WHB Giveaway #2: Tell Us Your Favorite Vegetable of 2008 and You Might Win a Fantastic Prize!
We started our three days of giveaways yesterday by asking about your favorite herb of 2008. Now you have a second chance to win one of three amazing prizes by leaving a comment naming your favorite vegetable of 2008. This is all part of our Week-Long Celebration for the three year anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging. Thanks to New West KnifeWorks and Fissler USA who have donated two amazing prizes. I’m also is giving away a set of my three favorite cookbooks of 2008, so keep reading to see how to enter.More Chances to Win!
If you haven’t already done so, be sure to vote for your favorite herb too. There will be voting for favorite fruit (on Thursday) so come back for that too. Comments on all prize posts will close at 10:00 P.M. (MST – Salt Lake Time) on Friday, October 31, and the winners will be announced in the Anniversary Edition of Weekend Herb Blogging on Sunday evening. (Duplicate entries on the same post will result in all comments from that person being deleted, so please be careful to enter only once on each post.)
Kalyn Recommends:
Of course I can’t enter to win the prizes, but nothing can stop me from doing a little campaigning, can it? I might be going out on a limb here by endorsing chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) as my favorite vegetable of 2008, because I know chickpeas are really legumes, and I’m not actually sure if legumes are considered vegetables. But I was so overcome with the love of chickpeas in 2008 that I don’t really care what they’re categorized. Here are three reasons I think you should vote for chickpeas.
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas with Moroccan Spices were a completely new way to cook chickpeas for me, and I loved them (as did a lot of other people who tried them!)
Another chickpea recipe that really was a hit around here was this Baked Falafel Patties with Yogurt Tahini Sauce. The recipe was sent to me by a reader (Thanks Jamie!) and when I tried it, I found out a few other food bloggers had also liked the recipe.
Finally, sneaking in another pitch for my favorite herb, another dish that really rocked was this Spicy Sauteed Chickpeas with Beef and Cilantro which came from Mark Bittman. This is simple and delicious, and completely my kind of food.
Are You Blogging About Vegetables?
Of course, Weekend Herb Blogging is really about the posts that are submitted each week, by great bloggers from all over the world, so here is information about how to submit a post if you’d like to join in for the anniversary edition. You can write about your favorite herb, favorite vegetable, or favorite fruit for this special edition.
199 Comments on “WHB Giveaway #2: Tell Us Your Favorite Vegetable of 2008 and You Might Win a Fantastic Prize!”
Winter squash. The entire category. Now I am craving spiced squash and shrimp soup, darn you!
I love lots of vegetables but the one I’m really passionate about? The one I adore? The one I think I could eat every day for the rest of my life and still love? Artichoke. Hands down, no contest, no question: ARTICHOKE!
Really hard to decide between the potato or cabbage because both are so versatile as well as delicious, but if I was on a desert island, I expect I would select the POTATO. Bake it, boil it, fry it, mash it, what other vegetable can be prepared in so many ways.
carolepip (at) verizon (dot) net
Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Eggplants and Potatoes are my favourite veggies. I am still cooking lots of legumes that comforts me to feel warm and healthy for the winter. I know they are not veggies but they’re my favourites. In summer, Zuchini, winter melon, eggplants and potatoes. Very interesting to tell our favourite vegetable for 2008.
Wish me Good Luck!
Cheers
I would have to pick the humble corn. It’s great in the summer, fresh on the cob. And in the winter, frozen is still yummy!
I think I’m going to go with sweet potatoes, too, though it’s surprisingly difficult to pick just one. I really like the versatility of sweet potatoes, and often I just bake two sweet potatoes in foil for supper and that’s all we need–super easy. A close second would be sweet bell peppers. Mmmmm…
Since I chose tomatoes for my favorite fruit I guess I would have to pick summer squash and Zucchini. I eat them year round and can never seem to get enough.
Carrots.
I know not the most exciting pic, but it’s my favorite type of soup, and I eat them raw and cooked all the time.
My favorite herb is Cilantro.
I just discovered this herb recently and wish I known about it earlier.
snarlykins (at) yahoo (dot) com
My favorite veg of 2008 would have to be the tomato. Just this year I’ve started using them in everything. Yum.
Another tomato girl here. I am missing my fresh ones from the garden since we’ve had a really hard frost and snow flurries…. sigh…
My favorite pick for vegetable would have to be…
Beets!
I just discovered fresh beets this year and absolutley love them!
thi is a very hard question…… I had to say tomato, it saves me in a lot of situations “oh my God, I’m starving and it’s late, what I’m going to have for dinner!” 🙂
I know mushrooms are not categorized as vegetables, but in my books they are! I love fresh mushrooms – button, hon shimeiji, shitake … they are so versatile & fun to cook with! ^^
Hi Kalyn….
