Linguine and clam sauce with asparagus.
Photo courtesy Dole.com.

Before asparagus season ends, get your fill by adding it to your favorite dishes. Here’s an example of how easy it is, courtesy of Dole, which adds its fresh asparagus to the classic pasta dish, linguine with clam sauce.

Consider using whole wheat linguine for fiber and flavor. If asparagus season has passed, add green beans or snow peas.

This recipe makes 4 servings; prep time 10 minutes; cook time 25 minutes.

RECIPE: LINGUINE & CLAM SAUCE WITH ASPARAGUS

Ingredients

Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil. Cook linguine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Meanwhile…

2. HEAT the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown.

3. ADD the asparagus, carrots and two tablespoons of water. Toss to combine and cover skillet. Cook 4 minutes longer.

4. ADD the tomatoes and the clam juice. Cook uncovered 1 minute longer. If the pasta is not yet cooked, remove vegetables and clams from heat and cook pasta until it is al dente.

Use whole grain linguine for added fiber and flavor. Photo courtesy Pennsylvania Macaroni Company.

5. DRAIN pasta and add to the vegetable mixture along with the reserved clams. Raise heat to high and cook 2-3 minutes longer until pasta is thoroughly coated and most of the liquid is absorbed. Plate and serve.

LINGUINE vs. SPAGHETTI vs. FETTUCCINE

Do you know the difference between popular pasta cuts and shapes? Discover the different types of pasta in our delectable Pasta Glossary.

We love potato salad. We grew up on two recipes: Mom’s classic picnic potato salad (potatoes, mayo, Dijon mustard, red onion, celery, bell pepper) and her warm German potato salad recipe (potatoes, bacon, onions, chives, garlic, parsley and dill in a mustard vinaigrette).

But there are hundreds of very worth potato salad recipes. This one, from The United States Potato Board—people who know their potatoes. This spring-themed recipe incorporates arugula, fresh peas in a mustatard-mint vinaigrette.

Serve it at your next barbecue. It‘s a delight!

SPRING POTATO SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients

Get springy with it. Photo courtesy PotatoGoodness.com.

Preparation

1. COOK potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Cut potatoes in half and transfer to large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and toss to coat.

2. GRILL potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly grill marked.

3. WHISK together remaining oil, lemon juice, mint, shallots and Dijon in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4. TOSS potatoes, arugula, peas and dressing together. Makes 10 servings.

Find more delicious potato recipes at PotatoGoodness.com.

Romaine, tomatoes and cannellini beans—
with some leftover pasta as a bonus.
Photo courtesy Galli Restaurant | New York
City.

Want an easy way to add flavor, fiber, protein and other great nutrition to your diet? Eat more beans: affordable, versatile and toothsome.

Simply add them to your daily green salad. Toss them with the greens or sprinkle them on top as a garnish. For variety you can hold the lettuce and make a bean, corn and onion salad or an ever-popular three bean salad.

Beyond the familiar—such as black, cannelini, garbanzo, lima, kidney, navy and pinto beans—there are dozens of varieties waiting to make your acquaintance. Take a look at adzuki beans, anasazi beans, purple runners, scarlet runners, yellow eyes and one of our favorite beauties, Good Mother Stallards.

FRESH & DRIED BEANS VS. CANNED BEANS

As with almost every food, fresh (or dried) is better than canned. Not only are the flavor and texture superior, but canned beans are typically packed with a lot of sodium.

At farmers markets, look for butterbeans, cannellini beans, cranberry beans and others, fresh in the pod. Shell and simmer them in lightly salted water for 30 minutes. They’re a real treat: Fresh beans have a wonderfully creamy texture that will open your eyes to the beauty of beans.

Look for beautiful heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo and Zursun. Their selections of beautiful beans will make you want to cook them every day. We love giving bags of heirloom beans as gifts.

 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEANS IN OUR BEANS & LEGUMES GLOSSARY.

A delicious spring salad. Photo courtesy
LearnToCook.com.

