I Coined A New Term: Vegetabeautiful

I wrote a while back about vegetable hearts, and how Ferràn Adria captures the very soul of that which allegedly has no soul (summer tomatoes totally have souls, and they are edible). Now that every vegetable in the summer produce kingdom has peaked, I feel like a kid in the healthiest candy store. And the whole thing is very vegetabeautiful.

Vegetabeautiful, as you might imagine, is a long and awkward complimentary adjective I just made up for the overwhelming natural beauty that is a fresh vegetable in season. It means "grown nicely and of its own accord, and picked recently." It can describe the feeling after a particularly wonderful vegetarian meal, and using it usually implies that the weather is nice (or at least hot) because that's when the most vegetebeautiful produce is around.

Just look at that vegetarian sushi. Eating it doesn't mean you're flipping unagi the bird, okay? It means you are appreciating the beauty of vegetables. Pork belly is also beautiful, but in a different way. It's just Meatless Monday, everything will be there when you get back. For now, flip through this veggie porn, become vegetally aroused and seek out the hottest piece you can get your hands on, maybe even fall in love:

• Veggie burritos
• Lentil patties
• Okra curry
• Hiyayakko tofu
• Greek salad
• Strawberry-tomato relish
• Pa amb tomàquet
• Sabich

But tomorrow's heart salad means something totally different.

More vegetarian food for lunch on Food Republic:

• The French Cheese Sandwich Makes Me All Kinds Of Happy
• Until It Cools Down A Little, Eggplant Will Be Considered The New Meat
• Tomatonaise Is The Condiment Of The Summer