How to Freeze Corn ♥

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of sharing a table and an evening's worth of conversation with Niman Ranch pork producers Richard and Delores Blackford whose central-Iowa farm is only a tractor's ride from where my great-grandparents once were townies raising strawberries on a corner lot.

And when an Iowa farmwife shares the technique she uses to put up 120 quarts of corn every summer, you just know this Veggie Evangelist is grabbing a pen to take furious notes -- not that notes are required, the technique is dead simple.

So on the drive back to St. Louis, I picked up a 'farmers dozen' ears of corn whose fourteen ears yielded only a scant six cups of corn -- about 1 percent of what Mrs. Blackford puts up -- but I promise to enjoy every single kernel. Here's her recipe - farm-tested, farm-loved, farm-sweet.

Here Mr. and Mrs. Blackford enjoy the first page of Pig Perfect by the ever-so-charming Peter Kaminsky who in his book weaves tales of 'Encounters with Remarkable Swine and Some Great Ways to Cook Them' and was the keynote speaker at the 2007 annual Hog Farmer Appreciation Dinner. More on THAT, later!

MAKE IT A MEAL Corn and pork (and soybeans) are the primary agricultural products of Iowa so let's serve today's frozen corn (rewarmed briefly in the microwave) with a Kitchen Parade Quick Supper, Tender Pork Tenderloin.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for plenty more great corn recipes, including how to cook corn in the microwave.

A YEAR AGO A September 11th Remembrance and a simple arugula salad.

TWO YEARS AGO Roasted Tomatoes with Herbed Ricotta, just a terrific appetizer.

MORE CORN RECIPES from FAVORITE FOOD BLOGS
From Simply Recipes, Arugula Corn Salad with Bacon
From La Tartine Gourmande, Corn Soup
From Smitten Kitchen, Corn Muffins

HOW TO FREEZE CORN

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to freezer: 2 hours

Water to cover
Fresh sweet corn

Bring water to boil in a large pot - enough to 'wet' the corn and leave room to move around but not have the kernels floating aimlessly around.

Meanwhile, shuck the corn, leaving the 'handles' on, rubbing off the corn silk with your hands under running water. In a large broad bowl, hold the corn upright in one hand, tip down. Top to bottom, slice off the the kernels in broad swaths.

Drop corn into boiling water and let return to a boil. Cook for 4 - 5 minutes, just enough to burn off the starch but not completely 'cook'. Drain well in a colander. Spread the corn evenly on a baking sheet and refrigerate for an hour or so, just enough to chill the corn and to slightly dry it. Transfer to freezer bags, squeezing out the air before sealing. If you like, you can 'double bag' (which will help prevent freezer burn) by placing smaller bags (quart-size, say) in large ones (gallon bags).

Freeze. To serve, transfer corn to a microwave-safe dish and warm for 2 - 3 minutes in the microwave.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Nutrition Information Per 1/4 pound of raw corn: 98 Cal (11% from Fat, 13% from Protein, 76% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 1 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 22 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb19; 4 g Sugar; 2 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 17 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Nutrition Information Per ear of raw corn (about 1/2 cup): 31 Cal (11% from Fat, 13% from Protein, 76% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 7 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; NetCarb6; 1 g Sugar; 1 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 5 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

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Yellow Squash Coconut Soup ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable soup recipe: A riff on a Julia Child’s master soup recipe, thickened with a starch like rice (or here, farro) instead of flour.

~recipe & photo updated 2013~
~more recently updated recipes~

2007 Original Post: Would Julia Child be pleased? Will StephenCooks be pleased? Yes and yes, I think. You see, this soup is a variation on on last month's Cream of Zucchini Soup, a 'master recipe' from Julia Child's The Way to Cook but is also inspired by Stephen's Summer Squash & Fresh Corn Soup. I especially like Stephen's idea that some times we cook with our 'left hands', almost without thought while cooking something else, because it's that simple or flexible or forgiving.

So rather than use rice and sour cream like before, I used farro and coconut milk. And instead of the blender (or Stephen's faster food processor) to process, I used the Braun immersion blender, saving space in the dishwasher. And I used bacon grease instead of butter for more meaty flavor and substituted cabbage for onion since that's all that was on hand – there you go! an entirely different soup.

