The Mail-Order Catalog for Healthy Eating

Summer Side Dishes

Great American Vegetarian offers lots of dazzling vegetable side dishes

The ease of summer meal preparation creates a delicious culinary irony: When the cook can get away with serving minimalist main courses, side dishes, usually relegated to playing second fiddle, now have a chance to shine. Summer sides, featuring the season's freshest produce, reflect the bounty of the summer garden or the local farm stand.

Not just a way to fill an empty little portion of the dinner plate, summer sides can be a delicious way to infuse easy summer meals with a dazzling array of nutrients. They can provide a healthy dose of antioxidant vitamins A and C, valuable minerals such as calcium and iron, as well as nutrients recently touted as helpful in disease prevention. Here's an array of quick accompaniments that will transform your warm weather meals from merely simple to supercharged.

Jade and Gold Stir-Fry
Spanish Bell Pepper Sauté
Greens with Pinto Beans
Wine-Braised Leeks with Red Peppers and Shiitakes

JADE AND GOLD STIR-FRY
Serves: 4 to 6

Here's an easy and colorful side dish to accompany Asian noodle main dishes.It's especially good with just-picked broccoli from the garden or farm stand.

1 tablespoon light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/4 cup sherry or dry wine
4 cups bite-sized broccoli florets
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally
2 slices fresh ginger
15-ounce can baby corn, drained
Pinch of salt

Heat the oils and sherry together in a stir-fry pan, then add the broccoli, carrot, and ginger. Stir fry until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp.

Add the baby corn and salt. Stir-fry until the baby corn is heated through, then remove the ginger slices and serve.

SPANISH BELL PEPPER SAUTE
4 to 6 servings

Summer is the perfect time to make the luscious Spanish classic, piperade, when peppers of all colors are abundant and for a short time, relatively inexpensive. This is a great partner for most any sort of pasta dish, hot or cold, or to serve alongside a summertime sandwich. Use leftovers to fill fajitas.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch strips
2 medium green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips
2 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (oil-cured or not) cut into strips
2 medium firm, ripe tomatoes
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until it is translucent.

Add the garlic, bell peppers, wine and dried tomatoes. Stir in 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the peppers are tender but not overdone, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and continue to cook, uncovered, just until they have lost their raw quality, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the optional parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

GREENS WITH PINTO BEANS
4 to 6 servings

Originally, this Southwestern dish was made by the Pueblo Indians with wild greens. More contemporary recipes call for spinach or chard instead. Try this side with tortilla dishes that don't themselves contain beans, or with a big taco salad.

1 pound spinach or Swiss chard
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 cup cooked pinto beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Stem and wash the greens. If you're using chard, make sure to trim the thicker mid-ribs as well. Steam the greens in a tightly covered pot until wilted. The spinach will be done as soon as it wilts, but the chard needs to steam longer. It will be done when it turns a dark green. Drain the greens and finely chop them.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat until it just begins to turn golden. Add the scallions and sauté just until they soften a bit. Stir in the greens, beans and seasonings. Cook, covered, over low heat for 5 minutes, or just until everything is well heated through.

WINE-BRAISED LEEKS WITH RED PEPPERS AND SHIITAKES
4 to 6 servings

This naturally well-flavored side teams well with grain dishes, pasta and bean combos, or grilled tofu or tempeh.

2 large or 3 medium leeks
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine, divided
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and sliced
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into narrow, 2-inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim away the bottoms and large green leaves of the leeks. Use the white and palest green parts only. Cut the leeks lengthwise down the center, then into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a colander and rinse well until all grit is removed.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or steep-sided stir-fry pan. Add the leeks and half of the wine. Cook, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks have softened. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, and the remaining wine. Cook, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes more, or until the mushrooms have wilted and the bell peppers are tender-crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at once.

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