Shop Your Pantry, Refrigerator & Freezer First

Frugal cooks know that there are three great ways to save money on groceries. First, don't waste food, use up what's on hand. Second, before making a grocery list, 'shop' from your pantry. Third, stock up on ingredients when prices are good. All three tricks require an easy way to take advantage of specific ingredients. This page is especially designed to help home cooks easily find much-tested, trusted recipes for common cooking ingredients -- including ingredients commonly accepted as super foods -- especially those with short shelf lives most at risk of going to waste. Happy shopping!

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Agave

Agave is the 'sweetener du jour', professed to be 'sweeter' than honey (so you can use less), to have a lower glycemic index (so preferred by diabetics, carb watchers and others who wish to control their glucose intake) and plant-based (so vegan) and less processed (compared to granulated sugar, say). On the downside, it is more expensive than honey and for most of us, travels many miles to reach our cupboards. The best price seems to be a Trader Joe's though you won't find it next to the honey, instead, next to the stevia, another natural sweetener. Use agave when honey is called for, usually using three-quarters of the amount of honey that's called for.

Chameleon Ice Cream
Estonian Apple Cake
Lamb Stew with Sweet Tomato Jam
Oven-Baked Oatmeal & Apples
Skillet Cornbread
Sugar-Free Chai Tea

Favorite Recipes with Agave from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Bok Choy Salad with Chinese Salad Dressing
Oil & Honey Dressing for Salad Greens

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Apples
FAVORITES
My "Best & Favorite" Apple Recipes
One-Point Fruit Servings for Weight Watchers

CLASSIC APPLE RECIPES
American Apple Pie
Baked Apples
Dutch Apple Puff
Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp
Healthy Waldorf Salad
Homemade Applesauce
Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter

APPLES - SWEET
American Apple Pie
Apple-Butter Pumpkin Pie
Apple Cranberry Compote
Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce
Apple Yogurt Salad
Baked Apples
Cinnamon Apples
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Cranberry Apple Pie
Cranberry Applesauce
Dutch Apple Puff
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Eggnog French Toast with Apple Cranberry Compote
Fresh Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Apple
Estonian Apple Cake
Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp
Holiday Fruit Parfait with Yogurt, Cranberries, Applesauce, Pineapple & Kiwi
Homemade Applesauce
Mexican Fruit Salad
My Perfect (Unsweet, Unboozy) Sangria
Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter
Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips
Winter Fruit Salad

APPLES – SAVORY
Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Apples & Caramelized Onions
Chicken Cider Stew
Mashed Rutabagas & Apples
Oven-Baked Oatmeal & Apples
Power Food Broccoli Salad
Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple
Swiss Muesli
Thick Chops with Sauerkraut

Favorite Apple Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Celery & Apple Salad
Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing
Swedish Red Cabbage

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Apple Cider

In the fall, pick up a jug of apple cider, preferably unpasteurized from a farm stand somewhere. Over a few weeks, it will change in character, ripening, developing a real 'zing'. Good stuff!

APPLE CIDER - SWEET
Apple Cider Indian Pudding
Apple Cranberry Compote
Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter
Oven-Baked Oatmeal & Apples
Swiss Muesli

APPLE CIDER – SAVORY
Chicken Cider Stew
Chicken with Creamy Cider Gravy
Thick Chops with Sauerkraut

Favorite Apple Cider Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Apple Cider Vinaigrette

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Apricots
FRESH APRICOTS
Fresh Apricot Bars

DRIED APRICOTS
Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots
Cranberry Chutney
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
On-the-Run Breakfast Bars
Red Quinoa Salad Your Way
Swiss Muesli
Winter Stew

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Artichokes

Favorite Artichoke Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
How to Cook Artichokes in the Microwave
Spinach & Artichoke Gratin
Spring Garden Vegetable Soup
Stuffed Artichokes
More Artichoke Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Arugula

Arugula is also called "rocket" and is a tender slightly bitter, lively and peppery green, lovely for salads. The later in the season, the more bitter it can become. It doesn't keep well so in the States, is rarely found in grocery stores and can be pricey at farmers markets.

Favorite Arugula Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Arugula Pesto
Simple Arugula Salad
More Arugula Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Asparagus

THIN OR FAT? Thin tapers of asparagus are much ballyhooed but the fat spears are my favorite, especially for roasting. CLEAN WELL Rinse fresh asparagus well, especially the tips which can collect grit. HOW TO SNAP OFF THE WOODY ENDS Most recipes call for 'snapping off the woody ends' -- this means to bend the spear near its base, it will find its natural breaking point. Save the ends for asparagus soup! PEEL OR NOT TO PEEL? I've learned to check the skins, if they're fibrous, it pays to skim them off with a vegetable peeler before cooking.

FAVORITES
Six Years of Favorite Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus Whole Wheat Bread Pudding
Asparagus Custard Tart
Easy-to-Elegant Asparagus Soup
Finnish Summer Soup
Lemon & Asparagus Pasta
Lemon Asparagus
Roasted Salmon & Asparagus

Favorite Asparagus Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Asparagus Tapenade
Gorgeous Raw Asparagus Salad
Lemon Lovers’ Roasted Asparagus
Party Asparagus with Aioli (especially good for buffets)
Roasted Asparagus with Feta
Spring Garden Vegetable Soup
More Asparagus Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Avocados
Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Fruity Gazpacho
Grilled Steak with Summer Tomato Salad
Tropical Salad Supper

Favorite Avocado Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Avocado Dip
Homemade Cobb Salad
Homemade Guacamole with Tomatillos (only Weight Watchers 1 point for 1/4 cup)
More Avocado Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Bacon
BACON BASICS
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
How to Make Homemade Bacon Bits & Render Bacon Fat

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bake
Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots
Baked Bacon
Balkan Sausage Stew
BLT Pasta Salad
Calico Beans
Cauliflower Risotto
Chicken Cider Stew
Chicken Sybil
Grilled Steak with Summer Tomato Salad
On-the-Run Breakfast Bars
Saturday Soup
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Turkey Sweet Potato Soup

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Bananas

VERY VERY RIPE BANANAS For baking, bananas will add luscious banana flavor only if they are very, very, very ripe. How ripe? See these photos of ripe bananas, including my favorite 'black bananas'.
NO RIPE BANANAS? Try sautéeing banana chunks in butter, see Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Frosting for details.

RIPE BANANAS - SWEET
Banana Floats
Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Frosting
Banana Nutter Muffins
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Banana Streusel Muffins
Cheery Cherry Banana Bread
Shhh Banana Bread
Spiced Banana Ice Cream

LESS-RIPE BANANAS - SWEET
Chameleon Ice Cream (Chocolate Banana Ice Cream)
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Mexican Fruit Salad
Stovetop Oatmeal with Whipped Banana
Strawberry Banana Chocolate Crumble
Swiss Muesli
Winter Fruit Salad

LESS-RIPE BANANAS – SAVORY
Asian Chicken Salad
Power Food Broccoli Salad
Tropical Salad Supper

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Beets
FAVORITES
My Favorite Way to Roast Beets (photo tutorial with tips & tricks)

Beet Röesti with Rosemary
Borscht Beets with Sour Cream
Karelian Borscht (Russian Beet Borscht Soup)
Mango & Beet Smoothies
Those Pink Potatoes

Favorite Beet Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Beet Pesto
Beets with Feta
Swedish Beets
More Beet Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Bell Peppers

Stock up on bell peppers in the early fall when they're especiallly plentiful and inexpensive, especially at the farmers market.

BELL PEPPERS as the MAIN INGREDIENT
Grilled Pepper Salad
Homemade Sazón
Pied Piper Pepper Pickles
Red Pepper Crostini
Sautéed Red & Yellow Pepper Relish
Shakshuka (Eggs Nested in Summer Vegetables)
Warm Pepper Salad

Favorite Recipes Starring Bell Peppers from A Veggie Venture,
my food blog about vegetables
How to Roast Peppers in the Oven
Fresh Tomato & Basil Stuffed Peppers
Grilled Pepper & Tomato Salad
Stuffed Peppers
Peperonata with Potatoes
More Bell Pepper Recipes from A Veggie Venture

APPETIZERS
Herbed Goat Cheese

SALADS
Bloody Mary Salad
Confetti Potato Salad
Cucumber & Pepper Refrigerator Pickles
Greek Pasta Salad
Holy Slaw!
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Tomato Soup Vegetable Salad
Wild Rice Salad

SIDE DISHES
Grilled Vegetables in Foil
Ratatouille

MAIN DISHES
Asian Chicken Salad
Balkan Sausage Stew
Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Chicken à la King
Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce
Chicken Cacciatore
Chickpea & Chicken Salad
Crockpot Chicken Goulash
Easy Baked Fish with Red Pepper & Cucumber Salad
Easy Margarita Chicken
Pork Chops & Rice Oven Dinner
Rainbow Chicken
Ratatouille Omelettes
Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top
Shakshuka (Eggs Nested in Summer Vegetables)
Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers
Sweet ‘n’ Hot Chicken
Tiapinno (Ciopinno) - Herbed Fish Stew
Tin Foil Chicken & Veggies
Tropical Salad Supper
Two-Way Lentil Skillet
Wine-Braised Pork Roast

SOUPS
Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho
Fruity Gazpacho
Hamburger Soup
Lemon Turkey Noodle Soup
My Sister's Recipe for Crockpot Chili
White Chicken Chili

ROASTED PEPPERS
Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers

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Blackberries & Raspberries

Fresh blackberries and fresh raspberries are often interchangeable, though blackberries often have more seeds and need more sweetener. I often buy them frozen at Trader Joe's.

FRESH BLACKBERRIES and / or FRESH RASPERRIES
Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake
Easy Elegant Fruit Tart
Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Blackberry Sauce
Iowa-Style Shortcake
Sugar-Free Raspberry Bliss
Summer Berry Pie
Summer Fruit Salad

FROZEN BLACKBERRIES or FROZEN RASPBERRIES
Baby Back Ribs
Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake
Sugar-Free Raspberry Bliss

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Blueberries
FRESH BLUEBERRIES
Blueberry Salsa
Blueberry Sour Cream Pie
Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Easy Elegant Fruit Tart
Five-Minute Fruit Salad
Finnish Fruit Tart
Mom's Blueberry Coffeecake
Peach Blueberry Cake
Peacherry Blues
Raspberry (or Blueberry) Morning Cake
Summer Berry Pie

FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
Blueberry Galette
Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake
Mom's Blueberry Coffeecake
Raspberry (or Blueberry) Morning Cake

DRIED BLUEBERRIES
Buffalo Ragout

Favorite Blueberry Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Homemade Blueberry Vinaigrette

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Bread

These recipes use bread that's already been baked, especially 'stale bread' that might otherwise go to waste. If you'd like to make homemade bread, check the homemade bread recipes.

BREAD - SWEET
Eggnog French Toast with Apple Cranberry Compote
Pumpkin Bread Pudding

BREAD – SAVORY
Asparagus Whole Wheat Bread Pudding
Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bake
Fried Bread
Gashouse Eggs
Mom's Roast Chicken
Panzanella
Sausage Stuffing
Spring Stuffing

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Broccoli
Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon
Date-Night Chicken
Finnish Summer Soup
Grilled Vegetables in Foil
Power Food Broccoli Salad
Quick Cauliflower Soup or Quick Broccoli Soup
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole

Favorite Broccoli Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Broccoli Potato Cheddar Soup
Lemony Broccoli with Lemon Vinaigrette
Never-the-Same Steamed Broccoli
Perfect Pan-Fried Broccoli
Roasted Broccoli with Lemon & Garlic
Tomato & Zucchini Salad

More Broccoli Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Broccoli Rabe (Broccoli Raab)

Broccoli rabe [pronounced 'rob', also spelled 'broccoli raab'] is also called 'rapini' and is a slightly bitter but wonderful green.

Lemon Turkey Noodle Soup
Meatball Soup with Broccoli Rabe
Rapini Panini

Favorite Broccoli Rabe Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Potato, Cabbage & Rapini Colcannon
Collection of Broccoli Rabe (Raab) Recipes
More Broccoli Rabe (Raab) Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Brussels Sprouts
BASICS
FOUR WAYS to Cut Brussels Sprouts, depending on how they'll be cooked, from A Veggie Venture
HOW MANY BRUSSELS SPROUTS IN A POUND? There are about 50 tiny sprouts in a pound, only 17 - 20 large ones in a pound.
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE NOT LIKE BRUSSELS SPROUTS? It's not a matter of taste, but a matter of chemicals called glucosinolates. If someone in your family is hesitant, resistant or outright militantly in opposition to Brussels sprouts, the trick is to break up the center of the sprouts by cutting them in half through the core and then, to leach out the chemicals, to cook in a lot of well-salted water.

Bodacious Brussels Sprouts
Marinated Brussels Sprouts

Favorite Brussels Sprouts Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Braised Brussels Sprouts
Fast Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Lemony Creamy Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
More Brussels Sprouts Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Buckwheat

WHAT IS BUCKWHEAT? Buckwheat is one of the world's most healthful grains. In the U.S., it's often inaccurately called 'kashi'. (More about buckwheat.)

