The other day my oldest son (he’s 12) wanted to make dinner. He wanted to do it all by himself and he wanted to come up with the menu, too. Would I take him to to grocery store? Yes, I said, but I will admit I was a touch hesitant. Turns out I didn’t need to be.

Foster your child’s creativity in the kitchen

At the grocery store, my son asked some questions and together we came up with some ideas. One definitely stuck. Pineapple mango fried rice. Even I had to admit it sounded good. And it was pretty good. And pretty.

I admit I did insist that the rice part of this meal be brown rice, for just a touch more nutrition. And I helped my son with a few small things, but really, it was all him.

He chose the ingredients, prepared them (with supervision), and put them all together in the pan. He did a good job.

My son’s pineapple mango fried rice

This isn’t real Chinese fried rice. It’s definitely interpreted - but makes some yummy comfort food, regardless.

1 to 1-1/2 c brown rice
1/4 to 1/2 c chopped pancetta
1 small pineapple, chunked, or one or more cans pineapple chunks (to taste)
1 mango, chopped into small dice
1 red bell pepper, chopped into medium dice
1 c frozen corn
2 eggs beaten
Soy sauce
Canola or sesame oil

Prepare the brown rice according to package instructions. Let cool.

In a wok or large wide frying pan, heat a tablespoon or so of oil. Add the pancetta and let cook 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pineapple, mango, pepper and corn and saute until the edges start to caramelize slightly. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Scramble the eggs in the same pan, and remove to the same dish that is holding the pancetta mixture.

Add a little more oil, then add the rice to the pan and fry for a minute or two, moving the rice around a lot. Add soy sauce to taste, then add back the egg and the pancetta mixture and toss to combine for about a minute. Serve immediately with extra soy sauce.

Whether you are looking to strategically increase your family’s vegetable intake or interested in ways to reduce carbs or cook gluten-free, creatively substituting vegetables for pasta is a delicious solution.

It’s all in the preparation

If your family balks at steamed vegetables or refuses to eat anything green that isn’t swimming in butter or blanketed with melted cheese, the following recipes can help you keep your cool and improve their veggie opinions.

Steaming vegetables is healthy, easy and, basically, bland. However, by peeling vegetables into ribbons with a vegetable peeler or even shredding vegetables, you can make “mock” pasta to toss with a tasty assortment of ingredients that will present beautifully and be just as satisfying.

Mock pasta recipes

Sauteed Vegetable Ribbons
Serves 4

Colorful and elegant, vegetable ribbons are more nutritious than pasta and have more eye-appeal. This simple dish is flavored with seasoning and Parmesan, but you can also toss with tomato sauce for a change.

Ingredients:
2 carrots, ends trimmed
2 small zucchini, ends trimmed
1 crookneck squash, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, “peel” carrots, zucchini and squash into long ribbons. Heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

2. Using tongs, toss vegetable ribbons to evenly coat with oil, butter and seasonings. Cook, tossing frequently, for 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cooked through. Add parsley and toss again. Serve warm with Parmesan cheese.

Tuscany Spaghetti Squash
Serves 4 to 6

Spaghetti squash is a nutritious replacement for regular pasta. Not only does it supply extra vitamins and minerals, it is filling and quite versatile. Once you have a spaghetti squash cooked, use the shredded flesh for any number of recipes calling for spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, drained, chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, from a jar, chopped
1 cup pitted olives
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced onion
Pecorino-romano cheese
6 fresh basil leaves, rolled into cigars lengthwise, sliced very thin crosswise

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Poke holes in the spaghetti squash with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 35 minutes or until squash gives when pressed. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Use a sharp knife to slice squash in half lengthwise. With a serrated spoon, remove seeds and strings in the center of each squash half. Use a large fork to shred squash flesh into “spaghetti.” Place shredded squash in a large bowl.

3. Add sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and olives to the squash. Toss to coat. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic and onion. Cook, stirring often, for 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is just starting to turn golden. Remove immediately.

4. Add garlic onion mixture (including olive oil) to bowl with vegetables and toss to coat. Add cheese and toss again. Serve immediately garnished with basil.

