The Grown Diaries

Word of the day: leguminous

adjective Botany

of, relating to, or denoting plants of the pea family ( Leguminosae). They have seeds in pods, distinctive flowers, and typically root nodules containing symbiotic bacteria able to fix nitrogen.

Despite the old song, I don’t believe beans are a fruit — it’s just harder to find rhymes for vegetable. ;) They are, however, a marvelous source of nutrients, including protein and fiber.

Speaking of nutrients, cooking with dry beans apparently helps their nutritiousness versus canned. It also aids digestion and reduces their, ah, “magical” properties.

Here’s a cool article on “Soaking Beans”, explaining why and how to soak beans. The page is one of a larger Dried Beans collection with all kinds of interesting tidbits, from cooking, to flavoring, to storage.

Please note that “The Grown Diaries” are now hosted at http://www.growndiaries.com — all web forwarding should be happening automagically.

While I don’t mind the taste of yogurt that much, I especially enjoy a vanilla-flavored variety I pick up at Trader Joe’s. Some folks, however, can’t stand it.

Ask MetaFilter has an article up today with lots of great serving suggestions, some of which are applicable to fruits and vegetables you might want to down as well: “How to make yogurt not taste like yogurt”:

I need yogurt recipes! My doctor says I need to eat yogurt, but the smell and taste of it turns my stomach. Is there anything I can do with it to disguise the taste without killing the bacteria?

Thanks to Almost Vegetarian for pointing to fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov, a US government website with a handy calculator right on the front page: “How many fruits & vegetables do you need?” Pop in your age, sex, and physical activity, and get back how many cups of fruits and vegetables you should be consuming. There are also recipes and other tips.

Michael over at Cooking For Engineers has a movie-themed recipe up for Ratatouille, inspired by the upcoming Pixar release:

With Ratatouille (a new animated movie from Pixar) coming out in a couple weeks, I thought it would be fitting for me to present a recipe for Ratatouille (a dish from Provence). This is a wonderfully flavorful vegetable dish that can be served as either a side or as a main entree.

There are a variety of recipes for Ratatouille and the ingredients often change from cook to cook, but most contain eggplant (aubergine), garlic, onions, zucchini (Italian squash or marrows), and bell peppers. Usually the recipe is seasoned with Herbes de Provence, but (as in this recipe) it can be as simple as parsley and basil. Often the individual vegetable components are cooked separately in olive oil, but I like this recipe that cooks the vegetables together.