Happy summer and welcome back to My Veg Table! I’m enjoying my first summer off after going back to work. I took a job back in January as a school nurse, so life has been hectic; I’m glad to have some time now to catch up on posting and cooking again—the timing is perfect. I love everything about summer eating: grilling, picnics, watermelon, pie, and lemonade for days. My favorite produce pops up this time of year, too: berries, melons, corn and stone fruits are taking over my kitchen counter. Another fruit I get excited to see alongside the dragon fruit and plantains is the mamey sapote. If you have never seen or heard of this popular Latin fruit, you are not alone. I met a woman in the grocery store last year and she had never heard of it, either: an interesting conversation ensued…
Tag: <span>smoothie</span>
Leftovers and I are not friends. I’ve given them multiple chances, but we just don’t click. Sure, the food is fun the first time around, but by the next day, they just become a nuisance. Besides hanging around–and stinking up–my fridge, leftovers take up precious space for other things like produce and all of the craft beer that we never seem to have enough room for. Despite my best attempts at being friendly, I typically end up showing them the door–of the trashcan. Every once in a while, I will come across a leftover that is extra special and feel the need to keep it around for one extra meal. I need to be more accommodating to my fridge-dwelling acquaintances; I want us to be friends. The only way that’s going to happen is if I disguise them as something else. Something new. Something different.
Smoothies are pretty popular in my house. Sometimes, it is much easier to drink your nutrition than to eat it. Take kale smoothies, for instance: kale on its own can be bitter and overpowering. On the other hand, mixed up in a blender with some fruits and coconut water, it is downright delicious–and nutritious. When my son, Everett, was young, we purchased our Vitamix blender so that we could maximize his veggie intake: green smoothies were served up daily. Now that my kiddo is in school all day, we have dialed it back to about three times per week.