Summer Vegetable Recipes

Zucchini flowers

These summer flowers are edible on their own, but they can also be used to decorate soups or salads. Eat them plain, or stuff them with cheese and fry them.

Recipe: Crispy zucchini flowers stuffed with deep-fried pork and ricotta

Peas

This time of year is the season for peas, garden peas, and sugar snap peas. They can be eaten raw or made into cold soup.

Recipe: Green pea soup

Arugula

Add this iron-rich green with a slightly bitter, peppery flavor to your salad. Choose brightly colored leaves and wash thoroughly before using.

Recipe: Arugula and watermelon salad

Zucchini and squash

Thanks to their quick cooking time and tender flesh, zucchini is perfect as a side dish or main course. Choose brightly colored, unblemished squashes, such as pattypan squash or zucchini.

Recipe: Zucchini casserole

Wax beans

Green beans are available year-round, but now is peak season for pale yellow wax beans. Choose the thin, brightly colored pods and steam or boil them until tender.

Recipe: Pan-fried chicken with leeks, lemon pilaf and garden salad

Eggplants

Summer is the season for eggplants, which come in a wide variety of colors and shapes. Since this vegetable absorbs oil like a sponge, dip the pieces in batter before frying or baking.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant Pizza

Lettuce

Whatever variety of lettuce you choose, check that the leaves are crisp and free of blemishes. Before preparing salads or grilling, wash and pat dry the leaves, removing excess moisture.

Recipe: Grilled chicken breasts and romaine lettuce

Salad greens

There are hundreds of varieties of salad greens, and you can easily find fresh lettuce straight from the garden. You can never have too much of this low-calorie and nutritious summer staple.

Recipe: Warm Lettuce Salad with Nuts

Mini eggplants

White and miniature eggplants cook similarly to their larger counterparts, but usually a little quicker. Combine different types of eggplant for a colorful dish.

Recipe: Ravioli with mushrooms, eggplant and goat cheese

Heirloom tomatoes

These tomatoes, grown from heirloom seeds, are very flavorful and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. They can be purple, dark red, and even brown.

Recipe: Tacos with tomatoes in lettuce leaves

Eggplant flowers

These flowers adorn the plant long before the eggplant appears on our dinner table.

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant with Hoisin Glaze

Sweet corn

Sweet corn ripens in summer. Choose cobs with bright green leaves, golden silk, and large kernels. Fresh corn should be cooked the same day you buy it. Serve with butter and salt, or add to simple summer dishes.

Recipe: Corn on the cob casserole

Cherry tomatoes

Red and yellow cherry tomatoes are small, but no less delicious. They can be eaten as a snack or added to any side dish.

Recipe: Salad with cherry tomatoes and sour milk dressing

Bok choy

Choose vegetables with firm, white stems and crisp leaves. Use them raw in salads or stir-fry for an Asian-inspired meal.

Recipe: Grilled bok choy



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