serving & menu ideas
Put some apples in the oven to bake with Roasted Vegetable Curry, Two Potato Gratin, or Green & White Bean Gratin. Or top vanilla ice cream with these apples while they are still hot. Serve leftover apples for breakfast on oatmeal or yogurt.
lemony green beans
A side dish so good you’ll make it again and again. When the main dish is creamy and rich, these beans provide lightness and balance.
SERVES 4 TO 6
TIME: 20 MINUTES
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound green beans
1 lemon
1½ tablespoons olive oil or butter
salt and pepper
In a covered saucepan, bring 3 or 4 inches of water and the salt to a boil. Rinse the green beans and trim the stem ends. When the water boils, add the green beans and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
While the beans are cooking, grate the lemon peel and juice the lemon and set aside. (You’ll need 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice and about 1½ teaspoons of lemon zest.)
When the beans are tender, drain them and return them to the pan. Add the olive oil or butter and the lemon juice and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with the lemon zest.
serving & menu ideas
In late August or early September, when the local farmers’ market reaches its peak, we like to make a vegetables-only meal: Lemony Green Beans, Potatoes with Lemon & Capers, Broccoli Tomato Salad, and Baked Acorn Squash Crescents.
sesame broccoli
A light vinegar and dark sesame oil dressing brightens the flavor of broccoli. The sesame dressing is also delicious on other vegetables, such as bok choy, green beans, carrots, and asparagus.
SERVES 4
TIME: 15 MINUTES
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 pound)
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cut the broccoli head into florets. Peel the large stems and cut them crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Steam or boil until crisp-tender. Toss the warm broccoli with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
INGREDIENT NOTE Use rice vinegar, white vinegar, or cider vinegar.
serving & menu ideas
Sesame Broccoli is just right with Pineapple Fried Rice with Tofu, Crisp Pan-Fried Scallops, or noodles dressed with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
potatoes with lemon & capers
After you taste these perfectly seasoned potatoes, you’ll never go back to butter-drenched ones.
SERVES 4
TIME: 20 MINUTES
4 or 5 potatoes (about 1¾ pound)
1 lemon
1 tablespoon drained capers, more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. While the water heats, peel or scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups). Add the potatoes to the water, return to a boil, and cook until a knife easily pierces but doesn’t crumble a potato cube, about 5 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, grate the peel of the lemon into a large bowl, taking care to grate just the yellow part and not the white pith, which is bitter. Squeeze the lemon and add 2 tablespoons of the juice to the bowl. Add the capers, chopped if you wish.
Drain the cooked potatoes, add them to the bowl, drizzle on the oil, and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.
serving & menu ideas
Make extra so you’ll have leftovers: a divine side dish the first day, and later a truly delectable potato salad, chilled, with mayonnaise stirred in. Serve on the side of Greek Frittata, Veggie Western Omelet, Flounder with Herbed Lemon Butter, or any dish that needs some potatoes.
marmalade-glazed carrots
Made ahead and warmed up just before serving, these glazed carrots retain their color and flavor beautifully. A splash of lemon juice cuts the sweetness just a bit.
SERVES 4
TIME: 15 TO 20 MINUTES
3 cups peeled and cut carrots (½-inch slices)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
¼ cup orange marmalade
lemon wedges
In a large skillet on medium-high heat, cook the carrots in the oil for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and water and continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until the carrots are crisp-tender. Add the orange marmalade and stir until the carrots are well coated and glistening. Serve with lemon wedges.
serving & menu ideas
These carrots are a sweet and colorful side next to Lemony Couscous with Chickpeas, Flounder with Herbed Lemon Butter, Warm French Lentil Salad … and almost everything else!
roasted sweet potatoes
Roasting intensifies the natural sugars in sweet potatoes. These sweeter sweet potatoes come out of the oven soft in the center and crisp around the edges.
SERVES 4
HANDS-ON TIME: 10 MINUTES
BAKING TIME: 15 MINUTES
2½ pounds sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into rounds about ½ inch thick. If the potatoes are large, cut them in half lengthwise and then into half-rounds. (You should have 7 or 8 cups.) In a bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt, and a dash of pepper.
Spread the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. Stir, and return to the oven until they are tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
serving & menu ideas
Delicious with Chipotle Scrambled Eggs or Pine Nut–Crusted Fish. For a colorful meal with interesting contrasts, serve alongside Chipotle Tofu and Corn & Pepper Salad.
baked acorn squash crescents
These crescents are perfect simple supper fare; there’s hardly any prep time involved, and while they bake, you can make the rest of the meal.
SERVES 2 TO 4
TIME: 30 MINUTES
1 acorn squash
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly butter a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Using a long sharp knife,
