For ladies who lunch....and me.

Oh my gosh. I just had the best dinner. It would be the perfect "ladies who lunch" meal. Fancy. Sophisticated. Gourmet. It's a sidewalk cafe, glass of pinot grigio kind of meal. Let's just pretend, for a moment, that I'm dressed in the hottest designer's spring line and oversized sunglasses...not sitting here in my jammies...the ones with the cute little sheep on them.

The spinach and goat cheese frittata I made tonight has become a staple weeknight meal for me. Quick and light, but still "close my eyes" good. But tonight, the salad takes center stage. Tonight, my friends, I had a grilled romaine salad with a homemade Caesar dressing.

I know I don't have to remind you (again) that your standard restaurant Caesar salad is not diet food. But I'm going to. It is not diet food! As I said recently, most restaurant salads might as well be called bowls of cheese and bacon, because that's what they are. Even the Caesar, with it's meager, yet wonderful, Parmesan and croutons can boast upwards over 500 calories -- and that's without any chicken! Yikes! You might as well order the lasagna. OK, I said it, and I feel better. And of course my Caesar dressing won't throw your diet off the wagon. Mine is a delicious, creamy Caesar with only 35 calories per 2-tbsp serving. "But dah-ling, you can't be serious," you purr in your lady who lunches voice. Oh, but I am.

And when I say grilled, I'm not talking about grilled chicken Caesar. No sir. I'm talking about grilled lettuce. Insanity. I literally had a salad consisting of half a head of romaine and some dressing...and it was one of the best salads I've ever had. For only 55 calories. So if you've never grilled romaine lettuce, you must. Tonight. Well, maybe tomorrow, since you should really make the dressing first. Look at those grill marks!

To grill romaine lettuce, split a whole head lengthwise, keeping the leaves attached. Mist both sides lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a pepper. Put them cut side down on a hot grill (gas or charcoal, doesn't matter) and grill for 3 minutes. Remove and serve immediately. WOW. The flavor is like nothing you've ever tasted.

And now for the crowning glory. Because even as good as it is, you don't really want to eat plain lettuce, do you?

The Svelte Gourmet Creamy Caesar Dressing

Serves 6

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% fat)

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp anchovy paste (most grocery stores have this)

1 tsp salt (This may seem like a lot, but the serving size is small once you toss it with the salad and it really brings out the flavors. Adjust to taste if you like.)

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Whisk all ingredients together. If you like a creamier dressing, you can blend it with an immersion blender, but I like mine thicker. Also, this dressing gets better after the flavors have had a chance to meld, so you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

Paired with the goat cheese frittata and a glass of wine, this would be the perfect spa meal. In fact, if I opened a spa, this would be my signature dish. And my spa would only have pedicures, back scratching and hair brushing....because really, what else do you need?

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. (Most of these recipes are not available on the blog.) Enjoy!

Peter Piper has nothin' on me!

Earlier this year when I planted my garden, I wrote "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary." I had a beautiful garden box built by my husband and the kids, myriad seeds and seedlings, and high hopes for the bounty of summer. Four months later, one thing is certain. I may be able to cook, but I'm going to have to get my ingredients elsewhere. I definitely do NOT have a green thumb.

I'd like to blame it on the drought we're having in Charleston, but I'm kidding myself. I'm to blame. Maybe I spend too much time in the kitchen and not enough time weeding, watering and cultivating. I would post a picture of the garden, but it's a bit embarrassing. So I'll move on.

Luckily, my in-laws and neighbors have had success in their gardens, despite the lack of rain. With regular drop-offs throughout the week, I have so many vegetables. I don't know what to do with them all. Literally! Look at these gorgeous peppers. The variety! The colors! But I've ever only used a pepper here and there to spice up a dish. What in the world do I do with all these?

Another nursery rhyme comes to mind. Pickled peppers! I guess it's technically a tongue twister, but you get the idea. Peter Piper has nothin' on me!

This recipe is a little bit random, but that's why I like it. If you don't have an ingredient, substitute something you do have! This is about using what God gives us (in this case, a whole bunch of peppers!). Taylor describes these pickled peppers as having "a hundred different flavors." I call it depth. They're sour, salty, sweet and spicy. You can eat them on their own, or top off a sandwich with them. No need for fatty condiments when you have this burst of flavor. Some are mild, some are hot -- watch out!