It'll work the same for you, too, just cook with your 'left hand'.

WHAT IS FARRO? It's a high-protein, high-fiber grain that is sometimes called 'emmer wheat' and is much-appreciated in Italian cuisine. I fell in love with this grain, its nutty and hearty puff, last spring. I don't quite know how to explain how it's different but I do recommend that you look for it. If you like, Amazon sells Farro Perlato. In St. Louis, I find it at Global Foods, in the rice section). The 'pearled' or 'semi-pearled' farro has some of the husk removed and cooks more quickly.

YELLOW SQUASH COCONUT SOUP

Hands-on time: maybe 30 minutes?
Time to table: maybe 90 minutes?
Makes 10 cups

8 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon bacon grease (or butter or olive oil for vegan soup)
1 small onion, diced
1/2 a medium cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup farro (or rice, brown rice works fine)
1 teaspoon turmeric, for color

1 1/2 pounds yellow squash, trimmed and grated (set aside about 1/4)
15 ounces low-fat coconut milk (or some other creamy liquid such as sour cream)
Salt & pepper to taste

Unsweetened toasted coconut, to garnish, optional

Bring 4 cups of broth to a boil in the microwave. Meanwhile, in a very large pot or Dutch oven, melt the bacon grease on MEDIUM HIGH til shimmery, then add the onion and cabbage as it’s prepped, stirring to coat and then stirring often. Add the farro and turmeric, and stir to coat, let cook for about 5 minutes until cabbage is beginning to soften. Add 3/4 of the squash, stir to coat. Add the 4 cups hot broth and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer, cover and let cook for 15 - 30 minutes until the farro and squash are cooked. (While this happens, heat the remaining 4 cups broth, add it to the pot too.) With an immersion blender, process soup until it’s as smooth as desired. Add remaining 1/4 squash and coconut milk and warm completely through. Season to taste. Spoon into bowls and garnish with coconut.

ALANNA’s TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
2007: This soup was good both hot and cold but the coconut flavor was more pronounced when hot. The immersion blender didn't yield the same unctuous smoothness as the blender but honestly, I loved the bits of nutty farro and chunks of squash though it's decidedly more rustic.

2013: This time, I used yellow squash from the garden and oh my, but the skins were tough and the centers seedy. I did carve out the seeds before chopping – there was no grating these – and in retrospect, I should have used a vegetable peeler to remove the skins. The tough skins made two big differences, the cooking time was longer and I really had to pur´e the soup in the blender, no “rustic texture” this time.

2013: I also used a full-fat coconut milk because that’s what was on hand and this made for a very rich soup, too rich for my taste especially since the chicken stock was also quite rich.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 108 Calories; 4 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 12 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; NetCarb 11; 3 g Sugar; 478 mg Sodium; 1 mg Cholesterol; 5 g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 2 & WW PointsPlus 3 CALORIE COUNTERS & MEDIFAST REAL FOOD 100-calorie serving, scant 1 cup.

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MORE FAVORITE RECIPES ESPECIALLY FOR YELLOW SQUASH
~ Yellow Squash Soup with Spinach: Early Autumn Leaves in Soup ~
~ Israeli Couscous Salad with Yellow Squash & Sun-Dried Tomatoes ~
~ Yellow Summer Squash Casserole ~
~ more summer squash recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

MORE FAVORITE RECIPES FOR SUMMER SQUASH
~ Mediterranean Eggplant ~
~ Finnish Summer Soup ~
~ Ratatouille ~
~ more summer squash recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with hundreds of well-organized, quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.

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Green Smoothies ♥

How to make green smoothies, lots of tips and ideas and recipes.

So far, my response to the mere mention of green smoothies has ranged from 'polite' to "Ewww". But that's without tasting one!

A confession: While I wanted to 'try' a green smoothie, I really didn't expect to like it. But I do! I've been experimenting with 'how much green' tastes good – I like more than less but not a lot. And for the last couple of weeks, my morning routine has included a green smoothie – often, with milk to fulfill the Weight Watchers milk/calcium requirement, so 'breakfast in a glass'. They're fast, easy, very pretty! I've collected some combinations here, just to inspire.

