Cooking Your Veggies

In three easy steps, Harvest Home can help you make your veggies taste amazing, plain, or fancy whichever you feel like it.

First: Cooking: Stream, sauté (stir-fry) or pan-roast them or toss them into soups, stews, or salads. Do not boil your veggies. Boiling lowers taste and nutrition.

Second: Combine veggies for more nutrition and taste  

Third: Add a sprinkle of herbs, a bit of spices or even some nuts

Cooking:

  • Streaming: Either in a large pot with a streamer and a lid or a microwave, add ½ cup water for microwaving, cut veggies into bite size pieces, put in a microwavable dish, cover with plastic wrap, don’t let it touch the food, leaving a small corner open to let air out. Cook for 3 to minutes depending on the veggie.  (See chart for timing below)

  • Sauté or Stir fry:  Cut veggies into small pieces, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add harder veggies first and then softer ones.  Cook 4-5 minutes or until they are as soft as you like.

  • Pan-Roasted: Heat the oven to 400°. Cut veggies into bite size pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the veggies and mix with your hands. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the veggies and tenderness preference.

Veggie Combos:  Combine any 2 or 3 veggies of your choice.  Eating veggies together can increase their nutrition. Start with the longest cooking time (hardest veggie) and add the softer ones later.  Try Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrots or yellow squash and onions. For cold dishes, mix in some fruit like oranges with beets and red onion or spinach leaves with avocado.  And don’t forget the tomatoes. The flavors dance together, and the nutrition is increased.

More Flavor? Better taste for single veggies.  Add a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with herbs green beans with tarragon, Carrots with dill or Broccoli with lemon juice.  (See below)

Plain or Fancy

RECIPE: Veggie combos

Cooking and eating vegetables together increases their nutrition, but it’s the taste that you will enjoy the most.

Try these combos or create your own

  • Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and onions

  • Yellow Squash and onions

  • Carrots and sweet potatoes

  • Cabbage and Collard Greens

  • Beets, oranges and red onion

  • Spinach and avocado

RECIPE:  Beets and Cabbage Salad

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 medium beets

  • ¼ pound (1 cup grated) green cabbage

  • 2 Tablespoons vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • ½ teaspoon honey

To MAKE:

  • Peel and grate the beets

  • Wash and grate the green cabbage

  • Combine in a large bowl

  • In a small bowl combine vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper

  • Mix dressing with beets and cabbage

TIPS AND TRICKS

Timing for Microwaving fresh veggies.

For softer veggies microwave a little longer (1 minute)

  • Peas (1cup) = 2 minutes

  • Spinach = 1-2 minutes

  • Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus = 3 minutes

  • Carrots, Green beans, Parsnips = 3-4 minutes

  • Potatoes, turnips = 5 minutes 

Herbs for more flavor:  Add a sprinkling with a bit of olive oil to single veggies.

  • Carrots with dill or cumin

  • Peas with thyme

  • Beets with cinnamon

  • Broccoli with Lemon juice, basil or oregano

  • Orange Squash with thyme, rosemary or basil

  • Brussel sprouts: Best pan-roasted with almonds

NOTE: A tablespoon of fresh herbs = a teaspoon of dried herbs.

_____________________

Video of the Week:

7 Ways to Make Vegetables Tastier