Looking for
great food gifts?

Find something
special in our
Food Gifts Store

by Eleanor Bradshaw

We have reached that point during the summer where our gardens are producing fresh vegetables faster than most families can consume them. Even if you don't have your own garden, friends and neighbors who do may kindly press upon you bags bulging with tomatoes, okra, corn, onions and that most prolific of summer vegetables, the zucchini. What to do?

Well, don't get all stressed out about it -- cook it up! Let me count the ways:

First, there is a flavorful vegetable skillet dish called Confetti, a combination of onion, okra, corn and tomatoes. Not heavily spiced, Confetti relies on the flavors of gently sauted fresh vegetables. Okra is a hot weather crop commonly grown throughout the South, but it is starting to turn up in Northern supermarkets.

Then, the Summer Squash Stir-fry is a tangy and healthful way to enjoy all that garden-ripe zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes. And if you have zucchini coming out your ears, bake some Zucchini Nut Bread to eat now or freeze for later.

Next is Green Beans and New Potatoes. For many children, as well as a surprising number of adults, green beans are the only acceptable "green" vegetable. As difficult as it is for me to relate to that, I have no trouble understanding why this dish has been present on the dinner tables of Texans for generations. Included in this recipe is an alternative preparation method that, for some of you, may be more in tune with the Nineties.

Finally, for a real treat, get out that deep fryer and make a batch of Fried Onion Rings. You will have to guard these to keep them from being eaten before you get them to the table.

Vegetable lovers will have no trouble resisting the temptation to doctor up some of these recipes with cheese, sauces and spices. And while it is true that the Confetti and Summer Squash Stir-fry can be enlivened with the addition of chopped jalapeo or poblano chiles, try these dishes without resorting to fillers that add unwanted calories and mask the fresh goodness of Summer's bounty.

• Creamy Avocado Soup
• Confetti
• Summer Squash Stir-fry
• Zucchini Nut Bread
• Green Beans and New Potatoes
• Fried Onion Rings