Eat Your Veggies
People are always asking IC members what they eat. Inevitably, the answer always includes lots of vegetables. But what do you do if you don’t really know how to prepare vegetables? If your only culinary secrets involve a lot of butter or melted cheese, then eating your daily allotment of IC-sanctioned veggies can be daunting (and downright boring or disgusting depending on which side of the vegetable spectrum you fall). But there are plenty of people out there eating tons of leafy greens and really enjoying them. So, please, share with the rest of us. What are your veggie secrets? Criteria: your tricks must be easy/quick and tasty. Unusual ingredients are o.k., especially if we can use them over and over again.
Okay this is too creepy. I was just thinking today about my favorite new veggie dish and how I would love to hear about other ideas from those of us that who lack culinary skills (sorry Tsan). I was going to suggest it as an IC post but here it is. So who has been reading my mind?!? Huh?
Trader Joe’s has these containers of squash, carrots, and broccolini wrapped together in little bundles. You microwave the whole thing in the container for like 5 minutes. Then top with Miso dressing. Delicious!
You’re looking at one of my favorites. Cucumber water. Drink it, eat it.
some of my easy veggie sides:
sliced swiss chard, mushrooms and crushed garlic sautteed in a hot pan with little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
blanched green beans, sliced red peppers, mushrooms, garlic sauteed with tofu. a dash of soy vay flakes as a finishing sauce and add some red chili pepper flakes to taste.
baked butternut squash (baked @ 400, covered in aluminum foil for 45 -60 minutes with 6 halved shallots, a sprig of thyme, salt, pepper and a *little* drizzle of honey & butter). scoop out the squash from the peel and puree with shallots. makes the best alternative to mashed potatoes!
mmmm baked b-nut squash. I add a bit of nutmeg too. Probably the best thing in the universe. I use squash in place of potatoes in most recipes.
baby bok choy: mince as much garlic as you like (we really like garlic, so it’s ~4 cloves for us) and sautee it until soft in a wee bit of sesame oil. Add cleaned and separated baby bok choy and dizzle of shoyu (soy sauce). Cook until just soft. Serve with fish or tofu. Delicious.
for shoyu and pepper cauliflower do the same thing, except add a wee bit more shoyu and a butt-ton (accepted culinary measurement) of pepper.
Also, everything is good with balsamic vinegar! Mice garlic, shallot, and rosemary. Mix veggie of your choice (green beans, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, brussel sprouts, are all delightful) with minced ingredients and toss with a wee bit of olive oil and as much vinegar as your palette prefers.
And when I’m feeling icky I drink no-chicken broth heated with kale or spinach and pepper. It is delicious and comforting and I usually feel better afterward.
eeerr… for the balsamic stuff you bake it at 400 until it is just done. Time varies with veggie and oven, but overcooking veggies makes them icky, so don’t do it. Also, they’re really good to bbq that way.
Now I’m hungry.
Can someone recommend a cookbook? I would prefer for it to be a healthy receipes cookbook. Since I am not big on cooking I thought I would buy a cookbook so I can begin my journey. Someone help!
Yum yum. Give me more.
We’ve been cooking some yummy and healthy dishes from “Japanese Foods That Heal” by John and Jan Belleme. There’s lots of interesting information about the base ingredients in Japanese cuisine and their health benefits.
we have TJ’s microwave organic broccoli with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of parmesan or raspberry vinegar and sesame seeds. Ruby loves it too!
Also baby chard sauteed with garlic and red pepper flakes with a squeeze of lemon. Yum.
Micro greens with freshly squeezed lime juice.
Just got a book called “The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without” by Molly Katzen – it’s AWSOME!
Boring maybe but delicious and good for you…roasted organic veggies! So easy. I roast up a few batches of whatever I have on hand and enjoy for a couple of days.
Toss with olive oil, a little salt and pepper, a sueeze of fresh garlic and some fresh herbs. Roast in oven at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Pair with salmon or chicken or toss in a salad and voila!
-brussel sprouts, green beans and fennel
-cauliflower and beets (I call this pink cauliflower)
-sweet potatos, parsnips and carrots
-kale, red chard and bok choy
-multi-colored bell peppers and onion
Thanks for the great cookbook recommendations.
I put chopped spinach in everything. Seriously, it disappears in my red marinara sauce (served over whole wheat pasta). Even my spinach phobic teenager doesn’t mind. Grated zuchini is a great addition to my green chile enchiladas, yum.
