Impress Your Dinner Guests With Color!

Written Sunday, August 21st, 2011 by Theresa H Hall

Discovering these unusually beautiful vegetables has been a tremendous find. Imagine them placed next to a succulent main dish of medium-rare filet mignon, or a grilled glazed pork loin, or a pair of perfectly grilled lamb chops. To please the eye is the first duty of a well-seasoned cook or chef. At first glance, food has to be appealing, well-plated, and impressive. These purple and blue vegetables taste the same as their more traditionally-colored counterparts, and they lend an immediate air of mystery to tempt us to try them. We sit down, pick up our silverware and gently cut a small portion to taste. Just knowing we are eating a vegetable so pretty makes us appreciate it more.

Beautiful Purple Pole Beans

Delicate Blue-Foot Chantrelle Mushrooms

Royal Purple Cauliflower

Deep Purple Potatoes

... and potatoes plated

Pair one of these vegetables with a sumptuous main course. Balance it with a bright crisp green salad so your family and guests will feel you have gone out of your way in order to make their meal even more spectacular. Sharing an inspired supper is a sure way to get the conversation flowing. And remember ... even though these veggies are purple and blue, enjoying them will never give you The Blues!

Member Recipe Review: Cucumber and Roasted Peanut Salad

Written Thursday, September 24th, 2009 by Anne Coleman

There's no doubt that summer is over here, but my cucumber vines didn't get the memo. Not only did they produce quite copiously this year, they're still flowering and wee little cucumbers are peeking out from beneath the blossoms.

After giving away all that we could without having the new neighbors whispering about the 'odd cucumber family', I soldiered on and dug deep within the recesses of my cookbook collection to find new and different ways to use up the prolific pepino production I had on my hands.

I needn't have gone so far, for there was a recipe right here at Half Hour Meals that filled the bill quite well; Jurate's Cucumber and Roasted Peanut Salad.

The bright flavors of cilantro and lime combined with cool cucumber and sweet red onion blend perfectly together to make a deliciously light salad perfect to help me use up the bounty I have on hand. Cumin seeds, black mustard seed and peanuts add a depth of flavor and crunch to the whole dish - a prime balance for the cool cuke.

Not only was it the choicest match to the soup I had for lunch today, but the kids thought rather highly of it as well. Give it a try yourself, the recipe can be found here: http://www.halfhourmeals.com/recipe/cucumber-and-roasted-peanut-salad