-like as my garden ministrations. Add a glass of wine and ... let's just say a great night's sleep is next on the list! This is Asian Chicken Salad , just now published online from the 2003 Kitchen Parade column archives. It's also my contribution to ARF Tuesdays at Sweetnicks, a wonderful collection of ARF-rich inspirational dishes from all over the world. (c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade

No veggies today! Instead, try this simple raspberry cake . It's perfect for Mother's Day and is featured in this week's Kitchen Parade column. Looking for more food inspiration for Mother's Day ... breakfast in bed? a family dinner? both?! The Kitchen Parade Recipe Box has many recipes perfect for Mother's Day celebrations. (c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade

Today's vegetable recipe: Fresh asparagus roasted with thin slices of lemon. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. ~ recipe updated 2008 ~ 2006: This is tactile cook's dream. Just imagine a room already heady with lemon scent, then kneading your hands to roll the fat spears of local asparagus in sweet olive oil and fragrant oregano and thin-sliced slippery lemons and sweet Maldon salt, your fingers emerging sweet and salty and pungent and -- entirely lickable. This is a lovely treatment for asparagus! NEXT TIME I'll start roasting the lemons first, giving them 5 - 10 minutes head start. And the thinner the slices, the quicker they brown. NUTRITION NOTES I splurged and used the full 2 tablespoons of olive oil suggested by the inspiring recipe. But about half was left behind in the pan after roasting. So the full 2 tablespoons makes it easier to coat and roast the asparagus but isn't actually consumed -- unless you lick the pan?! FOR ST LOUISANS This is my first local vegeta

My dear Auntie Gloria -- one of the best cooks ever -- taught me how to assemble plates with a little bit of this and a tiny bit of that, all leftover from a day or a few days before. Add a sandwich or a bowl of soup and wow, it's like a smorgie (you know, a smorgasbord) on a plate. So starting about this time in spring, the fridge becomes home to two or three cold salads at a time. I'm always looking for new ideas for quick-prep and healthful salads. This particular carrot-spice salad didn't work for me on Day One. It did improve considerably by sitting overnight. Chef-Girl.net , who inspired the concoction, thinks resting helps, too, "It has a really nice flavour to it once it’s sat for a little while." KITCHEN NOTES ... Think about ... using lemon juice vs orange juice ... and skipping the dill seed entirely since it didn't soften and seemed off, somehow, combined with coriander and chili powder. FOR the RECORD ... This is my contribution to ARF Tue