Favorite vegetable – Cauliflower – raw ! When I start eating it, I can’t stop. I love the crunchy cold cauliflower.
Cheers,
Wanda
Picking just one is HARD! I love them all! Most recently I had lots of fun playing with eggplants, so on the theory that recency equals primacy, I’ll pick eggplant.
What a tough question! With summer over I’m thinking fondly of corn, but for sheer versatility I’ll have to go with tomatoes.
This is another incredibly difficult question. And again, Kalyn, you’re almost swaying me with chickpeas. But when I think of chickpeas, it automatically reminds me of grated beet salad to go with falafel. And from there, the association jumps to beet tops.
Beet tops, it is then.
Mmmmm, beet tops sauteed in olive oil with onions, fennel seed, chili flakes and cider vinegar – can’t be beat! (no pun intended)
-Elizabeth
I’m going with asparagus. The 2008 crop was as good as I can ever remember. And I’m already anticipating 2009!
Squash.
Did you hear screams and gnashing of teeth? That is my mom recovering from years of coping with my anti-squash campaigns.
Seriously though, this is the year that I discovered I loved squash . . . soup, lasagne, roasted, baked with cranberries and apple, in a pie, in a quiche, on pizza, grilled or in ice cream this has been the year of squash.
YUM
This year I had lots of fun exploring corn.
Man this may sound boring…but I really love broccoli. Salads, tereyaki, cheesy, you name it.
I writing another comment to add my email: phallman (at) charter (dot) net
My favorite vegetable is spinach.
Carrots, carrots and more carrots! I LOVE carrots! Broccoli runs a close second, but carrots win!
I find myself eating cabbage everyday.
Either shredded in a sweet/sour salad, sauteed, roasted… in all its sulfuric sweetness!
My favorite veggie of 2008 would be chard. Though I had it many years ago, this was the first year I ate quite a bit of it and learned I really love it.
Avocado. Easy
So healthy, so yummy! And My son (8mths) and daughter (4yrs) love it too!
It’s true I love all the veggies. I can’t get enough…so many so little time!
I have to vote for the artichoke. But I love vegetables and will eat almost any of them.
My new favorite vegetable this year is Lucinato Kale, which a couple growers at my Farmer’s Market had consistently this year. It was so outstanding! It’s what they call in Italy “Cavolo Nero” or Black Kale. I was sad this week when my Farmer’s Market ended. I will have to wait until next year to buy it again! I would saute it up in the morning and plop a poached egg on top. Delicious.
I have to go with tomatoes. I’ve had some of the best this year from my mom’s garden, my garden, a little stand at my neighbords and even local produce from the store. Some were so good I didn’t even wait for recipes, I just salted and enjoyed. I was spoiled– it’s going to be a long winter!
My favorite vegetable for 2008 is beets. I usually roast them and serve them with goat cheese and walnuts. Could eat that all day.
I have to admit this has been the year of the squash for me. My new favorite vegetable is Butternut Squash. I had no idea how yummy it is! I didn’t know how easy it is to cook and then how versatile it is! Burritos, sammies, salads, you name it and I can make it better with some butternut squash added to it.
I use it in place of sweet potato in some recipes, but I think I love it the most just peeled, diced and roasted…so sweet and so delicious!
Who’d a thunk it?
chilies!
Oh, this is so difficult. I love celery's crunch. And then there are those wonderful sweet potatoes. Asparagus tends to be queen of my kitchen. But, I have to say I love, love, love onions! Slice & serve raw with a bowl of pintos or black-eye peas, grill a huge slice and it is great with anything. Then there are whole baked onions, in foil, seasoned with nothing but salt & pepper. What is not better with onions added? Ice cream? Ummmm, maybe –
my favorite veggie lately has been peas. i add them to everything – salad, soups, pasta. i just love their sweet flavor:)
I have fallen in love with chickpeas this year too. But I think my heart still belongs to butternut squash. Mmmm…
My vote goes to fennel.
Pumpkin! I love anything pumpkin.
Favorite veggie? Hard to choose, probably squash if I had to pick; there are so many different varieties and variations despite the season.
I’ll have to go with red peppers – they’re always in the veggie bin.
Jo Anna
edjoannaaz at hotmail dot com
Yep sweet potato is the one for 2008… baked with lots of cinnamon!
tracyclem at msn dot com
Yep – I’m voting for the sweet potato… baked with lots of cinnamon!
