Spaghetti Squash - do they have their own flavor or simply deliver other flavors? So far, my vote's on 'delivery'. This particular spaghetti squash was home-grown, just-picked and small (maybe a pound versus the typical three-pound footballs from the grocery) so I figured if ever there were flavor to be found, this was it. Nope. But nonetheless, this salad - which 'delivers' fresh tomato, basil and feta - was quite good and easy to pull together. Spaghetti squash does have its compensations. It has virtually no calories and cooks in a flash (here, in the microwave). So -- as long as we expect no flavor from the squash itself, it's a perfect delivery vehicle. NEXT TIME I'll be tempted to put the salad into a casserole dish and warm through to serve hot. I'm quite sure that the inspiring recipe intended this to be a warm side dish, but spaghetti squash doesn't hold heat so it just didn't turn out that way. I'll also use all tomatoes versus a

I like this dressing! It's made from dried New Mexico chiles (or something called guajillo chiles which I've never seen before), which impart depth and smokiness, not heat. And by itself, it made up in just 10 minutes, a quick and easy job. It would be a great alternate dressing for last year's Warm Root Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . NEXT TIME Since the sweet potatoes take much longer to skillet sauté, I've re-arranged the recipe to shorten your time requirements. But another time, I'd be tempted then roast or steam the sweet potatoes, then toss lightly in some dressing -- or maybe grill slices of sweet potato brushed with the dressing. Did I mention I really like this dressing?! NUTRITION Cooking the potatoes this way took a whole lot more oil than I'm comfortable with -- and the nutrition analysis (see below) definitely shows this. After cooking and then eating, my skin even felt oily. As much as I like the dressing, I'd like it more if less were u

Vegetables for Breakfast! Easy lazy-morning fare, a Spanish-style breakfast with warm summer tomatoes baked with eggs and if you like, draped with anchovies or in my case, good bacon! So good! Weight Watchers Friendly, just 4 points. Low Carb, gluten free and paleo. ~recipe & photo updated 2014~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ Original Post 2007: Yes, those are fishy little anchovy guys draped amid the tomatoes and eggs. I love their salty contribution but for anyone who's anchovy skittish, the eggs and tomatoes are entirely gorgeous, all on their own. This is an easy breakfast recipe, one to make spur of the moment some lazy weekend while the tomatoes are still luscious. I used thick slices of fresh San Marzano tomatoes: beautiful. No tomatoes? Then how about Baked Eggs in Cream with Spinach ? Not excited about eggs? Then how about more recipes for perfect summer tomatoes ? Update 2014: Careful recipe hunters will note that this time, I draped bacon across the baked eg

Stuff me! That's what every vegetable is shouting right now. And I'm listening! Earlier this week, I stuffed eight-ball zucchini with rice 'n' stuff but these are a whole 'nother take, peppers with fresh tomato and other garden goodness. SAN MARZANO TOMATOES For the first time, I found fresh San Marzano tomatoes. They have the meatiness of a Roma so are good for stuffing. And taste-wise they are VERY good -- I can't put my finger on it, but they are definitely different, startlingly so at first, then you just want to gobble them up and can't really tell. KITCHEN NOTES The muddled-red peppers looked pretty but the green ones tasted better. Look for 'squatty' versus 'tall' peppers that are easier to stuff and stand upright. NEXT TIME Next time I'll use smaller peppers, like a side dish, since one big pepper isn't all that appetizing to eat whole. I'll also chop the tomatoes so they pack better into the peppers. FROM THE ARCHIVES S

What is it about late summer that all of a sudden I want to cook with vegetables again? For two, maybe three months, assembling vegetables into quick salads and side vegetables has been satisfying. But suddenly, I want more! But not more complicated! These took only 20 minutes to assemble (oh wait, am I still assembling?!) and another 20 in the oven. The eight-ball 'round' zucchini are very tasty and perfect for stuffing -- no real recipe required but I'll share what I did because it was very good. The basics would work for any stuffing. Scoop out the zucchini, steam them upside down for six or seven minutes, then stuff and toss into the oven to finish cooking and warm the contents. Yum ... a great vegetarian supper. HOMEMADE BOURSIN I intended to use Boursin, the creamy-garlicky stuff from the grocery, as a binder. But -- what ARE they thinking? -- the stuff is selling at my local supermarket for $7.69 for 4.4 ounces which is a ridiculous $28 a pound. Forget that!!! I b

If you're a low-carb dieter, you're going to love A Veggie Venture's brand-new home for low-carb vegetable recipes . It's been re-organized but you'll find all your favorite low-carb vegetable recipes from before. Plus -- especially good news for regular visitors -- it's completely up-to-date so there are dozens and dozens of new recipes easily accessible for the first time! The new page is also easy to find - see it there? right at the top of every page! Regular visitors know that there are so many vegetable recipes on A Veggie Venture, without organization, it would be hard to find 'the' recipe, you know, the quick one for supper or the perfect one for a special meal. To make all my vegetable recipes easy to find in a flash (I always imagine someone ready to leave work, planning a grocery stop and wondering what quick vegetable to make for supper), in the last while, I've also created special sections for microwave vegetable recipes

An unexpected benefit of tracking what vegetables are fresh in Maine is the reminder that certain inexpensive, readily available and super-healthful vegetables are woefully unpopulated in what is approaching 800 vegetable recipes, chard , say. It just goes to show that even someone who's obsessed captivated by vegetables has to pay attention too. Enter this easy-to-prepare, adaptable and tasty vegetarian supper. The greens (essentially Greek Greens ) could even be cooked a day or two in advance, making supper itself a real snap. NEXT TIME I'll add lemon zest, maybe some roasted pepper, hmm, red maybe or maybe poblano. I might also saute the stems to toss in, maybe more onion and oh, say, some leftover rotisserie chicken. This is also a great way to use up odds and ends of leftover vegetables at the end of the week, whatever's on hand. It's a great 'concept recipe'. CALORIE NOTES Again and again I'm surprised by how many calories live in those diet-tasting