Nature’s bounty at the end of the summer overflows with color and taste. Think vibrant purple eggplants, bright red tomatoes, deep green cucumbers, snow white cauliflower…the list is almost endless. As I make the transition to fall, I attempt to get the most from the end of summer fruits and veggies and the beginning of fall’s new harvest.

Since September is my “transitional” month, I begin to shift away from peaches and plums and summer veggies and begin to enjoy the flavors of Fall. So today you will find recipes using tomatoes and cucumbers, etc. which are plentiful now, as well as apples and carrots, which I consider cooler weather. Enjoy them fresh, local, and organic, whenever possible. Their bright colors attract the eye and from there, it’s a cinch that your family and friends will enjoy the Good Taste of Health (my motto) dishes below.

Note: None of these dishes requires cooking, except a short saute of the carrots, which you can skip if you wish, and make the dish with raw carrots. All require a cutting board, knife, and bowl or flat plate, except for the carrots (a small fry pan), so each dish takes about 20 minutes to prepare and requires very few utensils, so I left out Utensils, Cooking time, and Prep. Time this month.

Off-the-Cuff Cucumber Salad

This recipe uses all the different herbs on my patio in no specific amounts. The amounts below are only suggested one. You will have to “wing” this using any herbs of your liking.

Ingredients
2 organic cucumber, washed, peeled, & diced
5-6 scallions, washed, trimmed to whites, & sliced thinly crosswise
juice of one organic lemon
herbs: chives, oregano, thyme, dill, basil, parsely
one garlic clove, peeled & minced
splash of Bragg’s aminos or soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste; dash of cayenne pepper
Sesame seeds and tomatoes (optional)
organic lettuce leaves for platter, washed & dried
(Note: I used a lot of chives, because my chives plant was very full.)

Directions
1. Put peeled and diced cucumber in a bowl with sliced scallions.
2. Squeeze on the juice of one lemon. Stir into veggies.
3. Add chopped herbs listed above (or your own), about 2 tsp. of each (or more)
4. Add minced garlic, splash of Bragg’s, dash of cayenne, and salt & pepper to taste.
5. Toss everything together. Sprinkle on sesame seeds, if using. (I used black ones for color.)
6. Spoon salad onto a platter lined with lettuce. (Extra dressing can be saved for serving.) Garnish with cherry tomatoes (optional) and refrigerate, covered, for about one hour to let the flavors mingle. Serve chilled.

Yield: About 4 servings as a side salad or two as a main dish salad.

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Ofra’s Sweet & Sour Carrot Salad

My friend and neighbor Ofra loves to cook as much as I do. She is from Israel, so her recipes have a middle eastern touch that I love. For example, this carrot recipes uses lemon, not mayonnaise. Also, she cooks by feel, as I do, so amounts are approximate.

Ingredients
2 one-pound packages organic carrots, scrubbed and peeled (optional)
handful of organic raisins
3 scallions, washed, trimmed, and chopped
small garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
half a handful of parsley, washed and chopped
butter or oil for sauteing carrots
juice of 1/2-one lemon
one tsp. yogurt, sour cream, or mayonnaise OR 1 Tbl. salad oil of choice*
drop of vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Stevia to taste (See Glossary for definition of this natural sweetener)
*For those on dairy-free diets, this option of using oil is a welcome one.

Directions
1. Wash, trim, and peel carrots. Grate in food processor or by hand. Saute in a small amount of butter or oil just to soften, one minute or so. Place in a large bowl.
2. Add raisins, scallions, garlic, parsley, and walnuts and toss.
3. In a small dish, mix together yogurt or sour cream, dash of lemon juice and drop of vinegar. Mix into salad,
4. Add salt & pepper to taste as well as stevia. If not tart enough, add more lemon juice. Mix again and serve after chilling.
Yield: With two packages of carrots, I would say this serves about 8 people.

Note: If you are pressed for time, you can make this without the short saute step for the carrots. EllenSue

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Minced Salad, Israeli Style

When we lived in Israel, most salads were served minced with lemon juice. The ingredients were displayed whole on what we would call a salad bar, and each family took the ingredients and minced the veggies at their table, serving it immediately. Delicious! (This is similar to the cucumber salad above, only with more veggies and less herbs.)

Ingredients
1 cup organic cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and sliced into halves
one large organic cucumber, peeled and diced
one small yellow squash, minced (optional for color)
3 scallions, washed, trimmed,and diced
one cup cooked chick peas, drained well
one garlic clove, minced
dash of cayenne pepper
juice of one organic lemon
olives and sesame seeds for garnish (Again, I used black sesame seeds)
Sprouts (also optional)

Directions
1. Wash, trim, mince and prepare all fresh veggies as described above. Place in a bowl.
2. Add drained chick peas, salt & pepper, cayenne, and garlic clove and toss with veggies.
3. Place in a bowl, surround with sprouts (optional) and garnish with sesame seeds and olives. Serve chilled.
Yield: About 3-4 servings as a side salad, 2-3 as a main dish salad

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Apples & Honey

During the Jewish New Year, we serve apples dipped in honey, a tradition to wish everyone a sweet New Year. I have made a slight variation of this dish, adding some lime juice and cinnamon for a little twist on this traditional dish.

