Making veggies even more delicious
- Thread starter Cate
- Start date
Please don't delete, let's just start here!
I was going to go to bed but I can't leave now without posting something beginner-friendly. Even though I rarely use recipes. Let's say grilled bell pepper (I can't stand green but you do you), because I get heartburn when I eat peppers skin-on: cut in half, remove stems, white membranes, and seeds, stick in a hot (200°C) oven for 15 minutes or until starting to blacken on the outside. Then put into a sealed bag or container to cool. Once cool enough to handle you can easily pull off the skin and are left with extremely sweet filets that are great on sandwiches, in salads, and in tomato sauces (add instead of sugar to balance out acidity).
Or mushrooms: clean, cut into reasonably same-size chunks, toss into a dry, medium-hot pan and even out into one layer. Do not disturb until starting to brown and smell delicious. Reduce heat to low. Toss/turn, add a little bit of oil or butter, a pinch of salt (or soy sauce), and garlic to taste (freshly minced or powder, either is delicious but start with a little bit if you're unsure) and mix around a bit until evenly coated.
Edited to add: I use about a teaspoon of oil or butter for 200g of mushrooms. They lose a LOT of water so you end up with maybe half as much as you start out.
Will think and add more tomorrow.
I was going to go to bed but I can't leave now without posting something beginner-friendly. Even though I rarely use recipes. Let's say grilled bell pepper (I can't stand green but you do you), because I get heartburn when I eat peppers skin-on: cut in half, remove stems, white membranes, and seeds, stick in a hot (200°C) oven for 15 minutes or until starting to blacken on the outside. Then put into a sealed bag or container to cool. Once cool enough to handle you can easily pull off the skin and are left with extremely sweet filets that are great on sandwiches, in salads, and in tomato sauces (add instead of sugar to balance out acidity).
Or mushrooms: clean, cut into reasonably same-size chunks, toss into a dry, medium-hot pan and even out into one layer. Do not disturb until starting to brown and smell delicious. Reduce heat to low. Toss/turn, add a little bit of oil or butter, a pinch of salt (or soy sauce), and garlic to taste (freshly minced or powder, either is delicious but start with a little bit if you're unsure) and mix around a bit until evenly coated.
Edited to add: I use about a teaspoon of oil or butter for 200g of mushrooms. They lose a LOT of water so you end up with maybe half as much as you start out.
Will think and add more tomorrow.
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alligatorob
Respected Member
Great idea for a thread! I will probably be more a consumer than a contributor here. My cooking skills, particularly for veggies is somewhere between lousy and mediocre. I can think of 2 things I have discovered to make veggies taste better:
- Stop eating junk and high calorie foods. I found that only after my body understood it was done with twinkies and cheese burgers and not to expect more did I began to appreciate vegetables. Even without cheese or lots of fat; my veggies have neither. Not a recipe, but a reality. So if you are still subsisting on high cal food, take heart, if you are like me the low cal veggies will seem more appealing once you get through the withdrawal phase.
- I find steamed broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, bean etc. better with hot sauce, I use either Crystal or Tabasco, Crystal is my favorite. I am originally from Louisiana and used to eating spicy foods, so this may work better for me than others, but give it a try. I think the spiced up veggies are pretty good; my wife thinks they are disgusting. To each their own, I guess.
overlandflyer
Well-known member
i don't make chili rellenos often (they are one of the most labor intensive recipes i know of), but i use a similar method. i put the whole pepper under the broiler for a few minutes... same blackened outside... then i stick them in a paper bag for about 5 minutes. the skins then peel off quite easily and i take it from there. i have also seen this done on a grill. i think this method might be a bit better in that since the inside of the pepper is still sealed up, the internal heat generated helps a bit. of course the slimmer nature of these peppers might make a difference here. ...i'm sure there are a lot of similar methods.
i agree that green bells are the least flavorful... i much prefer red, yellow and orange. when i buy green peppers, i usually go with poblanos or Anaheims.
for mushrooms, i find that covering the skillet they are in sweats out a lot of the moisture. once that is happens, i finish sauteing them uncovered letting the moisture help in steaming them. long ago i remember hearing that mushrooms are like little sponges so i never wash them off, just brush any dirt off them. most often they are grown in fairly "clean" organic soil and a bit of dirt isn't going to kill me.
one of these days i'm going to try a brussel sprout. if anyone has a tip on how to make their aroma more palatable, i'd sure like to hear it. it is that aspect of their preparation i find quite unappetizing.
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Simple bean spread:
- one can pinto or red kidney beans (ours are 285 net weight), drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili spice blend/taco seasoning/whatever seasoning you prefer
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- a flax or chia egg: one tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes to gel up. Will give a richer, more spreadable texture and give you some healthy fats but if you don´t mind a drier mixture you can leave it out or just add some water
- 100 g sweetcorn, from frozen
- a small handful of bell pepper, diced (or a grilled pepper, or even some chopped pickled pepper)
- as many chili flakes as you like - I´m not supposed to have my food too spicy.
