Vegetables Archives – Page 10 of 10

Don’t Be Chicken, It’s Easy to Roast

Roast a chicken with vegetables for a simple, delicious dinner anytime.

Michael loves a turkey dinner with all the fixings, just like his mother makes. She is a pro at it, so understandably I had some trepidation about being able to replicate it…so much so that on our honeymoon, I muttered in my sleep, “I forgot to baste the turkey.”

In the years that followed, I have successfully made that dinner, but it’s a lot of work for an everyday meal. So Michael and I have agreed on what the most essential elements are, so that he can enjoy it more often. As it turns out, he is just as happy with a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and peas. Cranberry sauce doesn’t hurt. He’s partial to the jellied variety from the can, so I don’t even bother making something from scratch anymore, even though I think that’s more interesting.

Roast Chicken With Vegetables

In the early days, I even shied away from roasting a whole chicken. I had eaten boneless, skinless breasts for so long that I imagined roasting a whole bird to be a complicated affair until Michael’s Aunt Beanie said to me reassuringly, “It’s just about the easiest thing ever. All you have to do is put it in the oven.”

Aunt Beanie was right. You can stuff the cavity and under the skin with all kinds of herbs, onion, garlic, lemons etc. But in its simplest form, it couldn’t be easier. A little seasoned salt and roasted at 425 for an hour and a half works for a 4-5 pound bird. (Rubbing the skin with a little butter first helps it turn golden brown.) Let it rest before carving. In the meal pictured above, I threw some carrots into the roasting pan during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Peas

Peas were always my least favorite part of this meal. As a child, I would swallow them whole with my milk whenever possible. I didn’t like the texture, so I basically came to view peas as only suitable for a garnish; a pop of color in paella, for example. Then my friend, Veronica, served fresh English peas in a way that I found absolutely delicious and not mushy. She put them into a skillet with some shallots and butter. Changed my view forever. I still keep the ubiquitous frozen variety around, but instead of boiling them, I now put them into a skillet with butter for a couple minutes with some onion and garlic. Easy peasy!

For more on mashed potatoes and gravy, please read No Small Potatoes.

Plant and Grow With an Eye to the Future

Try planting veggie scraps for zero waste cooking.

I applaud my friend Tina, who is making the most of her available land by deciding to plant a vegetable garden. I can hardly wait to see how everything matures. So many varieties she has chosen!

a newly planted vegetable garden with evergreens in the background

For many of us who cannot plant so extensively, we can still think about small, edible things we might grow in a pot. I wouldn’t describe myself as having a green thumb, but my friend, Debra, told me once years ago about green onions.
“Throw the root ends into some dirt and they know what to do.” Yes, she was right. Even I can grow green onions in a pot. Zero waste cooking!

green onions growing in small terra cotta pot

You can try planting a celery stump in a small space too. I have also planted a sliver of beet root. They are both sprouting leaves. We shall see where it leads!

Do you have a sunny spot for some tomatoes? There is nothing like a home grown tomato! How about some fresh herbs?

I heard that Swiss chard doesn’t need much sun. It’s also beautiful.

I saw these artichokes yesterday and thought they were breathtaking. Usually harvested for food before they’re allowed to flower, these were allowed to bloom so that we could appreciate their beauty.

Everyone loves flowers. Could you plant edible ones? Nasturtiums have a delicious peppery flavor, besides being visually stunning with their bright orange hue.

What can you plant and grow?

See what a difference even just a tiny sprinkling of green makes by viewing Pepper Prepper.

Undressing the Dressing: Secrets Revealed

Learn to make healthy homemade salad dressing.

It amuses me whenever someone watches me prepare a simple meal and suddenly they gasp in amazement, “You make your own salad dressing?!” Um…yes, I guess I take it for granted that everyone does. If you haven’t, rest assured that it’s very simple. I hardly ever buy bottled dressing because healthy homemade salad dressing is so easy.

Making Dressing

Usually I start with a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt in my mortar. I mash that up with my pestle and then add some kind of acid to it. Fresh lemon juice is my favorite, but it could be any kind of citrus juice or vinegar that you have available.

I keep a variety of vinegars in my pantry as they each have their own distinct qualities and they have a long, if not indefinite shelf life. Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and rice vinegar are among my favorites. Then I take a fork and use it to slowly whisk in some olive oil. That’s it. Couldn’t be simpler. Taste it as you go and you will find the ratio that works for you. (If I didn’t have a mortar and pestle or food processor, I would mince the garlic and then mash it with the flat side of a big knife, put it into a bowl and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.)

