Topic: Fruits and Vegetables

Top your steak with cilantro jalapeño compound butter

Simple pan-seared or grilled steaks can be topped with a compound butter made with cilantro, jalapeño peppers, shallots, and lime juice for a lively flavor boost. 

Cinco de Mayo recipe round-up

Mexican- or Southwest-inspired dishes to help you celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Southwest chicken salad

Serve Southwest chicken salad over greens, wrapped in a tortilla, or stuffed in a pita pocket.

Creamy hominy bake with green chiles and cheese

Try this Southern dish as an unusual side for a Mexican meal.

Gleaning for good: an old idea is new again

Picking crops that would otherwise be left in a garden or field to rot, and sharing them with those in need, is a time-honored idea that's gaining fresh momentum today.

Six ways to save money with fresh produce

Some helpful tips for getting the most out of your vegetable budget

Sweet potato and apple soup

A soup to fuel through the last days of winter.

Carnitas with chile and sweet potatoes

Carnitas are shredded pieces of tender roast pork used as a filling for burritos.

Why did President Obama double up on 'double down'?

The Monitor's language columnist takes issue with President Obama's use of a gambling idiom in his State of the Union message.

School lunches get first overhaul in 15 years – but pizza still a vegetable

School lunches will change in accordance with the USDA's new guidelines. Nutrition experts are pleased, though they argue that Congress interfered unnecessarily. 

Meatless Monday: Coconut ginger vegetable soup

A lovely Thai soup that intermingles lemony, spicy, and creamy flavors.

Meatless Monday: Corn pudding

Classic corn pudding with cheddar and chives.

Why India pulled the welcome mat for Wal-Mart

Intense protest prompted India to shelve plans this month to allow box stores like Wal-Mart. But many say the retail sector is backward and needs the jobs and investment such stores would bring.

Christmas strata

A festive one-dish brunch that's easy to make and will feed a crowd.

Roast chicken with root vegetables

Roasting chicken, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, garlic and rosemary together melds flavors beautifully in this one-pan meal.

Cranberry relish

Smooth or chunky, cranberry relish has won its place on the Thanksgiving table.

Homemade salsa: good for your wallet, better for your health

You'll save money by making your own salsa, especially if you can pull the vegetables from your own garden.

Saving money through baby food

If you use the right ingredients, pureeing your own baby food can be a smart financial move

Alpine strawberries: Perfect in foliage and in fruit

How to grow and use cilantro

A gardener and a chef team up with advice on growing and using cilantro, including a Mexican-inspired recipe.

Cookbook review: 'The Apple Lover's Cookbook'

'The Apple Lover's Cookbook' by Amy Traverso is a practical apple encyclopedia with recipes for 59 varieties of apples.

How much can you save by canning your own vegetables?

Do-it-yourself canning is much cheaper than store-bought canned goods, but only if you have an abundant garden

Meatless Monday: Algerian flat bread with roasted red pepper sauce

A dense hearty, bread that can serve as a meal or an appetizer at a party.

Fresh corn for the freezer

Hurry! If you can find any last cobs of fresh corn at the market, buy them up! You will be so happy later this fall or winter when you have the kernels in your freezer.

Fall books: 20 nonfiction titles you don't want to miss

From the energy crisis to The Doors, from Hitler’s Germany to Rin Tin Tin, here are the nonfiction titles that have readers buzzing this fall.