Ripe Now: Tomatoes & Corn
This looks, smells and tastes more like Summer than anything I can think of. For a few weeks, this is the world's best reason to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the garden. Or the Farmers Market.
The peaches are coming! And pudding!
Any day now, the perfect peach will arrive at your Farmers Market. Buy it, wash it and eat it. Nothing Better. But when you're ready for an amazingly rich but light dessert that tastes just like a peach, make this. For dessert or breakfast. Or both.
Tuna Tartare for lovers and doubters
For sushi eaters, a wildly flavorful Way to enjoy raw fish. For steak tartare fans, a terrific Way to replace some meat with fish in your diet. For afraid-of-raw-fish folks, could be the perfect Way to overcome fear and discover a healthy new meal.
Fruit & Cheese: A Cool Way for Hot Days
Parmigiano-Peach Gelato. Savory-sweet ice cream. Tastiest Way to beat the heat without an overdose of sugar in your frozen dessert. $5 for 3 pints of just-made ice cream. I eat enough of this stuff to amortize the ice cream maker investment pretty quickly.
Eggplant Parmigiana. Worth the heat.
$3.50 per serving for a light, bright, sweet, herbaceous, rich, luscious and gooey main course. No breading. No oil. 300 calories. If you're going to eat vegetarian a few days a week, this is the Way to do it. If you're going to turn on the oven during summer, this is the reason.
Pink Soda: A No-Alcohol Rose Substitute
What to drink with a summer dinner when you don't want alcohol. No red, pink or white wine. No beer. Just something cold and refreshing with a lot of good, interesting flavor. Something you sip slowly. A great pairing with fish or shellfish. Or veal or chicken. Even hot dogs. Cheers!
Bastille Day Breakfast: French Toast
What's more French than French toast? This light, bright zero-sugar-but-nice-and-sweet strawberry-rhubarb glaze and puree is fantastic with the luxurious souffle-like toast. Less than a buck for a great little breakfast.
Summer Eggplant to Baba Ghanoush
This stuff is addictive. And Cheap. Rich and luscious. Deep eggplant and sesame flavors. A little brightness and tang from the lemon and garlic. With pita bread or a warm, soft fresh corn tortilla. Or straight from a spoon.
Summer Eggplant Caponata
Totally tasty. A great Summer vegetable dish to have with anything hot off the grill. So flavorful you can build a meal around it. It's sweet, it's spicy. A little salty. Just about the richest vegan dish you can imagine.
Zucchini Milanese
Less than $2 for a very big and elegant vegetable serving that could be a complete, light summer meal. Or an impressive vegetable partner for a small portion of grilled fish or chicken. Light but completely satisfying and flavorful.