Green Tomatoes
I look forward to them in my garden every summer, can’t get them very often the rest of the year. Remind me of my grandmother and her green tomato jam. Love them fried with cornmeal!
Holly
I’m definitely going to have to go with eggplant. When it’s in season, I eat it every couple of days, mostly roasted, and love it! My local farmer’s market offers so many different kinds of eggplant, all the way from Italian to Japanese to little tiny Thai eggplant perfect for curry!
Sweet potatoes for 2008 !!!!!!
karina_ms at hotmail dot com
my favorite is GREEN BEANS. I mean you can do them so many ways…stir fry, barbecue, bake, can them, Green beans with new potatoes, mix them with soups, put them in stews,soups and casseroles, eat them fresh, pickle them, and now adays you can get them fresh all the time, love to grill them. the edible incredible green bean.. MaryAnn
I like bok choys. They are very easy to include in a stir fry, steamed fish or soup. The green and white colours are fresh and inviting
butternut squash, oven roasted and then tossed with pesto right before serving.
My favorite to eat? Broccoli.
My favorite this year? since so many seem to be naming vine growing gourds and the like (which are technically fruits, I will go with an entire plant as my veggie… celery. I have been using it more an more and in its entirety. The leaves, stalks, celery salt (derived from root) seeds… etc. It is just useful!
It is amazing how the things you hate when you are little…are the things you love love love as an adult. Brussel Sprouts (raosted with Garlic and olive oil…yum), Asparagus (same way)and ok…chickpeas!! Love them too. This is hard….can you vote for three…lol!
RED PEPPERS!!! I put red peppers on everything….roasted on sandwiches, sauteed in eggs, freshly sliced on a toasted bagel with cream cheese…yummmmm. When they are in season and on sale, I buy tons of them. Christine
Gardnwest(at)aol(dot)com
Zucchini! Oh and onions and garlic!! Gotta have it!
I’m not a big veggie fan. But I’ve discovered I love cabbage.
Asparagus, however and whenever I can get it! Debbie
dandrews(at)chcb(dot)org
Potato – fry it, bake it, roast it, boil it, mash it, steam it, saute it, sweet, savoury – how could we live without it?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Onion!
My favorite pick for 2008 would have to go to Asparagus. I crave it lately:) !!!
This year’s vegetable of choice is the humble potato – boring, I suppose, but so versatile and wonderful in so many combinations.
Okra is one of my favorites. I don’t get to eat it too often but I enjoy it when I do.
My all-time favorite veggie is asparagus. You have helped me love it even more with different ways to eat this wonderful flower!
My favorite vegetable is a POTATO!
The regular, ole, plain potato can be dressed up in a million ways. He is always getting picked on for all those french fries, carbs, and stuff but he is still my hero!
cseybt [at] gmail [dot] com
That’s a hard one, so many to choose from. But… I definitely fell in love with kale this year, and I now try to eat it as often as possible. Yummy, and healthy!
I read earlier this year that Kale is one of the best vegetables for you and you should eat Kale everyday. At the time I wasn’t sure what Kale even looked like. Then I needed to figure out a way to fix it so my husband would eat it. Challenging but I must say, I LOVE KALE. It is delish! There are many ways to use it.
Green is good!
Gotta be asparagus roasted in the oven. Candy! There is nary a vegetable that I don’t like but asparagus must be the favorite.
Parsnips are my fave veg! Nothing like a roasted parsnip!
(sweet) potato we love them. I like to cook them in every possible way.
Oh gosh, my favorite vegetable of 2008 has to be an old tried and true one, the heritage tomato. And my favorite variety that I grew would have to be a tie between Striped Cavern and Black Prince. They both have amazing flavors, Striped Cavern having a lemony tang. Salads, sandwiches, toppings…wonderful!
Despite me eating spinach every single night and cherry tomatoes like they are candy… I am going to have to say my ALL TIME FAVORITE vegetable is, dun-ta-dun-da: Eggplant! I love Grilled Eggplant or Broiled Eggplant with sprinkled herbs & spices on top! Nothing could be better!
Lebanese Cucumbers…they surprised me this summer with how sweet and crunchy they are!
I have several favs, but my newly discovered favorite during 2008 is the brussel sprout! I never thought I’d love those stinky little green balls so much! 🙂
It may not be my favorite vegetable overall but something I tried new this year for 2008 was okra. Whatever my neighbor could keep away from the dear he shared with us. My husband and I just rubbed whole okra in olive oil and salt and put them in the oven to bake for a bit, until slightly blackened. What a great fresh taste as an appetizer. So okra is my favorite veggie for 2008!