Favorite Buckwheat Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Buckwheat with Mushrooms & Carrots

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Bulgur Wheat

WHAT IS BULGUR WHEAT? Bulgur wheat is highly nutritious because it’s made from the whole kernel of wheat, with just a touch of the bran removed, then parboiled and dried, so that when it reaches our kitchens, it cooks quickly. It even “cooks” just by soaking it for an hour in boiling water. Also called / spelled BULGHUR and BURGHUL and BULGAR WHEAT.

Ina Garten's Tabbouleh Salad

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Butter

Salted vs Unsalted Butter Kitchen Parade recipes usually call for unsalted butter, which lets us, the cooks, control how much salt to add, especially important for baked goods. That said, in recent years, I've begun to use salted butter again with great results, especially for older recipes, when salted butter was all that was available.

My favorite butter All Kitchen Parade recipes are tested with my favorite butter, Land O' Lakes, both salted and unsalted, which has 80% butterfat. I rarely use European-style butters, which typically have a higher butter-fat content (usually 82%) and are more expensive. For baking, I never use butter from Sam's Club, say, which has a lower butter-fat content.

How to soften butter Place a wrapped stick (not a whole box) on a plate and leave it at room temperature for 30 - 45 minutes. If you cut it into chunks and separate them, the butter will soften in about 15 minutes. To test if the butter is soft enough -- but not too soft -- for baking, press the tip of your finger into the butter. If you're slightly obsessive about this stuff, the proper temperature for creaming butter is 65F - 67F.

How to to soften or melt butter in the microwave Cut a stick into pieces and place in a small microwave-safe dish. Mike for five seconds at a time, until the butter is softened or melted. This technique is not recommended for softening butter to room temperature unless the recipe specifies.

Butter equivalents A stick of butter weighs 1/4 pound and is equivalent to a half cup (eight tablespoons) of butter. Four sticks of butter is a pound of butter.

Can butter be frozen? When butter is on sale, stock up! It can be frozen, making a batch of cookies just a few minutes away.

Anyone having trouble with butter may find this 2008 article useful 'Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing'.

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Buttermilk

WHY DO RECIPES CALL FOR BUTTERMILK? Buttermilk is must-have ingredient for baking. It's slightly acidic, so helps break down the gluten from flour. This makes pancakes fluffier, muffins more tender and cakes slightly 'tangy'. For a dieter, buttermilk does all this with just a few calories! For a frugal cook, it does all this for low cost. For a thrifty cook, it does all this and lasts for weeks. Good stuff, buttermilk!

AMERICAN BUTTERMILK vs OTHER BUTTERMILKS The buttermilk product found in the U.S. is a 'cultured' buttermilk, akin to yogurt. Cooks from other countries have access to old-fashioned, churned buttermilk, a thin, slightly acidic liquid left over after churning butter from full-cream milk. The two are not interchangeable.

CULTURED BUTTERMILK Until 2012, Kitchen Parade recipes were tested with cultured buttermilk. An okay substitute for commercial cultured buttermilk is "soured milk" – just place a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup, then add milk to measure one cup in total.

BUT REALLY, MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTERMILK In 2012, I started to make Homemade Buttermilk. Wow, this stuff is good, I keep a bottle on hand nearly all the time for baking, for salad dressings, for terrific smoothies.

BUTTERMILK – SAVORY RECIPES
Buttermilk Balsamic Dressing
Cheese Puffs (Gougère)
Christmas Chicken Salad
Finnish Whole-Wheat Flatbread
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Skillet Cornbread
Whole-wheat Soda Bread

BUTTERMILK - SWEET RECIPES
Autumn Pumpkin Bread
Banana Streusel Muffins
Cheery Cherry Banana Bread
Chocolate Cinnamon Whipped Cream Cake
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Five-Week Bran Muffins
Lavosh (Armenian Cracker Bread)
Lifetime Pancakes
My Mom's Pancake Recipe
Overnight Coffeecake
(Quick) Brown Bread
Raspberry Morning Cake
Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Shhh Banana Bread
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Favorite Buttermilk Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Broccoli, Bacon & Raisin Salad with Cheddar
Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing
Carrot Buttermilk Pancakes
Classic Seven Layer Salad
Make-Ahead Smoothies
Tomato Smoothie
(Un) Fried Green Tomatoes (Baked Green Tomatoes)

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Cabbage
See also Sauerkraut.

GREEN CABBAGE
Alice Waters’ Coleslaw
Baked Cabbage Wedges
Caraway Cabbage
Caraway Corned Beef
Colcannon
Holy Slaw!
Plant Sale Soup
Winter Stew

RED CABBAGE
Grilled Vegetables in Foil
Karelian Borscht (Russian Beet Borscht Soup)

NAPA CABBAGE
Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Tropical Salad Supper

Favorite Cabbage Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Cabbage Roses
Cabbage & White Bean Stew
Swedish Red Cabbage
More Cabbage Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Capers

What are capers? [KAY-pers] Capers are one of my very favorite pantry items because they add a touch of piquancy and a bite of saltniness to so many dishes. Capers are actually the flower buds of bushes found in the Mediterranean and Asia. The buds are sun-dried and pickled in a salty brine. Some capers are tiny, others are as large as a small grape. Many recipes suggest rinsing capers before using, I don't find this necessary.

Caper Chops with Curried Carrots
Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs
Chicken Sybil
Cold Shrimp in Creamy Dill Sauce with Capers
Herbed Goat Cheese
Lemon Basil Shrimp
Panzanella
Potato Bites with Smoked Salmon
Red Pepper Crostini
Roasted Salmon & Asparagus
Warm Pepper Salad
Warm Potato Salad

Favorite Recipes with Capers from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Beet Carpaccio
Caponata - Sicilian Eggplant
Summer Lentils

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Carrots

BABY CARROTS vs WHOLE CARROTS For eating out of the hand, 'baby' carrots are great. But for cooking, 'baby' carrots have no flavor and in fact, are not even baby carrots. (They are huge carrots, shaped into small carrot bullets.) If you can manage the two or three minutes it takes to peel whole carrots, it's worth it. In fact, unless the skins are tough, I often skip peeling carrots entirely.

CARROTS as MAIN INGREDIENT
Baked Cabbage Wedges
Butter-Simmered Carrots
Cumin Carrot Fries
Curried Carrots
Honey Carrots
Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup
Mashed Potatoes & Carrots
Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots

SIDE DISHES & SALADS
Bloody Mary Salad
Curried Rice
Grilled Vegetables in Foil
Holy Slaw!
Light Vegetable Stock
New-Fashioned Sauerkraut Salad

MAIN DISHES
Caraway Corned Beef
Cashew Chicken Curry
Chicken Cider Stew
Chicken Veggie Quesadillas
Emerald Isle Stew
Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale
One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables
Rainbow Chicken
Squash & Carrot Stew
Sweet 'n' Hot Chicken
Turkey Tetrazzini
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole

SOUPS
Finnish Summer Soup
Hamburger Soup
Karelian Borscht (Russian Beet Borscht Soup)
Lemon Turkey Noodle Soup
Lentil Soup Vincent
Low-Fat Vegetable Soup
Meatball Soup with Broccoli Rabe
Plant Sale Soup
Salmon Chowder
Scandinavian Pea Soup

SWEETS
Carrot & Zucchini Bread

Favorite Carrot Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Bourbon-Glazed Roasted Carrots
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Cowboy Coleslaw
Creamy Carrot Purée
Roasted Carrots & Mushrooms with Thyme
"Wonderful" Glazed Turnips & Carrots
More Carrot Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Cauliflower
CAULIFLOWER as the MAIN INGREDIENT
Cauliflower Risotto
Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs
Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes'
Quick Cauliflower Soup
Roasted Cauliflower

CAULIFLOWER MASQUERADING as POTATOES or RICE
Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes'

Favorite Cauliflower "Potato" and "Rice" Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Cauliflower "Potato" Salad
Cauliflower Spanish "Rice"

More Favorite Cauliflower Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Cauliflower Cream
Cauliflower Tomato Medley
Curried Cauliflower
One-Skillet Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
Whole Cauliflower with Homemade Cheese Sauce
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Vinaigrette
More Cauliflower Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Celeriac

Celeriac is pronounced [seh-LER-ay-ak] and is also called 'celery knob' and 'celery root'. It has a rough, brown exterior and is quite ugly on the outside but has a pearly white dense flesh inside. While it is not easily found in American supermarkets, I find it in farmers markets during the late summer and early fall. Here's a photo of celeriac.

Favorite Celeriac Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Celeriac Slaw
Celeriac Remoulade
More Celeriac Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Celery

Celery appears in one Kitchen Parade recipe after another, too common and too many to make a list useful, really. It is one of three vegetables in the 'holy trinity' of onion, celery and bell peppers. It's a staple in salads, adding volume and crunch and wetness. But it is quite rare for celery to 'star' in a dish but I have come to appreciate these special celery dishes, especially the celery salads during the winter. Do look for celery stalks that have their leaves, they are fabulous. To keep celery fresh longer, keep it in the plastic bag but wrap the bag in foil. It will stay fresh for a month or more. During long car trips, I cut up celery sticks to munch on.

Favorite Celery Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Boozy Baked Celery
Celery & Apple Salad
Celery Salad with Dates & Walnuts
Cream of Celery Soup
Simple Braised Celery
More Celery Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Cheese
See Cheddar Feta Mozzarella Parmesan Other Cheeses
See Cream Cheese Goat Cheese

Cheddar Cheese
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bake
Cheddar-Olive Spread
Cheese Gnocchi Pie
Cheese Sauce
Date-Night Chicken
Easy Margarita Chicken
On-the-Run Breakfast Bars
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole

Favorite Cheddar Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Broccoli Potato Cheddar Soup
Butternut Mac 'n' Cheese
One-Skillet Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Zucchini with Tomatoes & Cheddar

Feta Cheese

Feta cheese is a particular favorite since it's strong-flavored but has fewer calories than other cheeses. Do try to purchase it in bricks, not crumbles, it's fresher and still more flavorful.

Cantaloupe Salad with Feta & Basil
Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce
Chicken Greek Salad
Cucumber Dip with Feta
Greek Feta Chicken
Greek Pasta Salad
Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
Red Quinoa Salad Your Way
Seared Scallops with Chimichurri and Garlicky Polenta
Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Favorite Feta Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Beets with Feta
Feta Stuffed Zucchini
Roasted Asparagus with Feta
Spinach & Feta Quiche
More Recipes for Vegetables with Cheese from A Veggie Venture

Gruyère
Asparagus Whole Wheat Bread Pudding
Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole)

Mozzarella
FRESH MOZZARELLA
Tomatoes & Fresh Mozzarella for a Crowd

Favorite Mozzarella Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Eggplant, Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwiches
Fresh Tomato with Fresh Mozzarella
Insalata Caprese
Tossed Caprese Salad

Parmesan

Be sure to save bits of Parmesan rind, too. Just toss them into a pot of soup to add richness and flavor.

Asparagus Custard Tart
Basil-Cream Cheese Dip
Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon
Cauliflower Risotto
Cheese Gnocchi Pie
Cheese Puffs
Leek Sauce for Pasta
Lemon & Asparagus Pasta
Meatball Soup with Broccoli Rabe
Parmesan Chicken
Parmesan Crisps
Plant Sale Soup
Ratatouille
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Spinach Puffs
Strawberry Pepper Salad
Those Pink Potatoes
Winter Pesto with Pasta

Other Cheeses
IMPERIAL CHEESE (hard-pack cheddar) Cheese Puffs
QUESO FRESCO Chilaquiles
CHIHUAHUA or COTIJA Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top
COTIJA Grilled Steak with Summer Tomato Salad

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Cherries
FRESH CHERRIES (or frozen cherries)
Finnish Fruit Tart
Ham Loaf with Sour-Cherry Sauce
Peacherry Blues

DRIED CHERRIES
Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots

MARASCHINO CHERRIES
Cheery Cherry Banana Bread

Favorite Cherry Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Tomato & Sour Cherry Gazpacho

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Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce

Chipotle [pronounced chee-POTE-lay] chiles are really just the familiar jalapeño chile, dried and smoked. Find them in small cans in a Mexican market for maybe $1.50. Inside are 10 or 15 small peppers, each one packing some powerful heat, in an adobo [pronounced uh-DOH-BO] sauce made from ground chiles, herbs and vinegar. For a southwestern or Mexican dimension to stews or salads, remove the seeds of one pepper, mash it and use about half. The contents, if transferred to a glass jar, will last for months in the fridge. Some times recipes call for the peppers themselves, some times just a smidgen of the adobo sauce. This is good stuff, inexpensive, refrigerator-stable, with lots of flavor.