GREEN SMOOTHIE TIPS
The trick seems to be to start with fruit, then add green to taste. The first smoothie, I started with a single leaf of Swiss chard - and the taste was all fruit. For the second, I used two leaves of chard, brightened with lemon juice -- and this tasted decidedly bright and green and VERY alive. I loved it. The third, I used three leaves of chard, that was a bit much.
If you can, keep to 'whole' fruit (versus juice) so that you get the full benefit of fiber:calories. If need be, thin with water or milk.
Citrus juice is an important brightener.
Banana tastes 'familiar' and adds creaminess.
Milk of course adds creaminess too, even skim milk. Buttermilk adds a little 'tang'.
Try to avoid adding processed sugar, teach your tastebuds to appreciate things sweetened only with fruit.
It takes a LOT of fresh herbs (like mint, say) to be equivalent taste-wise and color-wise of a single leaf of chard, say. So I use fresh herbs just as a flavor accent, not as the "green".
If extra calories are important, add an egg. This may be raw food but feel free to skip the shell. :-)
UPDATE Don't be surprised when green smoothies don't always turn out a pretty green color. This from my clever cousin Barb, who makes smoothies in a Vitamix. She says, "When the smoothie looks like poop, you put it in a solid glass. When it's a pretty color, you put it in a clear glass."
UPDATE Here's a revelation, smoothies keep! So now I make a blenderful, drink a glass and put the rest into one-cup glass jars for the fridge. Later on, a quick stir and my smoothie is good to go.
If you create your own green smoothie - leave the magic recipe in a comment! UPDATE And do read the comments, they are full of great tips and ideas.
NUTRITION NOTE When Weight Watchers launched PointsPlus in 2010, fruit servings became "free". That means that technically, if you choose, the smoothies made with just fruit and vegetables could be considered "free". But I'm choosing to calculate calories and points the way I always do, because fruit calories can add up really fast for those of us who really love fruit.

GREEN SMOOTHIE I

ORANGE - BANANA - CHARD
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 8 ounces (about 1 cup)

Zest of an orange
1 whole seedless orange, cut in quarters, flesh and sections (yes, pith and all, for fiber)
1/2 banana
1 large Swiss chard leaf (ribs sliced away)
Water to thin
1 tablespoon Estonian kama (which I'm completely addicted to, but wheat germ would work too)

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Cup (using wheat germ): 187 Calories; 1 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 44 g Carb; 8 g Fiber; NetCarb36; 27 g Sugar; 62 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; 5 g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 3, PointsPlus 5

GREEN SMOOTHIE II

ORANGE - BANANA - PLUM - LEMON - MORE CHARD
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 8 ounces (about 1 cup)

Zest of an orange
1 whole seedless orange, cut in quarters, flesh and sections (yes, pith and all, for fiber)
1/2 banana
1 Italian plum
Juice of a lemon - an important brightener
3 large Swiss chard leaves (ribs sliced away)

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Cup: 159 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 40g Carb; 7g Fiber; 25g Sugar; 122mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2.5, PointsPlus 5

GREEN SMOOTHIE III

BANANA - LIME - APPLE - MILK - CHARD (pretty pale green color!)
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 16 ounces (about 2 cups)

1/2 banana
Zest & juice of a lime
2 large Swiss chard leaves (center ribs sliced away)
1 small apple (4 ounces), cored but skin on
1 cup skim milk

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Cup: 110 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 24g Carb; 3g Fiber; 17g Sugar; 166mg Sodium; 2mg Cholesterol; 6g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1.5, PointsPlus 3 (including milk)

GREEN SMOOTHIE IV

BANANA - LEMON - APPLE - MILK - PLUM - MINT (a soggy green)
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes about 16 ounces (about 2 cups)

1/2 banana
Zest & juice of a lemon
1 small apple (4 ounces), cored but skin on
2 Italian plums, pitted, skins on
1 cup skim milk
About 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint, leaves only

