Authors: Jessica Alba
B00AFU6252 EBOK (6 page)
A spicy but delicious addition to crudité.
I’m a little scared of cooking rhubarb except when it comes to pie.
Strawberry shortcake for sure!
It may be tempting to skip this step, particularly if you’re buying organic or prewashed produce. But all sorts of yuckiness, from pesticide residue (as a result of pesticide drift) to other chemicals and pathogens (like
E. coli
) can hitch a ride on your salad. Just give a quick cold rinse to all fruits and veggies (I use a liberal squirt of Honest Fruit + Veggie Wash, or you can DIY with a 1:4 vinegar-to-water solution) and soak leafy greens for a minute, separating the leaves.
One (perhaps obvious) thing to do with so many vegetables and fruits in your life is to make a lot of huge, yummy salads. They are tasty, satisfying, and endlessly customizable, depending on your mood and what’s in the fridge.
I’ve included my favorite salad combinations on these produce shopping lists—and my number-one go-to, no-fail salad dressing could not be simpler: olive oil, lemon juice (freshly squeezed, please!)—I like a 60/40 balance of oil to juice, but experiment to your taste—plus a few healthy pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. That’s it!
If you feel like it, you could also add some stone-ground whole grain mustard or some crushed red pepper to kick things up . . . but day in, day out, we keep it simple. The lemon brightens the flavor of any vegetable (or fruit!), and the olive oil—well, you can’t go wrong with that on almost anything.
We love a bumper crop of the season’s juiciest produce!
Roast and slice them and add to a scoop of vanilla gelato.
Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries . . . a berry medley with yogurt and honey is the best.
No prep required—we devour them right out of the bag!
With ranch dressing for kids, or with olive oil, lemon, salt, and ground red pepper for us.
Amazing sliced thin, brushed with olive oil and sea salt, then broiled or grilled.
Thinly slice a bunch of kale and toss with dried cranberries, pine nuts, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
Love ’em steamed with lemon and olive oil or stir-fried with spicy sausage, vinegar, onions, and garlic.
Roast slices, chill, and add to a green salad with feta and pine nuts. Or peach pie, of course!
Roast and puree with a little fresh garlic, salt, olive oil, and pepper for a ketchup alternative.
I’m allergic to them raw, but Honor loves them with her crudité of carrots, celery, and jicama with ranch dressing to dip.
I’ll mix chard with kale and/or mustard greens in any salad or stir-fry.
DIY tomato sauce: Simmer 2 pounds of chopped tomatoes with a couple sliced garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, and a pinch of oregano and sugar for 30 minutes; puree.
WATERMELONToss cubed watermelon with a little arugula, mint, and crumbled feta. Dress with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
I love a ribboned zucchini salad with pine nuts and Parmesan—see
my recipe
.
I wish I was the kind of eco-mama who grew all her own vegetables and canned jam . . . but it’s not in the cards between my busy work schedule and my natural black thumb. Don’t beat yourself up if you, too, can’t keep a cactus alive. I’ve found simple ways to teach Honor and Haven about where their food comes from. For example, we’re lucky that rosemary grows like a weed in our hot, sunny California climate and that there are a couple of orange and lemon trees in our backyard that are amazingly maintenance free.
We also recently planted an herb wall garden (see
the how-to
)—Honor helped pack the plants into the pockets, and she can pop out to pick a bunch of basil or parsley when we need it.
We still enjoy all of our late-summer favorites, plus:
I love making my own applesauce. Just peel, core, and chop about 10 apples (Gala work great), then cover with water in a big pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook 30 to 45 minutes until saucy. Add cinnamon (and a bit of sweetener if the apples are tart) and grab a spoon!
Shred half a head and sauté with a glug of olive oil for a couple minutes. Then toss in raisins, a little white vinegar, and a bit of salt; sauté for 15 to 20 minutes. (I learned this from a caterer on a set when I was 14.)
I’ll roast a head of it, chopped and tossed with olive oil, salt, and a bit of rosemary and chopped garlic for 30 to 45 minutes at 400°F. Puree it with up to 1 cup chicken stock as an alternative to mashed potatoes for the kids.
I love, love, love frozen seedless grapes!
Add a delicious crunch to sandwiches and salads.
A fantastic alternative to pasta—we love it with marinara sauce and/or turkey meatballs.
We hang on to as much fall produce as can be found at the grocery store, but frozen organic fruit and veggies are a great way to get through the winter months.