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Chocolate
SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE, BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE & UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE
Banana Nutter Muffins
Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings
Chocolate Decadence
Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
Derby Pie
Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Fudgicles
Gourmet Mocha Cookies
Graham Cracker Toffee
Mocha Morsels
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Old-Fashioned Black Walnut Chocolate Cake
Perfect M&M Cookies
Strawberry Banana Chocolate Crumble
Vanilla Brownies

COCOA POWDER

Cocoa powder is one of my favorite pantry ingredients because unlike chocolate chips and chocolate bars, there's no snacking on it during a hungry moment! When cocoa powder is called for in Kitchen Parade recipes, it is always the 'natural' unsweetened cocoa powder, never the sweet cocoa used for a commercial 'hot chocolate mix'. I'm especially fond of the Hersheys Dark which is a 'Dutch processed' cocoa powder with deep color and an intense chocolate flavor.

I generally keep both natural unsweetened cocoa powder and Dutch-processed unsweetened powder in the pantry because they are shelf stable and recipes often specify one or the other, due to different leavening requirements. But one can be easily substituted for the other -- just use these substitution guidelines:

To make Dutch-processed cocoa - Mix 3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda.

To make natural unsweetened cocoa - Mix 3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa with 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or vinegar.

Chocolate Chili
Chocolate-Cinnamon Sugar
Chocolate Cinnamon Whipped Cream Cake
Chocolate Cream Puffs Stuffed with Strawberries & Cream
Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate Malt Ice Cream
Frosty Christmas Trees
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Homemade Poppy Seed Cake
Light 'n' Easy Chocolate Pudding
Two-Bite Brownies

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Cilantro

To keep cilantro fresh, rinse it well, then stick the whole bunch, stems down, into a cup with about an inch of water and store in the refrigerator; if needed, freshen the water every couple of days.

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Coconut
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Gum Drop Cookies
Gold Cookies
Healthy Trail Mix
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots

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Coconut Milk
Cashew Chicken Curry
Coconut Ice Cream
Eggplant & Bean Thai Curry

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Corn
BASICS
How to Cut Corn Off the Cob: Keeping All Ten Fingers, Capturing Every Delicious Kernel and 'Milking' the Sweet Corn Milk

FRESH CORN
(recipes for summer's best sweet corn, straight off the cob)
Creamy Ricotta with Tomato-Cucumber-Corn Salad
Fresh Corn & Tomato Salad
Fresh Creamed Corn
Mini Crab Bites
Summer Seafood Chowder
Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp
Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle

FROZEN or CANNED CORN
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Hamburger Soup
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Salmon Chowder
Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle
White Chicken Chili

CORNMEAL - see cornmeal recipes

Favorite Corn Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
No-Guilt Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Browned Butter
Grilled Sweet Corn
Raw Corn Chowder
Summer Vegetable Stew

More Corn Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Cornmeal, Grits, Polenta & Masa

The differences between cornmeal, grits, polenta and even masa can be confusing. The one thing that's certain, each one starts with corn. After that, differences emerge depending on how the corn is treated and how finely it's ground. (This conversation at ChowHound is illuminating if not definitive.)
Commercial producers of these products, especially the 'quick' or 'instant' versions, blur the differences. To experience what's special with each one, purchase them directly from the mills, I've had great luck with Anson Mills, War Eagle Mill, also with the Bob's Red Mill products available in good grocery stores.
Cornmeal is field corn that's been dried and ground and thus qualifies as a 'vegetable' especially if the more healthful full-kernel stone-ground cornmeal is used, either in a coarse or a fine grind. That said, some recipes really need the finer texture of a degerminated yellow cornmeal so I keep both on hand.
Grits are a southern specialty and are usually the most coarsely ground.
'Polenta' is an Italian dish that's made from boiled cornmeal. Polenta is usually the most finely ground cornmeal.
All whole-corn stone-ground products should be kept in the freezer so that they don't go rancid.
If you really love corn bread, you'll not want to miss the cookbook called The Cornbread Gospels.
I keep a collection of my own favorite cornbread recipes.

CORNBREAD
Savory Cornbread Muffins
Skillet Cornbread

Favorite Cornbread Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Pumpkin Cornbread
Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping
Sweet Cornbread
More Cornmeal Recipes from A Veggie Venture

BEST with COARSELY GROUND CORNMEAL
Apple Cider Indian Pudding
Buffalo Ragout
Savory Cornbread Muffins
Skillet Cornbread

BEST with FINELY GROUND CORNMEAL
Cornmeal Catfish with Warm Potato Salad
Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberries
Fresh Creamed Corn
Fried Okra (Garden Popcorn)
Greens & Grits
No-Knead English Muffin Bread
Seared Scallops with Chimichurri and Garlicky Polenta
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

GRITS
Greens & Grits
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin or Butternut Squash) Grits

POLENTA
Seared Scallops with Chimichurri and Garlicky Polenta
Favorite Polenta Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Winter Squash Polenta

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Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Cottage Cheese Pie
Herbed Goat Cheese
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole

Favorite Recipes using Cotttage Cheese from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Mom's Potato Salad

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Couscous

Pronounced [koos-koos], couscous is made from semolina flour (a wheat flour) which makes it a culinary cousin to other semolina-based products such as macaroni, spaghetti and other pastas. For pasta, semolina is mixed with egg and water. For couscous, semolina is mixed with just enough water to form tiny grain-shaped bits. Couscous is not a grain, although often treated like one.
'Israeli Couscous' is shaped into tiny perfect pearls.

Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

Favorite Couscous Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
No-Cook Tabbouleh
Israeli Couscous Salad

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Crab
Mini Crab Bites

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Cranberries
FRESH CRANBERRIES
Apple Cranberry Compote
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Cranberry Apple Pie
Cranberry Applesauce
Cranberry Chutney
Cranberry Orange Relish with Fresh Ginger
Cranberry Pudding
Eggnog French Toast with Apple Cranberry Compote
Fresh Cranberry Drop Cookies
Fresh Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Apple
Holiday Fruit Parfait with Yogurt, Cranberries, Applesauce, Pineapple & Kiwi

DRIED CRANBERRIES
Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries
Cranberry-Mac Morsels
Festive Holiday Salad
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Swiss Muesli
Turkey Salad Supper with Green Beans & Dried Cranberries
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole

CRANBERRY JUICE
Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

CANNED CRANBERRY
Beef Stew with Cranberries
Cranberry Orange Spread
Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Cranberry Sauce

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Cream Cheese

WHAT KIND OF CREAM CHEESE SHOULD I BUY? Three kinds of cream cheese are easily found. The best-known is full-fat cream cheese, 100 calories per ounce (Weight Watchers 2 points). My favorite -- there's no telling the difference -- is the reduced-fat cream cheese often called 'Neufchatel', 70 calories per ounce (Weight Watchers 1 point). Avoid using non-fat cream cheese, despite its 30 calories per ounce (Weight Watchers 0 points), as it is gummy and watery.

CREAM CHEESE – SAVORY
Basil-Cream Cheese Dip
Chilaquiles
Cranberry Orange Spread
Cream Cheese-Chutney Spread
Easy Radish Spread
Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Party Potatoes)
Savory Peach Appetizer
Tomato Soup Vegetable Salad

CREAM CHEESE - SWEET
Chocolate Cream Puffs Stuffed with Strawberries & Cream
Easy Elegant Fruit Tart
Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Molasses Ice Cream
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Strawberry Ice Cream

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Canned & Dried Beans
All or Many Beans Black Beans Black-Eyed Peas Butter Beans Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) Hominy Kidney Beans Pork & Beans Split Peas White Beans (Great Northern, Cannellini, Small White)

UNCOOKED DRIED BEANS & PEAS
Creamy Slow-Cooker Beans - my favorite way to cook dried beans
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Ham & Beans
Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup
Scandinavian Pea Soup

MAIN DISHES using CANNED BEANS
Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon
Chicken Nachos
Chickpea & Chicken Salad
Easy Margarita Chicken
One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables
Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top

SOUPS using CANNED BEANS
My Sister's Recipe for Crockpot Chili
Plant Sale Soup
Twenty-Minute Beefy Black Bean Chili
White Chicken Chili

SIDE DISHES & SALADS using CANNED BEANS
Calico Beans
New-Fashioned Sauerkraut Salad
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Simple Hummus

Favorite Recipes using Canned & Dried Beans from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
More Recipes using Canned & Dried Beans from A Veggie Venture

ALL BEANS and MANY BEANS
Creamy Slow-Cooker Beans - my favorite way to cook dried beans

Favorite Recipes using All or Many Beans from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
15-Bean Soup
Quick Green Chile Stew

BLACK BEANS (also called TURTLE BEANS)
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Chicken Nachos
Easy Margarita Chicken
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Twenty-Minute Beefy Black Bean Chili

Favorite Recipes using Black Beans from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Homemade Black Bean Burgers
Quick Green Chile Stew
Supper Casserole with Pumpkin & Green Chile Cornbread Topping

BLACK-EYED PEAS
Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Soup

Favorite Recipes using Black-Eyed Peas from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Hoppin' John Soup
Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Warm Black-eyed Peas with Yogurt & Ginger

BUTTER BEANS
Calico Beans

CHICKPEAS (also called GARBANZO BEANS)
Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon
Chickpea & Chicken Salad
Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale
Simple Hummus

Favorite Recipes using Chickpeas from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Chicka Chicka Chickpea Salad
Chipotle Chickpea Salad
Hot & Sour Chickpeas
Quick Green Chile Stew
Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

HOMINY
See Hominy

KIDNEY BEANS
Calico Beans
My Sister's Recipe for Crockpot Chili
Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top
Plant Sale Soup

Favorite Recipes using Kidney Beans from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Fresh Three-Bean Salad
Quick Green Chile Stew

PORK & BEANS
Calico Beans

SPLIT PEAS
Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup
Scandinavian Pea Soup

WHITE BEANS (such as Great Northern Beans, Cannellini or Small White Beans)
Ham & Beans
One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables
White Chicken Chili

Favorite Recipes using White Beans from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Cabbage & White Bean Stew
Cherry Tomato & White Bean Salad
Quick Radish & White Bean Salad
Tossed Caprese Salad
Tuna & White Bean Dip

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Currants, Raisins & Dried Fruit

Dried currants and raisins are interchangeable. That said, I prefer currants because they are smaller (and thus a smaller quantity distributes more easily) and slightly less sweet. Dried fruit are "dense" calories, the calories and Weight Watchers points can really add up, see One-Point Fruit Servings for Weight Watchers.

CURRANTS & RAISINS
Apple Cider Indian Pudding
Butter Tart Bars
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Cranberry Apple Pie
Fat Rascals
Five-Week Bran Muffins
Healthy Waldorf Salad
Hot Cross Buns
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Mini Coffee Cookies
Mom's Everyday Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(Quick) Brown Bread
Spicy Raisin Sauce for Ham
Swiss Muesli
Tropical Salad Supper

GOLDEN RAISINS
Cranberry Chutney
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Rhubarb Chutney
Winter Stew

DRIED CRANBERRIES – see Cranberries

DRIED APRICOTS – see Apricots

DRIED CHERRIES – see Cherries

MULTIPLE DRIED FRUIT
Healthy Trail Mix
Swiss Muesli

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Cucumber
CUCUMBER as the MAIN INGREDIENT
Cucumber & Pepper Refrigerator Pickles
Cucumber Dip with Feta
Nana's Cucumbers with Sour Cream

Favorite Cucumber Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Julia Child's Cucumber Salad
Mixed Fruit & Vegetable Salad
Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad
Tomato Platter with Olives & Feta
More Cucumber Recipes from A Veggie Venture

APPETIZERS
Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho
Fruity Gazpacho

SALADS
Bloody Mary Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
Ina Garten's Tabbouleh Salad
New-Fashioned Sauerkraut Salad
Panzanella
Tomato Soup Vegetable Salad

SOUPS
Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho
Fruity Gazpacho

MAIN DISHES
Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce
Chicken Greek Salad
Easy Baked Fish with Red Pepper & Cucumber Salad
Shrimp Salad Recipes
Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables
Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers

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Curry Paste

Curry paste is one of my very favorite pantry ingredients. It comes as 'green curry paste' and 'red curry paste'. I've not yet tried the red because even though a jar of curry paste is small, it's used a smidgin at a time. It keeps-keeps-keeps and is one of the best small investments a cook can make. Here are a few recipes that also use Thai curry paste:

Eggplant & Bean Thai Curry

Recipes Using Curry Paste from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Broccoli & Bok Choy with Coconut & Curry (photo of curry paste here)
Broccoli & Tomato Thai Curry
Quick Corn & Coconut Soup
Curried Cauliflower

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Egg Whites
Whole-wheat Soda Bread (3 egg whites)
Skillet Cornbread (2)

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Egg Yolks
Chicken à la King (2 egg yolks)
Chocolate Malt Ice Cream (4)
Coffee Pots & Lemon Pots (5)
Crème Anglaise (2)
Gold Cookies (4)
Herbed Goat Cheese (3)
Homemade Mayonnaise (1)
Lavender Crème Brûlée (2)
Mom's Roast Chicken (1)
No-Roll Christmas Sugar Cookies (1)
Spiced Banana Ice Cream (2)

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Cooked Eggs
How to make Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs

Deviled Eggs with Tomato-Herb Relish
Mini Egg Salad Sandwiches with Rhodes Multi-Grain Rolls
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing (2 cooked eggs)
Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs (5 cooked eggs)

Favorite Recipes with Cooked Eggs from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Asparagus Scallion Salad (1 cooked egg)
Beet Carpaccio (1)
Homemade Cobb Salad (1/2 per serving)
Insalata di Finocchio aka Fennel Salad (4)
Mom’s Potato Salad (3)
Steamed Leeks with Chopped Egg (1)

See also Cooked Egg Recipes, a collection of recipes from Kitchen Parade, A Veggie Venture and my fellow food bloggers

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Eggplant
Eggplant & Bean Thai Curry
Mediterranean Eggplant
Moroccan Chicken
Ratatouille
Ratatouille Omelettes
Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables

Favorite Eggplant Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Baba Ganoush
Brushed Eggplant
Caponata - Sicilian Eggplant
Eggplant Steaks
Grilled Eggplant with Balsamic Honey Syrup
Roasted Baby Eggplant Halves with Herbs
Stacked Ratatouille
More Eggplant Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Endive
Mini Crab Bites

Favorite Endive Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Spring & Summer Sliced Salad
More Endive Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Farro

WHAT IS FARRO? Farro is a natural grain that once cooked, is nutty in flavor and slightly chewy in texture. It is also called 'emmer wheat' and is much-appreciated in Italian cuisine. I use the 'pearled' or 'semi-pearled' farro where some of the husk is removed so it cooks more quickly. Farro can be hard to find in a store but can be purchased on Amazon.