Now, it doesn’t mean you have to stop there. You can layer in all kinds of additions to change the personality of this dressing. Fresh or dried herbs of your choice, dijon or some other kind of mustard, additional spices, fruit jam, honey, miso paste etc. etc. etc. Just think about how you want to balance the flavors in a way that appeals to you and your family.

More Than Veggies

So here’s a salad where I added dried mint to the basic dressing. Finishing up some fresh produce here, with the addition of some leftover farro and canned black beans. Dried grains and canned beans are elevated to a higher level when they’re paired with something fresh. If you’re spacing out your shopping trips, it’s nice to consider combining in this way: something fresh, something dried, something canned…and always finding a new purpose for your leftovers!

tossed salad with radicchio on a white plate — Radicchio with romaine, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, farro, green onion and cilantro with lemon mint vinaigrette

For more salad inspiration, please read Meet the Beets next.

No Boring Leftovers Challenge

Repurpose leftovers for a fresh new meal.

Got leftovers? Lots of us don’t want to eat the same meal all over again in the next day or two. What to do? If you don’t think you will eat it within a couple days, put it in the freezer, by all means.

Here’s another way to practice zero waste cooking: reinvent leftovers. Using some meat from a previous dinner, we had this refreshing lunch of lamb sandwiches alongside hummus, which Michael declared was better than the last lamb sandwich he had at our favorite Greek restaurant. (Translation: no surprising, unwanted bites of fat.) High praise from a guy who many years ago remarked that he would rather go to the aforementioned restaurant after I had made something similar! Why do I remember these random events, but he never does? It’s okay, Honey, I’m listening!

It’s easy enough to make your own hummus, as long as you don’t insist on peeling all the garbanzos…Yes, my perfectionistic friends, you know who you are. If you prefer the smoother consistency, that’s fantastic! You can make it for me when we see each other next rather than the other way around.

Making the most of the leftover meat, I mixed it with romaine, tomatoes and cilantro. A crushed clove of garlic mixed with a little plain yogurt made a quick, healthy salad dressing. If I had cucumbers, I would have put those in there too. You could do something similar with cabbage if you were out of lettuce. Celery is also great for dipping in hummus. I had the bread in the freezer, which is where I usually put it as soon as I buy it. Crackers would work instead. Olives should ALWAYS be in the pantry, as far as I’m concerned. Don’t you agree?

For more on reinventing leftovers and zero waste cooking, please read Use Your Head, Plan Ahead next.

Frugal Meal Ideas Make Me a Peppy Pepper Prepper

Frugal meal ideas begin with shopping smart and using fresh produce in the proper order. Stuffed peppers, anyone?

At the end of one very busy day, I realized I had a videoconference coming up in 20 minutes and I had not begun the dinner preparation that I had intended. I didn’t want to wait until after my appointment to start something because we would be very hungry by then. So I turned the oven on to 350 and pondered what to do.

Well, I had bought 3 red bell peppers from the clearance rack at the market because they had a couple tiny soft spots and the skins were starting to wrinkle ever so slightly. So they were my top priority to be eaten. That’s how frugal meal ideas are born. Use your fresh, seasonal produce in the proper order and pair with pantry staples for zero waste cooking that is also budget friendly.

Buying Peppers

Red bell peppers aren’t cheap, especially if you prefer organic. Back in the days when I would send my husband to the store with a list, I would tell him beforehand, “Pick the biggest ones.” They’re usually priced individually rather than by the pound, so you have to be selective on those type of items. What do you think happened on that shopping trip? Yup, another phone call asking, “When you say the biggest, do you mean the tallest or the fattest?” This still makes me laugh. He’s so adorable.

Preparation

So, as I was looking at these peppers wondering what I could throw together super fast that would be ready to eat after my meeting, I decided: Stuffed peppers, of course! No time to pre-cook ingredients. No problem.

So, for 3 peppers, I mixed together in a bowl:

about 3/4 cup of brown rice
1/2 pound ground turkey and
a small part of an onion, diced
water or stock

You could add to this any combination of herbs and spices you like. I happened to be in the mood for:

cumin
turmeric
coriander
cardamom
ginger
cinnamon
allspice
garlic powder

Salt, of course. I’m probably never going to mention salt much because it’s a given, right? Everyone usually seasons with black pepper too, but I prefer grains of paradise.

