It's time to veg out, dear readers. In this issue:

• Summer’s gifts

• A seasonal celebration (recipes)

• Power plants (the edible ones)

• Did you know…

I adore summer’s longer days, its warm breezes, butterflies, and fireflies. But I especially love watching Mother Nature putting on her greatest performance of the year. 

Gardens and farm markets everywhere are bursting with color. We watch with delight as blossoms grow into brilliant sun-ripened tomatoes, peppers, squash, and peas. Stalks tower over fields, laden with sweet ears of corn. Herbs and lettuce sprout from the soil as they reach towards the sun, while below, carrots, beets, radishes, onions, and potatoes await their moment.

A seasonal celebration

For this weekend, I'm thinking about showcasing the season’s best with a farm-to-table dinner menu. My guests are all health-conscious, so this is sure to please. 

For the cocktail hour, I'm using my air fryer for blistered shishito peppers that I’ll serve with store-bought aioli. I’ll also make a pitcher of bubbly tropical summer sangria, a beautiful beverage that also tempers the errant hot pepper. A platter of easy bruschetta will add color and fresh flavors to tease everyone's appetite.

This is prime season for eggplant, so you’ll catch me scooping up any variety at my local farmer’s market. I like to serve it with simply grilled or roasted salmon, seasoned only with freshly ground pepper and kosher salt. For my guests, it will rest on a bed of magnificent ratatouille from Melissa Clark of New York Times Cooking. This is a gift recipe if you don’t have a subscription. And a special thanks to Tapestry’s one and only Karen Yoshino for turning me on to this recipe!

I could also talk myself into trying out corn risotto instead of the ratatouille to serve with the salmon and save the eggplant for fritters for myself. If I go this route, I’ll serve the risotto and salmon with plump, grilled asparagus with a drizzle of Romesco sauce for extra zing and color; the store-bought version works well. By the way, the corn risotto is also a gift recipe from NYT Cooking, so enjoy!

Since my air fryer will already be out for the shishito peppers, I’ll also use it to prepare pee wee potatoes to serve as the side for the salmon and ratatouille. Another option is something new for me: roasted radishes. Yum.

Dessert is easy this time of year. Last week’s newsletter was an indulgence in the luscious fruits of summer. Personally, I’ll be making a peach galette with a side of French vanilla ice cream and a garnish of perfect raspberries, with the hopes that there’ll leftovers for my breakfast the next day.

Power Plants

We’re constantly hearing more about what nutritionists have suspected for years: plant-based diets offer astonishing health benefits. Including more to our diet each day adds more fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals to our diets, and decrease the amount of saturated fats we consume. One of the more compelling reports is a comprehensive review of 49 studies. Published in 20224, it presented evidence that vegetarian and vegan diets seem to be linked to factors that improve cardiovascular health and lower cancer risk.

The preeminent guide to plant-based diets is Forks Over Knives. It offers groundbreaking research, meal planners, recommendations, and more. You’ll also find great tools like their in-season produce guide for summer fruits and vegetables. 

The positive impact on cardiovascular health is especially persuasive. Plant-based diets are economical, low-risk options that may decrease body mass index, blood pressure, A1C, and cholesterol levels. These are known to lower the need for medication used to manage chronic conditions.

Healthy aging may be the most exciting research on the horizon. Perhaps most compelling is new research on healthy aging. Harvard researchers found that following a mostly plant-based diet starting in middle age can improve the odds of healthy aging. This is defined as reaching 70 years without chronic disease or a decrease in cognitive function, but it’s never too late to start. See our newsletter about the MIND diet; it’s the perfect season for it.

Studies on cancer prevention have shown promising results.  These findings suggest that eating more fruit, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil may significantly reduce prostate cancer progression.

Dangling the carrot. The good news: this isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. Research suggests that even moderate increases in our consumption of plant food can yield real health benefits.

Related newsletters:

The Link Between Food and Cognitive Health   

Tired of Cooking? Hit the Sheets! 

In a Pickle

Did you know…

From Google AI:

Some vegetables are fruits in disguise, like tomatoes and zucchini, while others, like broccoli, are actually flowers. Peeling some vegetables, like potatoes, can remove a lot of the nutrients stored in the skin. Finally, some vegetables, like carrots, have interesting origin stories, like being originally purple or even developed to help pilots see better!

We look forward to building this tapestry of experiences with you.