It’s time to host my first contest/giveaway, and what an amazing prize I have for one lucky winner! If you recall, I received and have been enjoying a gargantuan cornucopia of the loveliest of produce from Farmer Lee Jones of Chef’s Garden. Each Summer Chef’s Garden stages a sensational event to further benefit their outstanding Veggi U program.
“Veggie U, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization at the Culinary Vegetable Institute is committed to fostering a synergy between educational, nutritional, and agricultural goals to combat the rising epidemic of childhood obesity. Veggie U joined forces with top chefs, some of the area’s finest educators, a nutritionist and a local physician to see how we could impact this challenge.”
The 2009 Food and Wine Celebration will be held this July 18th from 4-9 p.m. in Milan, Ohio on the beautiful grounds of The Culinary Vegetable Institute. There will be food from a multitude of top chefs from around the country, a Star Chef Cook-off with judging by our homegrown Michael Ruhlman and Fred Griffith, Alex Guarnaschelli – Executive Chef of New York restaurant, BUTTER, and more. Also, fine wines, music and merrymaking. Wish I could be there, sniff sniff, but that darned work is interfering with my play time!
Just because I can’t make the event, does not mean that you need miss out. And to help you get there, Farmer Lee Jones and I are offering a prize of TWO TICKETS to the Food and Wine Celebration – now THAT is something to celebrate! The tickets are individually priced at $145.00 – this is one prize for two tickets,which makes this a very, very, no, make that an exquisitely generous giveaway.
I know many of my readers live across the nation and around the globe, but, hey – we have hotels, come on down for a visit!
Contest begins today Wednesday, June 24 ‘09.
Contest ends Tuesday, June 30 ‘09 at midnight (or as close as I can get after catering a pool party in a thunderstorm tonight!) where a winner will be determined by random.org and announced on Wednesday July 1 ‘09 – yippee – July, my birthday month!
To enter, please leave a comment describing your favorite vegetable dish. Make sure there is a means for me to contact you…
On your marks, get set, VEG OUT!
One of the chefs featured at the Veggie U event is Executive Chef Jonathan Bennett from the Beachwood restaurant, Moxie, where he will be preparing diver scallops with favas, bronze fennel, micro lemon balm, and housemade fromage blanc – wonder who is going to be eating this plate of beautiful food instead of me me me! I asked Jonathan for the recipe to a favorite Moxie beet salad with addictive crispy wheat thins to use with the Chef’s Garden bundle of little beets, and he was happy to share. The dressing makes a generous two cup quantity – good to keep in the house all week – I even used some of the extra on a roasted pork dish with some orange zest, shallots and rosemary. Thank you, Chef Jonathan!
Moxie Beet Salad: Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette, Arugula, Ricotta Salata and Wheat Thins
Courtesy of Chef Jonathan Bennett, Moxie
Serves 4-6
1 bunch medium beets
Canola oil
Salt & pepper
Generous handful arugula
Shavings of ricotta salata
Oven to 350. Toss beets with a small bit of canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a small roasting pan, cover, and roast until fork-tender, up to an hour (mine were so petite they only took 20 minutes). Let cool enough to handle, slip off the skins and quarter.
While beets are roasting, prepare the vinaigrette:
Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons local honey
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil until smooth. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.
Moxie Wheat Thins
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons raw wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons nonfat instant dry milk
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon dark molasses
In a stand mixer fitted with paddle: combine the flour through the nonfat milk powder and combine. Drop in the butter in and mix until in the butter breaks down to the size of peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses and water, drizzle into the flour mixer and knead dough on low until smooth. Wrap dough and chill for one hour. Roll out very thin, cut into shapes and bake 350 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Cool on rack.
Toss quartered beets with vinaigrette to taste and arugula. Top salad with shavings of ricotta salata and some wheat thins.
I did indeed prepare this this salad, however, I quickly found out that multi-hued beets topped with thin shavings of white cheese were a tiny terror to photograph and ate the evidence!
