Thursday, September 27 Hottie Black-Eyed Peas and Greens (Appetite for Reduction), Grilled Corn, Sauteed Summer Squash and Sliced Tomato Rating: 4.5

We’ve been eating out so much lately, and it was nice to cook a simple dish of beans & greens. The AFR recipe for black-eyed peas is pretty much the only one Seth wants anymore. I don’t mind one bit because it’s delish. It calls for kale, but somehow Whole Foods was out of kale when I went shopping. I have no idea how that happened, but I’m deeply concerned it is a sign that the Mayans be have been right after all. OK, you can also use collards in the recipe, but uh, I “forgot” that (collards – ick) so I got a bundle of Swiss chard instead. It was a good substitute so I at least know what to do it if I can’t get kale again sometime. I decided that despite the cooler weather we’ve been having (yes, low 80’s counts as Autumnal around here) I was going to make one more summer veggie plate. I grabbed a zucchini and a yellow squash to sauté and a couple of ears of corn to cook in the grill pan. The squash is really simple – just slice it and cook it ove medium-high heat in about 1-2 teaspoons of oil along with some sliced onion and garlic. We had some tomatoes that were quite ripe, so to round out the plate, I sliced one and let it soak in a little balsamic vinegar for a few minutes. As much as I’m looking forward to Autumn & cooler weather, I will miss these veggie plates with fresh, local summer veggies…