Summer Eats

Two weeks ago my friends and family in Maine were waiting for the last frost so they could plant their gardens safely. Here on the Gulf Coast, however, we're already eating the first veggies out of our gardens. Actually, I struggle to grow herbs, but I'm very lucky to have good friends with green thumbs who have generously given us lots of delicious food. There's something very satisfying, as a mom, about having your 5-year-old beg, "Puh-lease, Mummy? Please can I have just one more tomato?" Needless to say, our tomato supply didn't last very long, but we don't mind one bit. In fact, having torn through our stash of fresh veggies from our friends, I'm perfectly happy to visit the local farmer's market downtown, or even buy local produce at the grocery store. If you look, you can find local and/or organic produce in most markets now. Yea!

Because there's a heat wave here right now, I've been avoiding cooking, but I couldn't resist using those first fresh veggies of the season. I cooked several pounds of high-protein, whole grain pasta, for use in several dinners throughout the week.
*One evening I cooked yellow squash and zucchini, both cut into one-inch cubes, over high heat with olive oil and minced garlic and onion. I let them soften and brown slightly, then added red kidney beans, low-sodium beef broth, salt and pepper. I mixed this with an equal amount of pasta and tore some fresh basil over the top.
*Another night I roasted banana peppers and broccoli with sesame seeds and tossed them with a little ginger vinaigrette to top the pasta.

Each night's dinner required only a few minutes of preparation, one pan, and a few cents' worth of ingredients (even if we had purchased the produce). They were both full of flavor but low on carbs, sugars, calories and cholesterol. Talk about low cost low carb! Best of all, we got to enjoy several meals full of beautiful, bright fresh flavors right out of our friends' lush garden.