Remember, if you don’t comment, you can’t WIN!
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And for more local flavor that’s a little bit edgy and a lot urban, you might want to check out this rogue dining opportunity posted over at Cleveland Foodie
78 Comments
This year I can honestly say I have begun to experience the beauty of local produce, dairy, meats etc. My favourite vegetable dishes used to be the normal grocery fare, but not so anymore. I now salivate for radishes picked the same morning, sauteed greens from beets and turnips, but I do have an absolute favourite. The beet itself is something I had only tasted from a can prior to a month ago. I can’t stop eating them now! Bake ‘em first and then go to town. Mmmmmmmmm beets.
hmm, favorite veggie dish. That’s a tough one. Does pork count? I think I’ve heard Symon describe it as a vegetable. I grew up a meat & potatoes kid. The only veggies I’d touch were carrots, corn, & green beans. Luckily I’ve expanded my palate as I’ve grown up. Joining a CSA last year forced me to eat a lot of new things. I really enjoyed all the different peas, eggplants, & squashes. All things I’d never eaten before.
I think the veggie I’ve enjoyed most is asparagus. I usually like it simple, a little olive oil, salt, & pepper and tossed on the grill. Also thought I’d share a recipe I’ve enjoyed:
Chili Garlic Grilled Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 pinches fresh ground pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red chilies
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Few tablespoons olive oil
Split each asparagus stem in half lengthwise.
Combine remaining ingredients and toss with asparagus
Marinate 20-45 minutes
Grill over medium hot grill for about 1 minute or until they caramelize and slightly char. They should remain crisp.
Forgot my contact info in case I win, duh!
whittaker.daves AT gmail
My favorite vegetable dish is the first ripe tomato I find in my garden, preferably a nice dark, purple, almost bruise colored, Black from Tula.
I pluck it, still warm from the sun, give it a swipe on my shirt, and eat it right in the the garden. If a little juice dribbles down my chin, so much the better.
ps – Congrats to Lisa Anne for giving beets a chance. So many around here seem to be beet repelled, perhaps from being subjected to too many slices of pickled canned ones being served atop many an iceberg salad. Fresh from the garden beets are one of nature’s best gifts.
My favorite veggie is spring leaf lettuce. I have a homemade ranch dressing made with homemade mayo and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD! The bigger the bowl, the better! I’ve had some of the CVI’s greens, and let me just tell you what a match made in heaven!!!
I’ve taken my kids to the Childrens Harvest sessions at CVI with Chef Erica on a few occasions, but never to an event like this. The venue is so warm and inviting, I would LOVE to attend this with my husband! What a great gift and such a worthy cause!
Thanks in advance for the opportunity to win tickets!!
Carolyn Spengler
spenglcs at zoominternet.net
I have been eating a mesclun/baby romaine salad with avocado, grape tomatoes, vidalia onion, diced garlic and lemon juice on it!! If everything is super FRESH lemon juice makes it taste like I have a vinaigrette on it. EAT THAT with a sweet potato with a little butter, kosher salt, and toasted pine nuts!
I actually am just learning to like my veggies. I grew up hating just about everything but raw carrots and lettuce. But I am finding that many vegs that I previously eschewed are delicious if purchased in season and cooked simply. Even though I grew up with parents who grew tons of tomatoes I always refused them after having winter store bought tomatoes. I was in my 20s before I tried a fresh one from the garden and it was a whole new world – right now I have 9 plants growing in my backyard! I can’t wait for Caprese salads later this summer. Right now I’m loving local sugar snap peas tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and thrown in some foil to cook on the grill.
My favorite veggie dish is Thai Cucumber Salad. It’s savory, spicy, and very delicious!
I find that a lot of the time the side of vegetables is the add on to dinner. This chinese style sauteed green beans dish is extremely tasty and is always a huge hit with people.
Here’s a link to the recipe (I still get multiple views from this post from months ago):
http://dineomite.blogspot.com/2009/02/chinese-restaurant-style-sauteed-green.html
I eagerly await the arrival of the green beans I planted this year.
