Julie Grice is the author of the healthy living blog Savvy Eats. She follows a “Smart Food, Smart Fitness & Smart Life” philosophy by featuring resources on gardening, cycling, and local/seasonal foods. We asked Julie to clue us in about exercise-friendly food ideas and at-home gardening, and of course got a guilty pleasure recipe out of her.

What was your inspiration for Savvy Eats?

I initially started Savvy Eats as a way to share my recipes, daily eats, and food science knowledge. Since then, I’ve shifted my focus away from my daily eats and workouts, and more towards information sharing interspersed with information about my life.

I want Savvy Eats to be a resource for everyone looking to learn about eating locally and seasonally, growing your own produce, and/or cycling.

What resources do you turn to for food ideas or recipe inspiration?

Other food blogs and cookbooks. One of my recent favorites is “Cooking Know-How” by Weinstein and Scarbrough.

I also get inspired by restaurant menus when we go out to eat.  They can give me great ideas for new dishes to try and flavor combinations.

What is important to you when deciding which grocery items to buy?

I recently wrote a whole post about this, but basically:

1. First and foremost, I choose local and in-season produce whenever possible. Of course, sometimes I bend the rule… there are days when I just want a banana or pineapple, or need a lemon for a recipe, and we can’t grow those in New York!

2. I steer clear of anything containing artificial sweeteners.

3. We try to buy all of our milk, cheese, eggs, and meat from local sources in order to support small businesses, rather than factory farms.

What tips do you have for anyone looking to start a garden at home?

First, you don’t need a ton of space to grow your own vegetables or herbs! You can easily grow some basil or chives in a window box, or some bush beans or lettuce in a pot near a sunny window or on your porch.

Secondly, figure out what you really like to eat. For instance, you’d be surprised by how many cherry tomatoes you’ll get off of just one plant! In our first summer of gardening, we planted 8 cherry tomato plants, and pick 7 or 8 pounds of them a week! So if you don’t love cherry tomatoes or cucumbers, or whatever you are planting, stick to only one or two plants, or grow something else.

Everyone knows to water your plants. But be careful not to overwater! Too much water can flush the nitrogen and other nutrients that plants need out of the soil.

If you are nervous about successfully planting seeds, try planting seedlings instead. Bonus: you’ll get to harvest veggies more quickly than if you started with seeds!

As an avid cyclist, what foods do you turn to boost your energy and get you going?

Before a long ride, I try to choose something with lots of carbs and a little protein to keep my energy up without weighing me down. In the mornings, I’ll typically have some toast with nut butter and preserves about an hour before my ride. After the ride, I fuel back up with some fruit and something with a good mix of carbs and protein. This might be a bagel with more nut butter, some eggs-in-the-nest, Greek yogurt, or a pasta dish. Recently, I have also been drinking cherry juice after every long ride, because it contains natural anti-inflammatories!

At Plummelo, we’re all about recipe organization. How do you keep your kitchen organized?

I recently wrote a post about this one, too! Everything in my kitchen has a designated home, so I can always find exactly what I need.

When I cook, I try to get out and measure all of my ingredients before I start.  It adds a few dishes, sure, but it also ensures that I have everything I need and that I don’t mess up the dish by letting something cook to long because I’m busy chopping or shredding ingredients!

What’s your favorite guilty pleasure recipe?

Definitely risotto cakes. Risotto is one of my favorite dishes to make, and the cakes definitely ‘bump it up’ a notch!

Savvy Risotto Cakes (originally published here)

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. Arborio rice
1 1/2 – 2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 T. butter
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 c. flour
1 c. Panko or bread crumbs
2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
Olive oil
Make the risotto. I recommend doing this the night before/the morning of, but this isn’t absolutely necessary.

To make the risotto, heat 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the rice and 1/2 c. broth. Stir continuously until the liquid is nearly absorbed, and add another half-cup of broth. Continue until the rice is fully cooked and fluffy (you may not need all of the broth!). Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper, butter and cheese until the cheese and butter are completely melted.

Cover and refrigerate the risotto until completely cooled or until you are ready for the next step, whichever comes later.

Now it is time to shape, bread and fry the cakes! Pour the flour onto one plate, mix the Panko and chili powder together on a second plate, and lightly beat the egg in a small bowl.
Scoop out a small handful of the risotto to form 1″ flattened balls.

Roll the ball in flour, then egg, then Panko. Set aside, and repeat with the rest of the risotto. This should make 6-8 cakes.