Oh those chickpea pictures are really swaying me…
I think I'll go for the commonplace zucchini because I succeeded in making my boyfriend enjoy it, it can be used in both savory & sweet dishes, & I just discovered I can shred & freeze it so I can use zucchini all winter long!!!! I've been frantically buying zucchini at the farmers market every week knowing that soon there will be no more farmers markets to visit. 🙁
Looks like I need to revisit chickpeas (have never found a recipe I liked them in, but these look yummy). Only one favorite vegetable … I would have to say cauliflower (roasted) has been my favorite veggie for 2008.
Favorite vegetable is asparagus!! I just discovered how versatile it is! My family loves it.
esrotu@gmail.com
The jalapeno makes everything good!
d(dot)maier(at)gmail(dot)com
There aren’t many vegetables that I DON’T love, but if I have to pick one for 2008 it would have to be kale, specifically dino kale. This summer was the first time growing it in our garden. It was so tender and delicious as well as versatile. It went into soups, lasagnas, main dishes with legumes, and more. . .many of which are in my freezer to enjoy all winter.
kbwaldman(at)gmail(dot)com
My favorite veggie of 2008 has to been the squash blossom (does that count?). We ate them for the first time early this summer and we just couldn't get enough of them after that. We just ate the last of them stuffed with cheese, battered & fried.
Asparagus, definitely.
Zucchini! It’s so versatile – sweet and savory dishes! I like it simply grilled and in sweet breads.
sparkelle (at) gmail (dot) com
Eggplants. I love them but unfortunately not everyone does. I dont think there is anything tastier than some grilled eggplant with salt.
The good thing about eggplants is that there are many way to cook them. You can grill them either in the grill outside or in the oven. Also you can make eggplant parmesan or Persian eggplant stew or so much more….They are the best
I finally discovered the wonder that is spaghetti squash! I love love love it, and if it means I can have “pasta” more often I am all for it!!!!
My favorite veggie from 08 would have to be asparagus! Love the stuff, even if it makes your pee smell funny. Not funny “ha ha” but stinky funny.
My favorite veggie is cauliflower. I love it grilled, steamed, stir-fried, or boiled and mashed.
This was a difficult choice – I love all my veggies. I think I will have to choose zucchini though. I had a good crop in my garden this year, so much I didn’t know what to do with it all. So I made chocolate chip zucchini bread, sauteed zucchini, put it in lasagna and everything else I could think of! It was all yummy!
My favorite vegetable this year has been eggplant: I have always loved it, but this year I cooked it a lot more than usual.
This is the year I learned to love kale. Each week there was one or two bunches of kale in my CSA box. I experimented with recipes to find some that I liked. Sauteed kale, kale as coleslaw, kale baked as chips…love it!
lisawill(at)mac(dot)com
Without a doubt, sweet yellow onions are my favorite vegetable. It’s rare that I am ever without a couple of these gems, which I use in almost every savory dish.
amberlstephens (at) gmail (dot) com
Oh what a dilemma you pose! So many candidates for veggie honours but there can only be one winner for 2008 and that’s rhubarb – and, yessir, it is a vegetable, of which my garden produced a bountiful supply from about March to August this year.
What a joy of a morning to be able to walk out the back, cut a few sticks and, 15 minutes later, have a bowl of steaming stewed rhubarb for breakfast, with a pinch of ground ginger, a dollop of home-made yoghurt and just enough sugar to make it sweet.
Frankly that pleasure alone would be good enough reason to vote for rhubarb, but this was the year that I discovered Nigella Lawsons recipe for rhubarb polenta cake, which is utterly divine and graced the table on many family occasions. Then there was my sisters recipe for rhubarb almond torte, which got made and devoured almost as often. And, of course, in the midst of all of this, let’s not forget the humble rhubarb crumble, a perennial favourite.
On the preserves front, rhubarb chutney was a new creation for the store cupboard – a darkly sweet and spicy concoction just waiting to accompany that block of sharp cheddar in the fridge.
And, finally, there’s the jam.
I have always held that rhubarb jam with a ginger kick is one of the most sublime jams there is and, to my shame, I almost destroyed a batch in a comedy of errors that you can read about here:
http://www.thedailyspud.com/2008/10/25/an-apology-to-my-pressure-cooker
For this offense, I can only hope that the rhubarb which has given so much can forgive me, and maybe, just maybe, if it gets the vote as veggie of the year, it will! 🙂
I’m going with beets! They are so versatile and I like their strong taste. Soups, salads, even hummus!