Favorite Farro Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash & Mushrooms
Farro with Beet Greens
Farro with Asparagus & Green Onion Sauce

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Flour

FLUFF TO AERATE BEFORE MEASURING This is my favorite baking trick! Always fluff flour before measuring it. You see, when flour sits, it settles. As you stir the flour for just a few seconds, you'll add air and actually feel it lighten. By fluffing the flour first, you'll use as much as 25% less flour, by weight. The result is that all your baked goods will turn out noticeably lighter -- pancakes, muffins, cakes and cookies. I keep a spoon right in the flour canister, so I never forget and rarely, rarely get out the flour sifter, which performs much the same function. It's a miracle tip! Try it yourself, then pass it on to a friend!

OUR FLOUR CHOICES MATTER Time was, flour was flour. (Or maybe not, but at least in my experience growing up, there were two kinds of flour, "all purpose" and "bread".) As I make the switch from bleached flour to unbleached flour, my baked goods just don't taste the same, they're drier and tougher and the baker, well, she's plenty frustrated. I haven't yet figured out how to make the transition more easily. So I'm beginning to record what flours I'm using and for best results, will recommend use of the same flour.

Kitchen Parade recipes use several kinds of flour.

• All-Purpose Flour - Often called 'white flour' or just plain 'flour', all-purpose flour is a low-gluten wheat flour and often the only flour found in home pantries. However, all-purpose flour is milled without the germ and the bran, so has less fiber and fewer nutrients than whole-grain flours. In the U.S., all-purpose flour is enriched with vitamins and minerals by law. To incorporate more whole grains into our diets, many home cooks now substitute as much as half whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour. My favorite all-purpose flour is Pillsbury but I use others, as well, especially if on sale.
• Whole Wheat Flour - Is a heavy, high-gluten and full-flavored flour. Typically, about 1/4 to 1/2 of all-purpose flour can be substituted with whole wheat flour. I buy ground-yesterday whole wheat flour at Great Harvest Bakery and store it in the freezer to keep it fresh.
• 100% White Whole Wheat Flour - Is a relatively new product, a whole-grain flour milled with the idea that it can be substituted 1:1 for all-purpose flour. However, my own experience is that this flour (the King Arthur brand, anyway, which is found in many supermarkets) cannot be substituted 1:1.
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour -
• Bread Flour - Is unbleached and especially milled for high-gluten content and is primarily used for yeast breads, especially rustic breads where some heft is desirable.
• Cake Flour - Has a silky texture and is often specified for fine-crumbs cakes and baked goods.
• Arrowroot Flour - A fine powder made from the stalks of the arrowroot plant, arrowroot is used as a tasteless and easily digestible thickening agent. Diabetics often use arrowroot instead of flour or cornstarch to thicken stews and soups. It should be mixed in very late in the cooking process, as heat tends to break down its thickening capabilities. In small jars in the spice section, arrowroot is very pricey; instead, find it in large bags at Whole Foods in the flour aisle.

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Garlic

FRESH GARLIC vs JARS For everyday cooking, I use jars of chopped garlic purchased inexpensively from a small Asian market, worth their weight in gold. Here's a photo of the brand of chopped garlic I use.
GARLIC PRESS For fresh garlic, I often use a garlic press.

GARLIC BASICS
How (and Why) to Grow Garlic at Home from A Veggie Venture
How to Roast Garlic from A Veggie Venture

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Gelatin (Jello)
SAVORY
Bloody Mary Salad
Tomato Soup Vegetable Salad

SWEET
Canadian Flag Cake
Christmas Trifle
Southern Belle Lemon Layer Cake

Favorite Recipes with Gelatin from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Rhubarb Pizza
More Jello Salads from A Veggie Venture

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Goat Cheese

Goat cheese has a lovely piquancy. It can be expensive so for every day, I use big logs of less-expensive goat cheese from Sam's Club or Trader Joe's -- or for a quick substitute, use cream cheese. Good news: goat cheese can be frozen, it need never go to waste.

Cranberry Orange Spread
Herbed Goat Cheese
Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole)
Rapini Panini
Savory Peach Appetizer
Toasted Goat Cheese

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Graham Crackers

I love to keep graham cracker crumbs on hand, one of the very few 'convenience foods' that I rely on. Why? The obvious: with graham cracker crumbs, you've got a quick pie crust in 5 minutes. The less obvious reason? If a box of graham crackers were on hand, it would tempt and tantalize me. Some night, I'd have a snack attack and eat a whole package. A box of crumbs? It's just a box of crumbs.

Apple-Butter Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake
Cottage Cheese Pie
Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp
Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Graham Cracker Crust
Graham Cracker Toffee
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

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Grapefruit

Broiled Grapefruit
Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings

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Grapes
Asian Chicken Salad
Five-Minute Fruit Salad
Fruity Gazpacho
Grape Salad with Almonds & Cilantro
Italian Sausage with Grapes & Greens
Mexican Fruit Salad
Power Food Broccoli Salad
Roasted Pear Salad
Winter Fruit Salad

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Green Beans

The trick, I've learned, to cooking green beans is to make sure they'e cooked in a lot of water with plenty of salt. Per pound of green beans, use two quarts of water and one tablespoon of table salt. It makes a world of difference! Watch for flat 'Romano beans' at the farmers market -- they're especially tender and delicious!

FRESH GREEN BEANS
Eggplant & Bean Thai Curry
Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale
Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Turkey Salad Supper with Green Beans & Dried Cranberries

OTHER GREEN BEANS (frozen, preferred, or canned)
Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale
Plant Sale Soup

Favorite Green Bean Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
COLLECTIONS
Falling In Love with Green Beans: Favorite Recipes

"Best Ever" New Potatoes & Green Beans
Chilled Green Bean Salad with Rosemary & Garlic Oil
Fresh Three-Bean Salad
Green Beans with Mayo & Soy Sauce
World's Best Green Bean Casserole
More Green Bean Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Hearts of Palm

Favorite Hearts of Palm Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
More Hearts of Palm Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Hominy

First introduced by native Americans to early American settlers, hominy [HOM-eh-nee] is popcorn-shaped kernels of dried corn, with the hull and the germ removed. It is dense, chewy and nutty. Look for it in the Mexican section of grocery stores in cans like black beans or pinto beans.

Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin
Sauerkraut Salad

Favorite Hominy Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Zucchini Mushroom Hominy Tacos

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Italian dressing

While I will always encourage home cooks to Never Buy Salad Dressing Again, at the same time, a bottle of Italian salad dressing can be helpful to have around. I nearly always use the non-fat house brand, it works like a charm.

Easy Easy Grilled Mushroom Appetizer
One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables

Favorite Recipes with Italian Dressing from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Tomato & Zucchini Salad

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Jerusalem Artichokes

These knobby creatures are also called 'sunchokes'. See a photo here.

Favorite Jerusalem Artichoke Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Autumn Sunchoke Salad
More Jerusalem Artichoke Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Ketchup

Believe it or not, ketchup is a quick and inexpensive way to add instant flavor to a dish. Check the label, however, for many favorite ketchups include high-fructose corn syrup.

Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bake
Berry Baby Backs
Calico Beans
Chicken Cider Stew
Hamburger Soup
Lentil Soup Vincent
Minnesota Sloppy Joes

Favorite Recipes with Ketchup from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Five-Minute Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Thousand Island Dressing

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Jicama
Favorite Jicama Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
BASICS
Vegetables 101: What Is Jicama?

Jicama Slaw
More Jicama Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Kiwi
Holiday Fruit Parfait with Yogurt, Cranberries, Applesauce, Pineapple & Kiwi
Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips
Winter Fruit Salad

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Kohlrabi

[kohl-RAH-bee] Kohlrabi is in the turnip family and like the turnip, its white bulblike stem and its greens are edible. The kohlrabi bulb tastes like a mild, sweet turnip or broccoli stalks. It's wonderful raw!

Favorite Kohlrabi Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Fresh Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing Quick-Cook Kohlrabi Raw Beet, Carrot & Kohlrabi Salad
Roasted Kohlrabi
More Kohlrabi Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Leafy Greens

Leafy greens (those are the greens like kale, mustard greens, beet greens, spinach, collard greens, turnips greens along with the leafy lettuces such as red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce) are some of the most healthful foods and most of us, me included, don't eat enough of them.

Leafy greens should be washed well before cooking or eating. Rinse the leaves under running water, wiping the leaves with your fingers; or let the greens soak for a few minutes in cool water, then 'swoosh' around and rinse thoroughly. To know if the greens are free of grit, eat a leaf!

ANY GREEN
Ontario Greens with Sour Cream

Favorite Leafy Green Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Braised Collard Greens
Greek Greens
Greens 'n' All Beet Soup
More Recipes for Leafy Greens from A Veggie Venture

KALE
Colcannon
Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale
Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup

Favorite Kale Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Crispy Salty Kale Chips
Pride of Erin Soup
Quick 'Massaged' Kale Salad
More Kale Recipes from A Veggie Venture

SPINACH - please see Spinach

LETTUCE - please see Green Salads

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Leeks
How to Clean Leeks (illustrated)

Asparagus Whole Wheat Bread Pudding
Cauliflower Risotto
Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Leek Sauce for Pasta
Scandinavian Pea Soup
Spring Stuffing
Vichyssoise
Winter Tomato Soup

Favorite Leek Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Leek & Vegetable Gratin
No Waste Leek Stock
Steamed Leeks with Chopped Egg
More Leek Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Lemons
CLASSIC LEMON RECIPES
Brown Sugar Lemon Curd
Lemon Asparagus
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pots
Lemon Pudding Cake
Old-Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

LEMON as a PRIMARY FLAVOR
Broccoli Rigatoni with Chickpeas & Lemon
Brown Sugar Lemon Curd
Italian Lemon Chicken
Lamb Roast with Lemon & Oregano
Lemon & Asparagus Pasta
Lemon Asparagus
Lemon Basil Shrimp
Lemon Chive Chicken Salad
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pots
Lemon Pudding Cake
Old-Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

LEMON as a FLAVOR BRIGHTENER - SWEET
American Apple Pie
Banana Floats
Black Walnut Bread
Blueberry Galette
Brown Sugar Peaches
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Dimply Plum Cake
Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp
Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Blackberry Sauce
Homemade Ricotta
Hot Cross Buns
Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter
Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
Peach Blueberry Cake
Peach Un-Cobbler
Rhubarb Ginger Jam
Rhubarb Sorbet
Roasted Rhubarb
Strawberries in Wine
Strawberry Ice Cream
Summer Berry Pie
Winter Fruit Salad

LEMON as a FLAVOR BRIGHTENER – SAVORY
Chickpea & Chicken Salad
Garden Popcorn (Fried Okra)
Grilled Pepper Salad
Herbed Goat Cheese
Ina Garten's Tabbouleh Salad
Leek Sauce for Pasta
Lemon Turkey Noodle Soup
Moroccan Chicken
Mini Crab Bites
Orange & Cumin Vinaigrette
Roasted Salmon & Asparagus
Shrimp Salad
Simple Hummus
Sole with Mushrooms & Onions
Spiced Yogurt Chicken
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Squash & Carrot Stew
Sweet 'n' Hot Chicken
Swiss Muesli

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Lentils

My pantry is rarely without at least one of two kinds of lentils. Both are prized for hearty flavor and for holding their shape after cooking, especially compared to brown lentils or red lentils. They do take slightly longer to cook.
Black Beluga Lentils (some times just Black Lentils) – These were once available at Trader Joe's in dried form very inexpensively. I'm told that the dried lentils will return to the shelves but in the mean time, Trader Joe's does sell bags of pre-cooked black lentils although for a much higher price. They're also available here on Amazon.com.
'Green Lentils' or 'French Lentils' (Lentilles du Puy) – I find these pretty lentils at Whole Foods, they're also for sale on Amazon.com.