Pour enough olive oil into a frying pan to just cover the bottom, and turn the heat to medium-high. When hot, place 3 cakes into the pan, and cook until brown. Flip, cook, and repeat until all sides are browned. Remove the risotto cakes from the pan, and repeat with the remaining raw cakes.

Serve over a bed of fresh spinach.

——————————————————————————

Can’t wait to make some healthy meals? Try a few of these ideas:
A smorgasbord of healthy recipes you’ll be itching to try.
Recipes chock full of veggies to get you in tip top shape.

Visit Julie’s Website: www.savvyeat.com Join her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

I plied my guests with sugar. We drank a pitcher of a delicious, pretty drink I recently tried in Bermuda, called the Rum Swizzle. Made in advance so the flavors can meld and then served over ice, it is a perfect recipe for entertaining. Slightly more labor-intensive per drink were the Drunken Floats. One of the ladies said she has always been adverse to the “ice cream and soda” concoctions like root beer floats… until now. It makes a perfect creamy blend, and a touch of vanilla vodka poured over the ice cream cuts the sweetness enough to make it a welcome indulgence.

What’s a girls’ night without chocolate? Earlier in the summer I encouraged making cool treats ahead for the hot days, and Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches have been a favorite among the kids. But when rolled in toasted crushed nuts along the sides instead of mini chocolate chips, they appeal to crowds of all ages. (Can I admit to you all that we had so much fun with the Rum Swizzles and the Root Beer Floats that we never even made it to these? My son jumped up and down to hear that all 12 sandwiches were still safely tucked in the freezer the following day.)

Last, but not least, we noshed on Chocolate Chip Brownie Pillows. Imagine biting into a chocolate chip cookie to find a fudgy brownie center… heavenly! Everyone was amazed that they were homemade cookies because they came out so professional looking. The brownie middle was such a great surprise.

True to fabulous form, my girlfriends came armed with cranberry-maple brie and baguettes and a wonderful hummus and feta dip with cucumbers sprinkled over the top. A little salty to balance the sweet.

Since I keep a well-stocked bar and baking pantry, I barely spent more money than I would on a couple of drinks out at a bar. We had a lot more elbow room and many more laughs this way. Before the weather cools down, try your next girls’ night out at home–out on the deck.

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo by Food Network

Tim likes his tomatoes served at more temperate states, like, frigid, and he loves to smack them with salt. Me, I can eat mine like apples, without any gussying up.

Cooked tomatoes, on the other hand, have always presented a conundrum. I like them pulsed and sauced, as long as I’m not the one doing the crushing. I never roast or grill tomatoes, and blanching and peeling–nope. Nausea-inducing all of it, just the thought.

Why, then, was I taunted by a recipe for tomato tarte tatin in the August issue of Bon Appétit, which called for skin removal in the very first step?

Could have been my memories of true tarte tatins (with apple) consumed in the Normandy countryside (remember, Joc?). Or maybe it was the fact that the red fruits we’d been eating all of August had been so sweet that dessert didn’t seem such a stretch. Most likely, it was the mention of caramel.

The recipe called for plum tomatoes, which weren’t available the day I was at the market, so I bought some Cherokee purples–the sweetest on the table, the farmer assured me. They needed a couple more days to ripen, during which time I had to fend off Tim’s repeated advances with a, “No, no, no, I need those!” For what? “You’ll see…” Coy smile… look away…

Like flirting. Hard at first, till you realize there’s a time and a place.

Finally, I had my store-bought puff pastry thawed and the tomatoes were ready. Although the blanching and skin-peeling was more laborious than I would’ve liked, I didn’t throw up–a plus! Tim called from work in the middle of the caramelization, just as the tomatoes were emitting little strands of steam and the butter was browning so evenly that I got cocky enough to confess that I was up to something he would love.

Moments before he walked in, I pulled the tarte from the oven and set about preparing dinner.

The surprise was still intact, you see, because the tatin is baked upside-down. Cooling in cast-iron at the back of the stove, it could’ve been plums or peaches or apples in that skillet, for all Tim knew.

But I know my husband, and I didn’t want him to start poking at my perfectly-puffed dough. So I told him.

“Wow,” he said, in a good way. “Cool!”

This was so my night.

Until dinner was finished, and I went back to the stove to tend to dessert…

…wherein my tatin wouldn’t disengage… no matter what cock-eyed strategies I employed while trying to pry it loose.

Even our forty-dollar griddle flipper, in Tim’s grip, couldn’t do the trick.

He pinpointed the problem immediately.