Ingredients
Three or four organic eating apples of different types and color
Juice of one lime and cinnamon or nutmeg to taste
Honey

Directions
1. Wash apples in fruit & veggie wash or in fresh water.
2. Cut apples into quarters, remove seeds and core, and slice into bite-sized wedges.
3. Toss with juice of lime. Place wedges on a platter, overlapping the slices, and alternating the colors.
4. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and serve with honey placed in a small dish.

Note:The liberal use of lime juice (or lemon if you wish) stopped the apples from turning brown, even overnight!

Many years ago I thought about opening a small cafe that featured mostly raw foods. There was an empty spot in Woodstock, NY, where our friends the Gurians lived, and the town of Woodstock was cozy. Instead, my first husband and I opened a sprouting operation, and that was the end of the cafe caper. But raw foods have always been important to me since becoming a vegetarian. I love almost all fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and of course, sprouts. I plan to have an article about the importance of raw foods in our diets in a future posting, because uncooked foods contain important enzymes to help the body digest what you eat.

In the meantime, here are some recipes that do not require “fire” or “heat,” so you can enjoy them whether the temperature is 70, 80, or 90 degrees without working up a sweat. (I hate to sweat; that’s why I like to swim!)

Rainbow Fruit Ambrosia

Utensils: Knife, bowl, cutting board, strainer
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: NONE!

Ingredients (any or all)
Note: (I use organic fruit almost always, except when there is a think skin, as in pineapple. I also started using a fruit and vegetable wash. (See my posting this month in Products & Services)

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks (This takes the longest time to cut, unless you buy pre-cut pieces)
2 kiwi, rinsed, peeled, and cut into small pieces
one mango, peeled and diced (An art in itself; feel free to use a papaya instead)
10-12 grapes, red and/or green, washed and stems removed
6-8 strawberries, washed, stems removed, and sliced (or/and raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
2 apricots, washed and diced or 1/2 papaya, peeled and diced
*Korean fruit (optional) See note below
slivered almonds and/or dried, unsweetened coconut
fruit juice to moisten

Directions
1. Wash and cut or slice all the fruit into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place in a bowl and pour on a little of your favorite juice to moisten the fruit.
3. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and/or dried coconut.
4. Serve chilled, but not cold, so that the flavors will be more pronounced.

Note:

* Recently my friend Ofra took me to a Korean supermarket where I bought some items I can't pronounce. BUt then I saw it in Whole Foods with the English name dragon fruit. One is pictured below, both uncut and cut. I added it to my fruit salad, although the flavor is somewhat bland. But the white flesh with soft black seeds added sensational color to my fruit salad, so I could not pass up the opportunity to try it.

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Calico Coleslaw

(This is the colesalw before adding mayonnaise. I wanted to display the colors without any dressing.)

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, food processor, large bowl
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: NONE!

Ingredients
1/4 red cabbage
1/2 white cabbage
one yellow squash (optional)
one zucchini squash (optional)
two carrots
mayonnaise (your choice)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Put chunks of cabbage in food processor on shredding blade, shred completely & place in bowl.
2. Put carrot pieces into processor and shred. Remove to bowl.
3. Finally, shred the yellow squash and zucchini, if using, and place in bowl.
4. Add mayonnaise to bowl and toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Variations: Add one-two teaspoons mustard or horseradish to the mayo. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Asian Slaw: Add some Asian veggies, such as water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and snow peas cut into thirds. Toss with dressing below:

Sesannaise:
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup plum vinegar or rice vinegar
dash of soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp. dried ginger powder
pinch of wasabi (similar to horseradish) and/or mustard powder
Whisk well and add to slaw a little at a time until all is moistened. Save extra dressing for another dish.

Note: You can split the coleslaw into two bowls and make half traditionally, with mayonnaise, and the other half as an Asian slaw.

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Bright Side Salad

Utensils: Cutting board, sharp knife, bowls
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: NONE!

Ingredients
one pkg. organic grape tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted olives, rinsed well and sliced
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
Wine vingear or Balsamic Vinegar or Lemon Juice

Directions
1. Wash and slice tomatoes in half and place ina bowl.
2. Rinse olives and slice thinly. Add to bowl.
3. Wash and peel 1/2 avocado. Remove pit and dice flesh. Add to bowl.
4. Gently toss all ingredients with a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice.
5. Place in small bowls and serve with the main meal.

Variation: Add feta cheese or diced hard cheese of choice.

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Fruit Soup

Note: This recipe is very flexible. You can use almost any fleshy summer fruit, any juice, and any kind of topping. It is naturally sweet enough (without adding sugar) to be used as a dessert or for breakfast.

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, food processor, bowl
Prep. Time About 5 -7 minutes
Cook. Time None!

Ingredients
3 pieces of organic very ripe fruit (I used nectarines and apricots)
4-5 organic berries (I used blackberries for contrast)
yogurt
vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon
juice and/or water (I used orange juice and water)

Directions
1. Wash and cut fruit into chunks and place in food processor.
2. Add a dash of vanilla extract, juice of lemon, and about 1/2 cup fruit juice or water and puree until smooth.
3. Add more fruit juice or water (I used 1/2 juice and 1/2 water) to desired consistency. (The soup should be thicker than a smoothie.)
4. Pour into a bowl and top with yogurt (dairy or non-dairy) and sprinkle with cinnamon or all spice. Enjoy chilled. (2 cups)

Variations: Use almond extract and sprinkle soup with sliced almonds.