Little Vegetable Dishes

This time last year: Honey Curry Dip  and Hodge Podge

We just got back from a weekend camping trip at Kejimkujik.  Six adults, three kids and a dog.  Glorious weather.  Lots of food.  We returned to sites we've been camping on for twenty five years, in a warm forest that smells just like I remember every year and feels like home.  I strung a hammock between two trees, set up a giant tent and a makeshift kitchen. The kids and I hiked, swam, threw rocks and pigged out.  As I've told you before here, we like to eat well, and it can get a little out of hand.  On our way home yesterday I was looking forward to a little balance!  We decided to have a supper of vegetables.

One of the most memorable meals of my life was when I was living with some girls in a one room cabin on Saltspring Island.  It was summer and we had gone to the market and come back with a huge assortment of vegetables.  We cooked each in different ways, made some cheesy garlic bread, and sat down to feast.  A meal of small vegetable dishes can be enormously satisfying (even without cheese bread).  It doesn't need to be a huge production, and everything can be served at room temperature if that's how the timing works out.  This time of year, markets and home gardens are vegetable bonanzas and you don't want to be limited to just a few at suppertime!

Some of my favourite simple vegetable dishes of the season are Swiss Chard with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas in Brown Butter, Parsley Potatoes, and Roasted Asparagus.  If you click around the All Things Vegetable section of this site, you'll find lots more ideas as well.  And here's one more.

Warm Spinach and Tomato Salad

2 t. Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic
8 oz Spinach, washed and chopped
1 medium Tomato, cut in chunks

Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan for a minute, then add the garlic.  When the garlic sizzles, stir in the spinach and a pinch of salt.  Stir for about thirty seconds, until the spinach begins to wilt, then add the tomato.  Cook for another minute at the most, just until the tomatoes have heated through.  Remove from the heat and serve hot or at room temperature.