So, after putting about an inch of water into the bottom of a casserole dish, I filled my hollowed out peppers with the rice/meat mixture. Leaving half an inch of space at the top allows room for them to expand while cooking. Poured in enough water or stock into the peppers to fill them and put the stem back on top. I covered the dish with foil so it could steam, and popped it in the oven. An hour and a half later, we sat down for a delicious and healthy meal.

Meanwhile the quick, no fuss preparation afforded me enough time to put on mascara and bronzer for my meeting. Who says frugal meal ideas require a lot of work?

Obviously you could use any type of ground meat or meat substitute or add some finely chopped vegetables to the mixture instead. You could top the whole thing with cheese or tomato sauce or whatever else suits your fancy. Cooking without a recipe is easy when you start with an anchor ingredient.

And by the way, if it comes down to it, I would choose the fattest pepper rather than the tallest for this dish. 🤣

frugal meal idea of stuffed red pepper cut in half, corn on the cob and green salad on a white plate

What about meat and potatoes? Yes, we eat those too. Please read No Small Potatoes to learn more.

How to Keep It Fresh and Shop Less Often

Smart grocery shopping less often starts with fresh produce and proper timing.

I hate grocery shopping, which is why I have always done it as infrequently as possible. I could have it delivered, but then I would be giving up the quality control of inspecting everything before purchase. I believe in the importance of being prepared for an emergency, so I try to maintain a supply of necessities for at least a couple weeks. As far as food goes, what does that mean? Canned goods, dried beans and rice? Yes, but you can still eat fresh food for more than one week if you plan ahead and practice smart grocery shopping.

Shopping Fresh

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the foundation of our healthy diet. Eating a wide variety keeps things interesting. So I load up on all kinds at the market. I am that person you hate standing behind in line while the cashier has to look up all the codes for vegetables they are unfamiliar with. They sometimes have to stop and ask me to identify some of the items. Once an 18 year old cashier held up a vegetable and asked, “What’s this?” Raising my eyebrows, I smiled and answered, “Celery.” Really? He didn’t recognize celery? What’s he been eating his whole life? Potato chips and boxed cereal? Now, I would understand if it was something like jicama or chayote, but celery?!

Timing is Everything

How can you have fresh fruits and vegetables that will last for more than a week? By buying a variety and understanding which ones to eat first. So the first week I can have salad with lettuce, tomatoes and avocados. I can have dandelion greens and spinach. These are very tender and need to be used quickly. Hardier greens like Swiss chard, kale and collard greens will stay fresh a bit longer. Broccoli, cauliflower and bell peppers could probably go into the second week also.

Of course, use the spirit of a sound mind. If it didn’t seem very fresh to begin with, it’s not going to get any fresher, so use it before it goes bad. Keep an eye on how things are aging and act accordingly. You shouldn’t have to throw anything away if you use your produce in the right order. Of course this applies to fruit also. Fresh berries and bananas would be eaten first. Apples and citrus can wait a while if you keep them refrigerated.

Root Vegetables

Now let’s talk about the unsung heroes: root vegetables. There’s a reason why our grandparents kept root cellars. If you cut off the green tops, (and eat those first! Please don’t throw them away!) the root vegetable can sit around in a cool environment for a length of time, remaining fresh and nutritious. No doubt you are familiar with one of the most common: carrots.

A few weeks ago, a beautiful 5 pound bag of bright, crisp, organic carrots was on sale for a ridiculously low price, so I bought one. Would I usually buy 5 pounds? Probably not unless I had something special planned especially for them, but it was such a great deal and I have no doubt that I will use them. I haven’t used carrots as a major star in my meals yet, but I have been using one here and there for added color, flavor or texture in so many things. Eventually, I will finish them. Meanwhile, they happily sit at the bottom of my refrigerator, staying crisp and beautiful along with some turnips, beets and potatoes.

Other Superheroes

Among other vegetables that would have been kept in a root cellar are onions, squash and cabbage. I always keep some of those on hand. I rotate many different varieties to keep things interesting. So if I haven’t been shopping for a few weeks, I can still have salad in the form of cabbage. I wouldn’t have fresh tomatoes anymore, but I have them in sun-dried form. I could pull a few out of a can of diced tomatoes if I wanted. With the appropriate dressing, that works rather well. But who says you have to have tomatoes in a salad? What about some chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans)? How about some raisins? I’m just getting started!