I didn't measure any of the ingredients, I just kept tasting it until I thought it was interesting. Cooking is an art -- stretch yourself! See what you come up with.

Also, I recommend wearing rubber gloves when cutting the peppers. I didn't, and though I washed my hands dozens of times, the residual heat on my fingertips still burned my eyes for days.

Pickled Peppers
Variety of peppers, sliced lengthwise
Equal parts vinegar and water
Sugar
Black peppercorns
Minced garlic
Salt
Mustard seeds
Bay leaves
Pinch of ground cloves

Pack peppers into jars. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over peppers, put on the lids, and let cool. Refrigerate for one week before eating.

I made these as refrigerator pickles, but if you're comfortable with safe canning methods, you could certainly make these for preserving in the pantry. As they are, they'll last for several weeks in the refrigerator.

I have a huge bucket of cucumbers that arrived a couple days ago, so I'll tackle more traditional pickles next. Then okra pickles...then...I guess it depends on what shows up on my front porch. How exciting!

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is 25% off until August 31, 2010. Only $14.99! Enjoy a whole month of healthy, delicious dishes. What better time than bathing suit season?

Order now!
www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary..."

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" A lot better than mine! (Mary being my mother...)

What's the opposite of green? Because that's what color my thumb is. You'd think gardening would go hand-in-hand with cooking, but unfortunately, my mom didn't pass her green thumb onto me. My parents have a beautiful yard with gorgeous blooms virtually every month of the year, but the summer vegetable garden is my favorite. I don't think there is anything else in the world like that first bite of summer tomato from my parents' garden. I don't even waste time with a fork, I just bite right in. YUM. I eat so many that my stomach hurts and I break out into a rash, but I don't care. They always were, and still are, my favorite food. No cooking required!

Unfortunately, my tomato-growing experience has been less than fruitful (pun intended!). I was relegated to container gardens for most of my adulthood (apartments in Washington, DC don't usually come with a garden plot!). My container plants always yielded a few red beauties, but I would eat them right there on the porch as they ripened. So really not much use in the kitchen -- or for anyone else! Then there was the year I tried those tomato planters that hang upside-down. I planted Better Boys and Early Girls...and I got beautiful, red, juicy tomatoes that were the size of large peas. Arg!

My mom claims it took her years to get it right, but I'm sort of (really) impatient. Last summer, we were just finishing the new house, and Keith built me a garden for my herbs. This year, though, is the year for veggies! And it couldn't come at a better time, when I get to chronicle my experiences for you -- if nothing else, it will keep me diligent about the weeding and feeding. I hope.

This weekend I planted. The weather was gorgeous and the sun was shining. My garden still has some stoic survivors from last year -- fragrant rosemary, which was fantastic with pork last night, and enough mint for me to open a mojito bar. That stuff is coming up everywhere, and it smells really good. Especially since Keith weed-whacked a bunch of it and there's now chopped mint all over the place. No worries, though, it's really resilient!

This year, I added basil and oregano on the herb side and peas and Roma green beans on the veggie side (and of course I saved room for some tomato plants!). Cooking with bright, bold fresh herbs are a great way to keep your meals full of flavor, without adding fat. Yum! I'm also looking forward to the peas (I love eating them right out of the pods), and steamed beans with a drizzle of olive oil and some garlic, salt and pepper are amazing. I can't wait! Fresh veggies are one of the best ways to stay svelte -- arm yourself with a bag of fresh peas in the pods to snack on, and you're good to go! And my favorite way to eat green beans is raw. Try it, I promise I'm not crazy. They are SO good.

So here's the current picture of my garden. You can see the rosemary, and that giant bundle of sticks is last year's basil bush. I think I'll trim it down to the base, and maybe it will grow back...thoughts? Anyway, I hope to have beautiful "during" and "after" pictures to show you -- along with recipes! What are you planting this year? Anything you love to grow, but need a great recipe for? Most importantly, any tips for those of us without green thumbs?!

Maybe someday I'll have a giant garden with a lot of variety, but for now, I thought I'd start small and see what happens...farmers' markets, stand by!

Thanks for reading!

The Svelte Gourmet: A Month of Main Courses cookbook is available at www.thesveltegourmet.com/products.html. Enjoy!