Blend or mash your beans, tomato paste, spices, and "egg" until smooth and well-combined, then gently mix in the corn and pepper pieces. Spread on toast or a tortilla and top with baby spinach/lettuce and a quarter avocado (especially if you´re not using flax or chia) or fried mushrooms. I use around a quarter of the mix per tortilla if I´m making wraps.
- one can pinto or red kidney beans (ours are 285 net weight), drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili spice blend/taco seasoning/whatever seasoning you prefer
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- a flax or chia egg: one tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes to gel up. Will give a richer, more spreadable texture and give you some healthy fats but if you don´t mind a drier mixture you can leave it out or just add some water
- 100 g sweetcorn, from frozen
- a small handful of bell pepper, diced (or a grilled pepper, or even some chopped pickled pepper)
- as many chili flakes as you like - I´m not supposed to have my food too spicy.
Blend or mash your beans, tomato paste, spices, and "egg" until smooth and well-combined, then gently mix in the corn and pepper pieces. Spread on toast or a tortilla and top with baby spinach/lettuce and a quarter avocado (especially if you´re not using flax or chia) or fried mushrooms. I use around a quarter of the mix per tortilla if I´m making wraps.
I use frozen sprouts because a) I´m lazy and b) they tend to be all similar sizes, which really helps with even cooking. Can´t say I´m bothered by the scent unless they´ve been overcooked, which can happen quickly if you use different sizes or very big ones in general. This is what I do:
If you use fresh: trim the ends, peel off the outer leaves if they´re loose or dirty, halve them and blanch in salted water for a couple of minutes until they´re just starting to soften. (Five minutes? As I said: I´m lazy and frozen veggies come pre-blanched for my convenience.) If you use frozen: still halve them. Just let them thaw a little before cutting so you don´t stab yourself.
Heat a bit of oil, butter, or bacon in a frying pan (medium-high): I´d say a teaspoon of oil or butter or a tablespoon of bacon bits per portion of 125-150 g of cleaned sprouts. Once your oil/butter is hot or your bacon´s fat is starting to render put your halved sprouts cut side down into the pan and move around a bit so they all get a bit of fat. Fry until just starting to brown (unless you like bitter things, in which case char them to your heart´s content), then mix them around a bit, maybe dust them with a bit of garlic powder (and coarse salt if you´re not using bacon), and eat with whatever you were having. If you´re using bacon bits, frying half a chopped apple along with the sprouts is delicious but I´ve never tried that with just butter or oil.
Oh, I had idiot-proof pea soup for breakfast; might as well add that.
For two (filling) servings:
- 300 g frozen green peas
- 125 g frozen edamame (you can use all green peas but the end result will have less protein and be a bit too sweet for my taste)
- two small-to-medium onions. Or one great big one, I guess, but you don´t get them in the grocery store here.
- Garlic. Lots of, if you´re like me. I like to use half a bulb of roasted but two raw cloves work as well
- 250 ml veg stock
- 150 ml water (or, you know, half a stock cube, crumbled, and 400 ml of water)
- a small handful of fresh mint or basil if you like them, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce, depending on how salty you like things. If you´re not sure add one teaspoon before blending, then taste after blending and see if it needs a bit more pep
- black pepper to taste
- a teaspoon of butter or oil if you like. Will add a little more flavor but really isn´t necessary if you´re topping your soup with something that contains enough fat
Preheat a pan (big enough to hold at least a liter of stuff) to medium heat while you peel and dice your onions and chop or press your garlic. Add the oil, butter, or just two tablespoons of water to your pan, wait a second, then add your chopped onions and garlic. Stir occasionally until your onions go translucent (5-10 minutes, depending on how big and hot your pan is). If they start to stick to the pan add another tablespoon or two of water (regardless of whether you used oil at the start) and they´ll come unstuck. Once the onions are translucent and soft let them sit for another minute of three until they go just a little brown (it´s starting to become a theme here: I think veggies that get too much color are bitter but of course if you like it that way let them go a little darker. Just be careful the garlic doesn´t burn). Immediately add the stock (cube) and the rest of the water and stir until no more onion or garlic is sticking to the bottom. Raise heat to high, add the peas, edamame, and soy sauce, and wait for it to come to a boil. Reduce heat, let simmer for a minute, then take off the heat and blend until as smooth as you like. I use an immersion blender but you do you. Just be careful if you´re blending hot fluids, ok? I like my soups really thick but of course if you prefer it thinner feel free to add 250 ml of water where I add 150. Reheat if necessary, then mix in your chopped spices if you´re using them, add a good crack of black pepper, and eat. If you like a creamier soup you can add a riced/mashed (cooked) potato after blending (blending potatoes makes them gluey and gross). Or a dollop of sour cream. This soup is lovely with roasted chick peas, a little bit of smoked salmon, or cottage cheese. Or a slice of toast rubbed with garlic butter.