Cauliflower Orzo
Serves 4 to 6

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that is often used in soups or as a side-dish. Despite looking like rice, it is actually made of semolina pasta flour. Substituting shredded cauliflower is a delicious way to increase your family’s vegetable intake as well as cut down on carbohydrates.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized head cauliflower, cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pancetta
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup shelled peas (thawed, if frozen)
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta or Gorgonzola cheese
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled)

Directions:
1. Using a food processor fitted with the medium-sized shredder blade, shred cauliflower (it will resemble rice). Place in a microwave-safe container (do not add water), cover loosely and microwave on HIGH for 3 to 4 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and peas and cook, stirring, until peas are heated through. Season with pepper.

3. Transfer cauliflower mixture to a large bowl and toss with cheese and tarragon. Serve immediately.

In addition to being a fruit with inviting eye-appeal, raspberries provide important health benefits, too. According to the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, raspberries rank in the top 10 antioxidant-high fruits and vegetables and are a good source of vitamin C and fiber. Raspberries also provide folate, magnesium, potassium, calcium and a few other key vitamins and minerals. Read on to learn more about the red berry’s nutritional value. Delicious recipes follow.

The popularity of raspberries grows

A recent national survey reports that this perky red berry ranks as the second most preferred fruit (strawberries were number one). Fruits including bananas, apples, blueberries and watermelon trailed behind the sweet-tart raspberry.

In addition to fresh berries, almost 90 percent of those surveyed reported purchasing raspberry products including frozen raspberries, juices and juice blends. Raspberries are not only delicious, they are also quite versatile in the kitchen. Smoothies were by far the most popular way to enjoy raspberries, followed by desserts, topping for cereals, in yogurts and in baked goods.

Raspberries are good for you

Because of the red berry’s high antioxidant level, raspberries may help prevent and repair oxidative stress, a process that damages cells within the body and has been linked to the development of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Raspberries are also high in ellagic acid, which may slow the growth of certain cancer cells.

One serving of raspberries has only 70 calories but provides 50 percent of a day’s requirement for vitamin C, 32 percent of fiber, six percent of folate and magnesium, five percent of potassium and four percent each of calcium, niacin, B6, phosphorus and zinc. In addition, a one-cup serving of raspberries has only one gram of fat, no saturated or trans fats, no cholesterol and no sodium.

Dave Grotto, registered dietician and author of 101 Foods that Can Save Your Life, says “Raspberries matched my standards for appearing in the book for many reasons. My criteria for inclusion were that the featured foods had to be nutrient and/or phytochemically dense, have a positive effect on the quality and quantity of life, and most importantly, taste great! Raspberries certainly do all that.”

For more information on the popularity and health benefits of strawberries as well as additional raspberry-centric recipes, visit Washington Red Raspberry Commission.

Recipes featuring raspberries

In addition to smoothies and topping cereal or yogurt, raspberries have many easy applications in the kitchen. Here three recipes, courtesy of the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, showcasing the red fruit’s versatility.

Raspberry Yogurt Muffins
Makes 1 dozen

Adding raspberry yogurt gives double the raspberry flavor and a wonderful texture to these easy muffins. No need to thaw the raspberries - just toss them in right from the freezer. If you prefer giant muffins, use the jumbo muffin cups and make half a dozen. And, if you wish, you can glaze the muffins with confectioners’ sugar mixed with a little lemon juice.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (6-ounce) carton raspberry yogurt
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup raspberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray, grease or put paper liners in 12 muffin cups. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. In small bowl, beat together yogurt, oil and egg. Stir yogurt mixture and raspberries into dry mixture until almost blended. Add raspberries and stir until batter is just blended. Do not overmix. Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Bake until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Raspberry Salsa
Makes about 6 cups

A little sweet, a little sour, a little spicy and a little crunchy - this salsa is a perfect accompaniment to pork, chicken, fish or beef. It’s also great over sliced fresh fruit or as accompaniment to a cheese tray. If you prepare and refrigerate the salsa in advance the jicama and apple will turn a pretty pink, from the raspberries.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced peeled jicama
1 Pink Lady or other tart-sweet apple, cored and diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 (12-ounce) bag raspberries

Directions:
In large bowl toss apple and jicama with vinegar. Add all remaining ingredients and toss to blend. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Raspberry Granita
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Granita is an Italian version of ice or sorbet, but with large, crunch crytals. It’s very easy and great for a simple dessert. We’ve given the traditional recipe an update by freezing the fruit blend in a zip top plastic bag instead of in a shallow pan. Just squeeze the bag several times during the freezing process to break up the large ice crystals.

