From this week's Kitchen Parade column: "Summers back, friends hosted a backyard potluck, convening spirited folk from the different corners of their lives. The midsummer night was steamy, the kids rambunctious, the trees a rainbow of colored light, the Jimmy Buffet dulcet. Food-wise, the talk of the party was the ‘pink potatoes’ ..." What makes potatoes pink? For the rest of the column and the recipe for Those Pink Potatoes and That Pink Salad (a family favorite with an addictive bite), read this week's Kitchen Parade column . SO WHAT IS KITCHEN PARADE, EXACTLY? Kitchen Parade is the food column that my Mom started writing for our family newspaper when I was a baby. Today it's published in my hometown newspapers in suburban St. Louis and features ' fresh seasonal recipes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences '. Where A Veggie Venture is 'pure food blog', full of experimentation and exploration, Kitchen Parade features

For a couple of years now, I've experimented with various mandoline-type slicing tools, including several hand-held ones ( this one actually works but it was a freebie my sister received in the mail) and a couple of $30 - $50 'sliding slicers'. Finally, I found the one I love! (Thanks to Karen from FamilyStyle Food for the recommendation!) It's a Japanese-style benriner, some times called a Japanese mandoline (or mandolin) or an Asian mandoline (or mandolin), some times called a V-Slicer. Me, I call it extraordinarily handy in the kitchen, especially for transforming raw vegetables into perfectly thin and perfectly versions of themselves -- often this makes them edible (and enjoyable) uncooked, but for cooking small size means fast cooking. In 2005, it was a technique for aggressively trimming broccoli that was 'life transforming' - at least the vegetable area of my life! In 2007, it's the Benriner that allows two of my four tips for transforming munda

Today's untraditional pesto, it's made with beets and their wonderful earthiness! You might call this pesto, you might call it a beet spread or even a beet appetizer. But I'm willing to bet, you will definitely call it delicious! Fresh & Seasonal, a Summer Classic. Gorgeous Color! Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Low Carb. Low Fat & No Added Oil. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly. Rave Reviews.

Today's gorgeous summer salad recipe: A re-invention of that old picnic favorite, the green bean salad. Here, start with fresh green beans, toss them in an Asian-inspired dressing, then top with soy-glazed nuts. Vegan. Delicious! On Saturday, my street had its first neighborhood potluck in 16 years. On a decidedly steamy and buggy Missouri afternoon, we gathered in a back yard to meet newcomers and greet long-timers. Many thanks to Ed, Molly and Ellen for making it happen! (All very neighborly, Alanna, but for the rest of us, what about the food?) Right. The food! My contribution was a green bean salad made from fresh green beans, a welcome "whole vegetable" contrast to bowls of box-store creamy coleslaw and gloppy potato salad. My neighbors' unsolicited comments demonstrate how distinct the individual flavors remain, even as they meld together for something quite unusual: "We loooove cilantro!" "I taste sesame oil!" "Oh the garli

Looking to stay hydrated in the heat and exercise of summer? Don't let the season pass without at least one pitcher of this refreshing water, a welcome change from plain water. Nothing fancy here, just a simple mix of thin-sliced lemon and cucumber plus fresh mint leaves. Fresh & Seasonal, Super Simple. Budget Friendly. Healthy Summer Drinks. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free.

Get out the champagne! (Or perhaps more fittingly, just a glass of cold water ...) Slow down. Sit back. Savor. And do enjoy ... And please forgive my silliness. I was just so pleased to see the first home-grown, vine-ripened and just-picked tomatoes at the Wednesday market last night! This is the third year to celebrate perfect summer tomatoes -- yes I really do keep a special section for recipes that absolutely call for summer's best tomatoes! In the first year, I discovered My First Panzanella ("How did I get to be ?? years old without panzanella? All those wasted years!?") . In the second year, it was a recipe for gazpacho that sent me over the top ("all about the flavor of wonderful local tomatoes ...") . Now at the start of the third year, what shall it be ... ideas, anyone? PRINT JUST A RECIPE! (Though I promise, this doesn't qualify!) Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how .

By this time of the year, we've all had our fill of asparagus. Except me! As much as I appreciate the beautiful St. Louis-grown asparagus, I love that good asparagus can be found at the grocery store both "before" and "after" our own growing season. There are just so many great ways to cook asparagus . And when it comes to fat-fat spears of asparagus, oh they're so good roasted! This is another simple treatment, just anise seed and salt and pepper. The anise draws something unexpected out of the asparagus -- and no, it's not 'licorice' or even licorice flavor. It's a keeper. See the little white bowl? A year ago Christmas, a very generous Santa gave me a gift certificate to Cornucopia , the kitchen shop located in my little hometown downtown. A gift certificate turned out to be the perfect choice for a 'cook who has everything', or at least, everything she really wants. I've been surprised by the usefulness of the small mortar and