By Lisa of La Mia Cucina

Photo by Steamy Kitchen

There are many things I’ve learned since we’ve decided to live this lifestyle change of ours.. you CAN cook delicious meals WITHOUT a stick of butter and/or a cup of mayo! Fruits and veggies ARE your friends! Olive oil really IS everything it’s cracked up to be! A colorful dish is not only awesome for the eyes, but it guarantees deliciousness!

And that’s what I’m focusing on today.. colorful dishes. Don’t get me wrong here, there’s definitely something to be said for a well prepared brown patty of ground sirloin grilled to perfection then sandwiched between two beige soft buns with the only splash of color being the condiments - Oh hells no, I will not deny that. But brown does get boring (not to mention artery blocking) real quick.

Photo by Lucullian Delights

What doesn’t get boring is confetti on a plate. The colors of the rainbow and then some.. bold and beautiful reds, greens, yellows and gold, pinks and orange.. just to name a few. To illustrate my point perfectly here, I’d be remiss if I didn’t start this recipe round up with one of my go-to chefs and all around hilarious (not to mention sexy SEXY) gals, Jaden of Steamy Kitchen’s recipes. I can guarantee that on any given day, you’ll find a recipe that is easy to prepare, healthful and downright gorgeous due to the colors and preparation of her food.. never will you find a bowl of brown or beige. No.. what you’ll find is something like these Grilled Shrimp Lettuce Cups with Tropical Fruit Salsa.

Would you look at how gorgeous that is?? And can you just taste the salty from the sea shrimp combined with crisp and creamy, sweet and savory fruits and veggies?? *swoon*

Next on my list is a dish that not only looks delicious but contains the most gorgeous combination of greens and pinks. Definitely more of a muted colorful dish than Jaden’s Shrimp cups, but equally as gorgeous. The combination of Ilva’s green runner beans, the pink/purple hue of the radishes she’s used and the gold/green of the avocado are just stunning in this Easy Steamed Spring Salad.

Photo by The Perfect Pantry

And I’ve got to be honest here, I’m not a radish fan, but I’d happily sit down to a huge plate of this salad and know I’d leave the table walking on cloud nine.

One more to add to this colorful list comes from a lovely woman, Lydia, and her blog The Perfect Pantry. Last year she submitted this recipe and I swear I’ve clicked on it a 1000 times just for the drool factor. The almost jewel-like tones of the beautiful red tomatoes and the emerald green of the herbs strewn over them just get me every time!! What a way to prepare those tomatoes that will soon be taking our gardens by storm. These Slow Roasted Tomatoes are a must keep on hand recipe for the end of the tomato season when you’ve got boatloads of them growing outside.

Unfortunately, I’ve run out of time or I could go on for DAYS regarding the prettiest recipes on the planet earth found easily in our blog world. So let’s just call this small round up the tip of the iceberg and I hope that it encourages you to search some others out on your own - or better yet, find the most colorful fruits and veggies you can, then create a masterpiece all of your own (but don’t forget to share with ME all of us so we can entertain our eyes and taste buds too!)

xoxo

For more colorful recipes try the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

To find out more about Lis and her recipes, check out her blog, La Mia Cucina.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am and is filed under Recipe Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.