San, Fine Cooking magazine is always a great source for new ways with vegetables. We love the recipe from them for Roasted Green Beans: Roasted Green Beans with Garlic Source: Marilyn (from Fine Cooking) 1 1/2 pound fresh green beans 1 small head garlic (I use only 6 to 8 cloves) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fresh ground pepper to taste 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Wash, trim and dry green beans. Position oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 450° (425° is using dark pan) and place a baking sheet in the oven. Peel each garlic clove and cut each into 4 pieces. Place green beans in a large bowl along with garlic, oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly and pour onto hot baking sheet in a single layer. Roast beans for 10 minutes, stir and continue to roast another 5 minutes if beans are slim and another 10 minutes if beans are thick. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese. And yesterday I made a wonderful cauliflower dish from them. The cauliflower is browned first so it makes a beautiful carmelized combination: Browned Cauliflower with Anchovies, Olives and Capers 1 medium-small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds) 1 large clove garlic pinch coarse salt- sea or kosher 6 oil packed anchovy filets, drained (I used 1 tablespoon anchovy paste) 1/4 cup EVOO 15 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, more to taste (this really made the dish pop!) 2 teaspoons capers, roughly chopped (I left these whole) 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I left out) Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes Clean and cut cauliflower into chunks, keeping florets attached to pieces of stem. Crush garlic with salt into a paste and add anchovies and pound them to a paste as well (since I used anchovy paste I just stirred it into crushed garlic). Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, olives, lemon juice and zest, capers and red pepper flakes; stir well. Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add half the cauliflower pieces in a single layer, cut side down. Cook until cauliflower is well browned on all sides then transfer to plate. Add the remaining cauliflower and more EVOO if necessary and brown on all sides. Add cauliflower from plate to cauliflower in pan and turn the heat down to low. Carefully add 2/3 cup (I only used 1/4 cup) water; cover and let steam until the stems are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon cooking liquid (or place in a serving bowl). Gently fold in anchovy mixture. Serve warm or room temperature. *This is my new favorite way to eat cauliflower! Marilyn

Here are a few of my favorites. They may not be too challenging but they are delicious. We're having Monte's Ham for dinner this Sunday :) Kima (Indian Meat Dish) 1 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 lb extra lean ground beef 1 or more Tablespoons curry powder 2 tsps salt tsp pepper 2 potatoes peeled & diced 2-3 tomatoes, diced Ground coriander Garlic powder 1 package frozen peas Saute onion in butter (I used 1 Tbsp). Add garlic and meat. Brown, then drain a bit (I didnÂt have much fat). Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper. Simmer. Then add tomatoes (I mash the tomatoes and meat at this point to get more juice and to make the ground meat fine). I saute the potatoes separate, then add to the mixture and let simmer about 15 minutes. I add some spaghetti sauce (marinara style) and water until I have a sauce because the tomatoes I buy donÂt make a lot of juice it seems. I taste for seasoning and add more curry powder plus some coriander and a bit of garlic powder. A few minutes before serving I add the peas and let simmer. If the Kima is too acidic, I add a bit of sugar. Serve with raita salad and naan (from Trader JoeÂs, baked 1-1/2 minutes in countertop oven). Can also serve with rice. Raita Salad (can halve this recipe for above Kima recipe) 2 (8 oz) containers plain yogurt 1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced 4 or 5 radishes chopped ¼ cup red onion diced Ground coriander Pinch of Kosher salt Blend all ingredients, cover with wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour. ***************************************************************************************** Chile & Tomato Saifun Noodle Salad ½ pound saifun (rice stick) noodles Dressing: ¼ cup rice vinegar 3 tablespoons sugar Zest and juice of 1 lime 2 tsps chile paste* 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tsps fish sauce ¼ cup vegetable oil Soy sauce 2 ripe tomatoes, diced 1 small peeled cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds 2 tablespoons choped fresh mint 3 to 4 green onions, minced To prepare the noodles, soak them in a bowl of warm water for about 10-15 minutes to soften. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the softened noodles, & cook until tender, about 1 minute. Drain the noodles & briefly rinse them under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and place in the refrigerator to chill. To prepare the dressing, mix together the vinegar, sugar, zest, juice, and chile paste in a medium bowl. Stir in the garlic and fish sauce. Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing is emulsified & thickened. Season to taste with the soy sauce and set aside. To finish the salad, place the chilled noodles in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, mint and green onions and toss well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat evenly. Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes, then serve. *I use only 1 tsp of chile paste (sambal oulek)--this stuff is Hot! The author says you can add slices of pork tenderloin or bean sprouts. I added snow peas, bean sprouts and shrimp & sometimes have added more soy sauce. Source: CaprialÂs Bistro Style Cuisine **************************************************************************************** MonteÂs Ham 1 (15 lb) smoked ham, on the bone 1-1/2 cups orange marmalade 1 cup Dijon mustard 1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 1 rounded tablespoon whole cloves Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut off the ham's tough outer skin and excess fat and discard. Put ham in a large roasting pan. With a long, sharp knife score it, making crosshatch incisions all over the ham about ½" deep and 1 inch apart. Roast the ham on the lower middle level of the oven for two hours. Remove it from oven, increase heat to 350 degrees and make the glaze. For the glaze, stir together the orange marmalade, mustard and brown sugar in a medium-size bowl. Stud ham with cloves, inserting one at the intersection of each crosshatch. Brush entire surface of ham generously with glaze (reserving some glaze) and return ham to the oven. Cook ham 1-1/2 hours more, brushing with glaze at least 3 times. Transfer ham to a cutting board or platter & allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. Carve and serve warm or at room temp. Source: Saveur Cooks Authentic American.

Grilled Chicken/Veggie Kabobs W/Yogurt Sauce Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- Yogur Sauce 16 oz. Plain whole-milk yogurt (if skim or low-fat yogurt is used -- strain in coffee filter overnight before using, to remove excess liquid) 1 Cucumber - peeled and seeded - grated 4 T. Olive oil 3 Garlic cloves - minced (pressed through a garlic press) 1 T. White vinegar Salt/pepper to taste Kabobs 6 Boneless chicken cutlets 2 Packet Good Seasons salad dressing mix - prepared according to packet instructions 3 Zucchini - sliced into 2" rounds 2 Large onions - quartered 2 Green peppers (can use any color pepper) - trimmed an cut into 2" squares 2 Cans small -- whole potatoes Skewers Pita bread (optional) Olive oil (optional) For Yogurt Sauce, mix all ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Kabobs Cut chicken breasts into 2" pieces Marinate in 2 of the prepared Good Seasons dressing for at least 1 hour.(The other 2 will be used for basting) Remove chicken from marinade - discard marinade. Alternately thread chicken, zucchini, onions, and green peppers on skewer (can cook veggies separately from chicken if desired) Thread potatoes onto separate skewers. Preheat grill til hot. Baste potatoes with dressing and place on grill, turning and basting occasionally - cook until browned. Grill chicken until cooked, basting occasionally. Brush both sides of pita with olive oil and grill for 3 minutes each side. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Here is a delicious one by Jacque Pepin: Egg and tomato gratin 6 large eggs, preferably organic and free-range 2 Tbs good olive oil 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 4 tsp chopped garlic ¾ tsp dried thyme leaves ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped and juices reserved 2/3 cup grated gruyère (or other good-quality Swiss-style) cheese 1. Place the eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a simmer, and let cook for exactly nine minutes. Immediately (and carefully) pour the hot water out of saucepan and run cold water over the eggs. Transfer the eggs to a bowl filled with ice water and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until thoroughly cooled. Peel the eggs, and cut each of them into four wedges. Arrange the wedges in a 6-cup-capacity gratin dish or baking dish. 2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions, and sauté for about two minutes; then add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the tomatoes and their juice, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 4 minutes. 3. Pour the onion and tomato mixture over the eggs in the gratin dish and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 10 minutes; then turn on the broiler and broil the gratin 3 or 4 inches from the heat source for 2 or 3 minutes, just to brown the top. Serve. Serves four.