Ingredients:
2 (12-ounces each) bags frozen raspberries
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1/2 cup cranberry-raspberry juice
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Directions:
Process all ingredients in food process or blender just until mixed. Spoon into zip top freezer bag and place bag flat in freezer. After 30 minutes, remove bag and squeeze to break up large ice crystals. Repeat until completely frozen. Stir with fork to break into smaller chunks to serve. Spoon into serving glasses to serve.

My favorite thing at the farmer’s market near my office last summer was the stand that would sell bouquets of zucchini flowers. But the bouquets weren’t for viewing; they were for cooking and devouring. It was always the first stall I stopped at every Thursday, anxious to ensure I would get my blossoms before they were sold out. If you haven’t tried zucchini flowers, you are missing a real treat.

Zucchini blossoms are beautiful and delicious

I first tried zucchini blossoms almost twenty years ago when I came across a recipe for squash blossom fritters. While one could argue that the blossoms were simply a delivery method for goat cheese (just as Southern grits can be a delivery system for butter), the flower does add something. After trying that recipe (and we had plenty of zucchini plants in our garden at the time), I was hooked, and I would eat zucchini blossoms before I would regularly eat zucchini. Go figure.

Every summer, I look forward to zucchini blossoms. I grow zucchini plants in the garden for the flowers, not the fruit. Just last weekend, my husband and I enjoyed an appetizer special at a very nice restaurant that was, you guessed it, zucchini blossoms. The flowers are delicate so the only way to enjoy them is fresh, in the summer time.

Recipe ideas featuring zucchini blossoms

I think the tastiest way to eat zucchini blossoms is stuffed, dipped in a tempura batter and fried (with just a bit of sea salt, of course), but there are other ways, too. After carefully cleaning the flowers and removing the pistil and stamen, you can:

• Cook them into a frittata
• Decorate a salad
• Use them in a pasta sauce
• Put them in quesadillas

Zucchini blossom fritters

Zucchini blossoms - 10 to 20 depending on how many people you want to serve. Four per person is a good number.
Herbed goat cheese
Tempura batter
Canola oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Carefully wash and clean the zucchini blossoms, leaving about an inch or so of the stem. Gently place about a teaspoon of herbed goat cheese in the center of the flower and twist the petals closed ever so gently.

Heat the oil in wide frying pan. When hot, carefully dip the stuffed blossoms into the tempura batter then place in the frying pan. Cook until lightly golden on one side, turn over, and cook until lightly golden on the other side. Remove to drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and a little pepper while still hot. Serve warm.

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Four times now, over almost two decades, my husband and I have built pea trellises for gardens. It’s not a hard thing to do, but it is time consuming and, of course, implies a larger commitment to a vegetable garden. It’s a commitment to fresh peas, fresh sugar snap peas, fresh snow peas and to lovely sweet pea blossoms. Our efforts to grow peas in all forms (and to a long trellis to accommodate all those pea varieties) reminds me of our wedding; the bridesmaids carried small bouquets of sweet pea flowers and the ushers wore sweet pea flowers on their lapels.

Peas are actually a nutrient-rich fruit

Beyond trellises and wedding reminders, peas are delicious. Although treated like a vegetable, peas are technically a fruit. There’s a unique sweetness to steamed fresh English peas, and the effort to extract the little seeds from their pods is well worth it. Steamed, pureed peas were some of my kids’ first solid food (and so much more delicious and colorful if you make it yourself). Peas are a good source of riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and manganese, and are a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin and iron. Those little green orbs pack quite a nutritious punch.

Raw snap peas are great in a fresh green salad or as part of a crudite platter, but when lightly sauteed with sesame seeds, the bright green of the pods is beautiful and so appealing. There are so many beautiful and delicious way to prepare peas. And adding a small vase of pea blossoms to your summer table lets you enjoy them visually, too. Don’t pass up peas this summer!

Recipes with fresh peas

Sauteed pea shoots

Sometimes found in farmers markets, pea shoots are a tasty, quickly cooked side dish for a meal on a hot summer night.

Heavy handful or two of fresh pea shoots, rinsed and dried (spun in a salad spinner)
1 to 2 tbsp canola oil
2 to 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan or wok over high heat, heat the oil until very hot. Add in the pea shoots and stir rapidly and continually for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir another 30 seconds or so. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Minted pea puree

Can be served warm or cool. We’ve made this thick soup late at night for a refreshing and cooling opening for dinner the next day. Use organic frozen peas if at all possible - the flavor difference is striking and worth it.