I should’ve flipped the pan onto a plate only a few minutes after the tarte had cooled (just like the recipe stipulated). D’oh!

Of course, I insisted we eat what we could salvage. (Sorry, not the greatest photo.)

What can I say? No regrets there. The jammy nature of the caramelized tomatoes was exactly what Bon Appétit promised.

The next time I make this, I’ll follow the instructions to a T, and just in case I get distracted by dinner, I definitely won’t keep it a secret.

Read more by Kristen Hinman

Kristen Hinman writes the column Swine Dining: A City Girl Cooks Country. She used to think the perfect weeknight dinner consisted of an omelette and a glass of wine. OK, she still does. Her husband, on the other hand? Not so much. Luckily, three years of recreational cooking school in Paris and a vast cookbook collection mean she’s never at a loss for ideas. Kristen is a journalist who has lingered in celebrity chefs’ kitchens, nosed over midwestern caviar houses and taken pigs to slaughter–all on the clock. She lives in St. Louis and Washington D.C. and is the winner of two James Beard Foundation Awards for newspaper writing. One day she will wallpaper her pantry with Gourmet magazine covers. Visit Kristen’s website. Photo by Michelle Hudgins.

Martha’s general advice about salsa is solid. You want to balance sweet (onion), sour (vinegar, lemon, or lime juice) and heat (jalapeno peppers or serrano chiles), but beyond that, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Vary your star ingredients: tomatoes, beans, bell peppers, corn, or fruit. Just be sure to include those three necessary elements that differentiate a salsa from chutney or relish.

I picked up my CSA farm share today and was thrilled to see two stripey green tomatoes, a huge ugly orange and yellow tie-dyed looking guy who clearly rocked out to the Grateful Dead, and some classic red tomatoes. I balanced that with two jalapenos, a sweet white onion, and lime juice. We love cilantro at my house, so I never skip that.

Fresh salsa is a great technique to have up your sleeve for summer entertaining, because you need to make it at least one day ahead of time so that the flavors can meld, and it’s just so darned good.

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo by Maggie Hoffman / flickr

Fast forward 30 years to the elementary school lunch room of 2010. There are allergy tables and nut-free zones, and kids stow their own anti-bacterial hand gel or wipes. Trading is outlawed due to allergy concerns, lunches are packed in coolers with ice, and almost no one eats a sandwich. It is a constant topic of conversation at my “mommy coffees” and playgroups. Countless email chains have passed through my inbox, subject line: “what do you pack for lunch?” My soon-to-be second grader is a peanut butter and jelly lover, and he’d prefer to eat a PB & J on whole wheat three meals a day (if I would allow it). How easy my life would be if his entire school was not a peanut-free zone. And I don’t know any Mom that buys Twinkies or Ding Dongs on a more than occasional basis.

We all have our various strategies: half a bagel with cream cheese. A slice of oatmeal bread and a cheese stick. Frozen pizza cooked in the toaster oven (in the morning while the coffee is still perking, probably) and then wrapped in foil. Cereal with milk on the side. All of these are fine ideas, and when products are thoughtfully chosen, prepared, and supplemented with fruit or a veggie side, they’re perfectly nutritious.

Ever been tempted to buy Lunchables? Don’t be. I stopped by that area of the market recently and read the labels. Yikes! Save that kind of indulgence of fat and salt for a stop at the McDonald’s play place when the situation warrants it. You can definitely make a Lunchables-style meal at home that you can feel better about.

Try out this cute idea for Snack Stackers–add slices of cucumber and a homemade cookie and you might never be tempted to buy a Lunchables ever again. You can do double duty at dinner by cooking extra chicken strips so that the leftovers can be transformed into this super-cute Chicken Dippers Lunch. If your child will eat turkey but doesn’t love sandwiches, Pinwheel Bites might work for you.

Mix and match whatever cut veggies your kids like with individual cups of low fat ranch dip or hummus and add some fresh pita wedges. You can make your own dips and hummus, fill your own small containers with store-bought versions, or purchase six-packs of hummus and dip at your local market or wholesale club.

Try putting finger foods on sticks–mini skewers or toothpicks. Cut mozzarella cheese sticks into bite-sized pieces, fold salami into a triangle and add a cucumber wedge or a grape tomato. It’s a cute, tasty finger food; pair this idea with a fruit skewer to balance it all.