Make hay while the sun shines; ditto with the fleeting vegetables of spring.

What makes this a spring salad? Seasonal ingredients, including asparagus and green peas. The recipe, from LearnToCook.com, serves 4. The warm tomato vinaigrette can be used with any green salad, any time of the year.

RECIPE: FRESH PEA & ASPARAGUS SPRING SALAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PEEL thick stemmed asparagus about halfway up stalk. Otherwise, remove white/light portion at end of stalk.

2. SHELL the peas. Leave raw or blanch, if desired.

3. BOIL salted water in a large pot. When boiling, add the asparagus. Cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and immediately put asparagus into ice water bowl. Leave for a couple minutes and drain again. Lay on a dishtowel and dry. Cut the asparagus in half or in thirds. OPTIONAL PREPARATION: We steamed the asparagus in the microwave.

4. COMBINE the lettuces, chives and parsley in a large bowl. Pour up to half the vinaigrette over the greens. taking care not to drench them in dressing (less is more).

5. ADD the peas and asparagus. Toss with the salad. If needed, add a little more dressing; season with salt and pepper. Serve.
 
WARM TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

Fresh peas from the pod are heavenly, raw or cooked. Photo by Gaetan Lee | Wikimedia.

Preparation

1. HEAT the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and add shallots. Turn the heat to low and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.

2. ADD ½ cup tomatoes and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar, garlic, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce.

3. SEASON to taste and stir in remaining tomatoes and capers.

4. SERVE warm on top of the salad.

How bland would the fish and asparagus
look without the tomatoes? Photo courtesy
Galli Restaurant | New York City.

Did you ever wonder why some restaurants throw slices of hard, tasteless tomatoes into a salad? The simple answer is: to add color, which makes the dish look more appetizing.

No matter how delicious a dish may be, the presentation needs a hit of color—green, red, yellow—to give it a lift.

That’s the rationale for the ubiquitous sprig of parsley and the red berry and/or mint leaf atop rice pudding and vanilla ice cream.

Much of the food we eat is beige or otherwise earth-toned. So do a color check on everything you serve.

If it’s a sweetened food—from cereal to apple pie—add some color with raspberries or sliced strawberries, or fan a large strawberry to top a piece of pie or pound cake.

RED GARNISHES ROCK

For savory dishes, use cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes or diced red bell pepper. Sliced red jalapeño works if you like the heat. All can be marinated first, in a vinaigrette or flavored olive oil. In essence, the garnish becomes a mini salad.

If you buy sundried tomatoes, look for a bright red color and use them up relatively quickly. They oxidize to a blackish red over time.

Other red garnish options: radish slices (or the retro radish rose) or a sprinkling of red spice (paprika, chili flakes, pink peppercorns) along the rim of the plate.

Shredded red cabbage, with or without a vinaigrette, and shredded radicchio leaves are other options. If you’re near a good farmers market, look for amaranth and red chard.

 
MORE GARNISH IDEAS

There are dozens and dozens of everyday ingredients that can be used to garnish. Check out our article, Garnish Glamour.

And beyond nutrition, color is another reason to add brightly colored vegetables to your meals.

Get everyone to eat more vegetables—
French fried! Photo courtesy Arch Rock
restaurant | Santa Barbara.

A few weeks ago we published a recipe for truffle fries from Arch Rock Fish restaurant in Santa Barbara. This luxurious comfort food seasons French fries with truffle oil and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Few people turn down French fries. But in the name of getting your family to eat more veggies—and because they’re delicious—how about veggie fries? Arch Rock Fish has supplied its recipe:

VEGGIE FRIES RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. CUT vegetables into fry-shaped pieces (baton, a thicker julienne), about ½ inch wide. If a particular vegetable doesn’t lend itself to a julienne shape, cut into small florets (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower) or circles (e.g., broccoli stalks).