15 oz frozen peas, thawed, or 1 pound shelled English peas (weight after shelling)
1/4 c fresh mint
1 1/2 tbsp half and half
1 1/2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Combine the peas and mint in a sauce pan with about 1/4 c water. Bring to a boil and cook about 45 minutes. Drain. Puree with the half and half and butter in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Egg noodles with peas and poppy seeds

Scale up or down according to the number of servings you need and how much you like peas.

Egg noodles
1/2 to 1 c peas, frozen or fresh
1 to 2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 to 2 tbsp butter

Boil a large pot of water. Add the egg noodles. If you are using frozen peas, add them when you add the noodles and cook about 5 minutes. If you are using fresh peas, add them when the noodles are about half done. Drain. Toss with the butter and poppy seeds and serve.

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What a disappointment it was the summer I had braces. I was specifically instructed not to even attempt to eat corn on the cob. Fresh, sweet corn kernels were still tasty, but eating them just wasn’t the same. While everyone else got to use Grandma’s corn shaped corn ear holders and take part in the time-honored tradition of rolling their ears in the designated corn butter, I used my fork. Oh well. It was only one summer.

Corn is incredibly versatile

Although we think of corn as a vegetable, it is really a grain. Corn makes great bread and muffins (try adding some fresh corn kernels next time), can be ground into cornmeal for a yummy side dish (think polenta), it is ground into a flour (my husband once accidentally made pancakes with masa harina, and they were so tasty we made them again on purpose), and it is simply delicious all on its own. It’s breakfast (grits), lunch (tacos), and dinner (corn on the cob). It’s a food staple in many regions of the world and, heck, it can even provide energy in the form of ethanol as an alternative to gasoline.

Choosing Corn

This year’s corn season has begun and we have already had some good corn and some not so good corn. Sometimes you don’t really know until you bite into it. But you can pick the better corn with a few guidelines:

• Look for husks that are still green and moist and silks that are, at worst, just browning. Better yet, look for silks are still golden and firm. Never, never black.
• Feel the length of the corn. It should be firm, but yield ever so slightly to gentle pressure.
• Buy your corn the day you are going to eat it. It should not sit! Since corn starts to lose its sweetness the moment it is picked, time is the enemy here. Keep it cool until cooking time.
• If you get your corn from a small grocer or farm, ask when it was picked. Better yet, find out when they put out the day’s pickings and be there for the best selection.
• Some markets let you shuck the corn at the store, thus reducing the mess at home. This is fine sometimes, but I like to keep my corn husked until the very last minute and, in one way of preparing corn, I need the husks.

Cooking Corn

It seems like everyone has their own way to cook corn on the cob perfectly. It probably speaks to how easy it is to cook corn!

There are numerous disagreements in our family on how to boil corn. One side is the strictly time side (five minutes after returning to a boil) and the other is the milk side (boil three to five minutes, but with a half cup of milk added to the pot). Either way, it’s good.

There are other ways to enjoy fresh corn, however. My personal favorite way to eat fresh corn on the cob is grilled. Yes, grilled (and yes, I’ll grill anything).

Grilled Corn

You can grill corn with the husks on or the husks off. I like them both ways. I think the husks-off method makes for a more intense sweetness while the husks-on method promotes a more tender kernel.

Directions:

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

For the husks off method, shuck all the ears of corn.

For the husks on method, remove the silks from the corn while retaining the husks. Carefully peel back the husks as much as you can without ripping them off or tearing the husks. Remove all the silks and replace the husks.

When the grill is hot, place the ears on the grill, lower the heat to medium-low and close the lid. Rotate the ears every five minutes or so.

Husks off method takes about 15 minutes. Some of the kernels will be caramelized. Husks on method takes about 20 minutes.

Corn Fritters

Another fun thing to do when you have a bounty of late summer sweet corn is make corn fritters (I think they are wonderful with grilled porkchops). The fritters so bring out the sugars in the corn that they sometimes stick to your teeth.

Ingredients:

6 ears of corn
1/4 c flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp shredded mild cheddar cheese
Canola oil for frying

Directions:

To cut the corn off the cob, run the point of a sharp knife down the middle of each row of kernels, cutting them in half, shave the kernels off the cob in long wide rows, then scrape what’s left on the cob with a spoon.

