No-cook Sunday: Marinated vegetables

I've finally realized that no-cook Sunday is more about being organized than about having the right prepare-ahead recipes. However, I'm not an organized cook; I love to meander through different cultures and tastes and even serving bowls as they strike me. I HAVE tried. Notes from the past say things like "Monday, soup; Tuesday, fish; Wednesday, grill," etc. But I couldn't do it, not even when work and worry consumed me. Then, maybe most of all, I let myself cook as I pleased and take my time with it. Some Sundays I would cook all afternoon and early evening.

But it still seems like a good idea to have a single day with a packet of cooking time released so I can meander through other loves and creativities. Yesterday I cooked a garden-ful of vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, all steamed or microwaved separately) and tossed them with a can of white beans, another of marinated artichokes, and a marinade. It was tempting to eat them right away, but we resisted. Today I'll add little tomatoes, which I halved last night, sliced scallions, and chopped parsley. We'll have it with garlic toast, or maybe grilled cheese. But that would be cooking.

Marinade: Mix and boil 5 minutes: 3/4 C. red wine vinegar, 1/3 C. olive oil, 1 bay leaf, 2 chopped garlic cloves. Pour while hot over vegetables. Refrigerate when cool and toss occasionally.