My parents are vegetable experts. I can probably thank them for my lifelong love of veggies, because they always made them so deliciously—rarely canned, never mushy and always full of flavor. Plus, you can feel good knowing you're eating something your body knows what to do with and can convert into energy. Win!
As my dad says, they key to a good vegetable is to never cook it in water. Steamed, maybe. Boiled, never. They should be al dente, meaning they're cooked through but still firm and slightly crisp.
Amazing things can be done to flavor vegetables beyond butter, salt and pepper. Here are a few of my family favorites. Try them, and I promise you will be surprised how un-yucky veggies can be!
Kelly's Garlic Broccoli
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4-6 c broccoli flowerettes
3-4 green onions, diced
1/4 c chicken broth
Salt & pepper to taste
Place a wok over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When heated to simmering, add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add broccoli and cook until al dente. Add onions, 1/2 tsp salt, ground pepper and chicken broth. Stir to coat, then steam with the lid on. Do not overcook!
Hashed Brussels Sprouts
This recipe requires brown butter sauce. CLICK HERE for instructions.
Use a colander to steam brussels sprouts until al dente. They must be fresh; frozen brussels sprouts will come out mushy. Once cooked, strain and roughly chop. Put in a serving dish and add the brown butter sauce and freshly-shaved parmesan. (This does not mean using Kraft "cheese" that shakes out of a can!) Stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.
Sauteed Rosemary Carrots
5 carrots
2 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. Finely-chopped fresh Rosemary
Peel and slice carrots 3/8 in on bias. Place in a pan with water to cover and bring to a boil. Boil to tender crisp, then drain and set aside. In same saucepan, melt butter and sauté onion until translucent. Add Rosemary and stir 30 seconds. Add carrots and cook additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.
That's all for now, but I have plenty more for later posts if there is interest.
What about you? What are your favorite ways to eat your veggies?
Actually, the original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp butter instead of olive oil, but Dad uses olive oil and it tastes pretty much the same.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I REALLY struggle to enjoy veggies. My mom doesn't like them either so we never really grew up with too many varieties.... I don't want my children to also dislike their veggies! Thanks for the ideas!
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