2. MIX seasonings into flour.

3. DIP vegetables into buttermilk to coat, then dredge in seasoned flour.

4. FRY until golden.
 
CUTTING THE FAT FROM FRIED FOODS

If you’re concerned about fried foods, here’s another great tip: the T-Fal Actifry low fat fryer.

The T-Fal Actifry cooks an entire batch of fries or fried veggies with just one tablespoon of oil. Photo courtesy T-Fal.

This wonderful appliance lets you fry an entire batch of veggies in just one tablespoon of oil. It’s a great Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift for people who love their fried foods.

SOME FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU

Contrary to what many people believe, fat/oil is not bad for you: You need two tablespoons of it a day for healthy functioning of organs (more from the Mayo Clinic). It’s saturated fats, including cholesterol, that you need to avoid.

So grab the monounsaturated “good” fats—avocado oil, canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil—and an Actifry and feel good about eating fried foods.

Second-choice oils include the polyunsaturated fats, such as corn oil, flaxseed oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil.

Here’s more about good fats and bad fats.

Toss asparagus into everyday favorites, from
eggs to pasta and rice. Photo courtesy
California Asparagus Commission.

Low in calories, delicious, and as inexpensive as they’re going to get: This is the season to have as much asparagus as you desire. Incorporate them into everyday dishes such as eggs and pasta, or make something more special-occasion like risotto. Steam them for a snack. Whatever you do, cook them al dente rather than soft.

Adding asparagus to a recipe is easy: Just grill, sauté, steam or stir-fry the spears.

For pasta and risotto: For a seasonally exciting change, cut asparagus into bite-size pieces, sauté or steam and mix into cooked pasta, risotto or plain rice. You can use the pasta sauce of your choice, or simply toss with good olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. For more complexity, combine asparagus with mushrooms and/or other green vegetables, including broad beans, broccoli, green beans, spinach and spring peas.

For eggs: Mix al dente cooked and cut spears into omelets or scrambled eggs, or add whole spears to Eggs Benedict, between the Canadian bacon and the eggs.

For salad: Add asparagus to your favorite salad recipe, or create a composed salad of asparagus, beets, hard-cooked eggs, mozzarella and any other appealing ingredients.

Grill or steam asparagus and braid them with strips of smoked salmon or prosciutto: a stunning first course. Photo courtesy Payard | New York City.

 
ASPARAGUS TIP

The thickness and size of the spear has nothing to do with the tenderness of the asparagus. Tenderness is a function of how the plant was grown and how fresh it is—the longer the time since harvest, the less tender.

However, the bottom of the stalk, where it is cut from the ground, is tough. It should be removed before cooking.
  

If you haven’t yet had Applegate organic and natural meats, you’re in for a treat. The quality is superb, and Applegate franks are our app-solute favorites.

Another product on our “special indulgences” list is Applegate’s Natural Sunday Bacon: packed with old fashioned country bacon flavor but without added nitrites or chemical preservatives.

Made from select cuts of antibiotic-free pork and seasoned with natural ingredients like sea salt, Applegate bacon is smoked for hours over hardwood.

And now, there’s an even healthier version of Applegate’s Natural Sunday Bacon: Reduced Sunday Bacon, which delivers the same great taste with 25% less sodium.

New, delicious and 25% lower in sodium. Photo courtesy Applegate.com.

Learn more about Applegate products at Applegate.com.

Then, whip up some BLTs or make this tasty salad:

RECIPE: BLT SALAD WITH AVOCADO & BUTTERMILK DRESSING

This pretty composed salad is like an avocado BLT without the toast. Homemade buttermilk dressing is a creamy treat.

The recipe serves 4 to 6.

An avocado “BLT” salad. Photo courtesy
Applegate.com.

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

 
Salad Ingredients

1. COOK the bacon until crisp, according to package instructions. Remove from heat, drain briefly on paper towels, then chop into 1- to 2-inch pieces.

2. PREPARE dressing. Place the buttermilk, olive oil, chives, vinegar and mustard in a large jar; seal tightly and shake well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and shake again to combine.

