Late Summer Succotash

So to hell with E and maudlin moments of wistfulness and nostalgia... Back to food! ; )

Like the dirty blankie calling to comfort me, like that bottle of beer at the back of the fridge with my name on it, like that crack pipe hidden in a loose brick in my wall, who else could I turn to in my hour of need but the Vegetarian Times?

And what better recipe to use than one that just makes me quiver and tingle and shoot laser beams from my eyes all because the only reason it is not marked as vegan is... *seriously: hold on to your pooters and manjunk and any loose marbles in your pockets*... it has 1 T. of butter in the ingredient list. That's it.

Oh hell yes, VT--smack my ass and call me Sally, that's how infuriated I get with you sometimes. ONE TABLESPOON OF BUTTER, which of course can easily be substituted for non-hydrogenated vegan margarine with absolutely *no* decline in taste. *gasps of shock, horror, dismay, orgasm* In fact, I just left it out entirely (I tend to half the amount of oils/butters that VT calls for as a lot of their dishes are a bit oily for my taste). And as I'm sure you've probably already guessed, the dish was nonetheless absolutely delicious, despite the veganizing of the recipe.

And although the VT really deserves to get roughed up a bit, this may be one of my favorite recent VT recipes. It is so fast and easy that it will blow your mind ("That's what she said!"). And it has this *MIND-BLOWINGLY* delicate flavor to it that just makes you want to melt all over the seat you're sitting in. It is *absurdly* simplistic in its choice of herbs and dressing (just fresh basil and parsley with a bit of drizzled apple cider vinegar), but its simplicity brings out the powerful punch of all the veggies within. *AND* this recipe finally clarified what the hell "sauteeing" is to me. Make fun all you want, but I always just sort of thought "sauteeing" was just a fancy-people word for "cooking shit in a pan." BUT NO! Sauteeing means that you cook food in a skillet over medium-high to high heat WHILE KEEPING THE FOOD IN CONSTANT MOTION so that your veggies crisp up without sogging and also caramelize into those perfectly crisp, delicate little veggies that make your heartstrings purr.

That is the scientific definition of "sautee."

So yeah, check this recipe out. It'll seriously take you like 15 minutes to whip up, it's that simple. And it's *SO* good.

Oh, and the VT apparently thinks that this recipe makes enough for 6, but I'm thinking you'll be lucky if you get 3 servings out of it (if you're eating it for lunch and not as a side), so be forewarned.

INGREDIENTS:

• One 10-oz. pkg frozen baby lima beans, thawed


• 1 T. olive oil (or 1 T. vegan margarine + 1 t. olive oil)


• 1 small red onion, diced (1 c.)


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 c. corn


• 1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved


• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley


• 2 T. chopped fresh basil


• 1 T. apple cider vinegar (or white balsamic vinegar)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sautee 5-7 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add garlic and cook one minute more.

Stir in lima beans and sautee 5 minutes. Add corn and tomatoes and sautee one minute more, or until heated through, but tomatoes have not released their juices. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, basil, and vinegar. Serve warm or chilled.

(adapted from p. 70 of the Sept. 2007 Vegetarian Times)