Recipe: MINTED SUMMER VEGETABLES

1/4 cup oil
3 tbs chopped mint
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 red and/or orange bell peppers, sliced
2 yellow and/or green squash, thinly sliced

Heat grill. In bowl, combine oil, mint and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Whisk together until blended. Add peppers and squash to herb mixture, toss to coat. Place vegetable mixture on grill rack, grill 10 min. or until tender, turning once. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Arrange vegetables on serving platter. MAKES 6 SERVINGS OF VEGETABLES.

Cauliflower Tips

Cauliflower can be found in the produce section of most
health food stores, specialty markets, and supermarkets.
Choose a firm, heavy head with compact, white-colored
florets and no sign of brown specks, which form as
cauliflower ages. The leaves should be fresh and green.
Store it in a plastic bag with holes poked in it for up
to two days.

Wash cauliflower well just before using. Cut it into
florets by pulling away the leaves and cutting around
the core on the underside. Separate the florets by cutting
them apart from the inside of the cauliflower. The green
leaves at the base are edible, but have a pretty strong
flavor. Adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or a cup of
milk to the cooking water will prevent discoloration.

Vegetable and Fruit Tips

* Prevent discoloration of green leafy vegetables: Add a pinch of
common salt and sugar to the cooking vegetable so as to avoid
discoloration of green leafy vegetables.

* Onion peeling without crying: Peel onions under water to avoid
"crying". Another option is to refrigerate onions before cutting.

* Keep green leafy vegetables fresh for longer time: Wrap green leafy vegetables in a newspaper before putting in the vegetable bag or tray. This will keep them fresh much longer.

* Keep celery fresh for a longer time: Celery wrapped in aluminum
foil before refrigerating will remain fresh for weeks.

* Stop potatoes from rotting: Potatoes rot quickly if stored near
onions. To prevent potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag
with the potatoes.

* Keep chilies fresh for a longer time: While storing green chilies,
remove the stems.

Tip: Freezing Onions

If you like cooking with fresh onions, but frequently toss an unused portion, try freezing it! The following method works for fully mature onions:

1. Wash, peel and chop raw, fully mature onions into about 1/2" pieces. There is no need to blanch onions.

2. Bag and freeze in freezer bags for best quality and odor protection.
Package -- flat -- in freezer bags to hasten freezing and make it easier to break off
sections as needed. Express out the air and place bags on cookie sheets or metal pans until onions are frozen. Then, restack bags to take up less room.

3. Use in cooked products, such as soups and stews, ground meat mixtures, casseroles, etc. For most dishes, frozen onions may be used with little or no thawing. (Will keep 3-6 months.)

Potato recipes

So many potatoes, so little time. From the creamy buttery look of the Yukon Gold to the eye popping Purple Peruvian, the cute Fingerling, the hearty Russet, and the delicious Sweet Potato, this vegetable offers shapes, sizes, colors and textures to please everyone's palate. Boiled, steamed, fried, baked, sautéed, roasted, and grilled, they can be prepared so many ways from mashing, frying, adding them to soups to eating them all by themselves.

Cooking Tips:

* Use potatoes to thicken soups. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. Add Potatoes (no skin) and Broccoli stalks, stir and cook a little. Add Broccoli tops on top and 4 cups of chicken stock. Cover and simmer. After about 20 minutes, take out the Broccoli stalks and then blend the rest together with a hand-held blender. Add cheese and milk.
* When baking in the oven (or microwave), pierce the skin before baking to allow steam to escape. Bake at 350 for about an hour, depending on the size. If you bake them on a rack, you'll get nice crispy skin. You may want to coat them with some kosher salt after you wash them for added flavor. Baking a potato in foil actually causes the potato to steam; if you want softer skin, rub it with a little olive oil before baking instead of in foil.
* Most people start boiled potatoes in cold water for even cooking, but to reduce the loss of nutrients, drop them in already boiling water or better yet, steam them instead of boiling them, even for mashed potatoes! That retains more of the nutrients from the skin and you won't believe how much better it tastes!
* Don't over-beat your mashed potatoes or they will be gooey and gummy.
* Try roasting by cutting Potatoes in chunks, tossing in olive oil, add salt and pepper, and roast at 450 for about 30 minutes until done. They will caramelize. This is a fun way to make French Fries without frying! Or cut them into chip shapes and do the same thing! Purple Potatoes are fun too! Check them every 10 to 15 to see if they need flipping.

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