Mix together the corn, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, egg and cheese.

In a wide frying pan with flat sides, pour in the oil about 1/4-inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F. Drop the corn mixture by spoonfuls into the hot oil, then gently flatten with the back of the spoon. Cook until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning once. Let drain and sprinkle with a little more salt.

If there’s a single food that says summer, it must be watermelon. The green rind, the red flesh, and the black seeds in a big wedge on a hot summer day, juice dripping down you chin - who doesn’t have this memory?

Watermelon is a staple on our summer grocery list, and we can go through a whole fruit in less than a day. While it’s enough to just eat it straight, why stop there?

The other night I made a watermelon salad that was wonderful. Wonderful, I tell you! The only thing that I think might make it more wonderful is substituting chopped basil for the chopped parsley. Oh, and go light on the vinaigrette as the melon itself makes quite a bit of juice for the salad.

Here are some other things to do with watermelon:

• If you can get your hands on different varieties of watermelon, including the yellow fleshed variety, cubing the fruit and alternating colors on a skewer then freezing them makes pretty and tasty watermelon kabob/popsicles.

• Just cubing the fruit and freezing it then putting in ice water with a squeeze of fresh lemon makes for different and delightful rehydration.

• Try adding watermelon cubes to your weeknight green salad.

• Puree the watermelon with a banana and some ice for a light smoothie.

• Make watermelon gazpacho.

• Grill watermelon, yellow pepper and shrimp kabobs. Perhaps topped with watermelon salsa?

• After the kids are in bed, make a watermelon martini. Add some of those frozen cubes of watermelon to the glass, too.

Regardless of how you use watermelon, don’t forget to just let the juice drip down your chin a bit. It is summer, after all!

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It’s strawberry season in the northeast. What a delicious time of year.

My mother used to prepare strawberries very simply: hulled, quartered and sprinkled with a little powdered sugar. Sometimes we’d pour over just a touch of light cream. When I was older, I remember several special Sunday brunches out with my dad and the chocolate dipped strawberries that were served. Those are some lovely childhood memories.

The joys of picking your own strawberries 

There’s a pick-it-yourself farm up the road that we are planning to visit this weekend. I have some loose plans for the fruit we pick, but the truth is, most of it will be snacked on before I can prepare any recipes. I’ll hold some back for strawberry pancakes on Sunday morning, and if there are any left on Sunday evening, I’ll slice them into a green salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese.

My kids like to make smoothies and I like to make blend up some strawberry milk on hot summer afternoons. And of course, there is homemade strawberry ice cream and strawberry rhurbarb pie. I also add fresh strawberries when I make sangria.

Strawberry season is over too soon

New England strawberry season always seems to be over too soon. Last year, however, I discovered a farm stand that imports late season strawberries from Quebec. I first encountered these little jewels on a camping trip in Canada a couple of years ago, and now I look forward to fresh strawberries into early September. They are smaller are more intensely sweet and redder than the California grown berries we get in the local market.

We put strawberry plants in the garden this year. They are not expected to really produce this year, but it’s awfully fun imagining the future bounty. I look forward to the yield in coming years, and maybe even enough for big pie.

Berry good recipes with strawberries 

Strawberry Milk, or Sunshine’s Favorite “Pinky!” Milk

Generous handful of ripe strawberries, hulled
Milk
Honey to taste

Combine the strawberries and milk in a blender and blend until no chunks remain. Taste the milk and if it needs a little added sweetness, add some honey (sparsely, at first), blend some more and taste again.

Strawberry Salsa

Very good on baked fish or grilled porkchops.

1 c or so strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/3 c finely chopped onion
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp minced cilantro
Pinch of kosher salt, dash of pepper.

Combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reading Betsy’s post about the roasted sweet potato salad, I was inspired. I just love sweet potatoes.

It wasn’t always that way. I used to think I despised sweet potatoes. This is directly related to my grandmother’s candied sweet potatoes she made at holidays. Now, I loved my grandmother very much, but my grandmother’s recipe was so sickly sweet that I swear she used distilled essence of Karo syrup in it. It was just too, too much. When I first met my husband, he was sure I was exaggerating about their sweetness. At his first holiday at my parent’s house he took a large helping, took one bite – and instantly understood why it took me until my mid-20s to eat and enjoy sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes truly are delicious and oh so versatile

It was one evening at a friend’s house that turned the tide: it was impossible not to have a few bites of the baked sweet potatoes without being rude, so I did, and I tasted the true flavor of sweet potatoes for the first time. They were delicious.