For two (filling) servings:
- 300 g frozen green peas
- 125 g frozen edamame (you can use all green peas but the end result will have less protein and be a bit too sweet for my taste)
- two small-to-medium onions. Or one great big one, I guess, but you don´t get them in the grocery store here.
- Garlic. Lots of, if you´re like me. I like to use half a bulb of roasted but two raw cloves work as well
- 250 ml veg stock
- 150 ml water (or, you know, half a stock cube, crumbled, and 400 ml of water)
- a small handful of fresh mint or basil if you like them, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce, depending on how salty you like things. If you´re not sure add one teaspoon before blending, then taste after blending and see if it needs a bit more pep
- black pepper to taste
- a teaspoon of butter or oil if you like. Will add a little more flavor but really isn´t necessary if you´re topping your soup with something that contains enough fat
Preheat a pan (big enough to hold at least a liter of stuff) to medium heat while you peel and dice your onions and chop or press your garlic. Add the oil, butter, or just two tablespoons of water to your pan, wait a second, then add your chopped onions and garlic. Stir occasionally until your onions go translucent (5-10 minutes, depending on how big and hot your pan is). If they start to stick to the pan add another tablespoon or two of water (regardless of whether you used oil at the start) and they´ll come unstuck. Once the onions are translucent and soft let them sit for another minute of three until they go just a little brown (it´s starting to become a theme here: I think veggies that get too much color are bitter but of course if you like it that way let them go a little darker. Just be careful the garlic doesn´t burn). Immediately add the stock (cube) and the rest of the water and stir until no more onion or garlic is sticking to the bottom. Raise heat to high, add the peas, edamame, and soy sauce, and wait for it to come to a boil. Reduce heat, let simmer for a minute, then take off the heat and blend until as smooth as you like. I use an immersion blender but you do you. Just be careful if you´re blending hot fluids, ok? I like my soups really thick but of course if you prefer it thinner feel free to add 250 ml of water where I add 150. Reheat if necessary, then mix in your chopped spices if you´re using them, add a good crack of black pepper, and eat. If you like a creamier soup you can add a riced/mashed (cooked) potato after blending (blending potatoes makes them gluey and gross). Or a dollop of sour cream. This soup is lovely with roasted chick peas, a little bit of smoked salmon, or cottage cheese. Or a slice of toast rubbed with garlic butter.
Cate
Long term member
Simple ways to make veggies taste more interesting-
Bake them. Put baking paper on a baking tray, lightly oiled & add veggies cut into sizes that would have them cooking at roughly the same time. This can include potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, onion, whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, red beet, eggplant....whatever you think you may like. Sprinkle with some salt & pepper & add some fresh herbs if you have them. I like adding Rosemary.
Pre-heat oven to 425oF (220oC)
Place the tray in oven & cook for about 30 mins. Check veg to see if tender.
You learn cooking times as you go & also how small to cut some things up. It's trial & error. I figure that I can eat most veggies raw, so it doesn't matter if sometimes they are crunchy. Baked veggies are my favourite.
Sauté with Herbs. To infuse your vegetables with flavour and mouth-watering aromas, sauté them in a little olive oil, garlic and herbs of your choice (basil, oregano, thyme, etc). Fresh is always best I think, but dried in moderation is ok.
Healthy Dipping! Dip your raw vegetables (such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower) into a nutrient-rich, high-protein dip like hummus, which itself can be eaten as a side dish or with whole grains.
Mix with Fruit. A great way to combine both fruit and vegetables is in a salad. A tasty way to do this is to start off with spinach & some lettuce, add halved cherries, sliced strawberries and walnuts and toss in an orange-based vinaigrette. Add some mint too. Walnuts are delicious in a salad.
Grill them. Grill some zucchini long enough for them to become softer and have grill lines on them (but make sure not to burn them!). Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Grilled mushrooms & eggplant are also delicious I think.
A Tangy Surprise! Add a squeeze of lemon juice after you steam your vegetables. It can add a nice surprise to spinach or broccoli. We use bamboo steamers on top of an old wok.
Bake them. Put baking paper on a baking tray, lightly oiled & add veggies cut into sizes that would have them cooking at roughly the same time. This can include potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, onion, whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, red beet, eggplant....whatever you think you may like. Sprinkle with some salt & pepper & add some fresh herbs if you have them. I like adding Rosemary.