Also, right now the bell peppers are amazing. I have some with my mostly egg white omelet in the a.m. (1 yolk for flavor and health benefits), maybe with some shitake mushrooms and, you guessed it, spinach.
Thanks for the cookbook suggestions.
Saute sliced crimi mushrooms, green and red bell peppers and spinach in olive oil and ground pepper.
Marinate a chinese eggplant with a dash of low sodium soy sauce, ground pepper, red pepper and olive oil. Seal in aluminum foil and bake at 300 for about 10 minutes (until tender).
Steam cauliflower, then puree it. Add it to everything. Jake (my 4 yr old) loves it added to scrambled eggs. Mix one , eggs whites and 1/3- 1/2 cups of the pureed cauliflower. Scramble, then sprinkle with just a tablesoon (or more if you like) of cheddar cheese. You can add the cauliflower puree to soups, macaroni and cheese (for the little ones) and all kinds of dishes.
My other favorite vegetable dish is julienned brussel sprouts with pine nuts. Even if you do not like brussels sprouts, you may when they are julienned. It changes the flavor. Sautee the julienned greens with a a few shallots in olive oil and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinke toasted pine nuts in at the end. I julienne chard and other leafy greens also.
I also love wild mushroom sauteed to a crunch with salt, pepper and olive oil. Do this in a no stick pan and you really do not need much olive oil. They carmelize and get all crunchy and yummy. Mushrooms are so good for you. Jake also likes shitakes when they are julienned and sauteed with soy sauce and the olive oil. Then sprinked with sesame seeds. Really let them get crunchy.
Tracy, that would be me reading your thoughts. So much for out of sight out of mind.
okay here goes and I know Maya and a couple of other ICers can relate…NOPALES = CACTUS. Now this is one of my all time fav salads when done right.
2 or 3 fresh diced cactus ( if not grown at home, any market that specializes in Mexican cuisine) , 1 or 2 fresh green peppers, a couple of green onions diced, cilantro, 1 tomato diced and mix in a bowl. for an extra ooomph, add a dash of oregano and a dash of salt to taste. It goes great with fish, or if you want a healthy spin on nachos….use this instead of cheese. trust me this is great and the benefits of cactus are still not widely known in the mainstream, but overall it has been known to help with blood sugar and overall circulation. if i think of more…i’ll be back.
I just saw this caultflower soup recipe taht sounds yummy:
½ c. toasted breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
super-good olive oil for drizzling
1. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
2. Brown bacon over medium heat.
3. Add onions and saute until soft, about five minutes.
4. Add cauliflower and season lightly with salt and pepper (the bacon will give the soup some saltiness).
5. Add chicken stock and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Check seasoning. Add chili flakes and simmer for two or three minutes.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with parsley, breadcrumbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Veggies accomplished.
Pots and pans rusty? Try it at Range, 842 Valencia Street, between 19th and 20th Streets (415-282-8283 or rangesf.com).
Disregard previous post, I wasn’t done and posted by mistake
I just saw this caultflower soup recipe that sounds yummy:
Cauliflower and Bacon Soup with Breadcrumbs
Serves 4, plus leftovers
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 oz. bacon, cut into batons
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 head cauliflower, broken into small pieces
2 qts. chicken stock
pinch chili flakes
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
½ c. toasted breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
super-good olive oil for drizzling
1. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
2. Brown bacon over medium heat.
3. Add onions and saute until soft, about five minutes.
4. Add cauliflower and season lightly with salt and pepper (the bacon will give the soup some saltiness).
5. Add chicken stock and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Check seasoning. Add chili flakes and simmer for two or three minutes.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with parsley, breadcrumbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.
When I get home from work late and don’t have much time or energy, I rub some asparagus spears with olive oil and throw them into a preheated grill pan – or onto the gas grill on the patio. They cook in minutes, and they don’t require any other seasoning to bring out the natural flavor.
Thanks for all the great ideas. Wonderful.
Try Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson. Great stuff – especially the Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans with Chard on p. 152.
Here are a few quick and easy veg recipes I like:
- grill cauliflower on high heat with lots of lemon and a dash of olive oil. Let the cauliflower char for a yummy, almost caramelized, lemony flavor.
- sautée collard greens (or any bitter green) with onion and apple slices, plus a dash of red wine vinegar
- sautée spinach with toasted pine nuts, currants, garlic, olive oil, then drizzle with lemon juice