Absolutely love oh so many vegetables :)
My favorite veggie recipe of the moment is one that has already become quite tried and true — my husband and I have prepared for family gatherings and for ourselves several times, being a recurring hit.
It’s a simple and crazy delicious Asparagus, Pecorino and Red Onion Salad, compliments of Anne Burrell:
Ingredients
* 1 bunch pencil asparagus, tough bottom stems removed
* 1 small red onion, finely diced
* 1 cup coarsely grated aged pecorino
* 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* Kosher salt
Directions
Cut the asparagus, including the tips into very thin slices, crosswise and place in a medium bowl. Add the red onion and pecorino and toss to combine. Dress with the vinegar, olive oil and salt and toss again. This salad should be fairly heavily dressed. The vinegar will sort of “cook” or tenderize the asparagus.
It is best to do this about an hour or so in advance to let the flavors “marry”.
Enjoy!
It’s hard to pick one, but the one I like to make the most is roasted Brussels sprouts (with olive oil and salt). It’s so simple to make, and taste really good with a variety of entrees. And it ends up converting a lot of non-Brussels sprout eaters.
Love spinach – love swiss chard – they are so versatile and tasty – and beautiful in the final product…whether it be alone with butter (yes, butter) – or added to quiche – even a simple salad…with eggs…even a complicated salad – full of Vitamin A and – who cares if a little bit gets stuck in between the teeth – had to say that! LOL as that can heppen easily!
What would Popeye do?
I know its simple, but I just love grilled asparagus tossed with a little bit of oil and sea salt. I am also a sucker for a good potato gratin with gruyere and balsamic glazed onions.
Ironically, even though I’m a life-long vegetarian, I’ve only recently discovered the joys of fresh vegetables. (Thanks, Whole Foods!) But I’ve often said that I could eat eggplant every day for the rest of my life. It’s so versatile…bread it and bake it in the oven (my favorite way to eat it – or if you don’t have prep time, Dominex makes great vegan cutlets sold in a freezer section near you)…sautee it with some garlic, olive oil, and spices and put the mixture over spaghetti squash…fry it…make burgers out of it…I could really be the Forrest Gump of eggplant.
my favorite veggie dish is from a fabulous little chinese restaurant in toronto’s chinatown. baby bokchoy sauteed with peashoot and garlic. I wish i could go eat there now.
marni.turell at gmail.com
warm beets with blue cheese, sliced almonds, fresh mint and orange zest.
I’ve always been a sucker for a good fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad. :)
sweetflutter83 at gmail.com
I’ve always been a sucker for a good fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad. :)
sweetflutter83 at gmail.com
Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!
I’d have to say my favorite veg is mushrooms… so versatile an so easy to pair with a great burgundy from France! I like them all… oyster, crimni, shitake, portabello, morel… the list goes on…. Great to accompany a steak as a side… or to make a burger out of as the focal point of a dish!
fresh, warm from the sun lettuce. salad is the main staple of my diet this time of year. in fact veggies are about 85% of my diet so whats not to love <3
my favorite veggie dish is guacamole. recently I have been making it with some mango, red pepper, and roasted garlic.
admendelsohn at yahoo dot com
My father used to grow Kentucky wonders every year. We would wait for the first picking. He would harvest a big bowl full, clean them and saute them with a couple of onions, set them aside and cook a pound of chopped bacon he bought special. When the bacon was done to his liking he would combine both with a little seasoned salt and fresh pepper, put that next to a platter of fresh sliced tomatoes and a big loaf of bread, and we had dinner. There was never any left. YUMMO!! I remember Dad every summer when we have it…
We are always looking for ways to eat more veggies in my house. Japanese Pizza is a big fav in my house: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/japanese-pizza-recipe.html
With the summer we also love tacos w/ fresh salsa and beans.
My favorite veggie dish is something my papou (greek granfather) called tourlou. It was a stew like concoction of tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots zucchini and pole beans. It sometimes included potatos. Some nice crusty bread finished it off.