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Taste and adjust.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Cup: 141 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 2mg Cholesterol; 70mg Sodium; 31g Carb; 5g Fiber; 23g Sugar; 6g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2, PointsPlus 4

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MORE FAVORITE SMOOTHIE RECIPES
~ Beet Smoothies ~
~ Green Smoothies ~
~ Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothies ~
~ Tomato Smoothie ~
~ Weight Watchers Smoothie Recipes ~
~ more drinks & smoothie recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Cantaloupe Smoothie ~
~ Mango Lassi with Fresh Mint ~
~ Mango & Beet Smoothies ~
~ more smoothie recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

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Spaghetti Squash Salad with Tomato, Basil & Feta ♥

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 mix of tomatoes/red pepper - the tomato moisture is appreciated.

KITCHEN NOTES The 'spaghetti' strings weren't visible until the squash was cooked. I even wondered if I'd brought home a yellow acorn squash.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for more winter squash recipes. Tis the season! I've already roasted a butternut squash so new recipes to come!

A YEAR AGO I discovered the anatomy of a squash and for the first time, cooked squash blossoms.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD with TOMATO, BASIL & FETA

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

HOW TO COOK SPAGHETTI SQUASH IN THE MICROWAVE (here, when cut, you can also cook whole spaghetti squash in the microwave)
1 spaghetti squash (tonight, a small one, about a pound)
1/4 cup water

Cut the squash in half pole to pole. Place cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish with the water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 6 minutes, turn the dish, then another 6 minutes. (Microwave strengths do vary, so do the moisture content and size of squash. Use the information here as a guideline, not a formula.)

Let squash rest, covered, for 2 - 3 minutes, primarily to cool. (I opened it up first, to make sure the squash was done, then recovered.) With a fork, scrape the flesh, creating 'spaghetti' strings.

MEANWHILE
1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, chopped (I had just one small tomato)
Red pepper, diced (did add nice crunch)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 square inches feta, crumbled

1 tablespoon olive oil (I added this at the end, hoping it wouldn't be needed, but it was, almost as much as 'binder' as flavor and richness)
Salt & pepper

Mix tomato, pepper, onion, basil, oregano and feta in a medium bowl. Stir in spaghetti squash. Add olive oil and seasoning as needed.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 92 Cal (35% from Fat, 14% from Protein, 51% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 13 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 2 g Sugar; 110 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 184 mg Sodium; 13 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from Gourmet, September 1990

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

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Warm Sweet Potato Salad ♥

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 used. Still, this was a very satisfying vegetarian main dish salad.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Sweet potatoes are quite a favorite so I'm surprised to find relatively few sweet potato recipes in the Recipe Box. Time to fix that!

TWO YEARS AGO Hurricane Rice ... in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the much-missed Paper Chef inspired many of us to cook with New Orleans-inspired ingredients

WARM SWEET POTATO SALAD

Hands-on time: 35 minutes (plus occasional attention for the duration)
Time to table: 50 minutes
Makes 8 side dishes, 4 main dish servings

SWEET POTATOES (if pan sautéing)
1 tablespoon oil (I used corn)
1 red onion, diced (I skipped this and used 1 dozen green onions, cut on the diagonal)
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
Watercress (I skipped this)
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet on MEDIUM. Add the onion and sweet potato as they're prepped, stirring to coat with oil. Let cook, stirring often, letting brown a bit. When dressing is ready, add a tablespoon at a time to speed cooking and flavor the sweet potatoes. I used about 1/3 of the dressing. Season to taste with salt.

DRESSING
3/4 cup oil (I used corn)
2 medium dried New Mexico chilies (or guiajillo chiles), stemmed and seeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup vinegar (I used balsamic which Rick Bayless says adds sweetness, he prefers sherry vinegar for richness, or champagne or white wine vinegar for lightness)
Salt to taste

In a large skillet, warm the oil on MEDIUM. Add the peppers and garlic and let warm for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and whizz til smooth. [RICK BAYLESS' ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the peppers and garlic after letting warm together for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender and finish the dressing. The skillet will still have some oil in it, use this to start cooking the onion and potatoes.]

