Root Around for Root Vegetables

• Radishes, carrots, beets, parsnips and turnips are root vegetables. Radishes and carrots don't have to be cooked to be marinated. Baby beets are edible raw as well. Bigger beets, parsnips and turnips need to be thinly sliced and blanched in boiling water for a minute. Blanching the vegetables leaves them crunchy but a little easier to chew. Immediately plunge in ice water after blanching. Beets and thin slices of onion marinating in apple cider vinegar with a touch of sugar turn a lovely pink color. Another idea is to combine grated carrots with radishes, a handful of parsley and lemon juice for a colorful and flavorful marinated dish for brunch guests.

Fruits Disguised as Vegetables

• Fruits are defined botanically as the edible reproductive body containing the seeds of the plant. That means many fruits are disguised as vegetables. Combine tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers -- all botanically fruits -- with balsamic vinegar and herbs for a dish reminiscent of summer. Toss julienned zucchini squash with yellow summer squash in Italian dressing. If you happen to have squash plants growing, add the yellow flowers -- they're edible. Snap peas and sugar peas dressed with soy sauce, rice vinegar and grated ginger add an Asian flair to the brunch.

Mighty Mushrooms

• Mushrooms are in a class by themselves as vegetables. It's not appealing to think you're eating a fungus, but there you are. While mushrooms make an appearance at brunches in omelets, they also take well to marinades. Sliced grilled portobello mushrooms bathe in an Italian marinade. The giant slices with the dark brown gills and lighter flesh look impressive. If you don't have time to grill the night before the brunch use white button and brown mushrooms instead. They don't have to be cooked before marinating.

Vegetables in Disguises

• You might not think of vegetables as flowers but that's exactly what artichokes, cauliflower and broccoli are -- immature flowers. Artichokes must be cooked before marinating. Scout specialty markets for baby artichokes. The whole artichoke can be cooked, marinated and eaten. Piled in a bowl, the artichokes attract attention of those at brunch. Cauliflower and broccoli should be blanched before marinating.

  Some vegetables, including celery, are stems. The bulbous stem at the bottom of the plants Kohlrabi and fennel are edible. The young leaves of the kohlrabi plant are edible, as are the leaves of the fennel plant. Fennel pollen is considered a gourmet spice. Fennel seeds are found in Italian recipes and lend an anise flavor to dishes. Both celery and thinly sliced fennel may be marinated raw. Add celery seeds to the marinade to amp up the celery flavor. Young small bulbs of kohlrabi can also be sliced raw. However, larger bulbs need to be sliced and blanched. Kohlrabi tastes like a combination of string beans and zucchini. Dress in a spicy tomato-based vinaigrette to marinate.