Lentil Soup Vincent
Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables
Two-Way Lentil Skillet

Favorite Lentil Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Julia Child's Lentil Salad
Lentil Salad with Tomatoes, Dill & Basil
Oven-Cooked Lentil Soup
Summer Lentils
More Recipes with Beans & Lentils from A Veggie Venture

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Lettuce
SIDE SALADS
Festive Holiday Salad
Roasted Pear Salad
That Pink Salad

MAIN DISH SALADS
Please see Cold Suppers

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Limes
DRINKS
Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

APPETIZERS
Almond Cilantro Spread
Blueberry Salsa
Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips

SIDES & SALADS
Alice Waters’ Coleslaw
Mojito Strawberries
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Thai Cantaloupe Salad

MAIN DISHES
Asian Chicken Salad
Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Chicken Nachos
Crockpot Chicken Goulash
Eggplant & Bean Thai Curry
Grilled Steak with Summer Tomato Salad
Lime Chicken
Mango Chicken Salad
Shrimp Salad Recipes
Tropical Salad Supper

SOUPS
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho
Fruity Gazpacho
Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp

SWEETS
Fruity Gazpacho
Raspberry Morning Cake

Favorite Lime Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Green Beans with Jalapeño Lime Butter
Grilled Sweet Corn with Spiced Lime Butter
Melon, Blueberry & Feta Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

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Mangoes


Mad for Mangoes: Two Mango Smoothies

Asian Chicken Salad
Banana Mango Smoothie
Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Finnish Fruit Tart
Grape Salad with Almonds & Cilantro
Mango Chicken Salad
Mango Lassi with Mint
Mango & Beet Smoothies
Mexican Fruit Salad
Shrimp Salad Recipes
Tropical Salad Supper

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Maple Syrup

'Grade B' maple syrup isn't second-quality maple syrup, in fact, it has the most flavor. It's the maple syrup I always seek out.

Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries
Buttered Pecan Ice Cream
Chicken Sybil
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Maple Glazed Salmon
Mashed Rutabagas & Apples
Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple
Swiss Muesli

Favorite Recipes with Maple Syrup from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Brussels Sprouts with Maple & Walnut Vinaigrette
Butternut Squash with Maple Glaze
Maple Ginger Sweet Potatoes

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Mayonnaise

I am a Hellman's gal, Hellman's Light Mayonnaise, that is. To my taste, the Light Mayonnaise tastes just as good, if not better, than the full-fat mayonnaise — all for half the fat and half the calories. For salads, I often thin the mayonnaise with buttermilk for a still lighter and tangier texture and taste. Hellman's goes by the name Best Foods west of the Rocky Mountains. For a vegan mayonnaise, I make Almonnaise that's based on whole almonds. For BLTs, I make Homemade Mayonnaise.

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Melons

The thick skin of a melon, especially the rough skin of a cantaloupe, can harbor bacteria and other unsavory stuff. Please - do wash the exterior of a melon before cutting into it, so that the knife doesn't transfer it from the skin to the flesh.

CANTALOUPE
Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho
Cantaloupe Salad with Feta & Basil
Cantaloupe Smoothie
Cold & Creamy Cantaloupe Soup
Five-Minute Fruit Salad
Mexican Fruit Salad
Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
Shrimp Salad
Thai Cantaloupe Salad

HONEYDEW
Fruity Gazpacho
Mexican Fruit Salad

WATERMELON
Coming soon!

Favorite Melon Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Melon, Blueberry & Feta Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette
Mixed Fruit & Vegetable Salad
Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad

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Skim Milk to Cream & Everything Between

At least in the United States, which naturally I know best, MILK comes in several ways , skim milk having the least fat, cream having the most. I drink skim milk every day but keep both whole milk and cream on hand nearly all the time for coffee and cooking.
TASTE MILK! It pays to try milks from different producers. I love the milk from Farmers' Creamery so much, even the skim milk, that some times I drink it from a wine glass! I credit the grass-fed cows.
SKIM MILK is some times called non-fat milk but still has some fat, a scant half gram per cup.
1% MILK is considered low-fat milk.
2% MILK is considered reduced-fat milk.
WHOLE MILK has 3.25% fat, enough fat that it can thicken custard.
HALF & HALF is half whole milk and half cream, thus, yes, half and half! In the U.S., half 'n' half is easily available in the dairy case but of course, you can mix your own, just mix half milk and half cream.
NON-FAT HALF is a Land O' Lakes product, with 'taste' of half & half without the calories. I love this for my morning coffee and for stirring into a milk-based soup, say. But I've learned the hard way that it has no thickening properties so can't be used for custard or ice cream, say.
CREAM is heavy cream, the cream used for making homemade whipping cream.

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Molasses

I love the distinctive flavor of molasses, dusky and dark, sweet and sour at the same time. 'Light 'molasses' comes from the first boiling of the syrup from sugar cane and sugar beets. 'Dark molasses' comes from the second boiling and is thicker, darker and less sweet, which is why, perhaps it's my personal preference. I'm also a fan of 'blackstrap' molasses from the third boiling but many find it too bitter. Watch too for 'unsulphured molasses' which has a purer, more refined sugar-cane flavor but can be harder to find.

Best-Ever Oatmeal Bread
Calico Beans
Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies
Cranberry Pudding
Cut-Out Spice Cookies
Frosty Christmas Trees
Gingerbread Muffins
Molasses Cookies
Molasses Ice Cream

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Mushrooms

MUSHROOM TIPS Can mushrooms be washed? Yes, especially if they're going to be cooked, but do trim off the rough edges first. For raw mushrooms for salads, say, brush off the dirt with a small brush. Cut mushrooms in large pieces (or leave whole or separate the caps and then slice the stems) to avoid a 'canned mushroom soup' character.

MUSHROOMS as a MAIN INGREDIENT
Asparagus Whole Wheat Bread Pudding
Beef & Mushroom Stew
Chicken à la King
Easy Easy Grilled Mushroom Appetizer
Greens & Grits
Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Mushroom Soup
Pepper Steak & Mushrooms
Sole with Mushrooms & Onions
Smoked Turkey Chowder

MORE MUSHROOM RECIPES
Cashew Chicken Curry
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (or Turkey & Wild Rice Soup)
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Sybil
Grilled Vegetables in Foil
Kitchen Stir-Fry
Low-Fat Vegetable Soup
Ratatouille
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Spring Stuffing
Sweet 'n' Hot Chicken
Tin Foil Chicken & Veggies
Wild Rice Salad

Favorite Mushroom Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Buckwheat with Mushrooms & Carrots
Quick Zucchini Mushroom Hominy Tacos
Roasted Carrots & Mushrooms
World's Best Green Bean Casserole
More Mushroom Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Mustard

WHAT IS 'GOOD' MUSTARD? Kitchen Parade recipes often are no more specific than 'good mustard' -- which is to say, anything except yellow 'ballpark' mustard. The safe bet is Dijon mustard, a pantry staple. But feel free to explore the many, many mustards available now, especially the mustards from other countries, some times sold in tubes like toothpaste! Many mustard packages bear a date -- purchase the freshest mustard possible, it loses strength sitting on the shelf. My refrigerator is rarely without a jar of Homemade Finnish Mustard, it keeps for weeks.

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Nuts

How to store nuts Nuts can be more expensive than meat, we don't want them to go to waste! To keep nuts fresh, store them in the freezer, just 'double-bag' to avoid freezer burn. For baking, heighten the natural nut flavor by toasting the nuts beforehand.

How to toast nuts Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet, use a single layer with plenty of space between the nuts. Roast in the oven at 350F or 375F until the nuts begin to turn gold in color, stirring every 5 minutes, watching very carefully at the end. I often start toasting nuts while the oven is preheating, it works great.

Nut substitutes Nuts are often interchangeable so don't hesitate to substitute one for another.

Any Nut Almonds Cashews Macadamia Nuts Peanuts Pecans Walnuts

JUST NUTS
Black Pepper Almonds
Party Nuts with Fresh Rosemary
Savory Pecans

NUTS, any kind
Mom's Everyday Oatmeal Cookies
Overnight Coffeecake
Party Nuts with Fresh Rosemary

ALMONDS
Almond Cilantro Spread
Black Pepper Almonds
Curried Rice
Grape Salad with Almonds & Cilantro
Healthy Trail Mix
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Strawberry Pepper Salad
Summer Berry Pie
Swiss Muesli
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole

CASHEWS
Cashew Chicken Curry

MACADAMIA NUTS
Cranberry-Mac Morsels

PEANUTS See also Peanut Butter
Asian Chicken Salad
Kung Pao Chicken

PECANS
Autumn Pumpkin Bread
Banana Streusel Muffins
Best-Ever Oatmeal Bread
Bodacious Brussels Sprouts
Butter Tart Bars
Buttered Pecan Ice Cream
Cranberry Chutney
Derby Pie
Fresh Cranberry Drop Cookies
Mocha Morsels
Peach Un-Cobbler
Pecan Meringue Cookies
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Savory Pecans
Spiced Nuts
Swiss Muesli

WALNUTS

BLACK WALNUTS If you can find them, black walnuts have a distinctive flavor that many people, including me, find quite addictive. Believe it or not, I buy large bags of black walnuts (Missouri native walnuts, no less) at Sam's Club in St. Louis. Keep them in the freezer for lasting freshness.

TOASTING To my taste, English walnuts should nearly always be toasted before baking where black walnuts need not be toasted.

ESPECIALLY GOOD WITH BLACK WALNUTS
Autumn Pumpkin Bread
Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Frosting
Black Walnut Bread
Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp
Old-Fashioned Black Walnut Chocolate Cake
Spiced Nuts
Two-Bite Brownies

MORE RECIPES USING WALNUTS
Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries
Banana Streusel Muffins
Basil-Cream Cheese Dip
Cinnamon Apples
Derby Pie
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Festive Holiday Salad
Graham Cracker Toffee
Healthy Trail Mix
Healthy Waldorf Salad
(Quick) Brown Bread
Roasted Pear Salad
Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
Vanilla Brownies
Winter Pesto with Pasta

Favorite Recipes with Walnuts from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Beet Pesto
Bok Choy Salad with Homemade Creamy Vinaigrette
Brussels Sprouts with Maple & Walnut Vinaigrette
Celery, Date & Walnut Salad
Pumpkin Muffins

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Oatmeal

WHICH OATMEAL IS BEST? All Kitchen Parade recipes are tested using the least-processed form of oats, called 'old-fashioned' oats by the Quaker people. Their 'quick oats' can be substituted with good results but 'instant oats' or any of the sweetened breakfast oat packets should not be used.

For a description of all the types of oats (old-fashioned oats, steel-cut oats, etc.) you'll want to read Oatmeal: How and Why to Cook It Every Day.

MORNING OATMEAL
Make-Ahead Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Grab 'n' Go On-the-Run Breakfast Bars
Microwave Microwave Creamy Oatmeal with Peanut Butter
Microwave Oatmeal Expresso
Oven (Squares) Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Oven (Squares) Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Oven (Ramekins) Oven-Baked Oatmeal & Apple
No Cook! Swiss Muesli
Slow Cooker Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oats
Stovetop Stovetop Oatmeal with Whipped Banana

Favorite Morning Oatmeal Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Savory Oatmeal with Scallions & Soy Sauce
Carrot & Fruit Oatmeal Slump

OATMEAL COOKIE RECIPES (apparently someone's a fiend for oatmeal cookies!)
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Gum Drop Cookies
Mom's Everyday Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

MORE OATMEAL - SWEET
No-Roll Oatmeal Crust
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Summer Berry Pie

MORE OATMEAL – SAVORY
All-Natural Dog Treats
Best-Ever Oatmeal Bread
Elk Meatloaf (or Bison, Beef, Other Meatloaf)

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Okra
Cornmeal Catfish with Warm Potato Salad
Fish with Garden Fries (Roasted Okra) & Garden Salad
Garden Popcorn (Fried Okra)
Gumbo
Steak & Tomatoes
Summer Seafood Chowder

Favorite Okra Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Potato Okra Curry
Sautéed Okra & Garlic
Warm Tomato, Corn & Okra Salad
More Okra Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Olives
Cheddar-Olive Spread
Chicken Greek Salad
Chickpea & Chicken Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
Olivada
Ratatouille
Red Quinoa Salad Your Way
Sautéed Red & Yellow Pepper Relish
Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers

Favorite Olive Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Caponata - Sicilian Eggplant
Summer Orzo with Radicchio
Tomato Platter with Olives & Feta

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Onions
Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Apples & Caramelized Onions
Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole)
Moroccan Onions

Favorite Onion Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Slow Cooker Onion Soup
Homemade Onion Dip
More Onion Recipes from A Veggie Venture

ONION TIPS

Store green onions in the refrigerator, all others in a cool dark place. Onions can be purchased less expensively in three-pound bags and since onions last for several weeks, this can be a real bargain. Wash onions before slicing into them, preventing any dirt or contamination on the outside being transferred to the cutting board and to the interior of the onion. Discard or compost the root end and the leaf end, but otherwise throw the skins into a freezer bag and keep in the freezer to add to chicken stock, vegetable stock, etc. the next time a batch is made.