For one suggestion on using squash and legumes, please read Squash Your Prejudice next.

Great Spuds and Gravy Are No Small Potatoes

Freshen up mashed potatoes and gravy with a little creativity.

My husband, Michael, loves mashed potatoes and gravy with beef or roasted poultry. He could eat it the same way over and over again without growing tired of it. I prefer variety, so fortunately he has given me more latitude over the years to experiment and change things up a bit. Perhaps you or someone in your family would like to get a bit more creative with its preparation? Don’t be intimidated in the kitchen! I can help.

Mashed Potatoes

We should appreciate potatoes for their versatility. Like pasta, rice and other grains that we can keep around for a while, they’re filling and pretty happy to take whatever flavors you want to throw at them. So what other flavors do you enjoy?

Once I got permission to start experimenting, Michael loved it when I started adding roasted garlic to our mashed potatoes. If they’re organic, we even leave the skins on the potatoes. It adds a little texture and nutrition AND saves me the trouble of peeling them. Win win! If this is a new idea for you, try leaving the skins on half of them to start.

mashed potatoes and gravy with chuck roast and red chard

How To Change Things Up

You will need a vegetable brush, of course. Nothing fancy. You could find one for a buck. It will come in handy for scrubbing all your root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips…Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? Did I say turnips???

Here’s what I know: As long as the dish looks familiar enough, Michael doesn’t question it. So when I sneaked turnips into his mashed potatoes for the first time, he didn’t notice. I peeled the turnip for this preparation and used half the amount compared to potatoes, so it didn’t change the typical color of the mashed potatoes. After commenting on how good it was, he asked, “What did you put in here?” I have learned to never answer that question before he’s tried it if it’s something he might find unusual. I simply reply, “You’re going to love it,” and he generally does.

Shortcuts

You like shortcuts? I do. Try dicing your potatoes and throwing them into the same roasting pan with your chicken so they cook together. They get splattered with all the delicious drippings and then you can mash them while the chicken rests. Just be aware that they will require extra liquid to make them creamy and extra time to mash because the texture will be different from boiled potatoes. But it’s worth it. They’re delicious.

Think Outside the Box

A few weeks ago I was making mashed potatoes and realized I didn’t have any milk, sour cream or yogurt. I would typically use any of those to make them creamy. So I used some chicken broth instead, a dollop of mayonnaise and a drizzle of truffle oil. Wowie zowie! What a happy accident to have had to improvise. You’re probably gawking at the extravagance of the truffle oil, but if you can get your hands on some, it’s worth it. Like so many luxurious ingredients, a little goes a long way. A little pesto of some sort would have worked well also.

What about your meat? Can you scale back the portion of meat in comparison to what else is on your plate? Rather than just having a steak on its own, could you slice down half the steak and pair it with bell peppers and onions and season it up for fajitas? If you have ground beef, you could stretch the amount in a shepherd’s pie: (Meat with gravy and veggies of your choice–such as peas, carrots and corn on the bottom of a casserole dish topped with mashed potatoes.)

Gravy

How are you going to make gravy if you’re using ground beef? Of course, there are dried and canned versions. Maybe you have some bouillon? Can you improvise with thickening whatever broth you have around? What about the leftover salty, starchy water from boiling your potatoes? Have you been saving vegetable ends to throw into a stock pot? For more flavor and color, you can experiment with things like turmeric, Worcestershire sauce and beet stems. My mother-in-law keeps a bottle of something in her cabinet with caramel color just for this purpose. It does wonders to perk up an anemic looking gravy.

I hope you haven’t been throwing any leftover bones away before dropping them into a pot of boiling water to make stock. Lamb bones, beef bones, pork bones, chicken bones, shrimp shells. They’re all free flavoring agents. So think ahead. Put the stock in the freezer for whenever you need it. (I’m not suggesting that you put shrimp stock on your shepherd’s pie, by the way…but you get the idea.)

It’s Easy to Go Nuts About Pesto

Learn how to make pesto without a food processor. It’s easy!

Today I talked to my friend, Ingrid, who was very disappointed with a pesto marinated chicken that she had purchased. She decided to salvage what was left of it by mixing it with some other ingredients because she reasoned that so many people are hungry and it seemed a shame to throw away. Bravo for zero waste cooking! I would have done the same.