Anything green…broccoli rabe, kale, spinach, asparagus, arugula, swiss chard, artichokes…yum
jyllpresley at gmail dot com
not sure if a salsa is a “dish” but i made a few times last week and everyone loved it.
Sweet & Spicy corn salsa:
-1 Can Corn
-1 can black beans
-1 small can crushed pineapple
-1 jalapeño
-tomatoes
-red pepper
-1/2 red onion
-cilantro
-1 lime juiced
-white wine vinegar
-salt
-hot sauce
-honey
My go-to summer vegetable dish is roasted redskin or fingerling potatoes with olive oil and fresh rosemary. It tastes wonderful with grilled meats and is a nice accompaniment to red and white wines. Toss the potatoes in olive oil, add a handful of fresh snipped rosemary leaves, fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and slivered Vidalia onion, if it’s in season. Roast for 20-25 mins. at 450 degrees, stirring once halfway through, and they’re delicious.
My lunch these days, sourced from CityFresh & the West Side Market:
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich:
– Two slices hungarian white bread
– big slices of red/green/whatever peppers
– big planks of zucchini
– slice of Heini’s cheddar cheese
– ball park mustard
– leaf of lettuce
– olive oil
– salt & pepper
Toss pepper and zucchini in a small amount of olive oil w/ salt & pepper to taste.
Grill pepper & zucchini until lightly charred and somewhat soft.
Remove from grill.
Sop up leftover olive oil with bread
and grill the bread.
Assemble sandwich – top w/ cheddar cheese and let it sit for a minute or so so that the cheese gets melty.
Spread mustard on the top piece of bread.
Top sandwich with lettuce & enjoy!
fblack947 (at) yahoo (dot) com
my favorite vegetables of the moment are some local sugar snap peas, just quickly stir fried with some garlic, salt, and a little bit of olive oil. so fresh and delicious!
Easily, the best vegetable “dish” is the simplest. In the heat of the summer, go out to your grandmother’s garden (praying she has one!), and pick the juiciest, reddest, plumpest, largest tomato you can find. I particularly like the ones where the skin is so streched it looks like the fruit will burst any second, sending gorgeous pulp and seed confetti flying. Twist the stem, get your hands sticky in that vine-sap that smells like the essence of summer gardening, and pull it off with purpose.
Go inside and cut a thick slice from the middle. If you’re lucky, the tomato will be so juicy your plate will instantly be covered in that pinkish juice that always reminds me of what’s left after one eats a grapefruit. Sprinkle a generous helping of very coarse sea salt over the slice and listen – you can practically hear the juices rising out upon contact. After a few minutes, pick the slice up with your hands (no forks here), and if the juice isn’t running down your chin, staining the cotton of your shirt, moisturizing the skin on your arms and elbows, you are doing something wrong. The combination of the sweet, sweet tomato with the perfect cut of the salt might be what I love most about food, and what first made me realize as a child that some things are just so perfect.
ewilliams033@gmail.com
Grilled summer squash with cilantro pesto. Grill summer squashes with a pesto made from cilantro, pine nuts, garlic, plum vinegar, pecans, and olive oil. Put extra pesto on after squashes are done being grilled.
kmersek@gmail.com
I love Brussels sprouts. Yes, that’s right… I said it – the veggie every kid (and usually well into adulthood) HATES!
Boil, then fry with a little butter and almonds. Mmmmm!