My son’s favorite thing to do is take something hot in his Speed Racer thermos. Meatballs in sauce with a roll on the side, Alphabet Soup, and Pepperoni Pizza Soup are all perfect for the thermos. My nieces take rice or pasta with butter in their thermoses. They key to a successful thermos lunch? Pour the hottest tap water into the thermos, cover it, and allow it to stand while you prepare the food. Pour out the water (but don’t wipe out the thermos), and then load it up and cover it tightly. Filling a warmed thermos with hot food ensures it will still be warm by lunchtime, and the moisture left from the water will keep pasta and rice from drying out inside.

If you need to make lunches for an anti-sandwich crowd, then you will need some hard working gear. Green-minded lunch monitors will give you the stinkeye if you send in too many plastic bags and disposable drink containers over the course of a week. Check www.reuseablebags.com for some clever earth-friendly lunch supplies. Target and Whole Foods Market also have a lot of products available for packing a healthful lunch.

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo by Whole Foods

It was three years ago when we first met. It was a romantic summer, with the wind rolling gently off the coast. Feasting on fresh lobsters and strolling along coastal towns, we fell passionately in love.

It started frantically on a roadside off ME-27, luring me toward it with one of those old-fashioned wooden hand-painted stands, “$5 a quart.” That’s when I yelled at him to pull over–quickly. The brakes screeched as we narrowly missed the curb and landed in the gravel parking lot.

It was love at first bite, as they say. And second, third, fourth–I couldn’t pop the little pellets into my mouth quickly enough. To heck with washing them, I practically plowed a handful of berries into my mouth at once. Were they sugar-coated? No, they were not a day off the bush.

And that is how my love affair with wild Maine blueberries began. Sloppy and frantic, purple-stained, sweet, and unrelenting.

It’s not that I hadn’t had a blueberry before. I just hadn’t (to my knowledge) encountered fresh-picked Maine blueberries, right from the farm.

Munching on them pure and unadulterated is my preferred method, but sometimes I just want a blueberry pie. Here are some other recipe ideas. The, eh hem, Spiced Blueberry Mojito comes very highly recommended.

Read more by Sarah Fullerton

My daughter recently became enchanted by a six-pack of yogurt smoothies at the grocery store. After a quick scan of the nutritional data, I decided to give them a try–and what a hit! Our family vacation this summer was a cruise to Bermuda, and part of the breakfast buffet was a smoothie bar where you could customize your own creation. We all became enchanted by the piles of fruit and yogurt lined up next to the blender. Wow! We were all pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed a smoothie in the morning.

Given the season and abundance of fresh fruit choices, I have started experimenting with the blender to create smoothies at home. The kids have taken very well to this new addition on the home kitchen menu. Naturally, the use of crazy straws never hurts, either. While the appeal is similar, this sweet treat packs a nutritional punch that popsicles simply do not. When I give my kids a smoothie, they do not come back to the kitchen fifteen minutes later looking for another snack.

You can vary a smoothie, as my son would say, to infinity and beyond. Many contain dairy: milk, yogurt, even pudding mix. Plain nonfat yogurt, vanilla yogurt, Greek style yogurt, cow’s milk, soy milk… you name it. Even the sweeteners (when called for) are diverse: sugar, brown sugar, honey, Stevia, Splenda. In August and September, combine fresh fruit with ice and whatever other flavorings you can think of. Chocolate strawberry, peanut butter and banana, vanilla blackberry… But down the road, swap fresh fruit and ice for frozen fruit (skip the ice) to create equally delicious drinks even when the produce offerings are looking a little tired. Sometimes I think they come out better with frozen fruit, no ice.

They key feature in making a smoothie that my kids will like is making it really cold and really thick. If the consistency is at all milky, they make a face and hand it back to me. Sometimes half of a scoop of sorbet, sherbet, or vanilla ice cream does the trick, and Greek yogurt is a good thickener. And here’s a secret: I’ve tossed in a little wheat germ every time, and they’ve never noticed!

We’ve done Banana Strawberry and Pick Your Fruit Smoothies for breakfast. Peppermint Chocolate, Cherry Berry, and the Magic Brew are terrific afternoon treats.

Surf around for smoothies on your favorite recipe sites; you are sure to find something that will delight you (and your kids). Save to Plummelo, customize your ingredients, and shop. Then come home and become a smooth(ie) operator like me!

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo by Melissa Devereaux. Find her here and here.

We were noshing on pizza and this cold cuke salad one night last month when he started puckering his lips, squinching up his nose and whimpering like a kid who’d just been sent to his room without dinner. I’m serious. First he said he didn’t like the Asian accents–the sesame oil, mainly. Well, he went on after a pause, maybe the cucumber’s texture was the problem. Final answer? Not exactly. “OK, I know what it is,” he said. “Love pickles. Can’t staaaand cucumbers. They taste like face cream. Ick!”