ASSEMBLY
Salad Greens
Dressing
Sweet Potato Salad

Dress greens with a tablespoon of dressing per serving. Top with sweet potatoes. Serve while still warm.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With 4 servings - Per Serving: 466 Cal (58% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 39% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 31 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 7 g Mono Fat; 46 g Carb; 6 g Fiber; NetCarb40; 16 g Sugar; 75 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 63 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 11 points

With 8 servings - Per Serving: 233 Cal (58% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 39% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 16 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 23 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 8 g Sugar; 38 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 31 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 5 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

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Summer Vegetable Curry ♥

One of my favorite summer stews, vegan and delicious and a great way to use a collection of vegetables from a CSA or the farmers market when the season's at its peak.

~recipe & photo updated 2011~
~more recently updated recipes~
~such a summer favorite, republished 2011~

2007: By design, most vegetable recipes here on A Veggie Venture are simple and thus nearly always feature a single vegetable at a time. But there are times -- now! -- when the market's vegetables are so plentiful, eyes exceed appetite and soon it's almost Saturday and the vegetable bin is still overflowing from last week's purchases.

So this summer vegetable curry, an Indian-spiced riff on 2005's Summer Vegetable Stew, is perfect using up a lot of vegetables all at once. It takes some chopping and dicing but in the end, is completely delicious both hot and cold. I especially like it cold, doused in a splash of cream. Swoon ...
Keep Reading ->>>

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Baked Eggs & Tomatoes & Whaaat? ♥

Yes, those are little fishy 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?

REVISITING a COOKBOOK Some years back, my long-time friend Lisa (and soon-to-be Portland food blogger!) recommended Janet Mandel's My Kitchen in Spain and its '225 Authentic Regional Recipes'. I made a thing or two but felt uninspired. Then I remade Summer Vegetable Stew (because so many of you were clicking on it, thank you for the reminder!) and it was soooo delicious. I rifled back through the cookbook and found myself wanting to make every single recipe! So don't be surprised to find more as time passes ...

KITCHEN NOTES The inspiring recipe specified adding the eggs to the partly-heated tomatoes and baking for another 4 minutes. Even after 14 minutes, the whole egg was barely cooked but would make raw-egg people (hello, 80K!) squeamish. A second egg, whose yolk broke and dispersed throughout the tomatoes, was perfectly cooked -- in fact, while the dish wouldn't be as pretty, next time I might whisk an egg or two (or my favorite for omelettes, an egg plus two extra whites) and pour over the tomatoes.

NUTRITION NOTES With only 5 net carbs, this is a great addition to the breakfast options in the brand-new low-carb vegetable recipes.

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A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK in KITCHEN PARADE Two recipes for fall's abundant bell peppers, a pair of grilled pepper salads

TWO YEARS AGO Early Autumn Leaves in Soup and one of my least-intuitive Weight Watchers tips

BAKED EGGS & TOMATOES

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 20 - 40 minutes
Serves 1 but easily multiplied

Fresh tomatoes
Parsley, chopped
Dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil (plenty ...)

1 - 2 eggs
1 - 2 anchovy filets, optional

Preheat oven to 375F. Slice tomatoes about 1/3 inch thick and layer in an oven-safe dish, overlapping a bit. Sprinkle with parsley, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. (Wipe the sides of the dish with a damp paper towel if you care about aesthetics.) Bake for about 10 minutes plus whatever time is left to preheat. Carefully slip an egg onto the tomatoes, then place an anchovy or two alongside. Bake for another 4 - 20 minutes, or until whites are cooked and yolk fully heated through. (This will still qualify as 'raw' or 'uncooked' egg for anyone who worries about salmonella.)

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving (with 1 egg, 1 anchovy): 164 Cal (60% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 17% from Carb); 10 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 7 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb5; 1 g Sugar; 60 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 241 mg Sodium; 249 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from My Kitchen in Spain

SHORTHAND RECIPE
BAKED EGGS & TOMATOES Slice tomatoes into oven-safe dish, top w parsley, dried oregano, S&P, 1t EVOO. Bake 375F 10min. Top w egg (or mixed egg/whites) & anchovy, bake another x min. WW=3

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes, the just-relaunched low-carb vegetable recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.

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