It’s almost end of summer. It’s still really hot. Your fridge, storage bins, counters and window sills are probably overflowing with bountiful fruits and veggies – whether your garden overfloweth, you couldn’t resist overfilling your bags at the farmers market, your CSA is sharing lots of extras with you, or the lowest prices of the year on fresh produce at the grocery store were just too enticing.

And you have completely run out of ideas on what to do with one more summer squash – zucchini or otherwise – green bean, parsley bunch, eggplant, pepper or tomato, or you name it. You don’t mind spending some time in the kitchen, but not standing fussing over a hot stove or even having the burners on for very long.

Ta da! Three simple choices are at the top of the popularity list right now while you pile on – or in – heaps of vegetables to bring those stacks of excess down and your health way up. None requires a real recipe, so improvisation reigns and allows you to literally create gems of meals with whatever you’ve got, including ordinary staples. No need here to use any extra energy, whether transportation or personal, or extra time or expense to run out and get any exotic ingredients.

Cobb Salad

The original “clean out the fridge, use up the leftovers” creation (Google Cobb salad to see its origins at Hollywood’s famous Brown Derby restaurant), this is your chance to create a veritable rainbow of a heaping plate of healthy goodies. No recipe here – use what you like and what you’ve got.

Start with a dinner-sized plate covered with lettuce. Romaine is excellent because it retains a crisp texture, but anything will do including a mixture of leaf or head lettuces, maybe some cabbage or beet greens mixed in.

As opposed to a mixed or chopped salad where everything is intermingled, start a design with your various ingredients – straight lines, small piles, or even a large eye-catching mandala-type circle.

I usually include 5-8 items.

• Protein: hard-boiled eggs (sliced or chopped), grated or small chunked cheese (feta, blue, fresco or cheddar), cooked beans, crumbled bacon or leftover slices of meat (chicken, turkey, beef), or fish such as anchovies or tuna.
• Veggies: Our favorites include cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, sugar snap or snow peas, avocado, and lightly blanched green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower.
• Fruit: A few berries, cherries, fresh pineapple, melon or peach slices add a sweet, colorful finishing touch.

Vegetable Fritters

Again, use what you have, except for watery veggies like tomatoes or cucumbers. But even cabbage or zucchini or eggplant, for example, should be drained and squeezed dry to keep the fritters crisp.

About 1-1/2 pounds grated vegetables, peeled first if necessary (3 cups packed), and squeezed dry

½ small onion or 4 green spring onions, grated

1 egg or 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

About 1/4 cup flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive or vegetable oil or butter for greasing the pan

Heat the oven to 275°F. Grate vegetable(s) by hand or food processor. Mix together with onion, egg, and 1/4 cup of the flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add a little more flour if the mixture isn’t holding together.

Put a little butter or oil in a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, drop in spoonfuls of the batter, spreading the vegetables into an even layer, Work in batches to prevent overcrowding. (Transfer finished pancakes to the oven until all are finished.) Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Top with sour cream, salsa, ketchup, or serve plain.

Roasted or Grilled Veggie ‘Fries’

Yet another really easy no-recipe-required dish that can be a main for vegetarians, a side for carnivores, a topping for pasta, and a great way to use up the surplus. It’s an especially nice way to present a tasty melange of vegetables you’re tired of eating on their own, or to offer variety and abundance to grandkids or people who won’t touch a piece of naked eggplant but will love it as it marries with the other ingredients.

What you need: Non-leafy vegetables of your choice cut into “fries” shape and either an oven-baking pan, or tin foil or a vegetable basket and a hot grill. Cover veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and some herbs of choice such as thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley or dill. Splash a bit of vinegar around if you like a bit of additional acidic taste. Coat with bread crumbs if desired for extra crunch.

Cook over a hot grill or in an open baking pan in a 350 degree oven until a fork easily penetrates the hardest vegetable – a carrot, for example. (Start checking after about a half-hour) Note: if grilled in tin foil, omit bread crumbs since they’ll lose their crispness and remember the vegetables will be basically steamed rather than crisp-roasted.

Allison St. Claire loves to dream about, study, grow, play with, prepare and ultimately enjoy eating great food.

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