Pre-heat oven to 425oF (220oC)
Place the tray in oven & cook for about 30 mins. Check veg to see if tender.
You learn cooking times as you go & also how small to cut some things up. It's trial & error. I figure that I can eat most veggies raw, so it doesn't matter if sometimes they are crunchy. Baked veggies are my favourite.
Sauté with Herbs. To infuse your vegetables with flavour and mouth-watering aromas, sauté them in a little olive oil, garlic and herbs of your choice (basil, oregano, thyme, etc). Fresh is always best I think, but dried in moderation is ok.
Healthy Dipping! Dip your raw vegetables (such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower) into a nutrient-rich, high-protein dip like hummus, which itself can be eaten as a side dish or with whole grains.
Mix with Fruit. A great way to combine both fruit and vegetables is in a salad. A tasty way to do this is to start off with spinach & some lettuce, add halved cherries, sliced strawberries and walnuts and toss in an orange-based vinaigrette. Add some mint too. Walnuts are delicious in a salad.
Grill them. Grill some zucchini long enough for them to become softer and have grill lines on them (but make sure not to burn them!). Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Grilled mushrooms & eggplant are also delicious I think.
A Tangy Surprise! Add a squeeze of lemon juice after you steam your vegetables. It can add a nice surprise to spinach or broccoli. We use bamboo steamers on top of an old wok.
All of that sounds delicious! I just baked an eggplant and thought I´d share that as well, mostly because I always thought I hated eggplant and only recently found a way to make them delicious:
Wash a largish eggplant and cut into relatively even chunks. If you have texture issues around food you may want to peel the eggplant before cutting because the peel does stay tougher than the rest. Mix the chunks with around 2 teaspoons of salt and put them into a salad spinner if you have one (of you don´t just use a colander but a salad spinner will make the next step easier). Let sit and sweat on the counter for half an hour, maybe toss once after 15 minutes to make sure every piece is sweating and while you´re at it turn on your oven to 200 degrees celsius, convection heat, or if your oven doesn´t have a fan make it 220. Modern eggplant varieties aren´t particularly bitter so you could skip the salting/sweating but you´d need more oil. Which I want to avoid.
After half an hour rinse the eggplant pieces to remove excess salt and spin thoroughly to dry, then put them on a clean dish towel to pat them even drier. Your cubes should now be a little shrunken and sad-looking. Pour a teaspoon of oil into a bowl large enough to very easily hold those cubes and add a teaspoon of whatever seasoning you like. I used taco seasoning today, forgetting that it contains salt, so I now have slightly oversalted eggplant. Which is still delicious (who doesn´t love salt?) but not quite as healthy. Mix the oil with the spices, then quickly mix in your eggplant pieces until every piece is coated. Don´t let them lie in the bowl for 5 minutes before you start mixing or the lower pieces will have soaked up all the oil. Pour your eggplant chunks onto a wire rack if you can, or onto a pan if you must, spreading them out as much as possible. A wire rack gets you more crispiness but that doesn´t matter if the pieces fall through. Stick into the oven for around 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your chunks) or until well-browned. If you´re not using a wire rack you´ll have to turn the pieces halfway through or so.
Wash a largish eggplant and cut into relatively even chunks. If you have texture issues around food you may want to peel the eggplant before cutting because the peel does stay tougher than the rest. Mix the chunks with around 2 teaspoons of salt and put them into a salad spinner if you have one (of you don´t just use a colander but a salad spinner will make the next step easier). Let sit and sweat on the counter for half an hour, maybe toss once after 15 minutes to make sure every piece is sweating and while you´re at it turn on your oven to 200 degrees celsius, convection heat, or if your oven doesn´t have a fan make it 220. Modern eggplant varieties aren´t particularly bitter so you could skip the salting/sweating but you´d need more oil. Which I want to avoid.
After half an hour rinse the eggplant pieces to remove excess salt and spin thoroughly to dry, then put them on a clean dish towel to pat them even drier. Your cubes should now be a little shrunken and sad-looking. Pour a teaspoon of oil into a bowl large enough to very easily hold those cubes and add a teaspoon of whatever seasoning you like. I used taco seasoning today, forgetting that it contains salt, so I now have slightly oversalted eggplant. Which is still delicious (who doesn´t love salt?) but not quite as healthy. Mix the oil with the spices, then quickly mix in your eggplant pieces until every piece is coated. Don´t let them lie in the bowl for 5 minutes before you start mixing or the lower pieces will have soaked up all the oil. Pour your eggplant chunks onto a wire rack if you can, or onto a pan if you must, spreading them out as much as possible. A wire rack gets you more crispiness but that doesn´t matter if the pieces fall through. Stick into the oven for around 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your chunks) or until well-browned. If you´re not using a wire rack you´ll have to turn the pieces halfway through or so.