My favorite veggie in 2008 is brussels sprouts. Roasted. Yummy!
livviebrooke (at) yahoo (dot) com
My favorite veggie is the LEEK. I never had one til last year, and boy was I missing out! Sauteed in a bit of olive oil, they are SO creamy, buttery, indulgent. I adore the mild flavor and they combined just beautifully with steamed asparagus. YUM!!
Choosing a favorite vegetable feels like choosing a favorite child. Each has its own special place flavor-wise and nutritionally. But I started making Kale for the first time this summer and now i cant stop making bundles and bundles of it. so…Kale.
Pumpkin! I love it in everything–oatmeal, yogurt, cookies, cupcakes, pie, cake… Yum!!
tinkerbellx2 (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
Zucchini on the grill! Yum!
lostinabook4 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Potatoes. In every form and kind and breed. I could live on them, except that I would have some serious nutritional deficiencies…
amy.elizc (at) gmail (dot) com
I’m on the broccoli bandwagon. My new favorite recipe is steamed broccoli with halved grape tomatoes and a homemade mustard vinaigrette.
That is a tough one as I am a big veggie fan and love most!! One of my tops is zucchini closely followed by “all the rest”!!
Oh this is hard, I LOVE my veggies (my parents never had that fight when I was a kid). I guess potatoes or broccoli, or a twice baked potato that has broccoli in it.
courtney.metz(at)lavafrog(dot)net
Love them all but my fav would be fresh Michigan grown asparagus and tomatoes.
This is a tough one. Hmmm. Today I feel it’s going to be cabbage. I can eat it raw or cooked and in place of lettuce. It’s tasty on wild rice and on tacos. I like a mix of purple and green. violetclovis (at) yahoo (dot) com
Ahh, it’s so hard to choose! I pick broccoli, especially because I hated it up until I graduated from college and it’s quickly risen to the top of my list.
Hmmm… Actually, these questions are *VERY* hard. OK, then, I think I’ll say…
GREEN BEANS.
That’s a tough one! I LOVE onions, and use it in everything. But of course, the same can be said for garlic and tomatoes and ummm peppers!
Ok, so I’d have to say my FAVORITE is potatoes just because they’re so versatile.
My constant favorite is the good old potato. But in 2008 I discovered how great spaghetti squash is as a pasta substitute so I’ll go with that.
clbeth(at)hotmail(dot) com
My favorite this year has been sorrel, a perennial that I harvest year round in my CA garden. I use it anywhere you would use spinach, small leaves in salads or on sandwiches and large leaves in soup to give them a lovely lemony kick.
johnandannie(at)yahoo(dot)com
The versatile tomato. Scientists argue that it’s a fruit, but cooks use it as a vegetable. The big, red juicy types with more flesh than seeds. Oh, and of course, hand picked from the garden. I can’t wait for my crop to ripen.
I would have liked to say tomato since it’s used more like a vegetable than a fruit. But to be technically correct, I’ll have to go with potatoes.
This year I LOVED green beans — especially wok-fried with a little sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Yum!
As some other poster noted, I’d love to say tomato but I guess that is technically a fruit. So as a second best – and maybe even my first would be brocolli. Love it! I have never had bad brocolli.
I think its got to be spinach, sauteed in lots of butter, or wrapped up in enchiladas, or on an english muffin with a poached egg on top…..
Happy 3 year anniversary!
Mushrooms and zucchini all the way!
I could say something unique and chic like a fiddlehead, but honestly, who cooks those at home?
Honestly? Truly? My favorite veggie is the potato. It can be as comforting as mashed potatoes with lots of butter and cream or something fancy and delightful like a potato galette. How about something slightly exotic like the spanish tortilla? Or even as humble as the french fry.
I love onions… I only started liking them about 7 years ago, but now I can’t get enough. I will eat them any way they are prepared.
Cherry Tomatoes of course. I love to eat the fresh from the garden.
Nature’s perfect food: the Avocado!
We love Green Beans in our house.
I think I’m the first one to say this so far, but my favorite vegetable is okra! I just discovered it towards the beginning of the year, and now I order it whenever I see it on a menu. I even tried cooking fresh okra myself, despite warnings of potential sliminess… but my okra, lamb, and tomato stew was not at all slimy and only served to reinforce my love for okra. I can’t wait for next summer when I can get it fresh again!
I have to vote for mushrooms (a fungus, but oh well).
But chickpeas some a close second. I love too many vegetables and now you are making me choose 😀
My favorite this season is asparagus. The oven-roasted asparagus with garlic is our new favorite.
Got put my vote in for zucchini. Versitile and plentiful.