After mentioning that pesto was easy enough to make, she said she didn’t have the machinery to do so. So I probed further. No food processor? No blender? What about that thing you use to make your morning smoothies? “Oh, yes! I have one of those!” she suddenly realized. Yes, you can learn how to make pesto without a food processor.

Making Pesto

Because I usually use a food processor to make pesto, I decided to test it with the appliance she owned. Did it work? Yes, but it requires a little more love because you’re not adding so much liquid except for a little olive oil. (A possible solution for this if you’re making pesto for pasta: Add a bit of the starchy pasta water to the container and blend that together. You would add a little pasta water to the pesto and pasta combination before serving anyway.)

After blending for a few seconds, I would scrape around the sides of the container to mix and then with the top restored, shake it a little. Then I hit the power for a few more seconds and repeated the process a couple more times. Had I not thrown the stems in there, it would have been fine. Stems??? Yes, stems. You wouldn’t garnish the top of an elegant plate with chopped stems, but for pesto, it’s totally fine, provided they get chopped up small enough.

Here’s an aside on basil stems, in particular: A few years ago I accidentally discovered that chewing on them temporarily relieved a terrible sore throat I had been suffering from. Apparently basil is an analgesic! Who knew?!

Mortar and Pestle

Another low-tech alternative would be to use a mortar and pestle, which is in fact, my favorite kitchen tool besides a good knife and chopping block.

When going to someone else’s home to cook, I sometimes ask, “Do you have a mortar and pestle?” The usual response is a blank expression, followed by, “I can’t imagine what I would ever use it for.” LOL.

Well, it’s just about the easiest way to crush some garlic to make a quick salad dressing or to grind up some whole spices. By the way, whole spices stay fresh just about indefinitely, while ground spices need to be replaced every 6 months. I like keeping a wide variety of spices in my cabinet, but I prefer them whole if I don’t use them weekly.

I am thankful to have grown up in a metropolitan area where I have been influenced by cultures and cuisines from around the world. The mortar and pestle were introduced to me by friends from the Middle East when I first discovered the bold, fresh flavors of garlic, lemon and parsley. After experimenting with all kinds of other contraptions, I came to agree that the mortar and pestle are the way to go.

Ingredients

Now, back to pesto: You can make it with just about anything. Most people are familiar with the basil version which typically includes: pine nuts, garlic, salt, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. But why stop there? How about a spinach pesto?

I love pairing cilantro pesto with fish. For that, I usually leave out the cheese and make it with a different nut because pine nuts are so expensive and a few people have told me they have an allergic reaction to them. I prefer using either walnuts or almonds. (Raw nuts are a wonderful addition to your pantry, by the way. Just put them in the refrigerator after opening the bag.)

Got another nut? Cashews? Pistachios? I have used them all and have found that I often don’t even feel the need to add cheese, so if you’re dairy-free, no problem. Be careful with the salt, especially if your nuts happen to be salted. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back. Experiment with adding a little citrus juice too. Go nuts!

Pasta with shrimp and cilantro pesto made using NutriBullet

For more on using your mortar and pestle, please see Undressing the Dressing.

Squash Your Prejudice By Trying Something New

Get creative and try something new like a squash stew while learning to cook without recipes.

Cooking without a recipe or a meal plan requires smart shopping and wise use of ingredients on you have on hand. Let me explain why a squash like kabocha is a good one to keep around. Keep reading for inspiration on a delicious squash stew.

kabocha squash on white tablecloth — For those of you who haven’t met, here is the kabocha. He looks a little intimidating with his rough exterior, doesn’t he? Heavy and hard, he could do some serious damage if aimed at your head…which is precisely why he’s a good friend to have around the kitchen.

I love zucchini as much as anyone else does, but please make sure you eat it within a few days of purchase. It’s soft and tender, with a thin skin…not unlike some dear friends of mine; the ones requiring immediate attention and gentle handling. A hard squash like this one, though, is content to be ignored for weeks or even months until you decide you need him. You will love his sweet, bright orange flesh that softens while cooking. Just like people, you have to get to know what’s inside before dismissing a gruff appearance.

Changing My Mind

I will be honest. I was not always a fan of this vegetable. Growing up with a Japanese father, kabocha was a common offering at dinner. It seemed a little plain to me, only being seasoned with soy sauce. So when my friend, Monika, wanted me to try it in a stew years ago, I had a knee jerk reaction to object.

