Vegetables - Home-Ec 101

Tomato Soup: Saving Summer’s Bounty

We were in the mood for tomato soup and grilled cheese. So we started Googling. After all, the best recipes are often found at your fingertips. We picked out and modified a recipe. Here’s what we came up with. Tomato Soup Ingredients: 5 very ripe tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped 1 large onion, sliced thinly …

Slow Roasted Tomatoes: Saving Summer’s Bounty

Heather says: I’m not a gardener, but I’m lucky enough to have family that is into that sort of thing. Produce is rolling into my mother’s garden faster than she and my stepfather can eat it. We are the lucky recipients of the excess. This weekend I had planned on preparing three tomato pies for …

Heather says: It has been unusually cool here near Charleston, SC, but our summer is just around the corner. Summer, in my world means grilling and not just steaks, but vegetables, too. Our third and final installment of recipes from BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com take us out onto the porch where I fired up the grill to prepare …

Sautéed Cabbage

Dear Home Ec 101, Would you post about how you cook cabbage? That’s something I never cook… is it cheap and healthy? Thanks! Signed, Cravin’ the Cruciferous Heather says: Yes, cabbage when purchased in season, is both cheap and healthy. It is a great source of both vitamin C and fiber. Here in North America …

Cheese Sauce

Dear Home Ec 101,

My three year old son is allergic to eggs and I’m trying to find a cheese sauce for vegetables that is simple, but not greasy.
Can you help?

Signed,
Cheesin’ in Chester
Heather says,

Most of us who grew up in the 1980s can probably sing the jingle for Velveeta, “Cheddar’s greasy, cheddar’s oily.” I am not sure why I’m encouraging y’all to sing as I am not recommending Velveeta. That stuff is spendy and fake, a mortal culinary sin in the Handbook of Heather.

A little flour, butter, milk, and cheddar make a great kid friendly cheese sauce for vegetables. Ready? Good.

Peas and Almonds

Heather says: I used to hate peas. Deep down in my heart I knew the cafeteria ladies despised me each time they plopped a spoonful of wrinkly, mushy peas onto my tray. Thankfully, I have learned that most often it isn’t the original food item I have hated, but simply the manner in which it …

How to Freeze Bell Peppers

Dear Home Ec 101, My neighbor is a gardening whiz and brought over a ton of sweet bell peppers. I don’t want any to go to waste, but there is no way we can eat them all. Can you freeze bell peppers? Signed, ~Peter Piper Gratuitous Pretty Pepper Pic Heather says: Not only can …

Lime and Salt Margarita Carrot Sticks

Heather says: Everyone says, “Eat your vegetables.” Here’s a quick and easy way to perk up the lowly carrot stick without adding fat. We love it as a side for summer meals and as a snack to take to work or the park. They’ve been nicknamed margarita carrots, but there isn’t a drop of alcohol …

Steamed Broccoli

Dear Home Ec 101, A while ago you posted a recipe for fettucini alfredo and suggested adding steamed broccoli. So, maybe it makes me look an idiot and maybe it doesn’t, but is there a proper way to steam broccoli? Signed, Stymied by Steam Heather says: While you don’t need any fancy tools to steam …

Summer Squash and Zucchini, Grilled

Heather says: I love zucchini. It’s one of those plants I don’t have to grow to reap the benefits. As the season turns toward summer local gardeners may have more than they know what to do with. In fact August 8th is “Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night.” Friends and neighbors, I am here …