We’d been eating on the fly for much of July, cruising from one gluttonous road-trip to the next. Every time we came home I felt like I needed a system cleanse. Why not cucumbers?

I started doing some quick pickling. Nothing too fancy–salt, sugar and white wine vinegar, mainly–with big, slicing cukes and the shorter, perter versions, as well as some gnarly looking lemon cucumbers (pictured), all with good results. Problem was, Tim’s perfect pickle is a dill. And I was too busy to equip myself with proper canning supplies, too impatient to wait for the finished product.

Then I came across a recipe for sautéed cucumbers in a Nantucket cookbook that I bought almost 15 years ago.

Need a rewind?

Yes, you can sauté cucumbers!

The technique may sound passé, but the result is fresh. One caveat: remove the skin and seeds before you proceed.

My favorite of the few recipes I found was this rendition by Martha Stewart. She simmers the veggies briefly, then tosses them into some butter over high heat for  a minute or so: just long enough to brown them lightly but not zap them of their crunch. The flavor was pretty stunning–much more spritely than I expected.

The other day for a quick lunch, I simplified even further, forgoing the simmer and simply tossing my sliced cucumbers in a skillet over medium-high heat for five or six minutes. I seasoned and added some chopped fresh basil at the end. The nuttiness of the butter came through nicely but didn’t shroud the brightness of the vegetable.

Tim hasn’t tasted these sides yet, but I’m feeling pretty good about throwing either one down next to a burger or maybe some short ribs. Not so cleansing, true, but that’s the point.

Kristen Hinman writes the column Swine Dining: A City Girl Cooks Country. She used to think the perfect weeknight dinner consisted of an omelette and a glass of wine. OK, she still does. Her husband, on the other hand? Not so much. Luckily, three years of recreational cooking school in Paris and a vast cookbook collection mean she’s never at a loss for ideas. Kristen is a journalist who has lingered in celebrity chefs’ kitchens, nosed over midwestern caviar houses and taken pigs to slaughter–all on the clock. She lives in St. Louis and Washington D.C. and is the winner of two James Beard Foundation Awards for newspaper writing. One day she will wallpaper her pantry with Gourmet magazine covers. Visit Kristen’s website. Photo by Michelle Hudgins.

Zucchini and Squash Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage and Pappardelle

It’s past mid summer, and the zucchini and squash are rolling in everywhere. I’m getting four to six per week in my farm share, friends’ gardens are overflowing with them, and they are available locally grown and dirt cheap in the supermarket.

This pasta recipe isn’t so different from the one I tried last week, a Martha Stewart-inspired dish of Gemelli with Yellow Squash, Peas, and Basil (see below). That dish is vegetarian and I served it as a side. This one incorporates sweet Italian sausage and should be served as a main course.

Although this was definitely on my menu for the week, it was a last-minute decision to make it for dinner on Saturday night (instead of another planned meal that involved the grill). As I watched Jim practically running with the lawnmower while trying to beat the thunderclouds rolling in, I decided to give him the night off from grilling.

Many reviewers on Food Network’s site touted this dish as flavorless. So I added garlic while cooking the veggies, and a seasoning blend that is a personal favorite of mine: Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute. Emeril’s “essence” is not something I keep on hand, but if you do, feel free to give it that bam! at the end. I also added a dash of crushed red pepper flake and did not add fresh basil during the cooking process–only as a garnish at the end. This dish comes together quickly and is perfect for a weeknight meal, accompanied by a crisp and leafy salad. The sausage needs to be removed of its casing for this dish, which is easy enough to do. Just pierce the casing with a knife and peel it back.

Pappardelle in any form is pretty difficult to come by in my neck of the woods. Fresh pappardelle eluded me, even in a specialty Italian market. I did hunt down a 12 oz. artisan quality dried package, for a whopping $6.99 at Whole Foods. I splurged, because I am just crazy like that sometimes. Otherwise I endorse the closest thing likely to be in your regular market: fettuccine. Pappardelle is pasta cut into ribbons that are wider and shorter than fettuccine, and they are sometimes twirled into little nests. I must admit that they are very cute. But fettuccine will work just fine.

This dish is, in a word, awesome. Comfort food to the max. High calorie, but at least they are not “empty calories.” Be sure to garnish this dish with lots of fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese!