Here’s an example of why I suggest a different preparation if you hadn’t previously been fond of a particular food. I changed my mind when I tried this delicious and colorful stew. Best of all, it can be made with healthy, shelf stable items when you might not have a lot of other options at home.

Ingredients for Kabocha Squash Stew:

kabocha
chickpeas
red lentils
onion
carrots
ginger
stock
spices such as cumin, saffron, turmeric, paprika
tomato paste

I always keep some fresh ginger root in the freezer as it’s a powerful flavor addition to so many dishes). Use whatever flavorful liquid you have on hand. I like chicken stock, but it could be vegetable stock or even some leftover salty pasta water if that’s all you have. Experiment with spices such as cumin, saffron, turmeric and paprika. What’s in your spice cabinet?

squash, legumes and spices on a white plate — Butternut squash, red lentils, chickpeas, saffron, paprika,turmeric and cumin

You could put a little tomato paste in there, but I often find myself without it. (If you remember to buy some tomato paste, please don’t throw away the remainder of the unused can. You can freeze blocks of it in an ice cube tray and then store it in the freezer in a plastic bag. The kind that comes in a tube keeps in the refrigerator well also.) I used a smidgen of ketchup last time instead.

My Cooking Philosophy

Rather than relying on exact measurements, I tend to think in terms of proportions. So, compared to the size of your kabocha, the dried legumes should each appear to be about a quarter of that amount. I soak the chickpeas overnight, but one can would work just as well. Just add the can, drained, near the end of cooking the stew, which takes a few hours on the stove top or up to 6 in a slow cooker.

Red lentils work well in this because they harmonize with the beautiful orange color of the squash and the carrots. But if you have another variety of lentils, use them. It’s not quite as pretty, but it still tastes good.

Where I live, kabocha is not difficult to find in the supermarket. You can ask someone who works there if you don’t see it. If they don’t have it, don’t panic. You can still make this delicious stew with an acorn squash or a butternut squash. I recommend taking them home also because not only are they very nutritious, but they will also wait patiently to make their appearance while you consume your most perishable produce first. You can’t help but love a non-needy vegetable!

If you have produce that is getting over-ripe, please use it first. Please read Pepper Prepper next for more delicious inspiration on cooking without a recipe.

No Chains. Break Free and Start Cooking Without a Recipe

Interested in cooking without a recipe? I can help you simplify shopping and meal prep.

I have lost track of how many chain emails I have received lately asking me to forward recipes. Thank you for thinking of me, my dear friends, who know me as a constant cook.

The truth is that I haven’t done recipes in years. They often spark our creativity and send us in the right direction, but I don’t feel I can be bound to them anymore. So, this blog is not about recipes. It’s about sharing ideas on cooking healthy, delicious meals and adapting to changing circumstances. Yes, you too can learn to cook without a recipe!

Cooking Without a Recipe: My Story

Following a back injury four years ago, I was unable to do much of anything, let alone grocery shopping. So my loving husband volunteered to take over that responsibility. At first I sent him to the store with a list, but this led to repeated calls from the market and he being unable to locate certain items. Once, thinking I was being especially helpful, I drew him a picture of a kabocha squash that I was requesting for a particular recipe. Apparently there was not a kabocha to be found, so I prepared a different dish than the one I had in mind.

After that, my only instructions were to buy lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and any proteins he desired. See what looks fresh and what’s on sale. I would find a way to prepare whatever he brought home. And that worked. It worked so well that I’ve never gone back to the old way of planning a weekly menu and a shopping list.

pineapple, papayas, bananas and cucumber on a wood platter on a glass table

Adapting to Change

I remember looking at empty produce shelves a number of weeks ago and felt sorry for the less popular vegetables left over like the ones last to be picked for a middle school sports team. Apparently, our culture has become obsessed with kale, so it was nowhere to be found. But there were plenty of collard greens. They are delicious, by the way. There weren’t any carrots, but there were plenty of turnips. No zucchini, but lots of eggplant. So, I bought what was available and we enjoyed eating them. The key is to prepare everything in a way that your family will enjoy. I firmly believe that if there is a vegetable you think you don’t like, you just haven’t yet had it prepared in an appealing way.

In these changing times, we are seeing shortages of basics that we may be accustomed to buying. So I suggest that we shop with an open mind and experiment with new items. Adaptability and creativity, along with a well-stocked pantry, will serve us well. Looking forward to exchanging ideas with you!

To better understand my philosophy, please read “Keep It Fresh” next.