Look for burgundy, maroon, white and yellow carrots. Orange and yellow beets. Purple “green” beans and bell peppers. Green, orange and purple cauliflower. Heirloom tomatoes in burgundy, green, yellow and stripes.

Some of the unusual hues are the original colors—carrots, for example, were originally white. Others are natural mutations or have been specially bred.

No matter how they arrived, these beautiful veggies deserve a place on your table. Before summer fades into fall, gather ye produce while ye may.

When you get your treasures home, consider how to enjoy them. We especially like an “heirloom” crudité plate, enjoying the color as well as the flavor of these summer treasures.

With some vegetables, cooking fades the color. If you have your heart set on purple cauliflower soup, for example, steam a small piece in the microwave to see how the color responds.

Before the lush summer peaches disappear, make a grilled peach cobbler outside on the grill. You don’t have to turn on an oven and heat up the kitchen. And, it’s delicious!

Chef Bobby Flay demonstrates how easy it is, in this video:

Find more of our favorite pie, cobbler and dessert recipes.

Reduce calories and add nutrition: cupcakes
with nonfat cream cheese frosting and sliced
almonds. Photo courtesy La Tourangelle.

Cupcakes are everywhere: cute, tempting, but no pillar of nutrition and healthful eating. Yet, by making a few substitutions, they can be just as much fun.

To assuage the guilt, consider adding some healthier touches to your cupcakes:

 
You can find numerous healthy cupcake recipes online. But the best place to start is to substitute the frosting—many recipes are just too cloying—with an option that has less sugar and less saturated fat.

You can do this by substituting evaporated milk for butter and fat-free cream cheese and Greek yogurt for regular cream cheese frosting. And use less frosting: As attractive as those swirly mounds look piled high atop a cupcake, a flatter 3/8″ to 1/2″ of frosting topped by a healthful garnish is just as appealing.

HEALTHIER FROSTING: EVAPORATED MILK GLAZE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Whisk evaporated milk, flour and salt in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 2 to 5 minutes, until mixture resembles a thick paste.

2. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk for 30 seconds. Add chocolate and whisk until completely blended.

3. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Beat until smooth with an electric mixer.

4. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 hours or longer. The recipe can be made up to three days in advance.
 
FAT FREE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Beat cream cheese, yogurt/sour cream and confectioners’ sugar with electric beaters until smooth.

2. Refrigerate 2 hours or longer to harden. Can be made up to three days in advance.
 

Find more of our favorite cupcake recipes.