Ryan Blizzard
blizzard.rw (at) gmail (dot) com
I do love the chickpea but I must go with spinach. I simply always must have fresh spinach in my refrigerator – all all times. It’s so good, so good for me and it goes into so many things so well. Of course I always have chick peas in my pantry too . . .
Cucumbers, cucumbers, cucumbers as my July blog posts attest!
Pumpkins, I am a bit crazy for them.
I love pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin curry, pumpkin flan, simply baked pumpkin with butter and brown sugar. Did I mention that I love pumpkin? 🙂
I thought about this for a while, and I’m going redefine “vegetable” and say mushrooms. Yes, they’re entirely NOT a vegetable considering they’re not even plants, but they’re used a lot like a vegetable so I’m feeling justified. Reason’s why, variety, falvor, ability to soak up and intensify other flavors, and their ability to substitute for meat in vegetarian dishes. Specific honor this year goes to the wonderful morel’s one of my mycologist friends picked for me in the wild.
floccus (at) gmail (d0t) com
Brussels Sprouts has turned into my favorite veggie this year. I must say that I have a love for all veggies so I have many favorites.
I love AVOCADOS,creamy and delicious ,full of nutrition. I enjoy them in salads, smoothies, sandwiches ,breads and even pasta,YUM!
The Brussel Sprout
Once I learned to cook them, I seriously can’t get enough of them.
Even with the great recipe I have, my husband is afraid of them because I cook them so often.
Can you not get enough of those little balls of deliciousness!!
What a difficult choice to make. I love all vegetables but when I think back on the vegetable I used the most in 2008 I would have to pick zucchini: a most prolific, versatile squash which lends itself to being eaten raw or cooked, in spicy dishes or mild, in soups, stews, out of the saute pan or just off the grill.
This is such fun, Kalyn. You’re passing the baton with great flair!
Broccoli. I know, soooo boring but I really love it and I could eat it so many different ways.
Spaghetti Squash all the way! As a diabetic, I can still have “pasta” without much worry. It freezes well, not losing anything in the process (to my non-foodie tastebuds).
I think it’s a toss-up between Brussels sprouts and beets. A huge bowl of sauteed sprouts with black pepper and parmesan cheese is one of the greatest things, but I can’t ignore the glory of beet soup.
Those chickpeas do look awfully tasty, but I just recently discovered parsnips, and their sweet nutty goodness (in the shape of parsnip fries) have taken hold of my heart.
canole07 at yahoo dot com
My fave this summer has been zuchhini (sp??). I’ve been playing with lots of sweet and savory ways to serve the abundance that we have.
I’m going to chime in for zucchini. Not an unusual veggie (or even, technically, a veggie at all) but it’s one that I’ve cooked up pretty much every week for months. Even my nine year old son likes it!
All time favorite vegetable? Spaghetti Squash. But this year, I’ve been doing A LOT of tomatoes. Seems I can’t get enough of them!!
I love kale. I love it roasted, steamed, sauteed, and poached. I especially love it with pancetta and dolloped over cheesy polenta. Yum.
Green Beans! They took over the garden this year
Sweet potato. Favorite ever.
Chard! I planted it last year for the first time and love it raw and cooked and use it at least once a week! hhenna73@yahoo.com
Definitely asparagus! I wait all winter for asparagus to come back in season again! (btw–there is a link to my email on my blogger profile page).
Asparagus… Yummers!
I started to run through the list of vegetables I use looking for an all-pupose vegetable that I can’t live without..and it popped instantly into my mind. The ONION. I saute it in butter for all my sauces. It flavors all of my soups. It adds bite to my salsas, tacos, and shredded beef burros. Put them in your scrambled eggs for more flavor. Purple onions add color and taste to a fresh garden salad and also is a key ingredient in my poppyseed dressing. I love yellow, reds, and whites, all for their different properties. And am I allowed to mention the green onion (scallions). A pop of green on top of a creamy yellow soup or rolled up with cream cheese in a piece of ham makes a delicious treat. And did I mention carmelized vidalia onions on top of a thick, juicy steak? The flavor combination makes my mouth water. Did you know that onions contain antioxidants too, along with vitamin C and folic acid? And the Egyptians actually worshipped onions and buried them with their pharaohs…no joke. Whether it’s a fresh, crisp onion ring on top of a smoked turkey sandwich or a battered and fried onion ring dipped in homemade ranch dressing, what’s not to love about the onion? My grandpa used to eat whole onions like apples (now you know where I get my obsession :)Oh, I could go on and on and on. If there’s one vegetable I couldn’t live without, it’s the onion!