At restaurants, I’m a sucker for sweet potato fries, and an even bigger sucker if there is some raspberry vinegar to go with it. Sweet potato chips are a nice complement to a deli sandwich. My favorite way to enjoy sweet potatoes at home is the simplest way possible: baked. Add a little butter, a little kosher salt and you have a delicious simple lunch. Mashed sweet potatoes are wonderful, and substituting orange juice and a squeeze of lime for the butter and cream is a healthy variation. Potatoes au gratin? Use half sweet potato slices with the regular potato slices for a colorful twist. Latkes on the menu? Make them sweet potato latkes! Either half white potatoes and half sweet potatoes as with the au gratin or all grated sweet potato. And for breakfast, there’s sweet potato pancakes and sweet potato biscuits.

Almost any way you prepare potatoes, you can prepare sweet potatoes.

Orange Juice Mashed Sweet Potatoes

As with many of my recipes, this does not use exact amounts. Tasting and evaluating as you go are the best way to really learn to cook!

A few sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
Orange juice
Lime
Salt to taste

Boil the sweet potatoes in water until they are tender. Drain and return to the pot (off the stove). Pour in a 1/2 cup or so of orange juice. Mash the sweet potatoes, then using a hand mixer, whip the sweet potatoes until smooth, adding a little more orange juice, if necessary, for moistness. When they are about done, squeeze in some fresh lime juice and salt to taste and stir. Serve warm.

How many boxes of rice pilaf do you have in your pantry right now? I have five boxes. All original flavor. All waiting to be a much liked but fairly expected side dish.

Pilaf is not your typical rice dish

Pilaf is so much more than the typical plain rice dish. According to the Food Dictionary at epicurious.com, a pilaf is a “rice- or bulghur-based dish (also called pilau ) that originated in the Near East and always begins by first browning the rice in butter or oil before cooking it in stock. Pilafs can be variously seasoned and usually contain other ingredients such as chopped cooked vegetables, meats, seafood or poultry. In India they’re highly spiced with curry. Pilaf can be served as a side dish or main dish.”

Not quite the boxed image, eh?

“Real” pilafs take a little more time than the simple directions on the box, but the effort is very much worth it. You can end up with a hearty main dish or a spectacular side dish. Here are three “real” pilaf recipes your family will love.

Rice Pilaf with Apricots, Raisins and Pine Nuts

This is a satisfying, warmly spiced pilaf recipe with dried fruit and pine nuts.

2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
Pinch of saffron strands (optional)
1/2 cup dried apricots, slivered
1/2 cinnamon stick
8 whole cloves
4 black peppercorns
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tsp Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups water
2 onions, chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pine nuts

Heat half the oil in a heavy saucepan and saute the rice for 5 minutes. Add the saffron, apricots, spices, salt and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover. Simmer 45 minutes.

Saute the onion in the remaining oil in a separate saucepan until softened and lightly browned. Add to the rice, then add the raisins and pine nuts and serve.

Bulgur Pilaf

Bulgur is wheat that has been parboiled then dried. Sounds a little odd, but it’s really quite tasty.

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds, crushed by a mallet (in a kitchen towel)
1 cup fine bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion until golden. Add coriander and bulgur and cook, stirring constantly, about two minutes. Add the hot water.

Cover and remove from heat. Let stand about 25 minutes. Stir in almonds, salt and pepper.

Lamb Pilaf

This isn’t so much a “real” pilaf as a simple main dish that uses boxed rice pilaf as a base.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground lamb
1 box rice pilaf
1 cup or so plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber, diced
Handful of mint leaves, chopped
Squeeze of 1/2 a lemon

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. Saute the onion until it just starts to turn translucent, then add the ground lamb and brown, stirring regularly. Drain the fat from the pan. Add the rice pilaf, including the seasoning packet, and the amount of water specified on the box. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, mint and lemon juice. Server alongside the lamb pilaf.

PointsandPrizes.com Keyword: SEASONING worth 50 points good through 06/15/08.
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