My favorite veggie dish is most definitely a steaming hot, just out of the fryer, true Israeli falafel sandwich… Fluffy, spicy, garlicky chickpea fritters with TONS of tahini, red cabbage, pickled turnips, fresh flat-leaf parsley, and (my favorite, and a household staple at almost every meal) Israeli salad, which is simply composed of chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion in a red wine vinaigrette. Definitely a comfort food for me! Yum!
msp10 at brandeis dot edu
Yum fresh veggies are finally here. Favorite right now: Rainbow chard sauted in olive oil with garlic and a few red pepper flakes. Delicious!
sarah.anne.sweeney@gmail.com
All summer long I love to eat grilled green zucchini. I cut it lengthwise, dress the flat side with oil, salt, and pepper. I then grill it skin side down over medium high heat. After a few minutes I flip it over for another few minutes. I usually have a steak cooking on the other side of the grill. Simple, but perfect
Hard to choose a favorite–I live to eat and each season offers its own vegi pleasures. I swoon for fresh asparagus brushed with really good olive oil, grilled till it’s soft and almost melty, sprinkled with French grey salt placed atop a slice of grilled country bread.–Now if I really want to feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven I’ll top all of this with a very runny poached farm fresh egg. Oh don’t forget the fresh ground pepper and a dusting of grated reggiano-parmesan.
I love green beans sauteed with garlic or caramelized onions (or both)– really simple, but good, farm fresh green beans make the dish spectacular.
My favorite veg dish is my mother’s summertime staple that she dubbed “Garlic Tomatoes” a million years ago. This dish is rural Ohio summer to me.
Sliced tomatoes, tons of chopped garlic, salt & pepper, chopped Hungarian Hot Wax peppers, cider vinegar, and veg oil… placed in a shallow dish, in that order. Let sit for at least an hour. This is eaten daily, as long as the good tomatoes hold out.
I have tried to tinker with this basic recipe for years… Olive oil? Maybe it could use a little basil? Balsamic? Nope. It’s only satisfying in it’s original form. (Actually, that’s not true… the only thing that improves it is a hamburger. You’ve never had a better hamburger than one with a Garlic Tomato on it.)
leslielfenton@yahoo.com
I love taking this salad to work for lunch, it’s very colorful and satisfying.
Assemble on a bed of leaf lettuce the following: quinoa, roasted beets, feta cheese, sprinkle with thyme, drizzle with orange juice and olive oil, and of course, salt and pepper to taste.
I love the fresh vegetable variety that the farmer’s market brings to Ohio in the high summer months! My absolute favorite is roasted beets–growing up my mother gave me the kind out of a can, and I couldn’t believe that the beets I found at my farmer’s market were even related to those atrocities my mom tried to make me eat as a kid!
I love the dark as well as the golden… warm out of the oven with a nice ripe blue cheese, some toasted walnuts and a drizzle of honey! (Also fresh from the farmer’s market!)
It’s a summer staple for me. Second on my summer favorite is a good old fashioned caprese salad… now you have me running out the door to the nearest farmer stand!
I really enjoy good quality canned tuna with cannellini beans, chopped red onions and thinly sliced celery on radicchio (or other leaf lettuce.) Drizzle with olive oil with sage and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. It makes a great lunch or lite supper with crusty French bread and dry white wine. Enjoy!
I love squash. I’ll eat any kind but my favorite is spagetti squash with a little oil, garlic, tomatos, and what veggies looked good that day.
My all time favorite way to eat the garden’s bounty is raw. When the temperature soars, I love a crudite plate with a nice spinach dip inside a home baked pumpernickel bread. Add a side of different wheels of cheese and I am a happy girl! To complete the meal, I would make a nice berry or stone fruit cobbler, crisp or pie.
what a great giveaway!! I love it.
my favorite veggie dish is tough to choose but if I had to choose one it would simply be garlic sauteed with baby spinach, salt, pepper, and a little butter on top. YUM!
my contact norrisak at gmail dot com
just picked tomatoes, slightly warm from the sun.
unsure if contact info is above:
francesbachman@yahoo.com
the tomatoes girl
Hello! Thank Cleveland foodie for pointing out your blog and I am digging it! My favorite veggie dish is difficult to choose, but I love corn on the cob cooked on the grill with a little curry powder and a little butter on it under the husk before grilling. I also love blanched asparagus served cold with a lemon pepper vinaigrette. And any really ripe fresh tomato sliced with salt and pepper.
Oh yell email me at robert@thegldc.com if you choose me to win. Thanks!