I discovered frozen shelled edamame and eat it at least once a week. It’s great as a vegetable, as a substitute for potatoes or rice or as an ingredient in soups or casseroles. I’m finding more and more ways to enjoy edamame. My name is Pauline and I found your blog through “Perfect Pantry” and I’ve been enjoying every word.
Posted by paulinefh(at)cox(dot}net.
Beets. It’s the truth – roasted with garlic and feta, beets become heavenly.
Asparagus any way, but my favorite is oven-roasted.
Arugula! I love how peppery it is.
Asparagus is my favorite. Closely followed by beets, squash, spinach, and broccoli. Veggies are awesome!
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My ‘discovery’ this year has been the (politically incorrect) potato! Especially a potato salad with avocados and homemade chipotle lime mustard — and I don’t even like mustard. My top love will still be sweet potatoes and winter squash, but appreciating the potato is new.
I admit it…I’m fickle, I love all vegetables in season, so I’m going to focus on that…so the rest of you vegetables reading this, sorry, I love you too, but my pick is mushrooms…cremini, portobello, morels, shitake, oyster…the list is endless.
Eggplant! I try to eat vegetarian and these are the perfect subsitutes for meat. They can really bulk up a dish and I love how they take on the wonderful flavors of whatever you cook them in. Pasta alla Norma is one of my favorite dishes to make.
Tomato!!!
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It may technically be a fruit, but in culinary terms my favorite at the moment is poblano/ancho chilies.
oh, this is a tough one… for 2008 esp with the farmer’s market veggies I sampled so many… I would have to say eggplant. From Baba ganouj to Indian bharta to eggplant parmesan.. we made all. Congratulations again Kalyn, on the anniversary.
Butternut Squash!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH. In anything 😀 This is a great contest by the way.
My favorite veggie of 2008 is the onion. We’ve had an overflow of onions this year and enjoyed making onion dishes left and right.
I just discovered kale and so glad I did!. My SIL steamed it, then sauteed it with red onions and red wine. It was delectable! Dee–sheepish56@aol.com
I love onions. (Broccoli is a very close second.) Onions make almost everything taste better.
My favourite vegetable this year is fennel bulb. I love It and I’ve been using it a lot lately.
i’d probably have to say zucchini for 2008. i’ve just started cooking with it more even though hubby doesn’t like it. I love how quickly it cooks and how tasty it is!
This is a tough one, Kalyn! 🙂
Carrots are my choice.
This was the year of eggplant at our house. I played around with it in quite a few recipes. Love it grilled!
Eggplant! I had so much fun with it this summer! I tried so many tasty recipes…and we even got to try a white eggplant:) I am sad the summer is over and I can’t get them at the farmer’s market anymore…sad!
Fresh Sprouts from the farmer’s market. There is nothing like them! I used them to replace lettuce on my BLTs this summer. YUM!
My favorite would be Moringa or malunggay as we call it in Tagalog. It packs a punch of vitamins and minerals and is great for nursing mothers.
I would say avocado, but that’s a fruit! Zucchini is a close second…I had a ton of them in my garden this year!
I’m going to have to vote for Butternut squash! I love the natural sweetness!
Hmmmmm…a fall favorite!
If we’re counting legumes, my favorite veggie of all TIME is the chickpea. If not, this year I’m copping out and voting for squash in all it’s many variations 🙂
For me, the tomato has to be the one. Not just any tomato, of course – the off-season tasteless cardboardy ones need not apply …
This is a hard one because I love to cook with vegetables. I feel like you can be way more creative than with meat. But this year you could say I “discovered” butternut squash so that’s what I am going with!
I have always liked butternut squash soup but this fall I’ve prepared it in salads, mashed, in homemade soups – so many possibilities!
Homegrown lacinato (dinosaur) kale – Prettier, thicker and more delicious than curly-leaf kale. Fewer crevices and curls to wash the dirt out of. A fantastic source of calcium, antioxidants and other nutrients. Versatile as can be. I’m just so glad this is the one plant that’ll keep on keepin’ on after the frosts.
Red Peppers! I eat them all year round.
My all-time favorite vegetable will always be the artichoke! I do, however, get excited about the fall root vegetables!
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Asparagus. Love it love it love it.
My favorite this year is butternut squash. I’ve used it soups, risotto, pot pies and more all year. My favorite use for it is in risotto but I’m eager to try it in a bread or muffin.
Asparagus… wait, no… brussles sprouts… no spinach… ack! How do I choose one?????
love your blog and thank you for the awesome giveaways!
My fave veg is brussel sprouts – carmelized or steamed 🙂
My favorite vegetable right now is asparagus. I love it!
Zucchini!!!
