The Editors of Cooking Light - COOKING LIGHT Best-Ever Seasonal Recipes

contents ETCETERA Cooking Light Best-Ever Seasonal Recipes A Cooks Guide to Peak Produce COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: IAIN BAGWELL; FOOD STYLING: ERIN MERHAR; PROP STYLING: HEATHER CHADDUCK HILLEGAS from the editor The best way to capture the season? Start with peak produce, then treat simply for fresh, vibrant flavor. WHAT DOES EATING SEASONALLY MEAN? The idea is often confused with eating only organic or local foods, but its really much broader than that. It means celebrating the arrival of fruits and vegetables at their most delicious peak, no matter how fleeting (figs and apricots) or prolonged (zucchini and summer squash). It also means honoring produce in its freshest, purest form. Coincidentally, peak-season fruits and vegetables are also the easiest and fastest to prepare. The work-ahead nature of publishing means Cooking Light experiences the seasons a bit differently.

We grill outdoors in January and baste turkeys in July. Still, when bushels of fresh produce appear, our Test Kitchen experts quickly develop ways to capture that moment of freshness. Every recipe in this issue captures produce at its best throughout the year. We begin with the delicate lettuces and juicy berries of spring, followed by the plump tomatoes and crisp sweet peppers of summer. A chapter of fall and winter recipes will come in handy when hearty greens and winter squashes appear. Herbs deserve their own chapter for the powerful pop of freshness they add to every dish.

Finally, pickles and preserves let you enjoy the best of every season all year long. Fresh, fast, and so easy, these are the produce-forward recipes we cant wait to share. spring When the garden wakes from its winter slumber, dive into the delicate vegetables (sweet baby carrots, tender asparagus, and peas) and the sweet-tart fruits (berries, apricots, and rhubarb) of spring. A subtle touch is all you need. GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SPICY RHUBARB-BQ SAUCE Hands-on: 45 min. Total: 45 min.

Barbecue sauce is hardly an expected place to find rhubarb, and thats part of what we love about this addictive, tangy-sweet sauce tinged with smoky chipotle heat. Extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 month. Also try it on pork and burgers. Spoon the BBQ sauce on grilled pork chops, toss with shredded chicken for tacos, or top turkey burgers. 1 tablespoon canola oil 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (about 2 pounds) teaspoon freshly ground black pepper teaspoon salt Cooking spray 1 cup Rhubarb-BQ Sauce Preheat grill to high heat. Combine oil and chicken; toss to coat.

Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 6 minutes or until well marked. Place 1 cup Rhubarb-BQ Sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl, tossing to coat chicken. Return chicken to grill; cook, turning and brushing with sauce from the bowl until glossy and caramelized, about 12 minutes. SERVES 4 (serving size: 2 chicken thighs) CALORIES 255; FAT 10.7g (sat 2.6g, mono 4.6g, poly 2.3g); PROTEIN 27g; CARB 12g; FIBER 1g; CHOL 135mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 351mg; CALC 46mg Rhubarb-BQ Sauce: Hands-on: 22 min.

Total: 29 min. 1 tablespoon butter cup finely chopped onion 1 garlic clove, minced 2 cups (-inch) slices rhubarb cup water cup sugar cup ketchup 2 tablespoons white vinegar teaspoon chipotle chile powder 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard teaspoon salt Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add rhubarb; cook 3 minutes or until rhubarb is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add cup water, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, and chipotle; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 6 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.

Place half of rhubarb mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend rhubarb mixture until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat with remaining half of mixture.

Return rhubarb mixture to saucepan. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute or until hot. Stir in mustard and salt. SERVES 16 (serving size: 2 tablespoons) CALORIES 26; FAT 0.8g (sat 0.5g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 0g; CARB 5g; FIBER 0g; CHOL 2mg; IRON 0mg; SODIUM 83mg; CALC 16mg MOROCCAN-SPICED BABY CARROTS Hands-on: 7 min. Total: 22 min. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 12 ounces peeled baby carrots 1 lemon, sliced 1 teaspoon ground cumin teaspoon ground cinnamon teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon ground red pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro Preheat oven to 450. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 12 ounces peeled baby carrots 1 lemon, sliced 1 teaspoon ground cumin teaspoon ground cinnamon teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon ground red pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro Preheat oven to 450.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; sprinkle with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, tossing to coat carrots. Arrange carrot mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 450 for 13 minutes, turning once. Sprinkle with cilantro. SERVES 4 (serving size: about cup) CALORIES 96; FAT 7g (sat 1g, mono 4.9g, poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 0.7g; CARB 8.7g; FIBER 3.3g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 187mg; CALC 39mg APRICOT, CUCUMBER, PLUOT, AND LIME BASIL SALAD Hands-on: 10 min. Total: 10 min.

If you dont have lime basil, substitute any fresh basil plus teaspoon grated lime rind. Plums will also work in place of pluots. Pluots, a plum-apricot hybrid, are intensely tart and sweet. Slightly firm fruit works best here. 3 tablespoons fresh lime basil, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar Dash of kosher salt Dash of freshly ground black pepper 2 apricots, pitted and cut into thin wedges 2 pluots, pitted and cut into thin wedges English cucumber, thinly sliced Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to coat well. SERVES 4 (serving size: cup) CALORIES 31; FAT 0.1g (sat 0g, mono 0g, poly 0g); PROTEIN 0.8g; CARB 7.6g; FIBER 1.1g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.3mg; SODIUM 31mg; CALC 11mg ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND BABY ARTICHOKES Hands-on: 17 min.

Total: 52 min. To get a head start, prepare the recipe through step 2 up to two days in advance. Shortly before serving, place asparagus on pan with roasted artichokes, and proceed with step 3. 20 baby artichokes (about 2 pounds) 5 thin lemon slices 1 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 2 tablespoons butter, melted 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted Place a large baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 450. (Leave baking sheet in oven as it preheats.) Cut off top third of each artichoke.