I was one of those kids who liked veggies early on- so much so that my dad thought it was quite odd. (My kid likes cucumbers? And peppers? He was so puzzled.)
Now, I try to include them whenever I can. I love raw green beans, and I’m in love with a recipe from Le Petit Triangle’s demo at a farmer’s market- called a ‘pistou’ which is a pesto except French and without cheese. Loads of herbs and simple fresh salad- it’s just so crisp, clean, and fresh. I like roasted veggies, but there is something about the crunch and snap when you bite into raw veggies that is just fabulous.
Thanks to cleveland foodie for pointing this out- and for all the comments/recipes! Making me hungry!
Oh, this is a touch one! My favorite vegetable dish…. I can’t believe I have to pick one!
I think that at this point in my life I’m going to have to choose the simple salad I made for lunch last week. Lettuces from my garden. Sorrel from my garden. Spinach from my garden. Green onion from my garden. Mung beans that *I* sprouted myself. Herb-vinaigrette made from my herbs from my garden. (There were more ingredients, I’m sure…. but they aren’t as important!)
I am saddened by the fact I can’t enter your first contest! Must be at a wedding on July 18th…sniff
One of my favorite veggies are spring peas, whether they be on their own or as a great addition to a salad or main course. One of my favorite ways to use them is to brighten and freshen up a delicious risotto made with chicken broth and white wine, mascarpone cheese, a serious hit of lemon juice, and fresh flat-leaf parsely.
emilybw@umd.edu
My favorite veggie dish, this time of year anyway, is a nice, spicy, Gazpacho using garden fresh tomatoes and other veggies
A recent discovery I can’t seem to get enough of is sliced radishes on top of buttered sour dough toast and sprinkled wtih sea salt. The simplicity is ridiculous yet delicious!
My husband recently found a recipe for spinach that is fantastic. Its spinach sauteed in garlic olive oil and then finished with dried cranberries (rehydrated) and a splash of balsamic (+ pine nuts if you are so inclined). Great this time of year with fresh spinach.
What an amazing giveaway! I served at this event a few years back- it would be amazing to attend! SO here is my official entry- I discovered this super simple treat this summer- and can’t get enough. Strawberry Bruschetta!
Slice and broil baguette, top with goat cheese, sliced homegrown local strawberries, candied walnuts and balsamic glaze (I found it at Heinen’s already prepared). Then pop back in the oven for a min or two to melt the cheese a little! A variation on the dish is using the same goat cheese, strawberries but adding arugula and olive oil (instead of the glaze and walnuts) for something a bit more savory. YUM!
so i just realized mine is a fruit dish…well arugula is a veggie…:)
CORN SOUFFLE
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 can cream corn
1 can regular corn, drained
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 stick butter
Melt butter, add slightly beaten eggs and sour cream. Add corn; stir. Add mix; stir again. Bake in 350 degree oven uncovered for 45 minutes.
I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite summer veggie and I could go on endlessly about the many things I enjoy doing with them but for brevity’s sake I tried to pick a top fave and it is a summer BLT. Depending on my mood I will either use challah or pain de montagne from Zingerman’s (I always have both in the freezer). Lightly toast the bread and layer with bacon from The Sausage Shop and heirloom tomato slices (preferably one of the black variety) and lettuce (both from our CSA) finish either with Hellman’s or home-made may. It doesn’t get better than that.
Hmmmm…favorite summer veggie.
Big Salad!
Fresh light dressing that teases the senses, but does not torture the stomach.
Everything crunchy chopped! Everything not crunchy sliced.
I’ll take one for lunch please ;-)
My favorite veggie dish right now is actually a fruit dish and so simple. I cut up a mango and add a little grated ginger and some chopped mint. Delicious.
A scrumptious veggie dish (more of a fall winter one) is green beans with garlic-roasted crimini mushrooms, carmelized shallots, and toasted hazelnuts.
Oh, I was inundated with beets from the CSA last year & found this recipe online:
Katherine’s Raw Beet Slaw
http://blueheronlocal.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/enjoying-beets/
I made it & it was a hit with all. I can’t wait to make it again! It’s really delish.
