'TIS THE SEASON...FOR SO, SO MUCH!

Not actually my basket, but I couldn't resist snapping a photo of those cute little tomatoes.

My Bountiful Sprout basket was overflowing with soooo much goodness this week -- a pound each of green beans from two different producers, serrano peppers and jalapenos, about five kinds of tomatoes, fresh peaches and blackberries, little red potatoes and spring onions, cucumbers, etc. So what's a girl to do when faced with this much goodness, all with a limited lifespan -- especially when it's a girl who doesn't believe in spending more than about thirty minutes on dinner prep, and prefers to cook more like every other night? Well, to start off with, you make something like a yummy Salade Provencal -- a salad which varies from season to season, but which usually involves boiled new potatoes and green beans, fresh, roasted, or sun dried tomatoes, kalamata or Nicoise olives and capers, and a bit of tuna or feta cheese, tossed together with a nice vinaigrette which has been whipped up on the spot (there's probably a link to my basic recipe over in the right sidebar under "favorites").

Another day I oven roasted some roma tomatoes in olive oil, s&p, a dash of sugar and some Italian dried herbs, at a low temp for about two and a half hours. Yes, it took more than my usual 30 minutes, but most of that was oven time where I was free to read or work on my latest art project (love havin' my "studio" right there in the kitchen!). I used half of the tomatoes that same evening as a pasta sauce, with some torn fresh basil and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. The other half got stored in their cooking oil in the fridge, to be served later over some good goat cheese on toast or crackers, or added to a salad or sandwich. We roast a lot of our veggies. Just about any veggie tastes ten times better cut up into bite sized pieces, tossed with a little olive oil and sea salt, then roasted for about 20 minutes at 400 F, turning once. Root veggies are fantastic that way, but we even roast green beans and asparagus, just for a shorter amount of time. If you know a broccoli hater, try serving them crispy, caramelized roasted broccoli. I bet they'll change their mind!

Since most recipes these days are for at least four servings, and there are just the two of us here, we usually eat half and freeze half. That way I always have several different things in the freezer -- including some small containers of different soups and stews made in the past few months, and a package of really good mushroom raviolis that I always keep on hand -- that I can pull out and heat up in a jiff. I'm not a multitasker, and can't handle prepping three recipes at once, but last night, since we had a main course from the freezer, plus leftover Pad Thai and Provencal salad in the fridge, I didn't mind spending the time to bake a yummy peach and blackberry crisp, using one of my 30-Day Vegan recipes.

Heather actually gave it to us as a breakfast recipe (the topping is made of rolled oats mixed with a little coconut oil, a wee bit of maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg) but I thought it made a delish dessert as well, and helped me use up most of my fruit before it had a chance to go bad. It would probably freeze pretty well, too.

On nights when the main course requires all of my attention, then I go for simple side dishes like fresh sliced tomatoes splashed with a bit of good balsamic vinegar, or thinly sliced cucumber and onion dumped into a bowl, then submerged in a mixture of half water/half vinegar with a spoonful of sugar and a dash of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and allowed to crisp up in the fridge for a while before serving. Kept covered in the refrigerator, we can eat off that for two or three days. If I clean and steam a bunch of green beans, to the point where they are just barely done, then I can store them in the fridge for a few days as well. I might pull out part one night and saute' them in a little butter with some chopped pecans, and on another night I might reheat them in a bit of sesame oil and minced garlic with a splash of soy sauce. And when I'm really feeling lazy, there's always tomato sammiches!

While we're on the subject of food, I want to share with you the most important thing I learned in my on-line cooking class -- something way more important than all those yummy recipes I came away with. You see, in the practice of holistic nutrition, there is something known as "crowding out."  I don't take well to deprivation, or to anyone telling me I can't have certain foods. I never, ever crave donuts --  until someone tells me I cannot have one. Then, suddenly, that's all I can think about! However, instead of telling her students "You must eliminate all alcohol, sugar, caffeine, gluten and animal products from your diet!", Heather believes in telling them "These are the foods and practices you should be adding to your daily intake." She finds that, if you do add an abundance of delicious plant based recipes, plenty of water, physical movement, fresh air and positive thinking to your daily routine, the other stuff will eventually get crowded out. You just begin to lose interest in them. She says "the more good you put in, the less not so good you desire." You know what, I think she's on to something there, because the whole month we were taking her class -- despite the fact that I had given myself permission right from the start to eat cheese and eggs any time I wanted, and meat on the weekends and when dining out -- we were just eating so much really good stuff, I never once found myself with a strong craving for anything else.

Know what else is really cool? My cholesterol level has been steadily climbing over the last ten or so years, and the fact that my "good cholesterol" was so high, giving me a decent risk ratio, was the only thing keeping doctors from putting me on statins.  Last year however, when it reached 268, I was given an ultimatum -- bring it down, or else! Well, after just a couple of months of eating more plants, less meat, even though my weight is about the same as it was at my last check up, guess whose cholesterol had dropped 16 points?