Kitchen Parade recipes use several kinds of onion, a basic pantry ingredient:

• GREEN ONIONS — Green onions are also called scallions. They're typically left raw but can be quite delicious when softly cooked in butter or olive oil, as in Asparagus with Green Onion Sauce or used to add flavor to a cooking liquid as in Asparagus Scallion Salad.
• YELLOW ONIONS — When a Kitchen Parade recipes calls for 'onion', choose a yellow-skinned yellow onion or a brown-skinned yellow onion. Yellow onions brown better so are an especially good choice when you want to caramelize onions. I've learned recently that the yellow-skinned onions are also called 'Spanish onions'.
• RED ONIONS — Red onions are especially pretty in salads, just be sure to chop them very small so not to overwhelm with onion flavor.
• WHITE ONIONS — White onions have a sharper, more onion-y flavor. Choose white onions when you'd like onion flavor to stand out. They also have less juice so are a good choice for anyone whose eyes water when cutting onions. Many Mexican recipes call for white onion.
• SWEET ONIONS such as Vidalia or Walla Walla — Choose sweet onions only for dishes where they'll stay raw, for sweet onions actually go flat when cooked. Unfortunately, some grocery stores label sweet onions as 'yellow onions' so be sure to watch the little stickers on the onions themselves. Interestingly, sweet onions start off from the same plant but the soil and the climate are so different, they end up tasting much different. Sweet onions have a shorter shelf life than yellow, red or white onions.
• SHALLOTS — Shallots have a gentle onion flavor, I especially like to use shallots when a recipe calls for just a tablespoon or so of onion. They keep a long time so are especially useful to keep on hand.
• LEEKS — Another way to encourage gentle onion flavor is with leeks.

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Oranges
PHOTO TUTORIAL
How to Cut an Orange for Slices

WHOLE ORANGES
Banana Floats
Caraway Corned Beef
Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings
Cranberry Orange Relish with Fresh Ginger
Cranberry Orange Spread
Fresh Peach Pie
My Perfect (Unsweet, Unboozy) Sangria
Orange & Cumin Vinaigrette
Savory Orange Slices
Sunshine Orange Muffins
Tropical Salad Supper

ORANGE JUICE
Apple Yogurt Salad
Raspberry Morning Cake
Strawberry Fool
Swiss Muesli
Winter Tomato Soup

ORANGE JUICE CONCENTRATE

Frozen orange juice concentrate is my favorite way to create intense orange flavor. I keep a small container in the freezer nearly all the time, scooping out a spoon or two as needed.

Chicken Sybil
Fresh Cranberry Drop Cookies
Mini Crab Bites
Orange-Kissed Marshmallows
Sunshine Orange Muffins

ORANGE ZEST
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Dimply Plum Cake
Hot Cross Buns
Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
Swedish Rye Bread

ORANGE LIQUEUR such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
Easy Elegant Fruit Tart
Peach Un-Cobbler
Winter Fruit Salad

MANDARIN ORANGES (canned)
That Pink Salad

Favorite Recipes with Orange from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Green Smoothies
Mixed Fruit & Vegetable Salad
Rich Tomato Orange Soup

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Panko

WHAT IS PANKO? Panko (pronounced pawn-ko) is a Japanese bread crumb, light and coarse and crunchy and best of all, shelf stable. I used it for crumb toppings for both sweet and savory dishes. Check out an Asian market, panko is sold in bags or boxes. Increasingly, you can find panko at a regular grocery store but for 3x the price. If you can't find panko nearby, it's available on Amazon.

Cranberry Apple Crisp
Make-Ahead Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Toasted Goat Cheese
Turnip Puff or Rutabaga Puff

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Parsley

For more flavor, choose flat-leaf parsley (also called Italian parsley) rather than curly parsley. But wait! That's the common wisdom, yes, to choose Italian parsley for flavor. But Mark Bittman (who wrote the Minimalist food column at the New York Times until 2011) says that freshness is more important than variety. To keep the parsley fresh, rinse it well, then stick the whole bunch, stems down, into a cup with about an inch of water and store in the refrigerator; if needed, freshen the water every couple of days.

Chimichurri (Argentinian Parsley Sauce)

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Parsnips
Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Roasted Parsnips with Pine Nuts

Favorite Parsnip Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Hunger Moon Parsnip Soup
Parsnip Fries
Parsnip Pear Purée
More Parsnip Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Pasta

Kitchen Parade recipes are tested with two types of pasta. For dried pasta, I prefer an Italian dried pasta such as De Cecco. I also often use the low-glycemic pasta from Dreamfields. It may be 'low-carb pasta' but it's so good, no one will notice the difference. It comes in just a few of the most common pasta shapes and can be hard to find but is worth seeking out.

See Main Dish Pasta Recipes
See Pasta Salad Recipes
See Side Dish Pasta Recipes

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Peanut Butter
Banana Nutter Muffins
Cashew Chicken Curry
Crockpot Chicken Goulash
Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
'Dog Chow' for Kids
Holy Slaw!
Microwave Creamy Oatmeal with Peanut Butter
Snickers Cookies on Sticks (or NOT)

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Peaches & Nectarines

Peaches and nectarines may be interchanged.

FRESH PEACHES – SAVORY
Baked Chicken with Fresh Peaches

FRESH PEACHES – SWEET
Brown Sugar Peaches
First-Prize Peach Pie
Fresh Peach Pie
Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches
Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
Peach Blueberry Cake
Peach Un-Cobbler
Peacherry Blues
Roasted Peaches
Savory Peach Appetizer
Summer Fruit Salad

CANNED PEACHES
Winter Fruit Salad

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Pears
FRESH PEARS
Easy-Easy Pear Sauce
Estonian Apple Cake
Mexican Fruit Salad
Roasted Pear Salad

CANNED PEARS
Winter Fruit Salad

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Peas
including Green Peas, Snow Peas & Sugar Snap Peas

Many Kitchen Parade recipes include a cup or so of peas at the end of a recipe. Bags of frozen peas are inexpensive to buy and easy to keep on hand. Better still, the peas cook in just minutes and often add a welcome spark of color.

PEAS as the MAIN INGREDIENT
Very Very Green Green-Pea Soup

SUGAR SNAP PEAS
Kitchen Stir-Fry
Mint Julep Pork Chops

PEAS added LATE FOR COLOR
Cashew Chicken Curry
Chicken à la King
Chicken Sybil
Cornmeal Catfish with Warm Potato Salad
Turkey Sweet Potato Soup
Turkey Tetrazzini
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
Wild Rice Salad

Favorite Pea Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon Butter
East African Pea Soup
Summer Dill Salad
More Pea Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Pie Crusts

Even though I starting making homemade pie crusts when I was 16, as an adult, I lost the knack and for three or four years, struggled to make pie crusts worth eating. During this period, I often turned to Pillsbury's Refrigerated Pie Crusts and learned that to improve their taste by sprinkling the dough with a little sugar and rolling it out thinner. It's still easy to handle, you throw away the excess so save a few calories, and is less likely to get gummy during baking.

I'm happy to report that once again I make pie crusts that cause people to moan with pleasure, see my recipe for Flaky Tender Pie Crust and step-by-step pie crust photos and tips in How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust. That said, I still keep a box of the Pillsbury crusts in the freezer, they do come in handy on occasion.

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Pineapple
Holiday Fruit Parfait with Yogurt, Cranberries, Applesauce, Pineapple & Kiwi
Mexican Fruit Salad
Winter Fruit Salad

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Plums
FRESH PLUMS
Dimply Plum Cake

DRIED PLUMS aka 'PRUNES'

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Poblano Peppers

Poblanos are my favorite 'hot' pepper and are fast becoming a 'signature' ingredient in my kitchen. Their dark-green skins are really quite mild, more 'warm and smoky' than 'fiery hot'. In fact, the chef Rick Bayless calls them 'starter' peppers! An added benefit is that poblanos are often far less expensive than the pricey red bell peppers. Look for poblano peppers with the chiles, they'll be large and rather rumpled looking but are worth seeking out.

Crockpot Chili
Green Chili Burgers
Green Chili Sauce (Salsa Verde)
Grilled Pepper Salad
Grilled Steak with Summer Tomato Salad
Gumbo
Ham & Beans
Ham & Eggs
Mini Porcupine Meatballs
Poblano Steaks
Pork & Poblano Skillet
Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top
Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle
White Chicken Chili

Favorite Poblano Pepper Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Grilled Pepper & Tomato Salad
Potato & Poblano Pepper Gratin
Quick Green Chile Stew

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Pomegranates
TIPS
The Quick & Easy Way to Remove the Seeds from a Pomegranate

Apple Yogurt Salad
Mexican Fruit Salad

Favorite Pomegranate Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Carrot Salad with Pomegranate
Red & Green Warm Spinach Salad

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Popcorn
Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn
How to Cook Popcorn in a Microwave in a Paper Bag

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Potatoes
POTATOES as the MAIN INGREDIENT
Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Lavender Potatoes
Potato Bites with Smoked Salmon
Slow-Baked Potatoes
Those Pink Potatoes
Vichyssoise

MASHED POTATOES
Colcannon
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes' (not potatoes but a low-carb substitute)
Mashed Potatoes & Carrots
Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Party Potatoes)
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole

POTATO SALAD
Confetti Potato Salad
Warm Potato Salad

RECIPES for COOKED POTATOES
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole

POTATOES as a SUPPORTING INGREDIENT
Balkan Sausage Stew
Caraway Corned Beef
Emerald Isle Stew
Finnish Summer Soup
Lamb Roast with Lemon & Oregano
Low Fat Vegetable Soup
Rainbow Chicken
Salmon Chowder
Smoked Turkey Chowder
Tin Foil Chicken & Veggies
Winter Stew

POTATOES as THICKENERS
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Laura's Healthy Carrot Soup
Light Vegetable Stock
Scandinavian Pea Soup
Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Favorite Potato Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables
"Best Ever" New Potatoes & Green Beans
How to Roast Potatoes to Perfection
Microwave Baked Potato
Peperonata with Potatoes
Polish Dill Pickle Soup
Rosemary Potatoes
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Warm German Potato Salad
More Potato Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)
Squash Puff

Favorite Pumpkin Seed Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Spicy Sweet Pumpkin Seeds

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Poppy Seeds

Poppy seeds are priced like black pearls at supermarkets. Instead, buy bags of poppy seeds for a couple dollars at an international grocery.

Cheery Cherry Banana Bread
Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Homemade Poppy Seed Cake
Lavosh - Aremenian Cracker Bread
Poppy Seed Pancakes
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

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Pumpkin

Canned pumpkin is a good choice for most baking, just be sure to purchase 100% pumpkin, not a pumpkin pie mix. But ever since discovering an easier technique for roasting a "pumpkin", I usually rely on Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Puré:e. You can also roast a whole butternut squash, a good substitute for pumpkin, even in 'pumpkin' recipes. In some parts of the world, 'pumpkin' is what Americans call winter squash.

FAVORITES
Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

HOMEMADE PANTRY
Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Puré:e

CLASSIC PUMPKIN RECIPES
Autumn Pumpkin Bread
Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin or Butternut Squash) Grits

PUMPKIN RECIPES - SWEET
Apple-Butter Pumpkin Pie
Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Pecan Pie

PUMPKIN RECIPES – SAVORY
Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin
Light 'n' Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns
Pumpkin-Stuffed Lasagna Rolls
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin or Butternut Squash) Grits

Favorite Pumpkin Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Honey Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Dip
Stuffed Pumpkin with Apple & Cranberry
Whole Pumpkin Baked with Custard
More Pumpkin Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Quinoa

WHAT IS QUINOA? (pronounced KEEN-wa) Quinoa is a a high-protein grain and is considered a complete protein. It's also higher in unsaturated fats, lower in carbohydrates than other grains and entirely gluten-free. I love it because it's lighter-tasting than other grains and cooks quickly. Look for quinoa at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and natural-food stores. Recently, I've begun to find 'red quinoa' (pictured on the left) which has a dramatic appearance but tastes the same as 'white quinoa' (pictured on the right).

Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries
Quinoa & Black Bean Salad
Red Quinoa Salad Your Way

Favorite Quinoa Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas
Sushi Salad

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Radishes
Easy Radish Spread
Finnish Summer Soup

Favorite Radish Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Finn Crisp with Laughing Cow & Radishes
How to Cook Radishes in the Microwave
Quick Radish & White Bean Salad
Spring & Summer Sliced Salad
More Radish Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Rhubarb
Country Rhubarb Cobbler
Finnish Fruit Tart
Rhubarb Chutney
Rhubarb Ginger Jam
Rhubarb Rosemary Jelly
Rhubarb Sorbet
Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Roasted Rhubarb
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Favorite Rhubarb Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Custard with Rhubarb Sauce
Rhubarb Curd
Straight-Up & Perfect Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Smoothie
More Rhubarb Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Rice

• RISOTTO RICE For risotto, the traditional choices are Arborio rice and carnaroli rice.
• WHAT IS BROWN RICE? Because it is more healthful, whole and natural brown rice is nearly always my choice when cooking rice. But 'brown rice' is not a variety of rice. Instead it is any unmilled rice; the grains retain their outer hulls and their inner germs, keeping the nutrients intact. (The exception is 'quick' brown rice, these should be avoided.) So look for all varieties of brown rice, basmati brown rice, jasmine brown rice, medium brown rice, long brown rice, etc.
• WILD RICE See also wild rice which is actually a grass, not a rice.

HOW TO COOK BROWN RICE
Oven-Baked Brown Rice
Fool-Proof Oven-Baked Brown Rice from A Veggie Venture
Perfect Stovetop Brown Rice from A Veggie Venture

UNCOOKED RICE
Cauliflower Risotto
Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole)
Mini Porcupine Meatballs
Pork Chops & Rice Oven Dinner

COOKED RICE
Curried Rice

Favorite 'Vegetables with Rice' Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Tomato & Rice Salad
Finnish Carrot Casserole
More 'Vegetables with Rice' Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Ricotta
How to Make Homemade Ricotta

Creamy Ricotta with Tomato-Cucumber-Corn Salad
Crockpot Lasagna
Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Personal Pan Lasagna
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole
Spinach Dip

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Rutabagas

Rutabagas are also called 'swedes', 'Swedish turnips' -- also 'yellow turnips' for their lovely sunny color of their flesh -- and some times, just 'turnips'. However, rutabagas are much different in appearance from the familiar purple-topped white-fleshed turnips (see turnip recipes) although can be cooked interchangeably. Rutabagas are large and dense root vegetables, usually sold covered with a layer of wax to preserve.

Turnip or Rutabaga Puff
Mashed Rutabagas & Apple
Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables

Favorite Rutabaga Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Glazed Rutabagas
Leek & Root Vegetable Gratin
Scalloped Swedes & Finns
More Rutabaga Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Salmon
FRESH SALMON
Maple Glazed Salmon
Roasted Salmon & Asparagus
Salmon Chowder

SMOKED SALMON
Potato Bites with Smoked Salmon
Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers

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Salt

Kitchen Parade typically calls for three types of salt.

• TABLE SALT is what most of us thought of as just 'salt' until we became cooks. It is fine-grained and includes additives to prevent clumping and to encourage pouring. It often includes iodine, a natural chemical that prevents goiters. (Did you know that with more people using non-iodized salt, the incidence of goiter is on the rise? Be sure to include iodized salt in your diet! I use it in the cooking water for vegetables, say.) It is useful for baking, since the small grains distribute easily throughout a dough or batter. For anything else, it can be harsh and bitter. To substitute table salt for a recipe specifying kosher salt or sea salt, use half as much table salt.
• KOSHER SALT comes in blue boxes (Morton Kosher Salt) and red and white cylinders (Diamond Kosher Salt). Look for them in the salt section at your supermarket. Either one will work, both are free of additives. I use both, interchangeably, but it's good to know (especially for brining and other salt-centric techniques) that Morton Salt is 'saltier' than Diamond because it's heavier; this means that 1 teaspoon of Morton Kosher Salt is the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of Diamond Kosher Salt. Kosher salt has a larger grain and is more gentle than table salt. It is less expensive than sea salt. To substitute kosher salt for a recipe specifying table salt, use twice as much kosher salt.
• SEA SALT, at least 'real' sea salt is more expensive than kosher salt, thanks to a time- and labor-intensive harvest, capturing the salt that's left when sea water evaporates. To substitute sea salt for table salt, use twice as much sea salt.
• FINISHING SALTS are typically sprinkled atop a dish (say slices of rare beef tenderloin or garden-ripe tomatoes) immediately before serving, adding bright bursts of saltiness and ironically, using less sodium. My favorite finishing salts are fleur de sel from France and Maldon sea salt from Great Britain.

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Sausage
Balkan Sausage Stew
Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Apples & Caramelized Onions
Italian Sausage with Grapes & Greens
Karelian Borscht (Russian Beet Borscht Soup)
My Sister's Recipe for Crockpot Chili
Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup
Sausage Stuffing

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Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is a busy cook's friend (it's already cooked), a dieter's friend (it has hardly any calories and tons of fiber), a frugal shopper's friend (it's cheap)! That's practically a miracle food. Do purchase sauerkraut in a jar or a plastic pouch, anything other than canned sauerkraut. Small butchers often have their own sauerkraut, it can be excellent. See also Cabbage.

New-Fashioned Sauerkraut Salad
Ribs & Sauerkraut for Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven
Thick Chops with Sauerkraut

Favorite Sauerkraut Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Reuben Casserole
More Sauerkraut Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Scallops

Seared Scallops with Chimichurri and Garlicky Polenta
Summer Seafood Chowder

Favorite Scallop Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Smoked Scallops with Zucchini Ribbons

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Sesame Seeds & Tahini
SESAME SEEDS
Armenian Easter Bread
Lavosh - Aremenian Cracker Bread
Mom's Everyday Oatmeal Cookies
Quick Crisp Flatbread
Sesame Candy
Swiss Muesli

TAHINI

Tahini is a thick paste the consistency of peanut butter made from ground sesame seeds.

Simple Hummus

Favorite Sesame Seed & Tahini Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Armenian Tahini Bread
Baba Ganoush
Jerusalem Salad
More Sesame Seed & Tahini Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Shrimp
Cold Shrimp in Creamy Dill Sauce with Capers
Easy Shrimp Bites
Lemon Basil Shrimp
Gumbo
Shrimp Salad Recipes
Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta
Summer Seafood Chowder
Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp
Tiapinno (Ciopinno) - Herbed Fish Stew
Two-Way Lentil Skillet

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Sorghum

WHAT IS SORGHUM? Sorghum (also called 'sorghum syrup' and 'sorghum molasses') is a plant-based sweetener that's popular in the American Midwest and American South. It has the consistency of rice syrup and is used like a table syrup on pancakes and biscuits.

Easy Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Walnuts
Easy Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries & Bananas
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Light & Fluffy Homemade Whole-Grain Bread & Buns
Magical Breakfast Cream

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Sour Cream

To my taste, low-fat sour cream is a great lower-calorie substitute for sour cream but non-fat sour cream is largely to be avoided.

SOUR CREAM – SAVORY
Almond Cilantro Spread
Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes
Borscht Beets with Sour Cream
Caper Chops with Curried Carrots
Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce
Chicken Sybil
Chicken Nachos
Cucumber Dip with Feta
Easy Creamy Scrambled Eggs for a Crowd
Nana's Cucumbers with Sour Cream
Ontario Greens with Sour Cream
Perfect Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Party Potatoes)
Potato Bites with Smoked Salmon
Skillet Cornbread
Smashed Potatoes & Broccoli Casserole
Trio of Vegetables with Sour Cream

SOUR CREAM - SWEET
Apple Yogurt Salad
Finnish Fruit Tart
Homemade Poppy Seed Cake
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Mom's Blueberry Coffeecake
Quick Banana Dessert
Strawberry Fool
Swedish Cream

Favorite Recipes with Sour Ceam from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Cauliflower Cream
Homemade Onion Dip
Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce
Twice-Baked Potatoes

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Edamame

Edamame is pronounced [eh-dah-MAH-meh], but in my family, we call them Aunt Edna May! Edamame are fresh soybeans and in the shells, they are my very favorite nutritious and kid-friendly quick snack. They're available shelled and unshelled in the frozen food section, also occasionally in fresh produce but much more expensive.

Favorite Edamame Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Asparagus & Edamame Salad
Easy Refrigerator Salad
How to Cook Edamame Right in the Shell
More Edamame Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Spaghetti Sauce
Mini Porcupine Meatballs

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Favorite Spices

Kitchen Parade recipes are 'spice forward' —: this means that spices are applied assertively to heighten flavor and increase satisfaction even when decreasing fat, sugar and portion size.

Grocery stores are notorious for marking up spices to astronomical prices. Much better prices are found in international markets. But if that's not convenient, some bargains can be found, even at the grocery store. For the best prices for spices, check the spice aisle each trip, noting what's on sale. Just before Christmas, many baking spices go on sale for half price or less, this is a good time to refresh your spice cabinet.

SPICE BLENDS — I rarely use spice blends. Why? They're expensive. Many are heavy on salt. Many others are hard to find, so can't be replicated by Kitchen Parade readers so I don't want to rely on them. Two recipes for homemade spice blends are Spiced Tuscan Salt and Cajun Spice Mix.

BAKING SPICE & CAKE SPICE — That said, for many years I have relied on two special spice blends from Penzeys, Cake Spice (cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves) and Baking Spice (cinnamon, anise, mace, cardamom). Use them 1:1 when cinnamon or nutmeg is called for in cakes, cookies, muffins, fruit crisps or anything, really. You'll notice the difference, things just taste a little bit better, there's some nuance and interest that just doesn't happen with a one-note spice.

CINNAMON — I love another Penzeys product, the Vietnamese Extra-Fancy Cinnamon.

PIMENTÓN [pe-men-TONE] — Pimentón is also called 'Spanish paprika' or 'smoked paprika' and is a mainstay in Spanish cuisine. It has a deep, smoky essence that has become a signature flavor in stews and braised meats, in eggs and grain salads. It's not inexpensive but is worth seeking out. I buy the semi-sweet pimentón but there is a 'hot' Spanish paprika too. For online orders, check Penzeys and Amazon.com. St. Louisans, look for pimentón at Global Foods in Kirkwood. For recipe ideas, see Easy Baked Fish with Red Pepper & Cucumber Salad or Squash & Carrot Stew or search for pimenton in the Search Box.

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Spinach

Fresh baby spinach -- including the oh-so-convenient bags of fresh baby spinach -- is perfect for salads but too tender for cooking. For recipes where cooking is specified, choose the curly spinach often found in open bins. It will need to be washed very well and it often pays to cut out the tough ribs and stems.

FRESH SPINACH
Asian Chicken Salad
Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce
Chicken Greek Salad
Chicken Veggie Quesadillas
Herbed Goat Cheese
Italian Sausage with Grapes & Greens
Lemon Turkey Noodle Soup
Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Meatball Soup with Broccoli Rabe
Salmon Chowder
Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup
Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
Tropical Salad Supper
Winter Pesto with Pasta

FROZEN SPINACH
Bacon & Egg Breakfast Bake
Crockpot Lasagna
Greens & Grits
Personal Pan Lasagna
Spinach Dip
Spinach Puffs

Favorite Spinach Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Baked Eggs in Cream with Spinach
Creamed Eggs with Spinach
Easy Spinach Nests
Healthy Creamed Spinach
Orzo with Spinach
Spinach & Artichoke Gratin
Spinach & Feta Quiche
Spinach Curry
Red & Green Warm Spinach Salad
Spinach Burgers
Weight Watchers Spinach Dip
More Spinach & Other Leafy Green Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Sprouts

Favorite Sprout Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
More Sprout Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Strawberries
SAVORY
Five-Minute Fruit Salad
Strawberry Pepper Salad
Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

SWEET
Canadian Flag Cake
Chocolate Cream Puffs Stuffed with Strawberries & Cream
Strawberries in Wine
Strawberry Banana Chocolate Crumble
Strawberry Fool
Strawberry Ice Cream
Mojito Strawberries
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Strawberry Shortcake Iowa-Style
Summer Berry Pie
Winter Fruit Salad

FROZEN STRAWBERRIES
Strawberry Ice Cream
Winter Fruit Salad

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Stock
Homemade Chicken Stock
Light Vegetable Stock
Turkey Stock

Favorite Stock Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Homemade Vegetable Bouillon
No Waste Leek Stock

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Sugar

Kitchen Parade recipes use several kinds of sugar and other sweeteners.