It’s pretty basic, but I still love it.
Roasted asparagus with baby mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.
Anything that combines roasted or grilled veggies and goat cheese is #1 in my book!!
My favorite veggie dish (since quitting meat over a year ago) is definitely simple. Roasting seasonal vegetables with a blend of herbs, spices, and a little olive oil makes my day any day. Served over a bit of quinoa – perfect!
My favorite summer vegetable dish is one I’d like to believe my mother invented. It’s simply tomatoes, seasoned bread crumbs and NY extra sharp cheddar all layered in a baking pan (Tomatoes, crumbs, cheese. Tomatoes, crumbs, cheese, etc.). Bake until the cheese is melted and the bread crumbs are crispy. The natural moisture from the tomatoes provides just the right amount of wet for the bread crumbs. Yummy yum yum!
The beet gnocchi at Bice was always my favorite vegetable dish. The potato & beet gnocchi with a creamy raisin sauce was so delicious that I came very close to licking the plate!
For what I make at home, my simple but fresh pico de gallo with tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime, cilantro and chipolte peppers is always quickly eaten once I finished preparing it.
My favorite veggie dish wasn’t always my favorite. It’s more of a meal than a vegetable dish, and we used to make it for my vegetarian aunt when she would come for Thanksgiving. When we were little, my brother and I gave it the name “vegetable yucko” but as I grew older, and began to appreciate it’s yumminess. It’s a vegetable pot-pie of sorts, with sauteed squash, zucchini, green beans, peas, carrots, and potatoes with spices and a creamy bechamel. Layer the veggies and sauce in a small baking pan and top it with a nice layer of puff pastry. Once the pastry puffs in the oven, dig in! Rich and decadent, yet fresh and flaky all at once.
Anykind of mushroom. Made any way you can think of. Oh yeah and spinach too.
My husband has put a tremendous amount of work into making our garden successful and I am proud to say that my new favorite veggie dish would be the dijon/bacon potato salad that he made the other night with heirloom potatoes from our OWN garden! Yippee!!! Delicious!
My children and I love asparagus. Raw, steamed, sauted… any which way! Recently we went to a function where the host marinated asparagus in olive oil and herbs, then cooked it on the grill. Amazing flavor and so tender.
I love jicama. fresh, raw jicama with lime juice and a little salt makes a summer day that much better.
My favorite vegetable dish for the summer is fresh guacamole. There is nothing better than fresh avocados, fire roasted poblano peppers, garlic, onions, cilantro and lime juice. Plus, guacamole is very versatile. Not only can you make it your own by adding some personal touches, but you can add it to a variety of different foods, i.e. burgers, grilled pizzas, tacos or by itself. YUM!
Zucchini from my garden any way….grilled, roasted, fried, etc.
Wine Bar Rocky River got me hooked on these:Crusty french bread baguette slices topped with Brie, Avocado, and Balsamic Marinated Homegrown Tomatoes!You place the bread with brie and avocado into the oven to get brie nice and melty and then top with cold tomatoes. Deeeeeliissshhh. They’re always better there (probably because they are made a little different), but when i don’t get the chance to go, i savor at home.
Thanks for the chance to win! :)
Hmmm … I might have a new favorite vegetable dish every week, depending on which cookbook is tempting me the most and what I buy at the farmers’ market. Right now, my top choice is a simple (but incredibly delicious) one:
- Cut a couple thick slices of good, hefty multigrain bread.
- Spread the bread with a creamy or white cheese or, if there’s no cheese in the fridge, some good butter.
- Press a handful of chopped green onions into the cheese or butter.
- Top with thin-sliced fresh radishes from the farmer’s market. Salt liberally, eat and wash down with a glass of good beer to wash it down.
A bonus: This requires no cooking, and you don’t need a plate or utensils, though you can use a knife and fork if you’re feeling fussy.
That is a GORGEOUS photo of beets!!