3. ASSEMBLE salad: Arrange the lettuce, avocado, tomatoes and bacon on a large serving platter or individual plates. Shake the dressing well and spoon some over the salad, saving some for people to add more if they like. Garnish the salad with the remaining chopped chives.

Find more recipes at Applegate.com.

  

Try a different type of salad, like broccoli
and beets. Photo courtesy Love Beets.

Think outside the lettuce box to other crisp salads that are fun, nutritious and provide variety. Today, how about a broccoli salad.

It’s very easy to make broccoli salad, with all the ready-to-eat broccoli available at the market. From florets to broccoli slaw, it’s been washed and are ready to go. (Of course, you can purchase an entire head and cut it up yourself). All you need to do is add some favorite ingredients.

Serve broccoli salad at lunch, as a dinner side salad or for healthful snacking. You can use the recipe below, from Love Beets, as a template, or let your creative juices flow.

This recipe serves four. The prep time is just 5 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients

 
Ingredients For Dressing

Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing by whisking together the oil and lemon juice. Season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Set aside.

2. STEAM or boil the broccoli for 3 to 4 minutes until just tender but with a little bite (we microwave it in a dish with a lid for 2 minutes). While the broccoli is cooking…

3. TOAST the seeds over medium heat in a small frying pan. Toasting releases the full flavors of the seeds, so don’t skip this step! Add soy sauce and cook over a medium heat, tossing regularly to completely coat, for about 3 minutes until the seeds are crisp and golden. Take care not to burn them or they will taste bitter.

4. ARRANGE the cooked broccoli and beet wedges on a plate, drizzle the dressing over the beets and broccoli, then sprinkle with the toasted seeds and chives. Add optional cheese. Serve immediately.

Even if you had your fill of carrots at Easter dinner, we’re about to inspire you to have them more regularly.

Peeled baby carrots have come from nowhere to be the number-one-selling fresh-cut vegetable in the produce department. And that’s no surprise:

 
Who grows those little carrots? The largest grower is Grimmway in California, which has the Bunny-Luv, Cal-organic and Grimmway brands and also private labels for everyone from Trader Joe’s to Whole Foods Markets.

An individual snack pack with a container of ranch dip, plated. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

The Grimm brothers, Rod and Bob, began their family business in the fertile soil of California’s San Joaquin Valley in 1968, with a roadside produce stand. Today, they process 40,000 of California’s 75,000 acres of carrots in a variety of locations (California processes 80% of the nation’s carrots). On an average day, Grimmway Farms processes 2.5 miles of trucks loaded with 10 million pounds of carrots!

The company also grows regular whole carrots and produces carrot chips, carrot dippers, crinkle cut coins, carrot sticks, shredded carrots…and in non-carrot categories, citrus and potatoes.

Much crunchier than conventional crunchy snacks like chips and pretzels, and so much better for you, baby carrots are easy to love as an often-as-you-want snack. Learn more at Grimmway.com.

Easy microwaved baby carrots in a light
brown sugar-cinnamon sauce. Photo by
Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

THE HISTORY OF CARROTS

A root vegetable, carrots originated 3000 years ago in Central Asia and the Near East, slowly migrating into the Mediterranean area. Carrots are members of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae) family, which includes caraway, celery, chervil, dill, fennel and parsnips.

Originally, the carrot roots were white, yellow, green or purple in color—not orange—and used for medicinal purposes. Ancient Greek physicians prescribed carrot root and juices to treat cancer, indigestion, snake bites and skin ulcers.

It is believed that orange carrots were first developed in the 1600s by the Dutch. All modern carrots are directly descended from Dutch-bred carrots. They have been reverse-bred to their original colors, too, plus a burgundy red shade.

The Debut Of Baby Carrots

Mini-peeled carrots, popularly called baby carrots and also called petite carrots, were first introduced in 1989. Contrary to popular belief, baby carrots are not grown bite-sized. They are bred to be long and slender, and then cut into two-inch pieces and lathed to uniform width.

FUN CARROT FACTS