• SUGAR If a recipe calls for sugar, assume granulated sugar, the standard refined sugar. American-style recipes are typically much sweeter than European-style recipes. My own taste skews to less sweetness so many Kitchen Parade recipes have been 'Alanna-sized' with reductions in sugar, allowing the more natural, more healthful flavors of fruit or chocolate, say, to come forward.
• SUPERFINE SUGAR (CASTER SUGAR) creates a more tender crumb in some baked goods. It is a finer grain of sugar, what Europeans call 'caster' sugar. To make your own caster sugar, just run granulated sugar through a food processor.
• BROWN SUGAR is refined granulated sugar with molasses added back in. To measure it properly, pack the moist sugar into the measuring cup. If a recipe calls for brown sugar, either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar may be used, to my taste there is little difference. To make a cup of brown sugar, mix 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar with 1-1/2 teaspoons molasses.
• POWDERED SUGAR is also called 'confectioners sugar' and 'icing sugar'. A light dusting can add a 'finished' look to baked goods without adding much sweetness or many calories.
• VANILLA SUGAR builds the essence of vanilla, right into the sugar. In Europe, grocery stores sell vanilla sugar right alongside the other sugars. But it's so easy to make at home, I keep a jar among my baking ingredients. Just place 'spent' vanilla beans (ones scraped clean) into a glass jar and leave indefinitely.
• DECORATING SUGARS are large grains of white sugar add visual and texture interest to the top of baked goods, again without much sweetness or many calories. Some times they are called 'pearled' sugar or 'Swedish pearl sugar'. They can be hard to find but keep well in the pantry. Here's a source for a variety of pearl sugar on Amazon, once you get there, you might search on 'decorating sugars' too.
• RAW SUGAR is large grains of light-brown sugar are variously labeled 'raw sugar' or 'DEMERERA SUGAR' or 'TURBINADO SUGAR'. I especially like these for topping muffins, cakes, etc., for they add a bright burst of sweetness in the mouth, reducing the need for sugar in the baked good itself. Here's a source for a variety of raw sugar.
• SPLENDA I do bake with Splenda on occasion and have had quite good results substituting it for sugar, especially when the sugar's purpose is primarily sweetness. If a recipe has been tested with Splenda, that will be stated.
• CANE SUGAR is a new sugar for me, it is made directly from sugar cane. I purchase it from Whole Foods.

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Summer Squash including Zucchini

'Summer Squash' is the general category of thin-skinned squashes that appear in the summer. The most common varieties are the familiar zucchini and yellow squash but pattypan squash and chayote squash are becoming easier to find during the growing season.

SAVORY
Balkan Sausage Stew
Finnish Summer Soup
Low Fat Vegetable Soup
Mediterranean Eggplant
Rainbow Chicken
Ratatouille
Ratatouille Omelettes
Shredded Zucchini with Thyme

SWEET
Carrot & Zucchini Bread

Favorite Summer Squash Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Easy Cheesy Zucchini
Feta Stuffed Zucchini
Homemade Zucchini Relish
Zucchini Mushroom Hominy Tacos
Stacked Ratatouille
More Summer Squash Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are an inexpensive and good substitute for walnuts, in pesto, say.

Healthy Trail Mix
Homemade Granola with Almonds & Apricots
Swiss Muesli

Favorite Sunflower Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Beet Pesto

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Sweet Potatoes

Watch for a variety of sweet potato called Red Garnet, perhaps labeled as 'yams' or 'red-skinned yams' with a slightly sweeter and less mealy flesh. Ever been curious about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

FAVORITES
My Best & Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes

SIDE DISHES
Confetti Potato Salad
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin or Butternut Squash) Grits
Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle

MAIN DISHES
Chicken Cider Stew
Lamb Roast with Lemon & Oregano
Turkey Sweet Potato Soup

Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Savory Stir-Fried Sweet Potatoes
Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato
Frozen Sweet Potato Fries: Are They Worth the Price? the Calories?
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in a Slow Cooker
Maple Ginger Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Tagine
More Sweet Potato Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Tangerines
Apple Yogurt Salad
Mexican Fruit Salad
Winter Fruit Salad

Favorite Tangerine Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Bok Choy Salad with Homemade Creamy Vinaigrette
Watercress, Clementine & Blue Cheese Salad

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Tofu
Kitchen Stir-Fry
Two-Way Lentil Skillet

Favorite Tofu Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Tofu Pudding
Tofu Salad Sandwiches
Ugly But Delicous Tofu
More Tofu Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Tomatillos

The tomatillo [tohm-ah-TEE-oh] is actually a fruit and like the tomato, belongs to the nightshade family. It resembles a small green tomato in size, shape and appearance. However, it also has a husk, a thin parchment-like covering which should be removed before eating or cooking.

Fall Stew Baked in a Whole Pumpkin
Green Chili Sauce (Salsa Verde)

Favorite Tomatillo Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Homemade Guacamole with Tomatillos
Turkey on Pita with Tomatillo Sauce
More Tomatillo Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Tomatoes
COLLECTIONS
Never Take a Tomato for Granted: My Twelve Favorite Tomato Recipes
from A Veggie Venture

TOMATO CLASSICS
Ina Garten's Tabbouleh Salad
Panzanella
Ratatouille
Shakshuka (Eggs Nested in Summer Vegetables)
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Summer’s Tomato Soup
Winter Tomato Soup

Best for Perfect Summer Tomatoes
APPETIZERS
Creamy Ricotta with Tomato-Cucumber-Corn Salad
Deviled Eggs with Tomato-Herb Relish
Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

SIDES & SALADS
Fresh Corn & Tomato Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
Ina Garten's Tabbouleh Salad
Panzanella
Ratatouille
Tomatoes & Fresh Mozzarella for a Crowd

SOUPS
Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho
Summer’s Tomato Soup

MAIN DISHES
BLT Pasta Salad
Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce
Chicken Greek Salad
Fish with Garden Fries (Roasted Okra) & Garden Salad
Grilled Steak with Summer Tomato Salad
Lamb Stew with Sweet Tomato Jam
Ratatouille Omelettes
Shakshuka (Eggs Nested in Summer Vegetables)
Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta
Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables
Steak & Tomatoes
Summer Seafood Chowder
Tomato Basil Quiche

Canned Tomatoes
SIDES
Caraway Cabbage
Ratatouille

SOUPS
At Last! Black Bean Soup
Chocolate Chili
Hamburger Soup
Lentil Soup Vincent
Low Fat Vegetable Soup
My Sister's Recipe for Crockpot Chili
Plant Sale Soup
Winter Tomato Soup

MAIN DISHES
Balkan Sausage Stew
Beef & Mushroom Stew
Cashew Chicken Curry
Chicken Cacciatore
Greens & Grits
Hearty Healthy Chicken Stew with Chickpeas & Kale
Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Mediterranean Eggplant
Moroccan Chicken
Pork & Poblano Skillet
Squash & Carrot Stew
Shrimp with Tomatoes, Spinach & Feta
Tiapinno (Ciopinno) - Herbed Fish Stew

SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
Red Quinoa Salad Your Way
Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

TOMATO JUICE
Bloody Mary Salad

Favorite Tomato Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Fire-Charred Tomatoes
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Lentil Salad with Tomatoes, Dill & Basil
Tomato Platter with Olives & Feta
Tomato & Onion Salad
Tomato & Zucchini Salad
More Tomato Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Tepid Water

WHAT IS TEPID WATER? ‘Tepid’ water is not a particular 'brand' or 'kind' of water, it is the term for water that is the perfect temperature for proofing yeast, not too hot, not too cold. I use the ‘baby bottle’ test, if the water feels warm to the inside of my wrist, it’s perfect. If it feels cold, the water’s too cold, if it feels hot, it’s too warm. For a funny story about tepid water, see my recipe for Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Dried Cherries.

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Tortillas

CORN TORTILLAS For better nutrition, choose corn tortillas rather than flour tortillas but watch especially for corn tortillas made with just a handful of ingredients and no preservatives. This likely means finding a source away from the typical grocery store, at least here in the Midwest. Here in St. Louis, I find El Milagro corn tortillas at Global Foods in Kirkwood but a Mexican or Latino grocery would work too. They're great!

Beef Tacos with Avocado, Cucumber, Mango Salsa
Chicken Veggie Quesadillas
Chilaquiles
Mexican Gas House Eggs
Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top
Strawberry Salsa with Sweet-Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips
Ten-Minute Enchiladas

Favorite Tortilla Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Zucchini Mushroom Hominy Tacos
Veggie Burritos with Cilantro Sauce

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Tuna
Favorite Tuna Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Tuna & White Bean Dip
Farmgirl's Swiss Chard Tuna Salad

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Turnips
Buffalo Ragout
Lighter Mashed 'Potatoes'
One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables
Rainbow Chicken
Turnip Puff or Rutabaga Puff

Favorite Turnip Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Creamed Turnips
Low-Carb Fried 'Potatoes' (Turnips)
"Wonderful" Glazed Turnips & Carrots
More Turnip Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Vinegar

WHAT IS GOOD VINEGAR? Many Kitchen Parade ingredient lists are no more specific than 'good vinegar' -- which means, anything except harsh white vinegar. I buy red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar and rice vinegar from an international grocery, where the prices are lower than the supermarket. My very favorite vinegar is the sweet and gentle sherry vinegar. I am especially fond of the vinegars from O Olive Oil; they are pricey but during the first taste test, my then 15-year old nephew turned to me with surprise, "We could drink this!" We could indeed.

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Watercress

Favorite Watercress Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Watercress, Clementine & Blue Cheese Salad
Watercress Sandwiches with Chili-Lime Butter
More Watercress Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Wheat Germ
Cheery Cherry Banana Bread
Mom's Everyday Oatmeal Cookies
On-the-Run Breakfast Bars
Swiss Muesli

Favorite Recipes with Wheat Germ from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Green Smoothies

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Wild Rice

Wild rice is a favorite in my home state of Minnesota. Much of the rice that's available in stores is raised commercially, it takes much longer to cook. The native wild rice, which isn't a rice at all but a grass, is difficult to find but a real treat. For a photo comparison of commercial wild rice and native wild rice, see my recipe for Wild Rice Salad.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (or Turkey & Wild Rice Soup)
Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Oven-Baked Brown Rice
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
Wild Rice Salad

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Winter Squash

'Winter Squash' is the general category of thick-skinned squashes that appear in the fall. Common varieties are the acorn squash, the butternut squash, the kabocha squash.

Acorn Squash with Quinoa & Cherries
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (or Turkey & Wild Rice Soup)
Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Purée
Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple
Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin or Butternut Squash) Grits
Squash Puff
Winter Stew

COLLECTIONS
My Favorite Winter Squash Recipes
from A Veggie Venture

WINTER SQUASH BASICS
How to Roast a Whole Butternut Squash
How to Cut, Peel & Cube Butternut Squash and Keep All Ten Fingers
from A Veggie Venture

Favorite Winter Squash Recipes from A Veggie Venture, my food blog
Acorn Squash with Mustard & Honey
Butternut Mac 'n' Cheese
Butternut Squash Soup that Actually Tastes Like Butternut Squash
Butternut Squash with Maple Glaze
Savory Bread Pudding with Butternut Squash, Chard & Cheddar
Steamed Butternut Squash
Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Tagine
More Winter Squash Recipes from A Veggie Venture

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Yeast

WHAT KIND OF YEAST TO USE? I love to use cubes of fresh yeast but it is so very perishable that it's rarely found in the U.S. So like other bakers, I use dry yeast. There are two types of dry yeast, 'active dry' and 'rapid rise' or 'fast rise'. Rapid rise supposedly rises more quickly, supposedly sacrificing flavor for speed. However, I use the two interchangeably and notice no real difference.
HOW MUCH YEAST IS IN a PACKET of YEAST? Commercial packets of yeast contain 2-1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast weighing 1/4 of an ounce or 7 grams. Over the years, I've learned to use a tablespoon of yeast whenever a packet is specified. Do check the yeast's expiration date. If it's past, you'll for sure want to 'proof the yeast'.
HOW TO PROOF YEAST To 'proof yeast' means to ensure that its leavening properties are active. Just place the yeast in a small bowl with a tablespoon of tepid water and a sprinkle of sugar. If it bubbles in five minutes or so, the yeast is still alive and will be a good leavener for bread. If it doesn't, you'll want to get more yeast before continuing.
WHERE TO BUY YEAST Whatever yeast you choose, buy it in large bags at a warehouse store or even the grocery store. I gift half to a fellow bread-baker and keep my own in a jar in the refrigerator or the freezer where it will keep for months and months.

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Yogurt

YOGURT Grocery-store yogurts all taste the same to me, sweet and fruity, even the low-fat versions. Still I use plain yogurt, especially large tubs of non-fat yogurt, as a substitute for mayonnaise in potato salad, chicken salad, etc.
GREEK YOGURT Many Kitchen Parade recipes call for 'Greek yogurt', an especially thick and tangy yogurt that is some akin to sour cream. Cup for cup, Greek yogurt has more protein, fewer carbs and less lactose than sweet, gloppy American-style yogurts. Greek yogurt is beginning to appear in regular supermarkets (although with prohibitive price tags) but can be found in international markets and specialty markets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's whose house-brand Greek yogurt is quite inexpensive. I'm especially fond of Fage Greek yogurt, especially the 0% fat.
GREEK YOGURT SUBSTITUTE To create a decent substitute for commercial Greek Yogurt, strain whole or low-fat plain yogurt to remove much of the liquid.

YOGURT - SWEET
Apple Yogurt Salad
Healthy Waldorf Salad
Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Blackberry Sauce
Lifetime Pancakes
Magical Breakfast Cream
Mango Lassi with Mint
Peach & Cantaloupe Soup
Quick Banana Dessert
Strawberry Fool
Strawberry Shortcake Iowa-Style
Swiss Muesli

YOGURT – SAVORY
Cashew Chicken Curry
Chickpea & Chicken Salad
Easy-to-Elegant Asparagus Soup
Greek Feta Chicken
Lemon Chive Chicken Salad
Mango Chicken Salad
Skillet Cornbread
Spiced Yogurt Chicken

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