Gemelli with Yellow Squash, Peas, and Basil

Martha touts this recipe as a carefree meatless supper with a deceptively creamy sauce that is surprisingly light on calories and fat. She’s absolutely right that it can stand alone as a meatless entree. It’s also a fabulous meal to have up your sleeve when the garden is overflowing with squash and basil. But a big problem we have at my house is portion control–and this meal is not a good candidate as a stand-alone entree for those of us who cannot resist seconds (and thirds).

There are eight servings in a pound of pasta. That’s right… eight. Not four. Not… two or three. Wait, did I just say that out loud? This dish calls for 8 ounces of dried pasta, which makes it four servings. I can guarantee you that if I made this with a salad on the side and nothing more, my husband and I would eat the entire thing. And so we’re trying to learn the true Italian way to eat pasta–as a starter or a component of the meal, not as the shining star, in healthful portions.

I decided to serve this as part of my daughter’s birthday dinner, alongside grilled chicken and corn on the cob. I had two yellow squash and one zucchini, so I strayed from the original just a bit. Three adults and two children shared in this colorful and satisfying dish that is bursting with the colors of summer. I’m proud to say that there are leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, and I can’t wait to enjoy them!

Tri Color Vegetable Saute

We liked this dish. It’s a colorful, flavorful side for summer. But a slight disappointment has turned into an inspiration:

Upon seeing the finished product on his plate next to a modest portion of grilled flank steak, my husband’s eyes lit up and he said “Bacon? Is there bacon in here?” Sadly, I had to break the news that the little brown flecks were actually sun dried tomatoes, not bacon.

But, wait a minute… bacon? With corn, soybeans, and tomatoes? Why the heck not?

I’d like to think of this as a pantry staple–I used frozen shelled edamame, frozen corn, and basil from the garden. I always have onion, garlic and a pint of grape tomatoes in the house. I usually have bacon in the freezer, stored in small quantities for just such purposes. Why not start this by cooking a couple of slices of everyone’s favorite pork product and then proceeding with the drippings rather than starting with olive oil? Not as heart healthy, of course. But the additional flavor burst would probably encourage a more reluctant veggie eater to finish his fiber than would the addition of sun dried tomatoes. Of course, you could use both.

If you’re looking for a great veggie side dish to accompany simple grilled meals, this one’s for you.

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo from Martha Stewart

Grilled Flank Steak + Steamed Broccoli with Garlic + Creamy Parmesan Orzo = Dinner

Sesame Chicken Noodle Casserole + Stir Fried Sugar Snap Peas + Grilled Pineapple = Dinner & Dessert fit for company

You get the idea.

When I plan my meals for the week, I try to remember the hectic rush hour feeling. I don’t enjoy the stress of watching multiple pots and pans on the stove. If you only have one oven, cooking two components of a meal can sometimes feel like organizing international trade agreements with the various cooking times, oven temperatures, and rack placement.

This zingy Chicken with Lemon and Oregano needs nothing more than a crunchy Greek salad as an accompaniment. Add the Spicy Hummus with Grilled Pita and you’re ready to open the wine and invite some friends to join you for an impromptu dinner party.

Is your crowd more traditional? Pick up simple steaks that need nothing more than salt and pepper (ask your butcher what’s best for the grill if you are unsure) and add this slightly fancier veggie side of Grilled Asparagus with Barbecue Butter.

Thinking heart-healthy? Try Grilled Fish Kebabs with Cherry Tomatoes alongside a brown rice salad with crunchy cucumbers and garden fresh herbs.

You can even make dessert on the grill! Be sure to clean the grates well before you grill fruit, and then try Rum Spiked Grilled Pineapple with Toasted Coconut. Okay, so it’s not a chocolate layer cake, but it’s a little something sweet that is sure to satisfy the dessert lover at your table.

Read more by Robin Horrigan

Robin Horrigan writes the column Cooking from the Carpool Lane. She lives on Boston’s south shore and is a stay at home Mom to Ryan, seven, and Maegan, three. Her fascination with cooking sprouted from watching Julia Child cook on a little black and white TV; Robin helped her Mom in the kitchen until she was old enough to ask Santa for her very own copy of The Joy of Cooking. She experiments with all kinds of cooking and baking, from quick weeknight dinners and easy cookies to long simmering weekend stews and complicated, fancy desserts. Ryan thinks if his Mom will ever be famous, it will be “for her awesome cookies.” Her friends say it will be for the cocktails. Either way, if she’s not doing volunteer work or shopping for shoes, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen.

Photo from Martha Stewart