No contest for me (and no pun intended, either): sweet potato! It’s one of the most versatile and always delicious. But I must say your baked falafel do look amazing!
BEETS!!! i hated them as a kid… made mom keep them at the other end of the table. i just tried them again and LOVE them 🙂 even made a beet cake!
I’ve started cooking a lot more with vegetables this year. I would say my favorite one is butternut squash. I love it roasted or in soups. Asparagus and beets are close runner-ups!
Brussels sprouts are a big favorite of mine. Funny how I spent much of my life detesting them- now I make them at least once a week-oven roasted, sauteed with pancetta and a little chicken stock, shredded and stir fried. My daughter and husband are on board with my addiction, my son won’t touch them.
I’m pretty sure next year will be the year of Kale, as I have recently found a local organic farmer that sells a variety that has little flat leaves, but for 08 it’s the Brussels sprouts for sure!
I have to begin by saying I have never been a big fan of veggies. Although, this year I have fallen in love with zucchini. I love it on the grill!
My favorite veggie has got to be green onions! They are so flavorful and I add them to almost every dinner!
Brussels sprouts. Ooooh, it makes my mouth water to think of them. All roasted and toasty. Mmmm!
I vote for BROCCOLI!!! What’s not to love about Broccoli? It has a beautiful shade of green that shouts healthy vegetable. It is very nutritious and ranked as the top anti-oxidant and anti-cancer fighting food. It is a very versatile food to prepare and cook as well. Can be stir-fried, baked, steamed, added to salad, soups etc. 🙂
I immeidately thought about tomato, which I think is really a fruit. But that was so 2007. In 2008, I discovered zucchini. I enjoyed it broiled or sauteed and sprinkled with zataar or shaved thin in a salad with feta, mint, olive oil and lemon.
well, i guess my favorite vegetable is the aubergine (eggplant). i like its taste with loads of olive oil and a good slosh of fresh tomato puree. it bodes well with greek dishes, too
So I love a lot of veggies, and pumpkin, sweet potato, and spinach, along with legumes, all crossed my mind. But as of recently, I’ve fallen in love with a vegetable I used to not be a fan of… the eggplant! Boy do I love a good Japanese eggplant, sliced, stir-fried and curried. Or any eggplant, with the right dish. I used to dislike the mushiness of eggplant, but as I’ve matured, it’s grown on me, and now I can’t get enough!
It was the zucchini…merely because I enjoyed in new ways.
Rutabaga, I know its wierd but it satisfys my all cansuming potato passion without being a carb! Wait thats 2 vegies, oh well!
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Let’s start a new day, let’s start a new giveaway!
I’ve to choose between two I love so much: pumpkin or peppers…mumble…mumble…mumble…
I got it!
PEPPERS, in all colours!
I go with Eggplants. Found in all sizes and shapes and very versatile.
If we’re allowing legumes, then I am going to have to vote for lentils!!! I never tried them before this year, and now I eat them nearly weekly.
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If I had to choose a favorite vegetable of 2008 it would be very hard. Should it be something that I really started using, fell in love with again, or has always been a favorite. Oh well…
My favorite pick for 2008 would really have to go to Asparagus. I have found many more uses for it. Already miss that it is out of season. Plus each year it is one of the first vegetables to pop out of the ground to let me know that spring is here.
after i discovered samphire in sweden, i just crave it.
it was amazing. i don’t want to be plugging my own blog, but if people are wondering what the heck samphire is, here’s my gushing post: http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2008/08/glasrt-smr.html
OK, it is the middle of the night and I couldn’t think. So I took my flashlight out and looked at the remnants of this year’s garden and really wanted to choose the Jimmy Nardello peppers but I got hung up on the old vegetable versus fruit thing. Same problem with the tomatoes. So, I am going to say arugula. Or mustard. No, arugula. Or maybe the peppers really are a vegetable. Oh heck, I think I’ll go to bed. I’ll probably change my mind in the morning. OK, ARUGULA. Or is that really an herb? I see nightmares in my future. 🙂
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Z
WOW! Buttternut Squash. And let me say this…the squash recipes that you have published here have been fantastic. I love to take butternut squash, peel, slice into smalll bite size pieces. Mis this with a chunked up onion, sprinkle with salt, perpper, and rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil and bake. WOW and YUM!
Sweet potato.
Oh how I adore the sweet potato.
Unfortunately my son is absolutely TERRIFIED of them. To the extent that if I don’t want him to go into a cupboard I just place a sweet potato in there. Is going to be AWESOME for hiding Christmas presents!
Oh sweet potato, doing double duty, I KNEW you were wonderful!