 On the first day of 2011, our Facebook and Twitter feeds were glutted with friends' New Year's pledges to graze through hectares of leafy greens, ferry home wheelbarrows of winter roots and bunk down with Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Celebrity chef and Meatless Monday booster Mario Batali publicly resolved to make and eat dinner with his kids, and "master more vegetarian dishes, like simple bruschetta, that are fun to cook as a team." By January 3rd, the Wall Street Journal aided George Ball, chairman of the W. Atlee Burpee Co. in dubbing it yea and verily to be the Year of the Vegetable. Yet within days of the work week commencing (or the Champagne finally wearing off) that fervor wilted, giving way to an apologetic trickle of, "Yeah...I give up. Vegetables are too much work." "Too...cold...for...farmers...market..." "zOMG the organic stuff is sooooo expensive!" and "#resolutionfail Back to Lean Cuisine. I don't know what to DO with vegetables." That's not good enough. Vegetables aren't just rich in the vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy carbohydrates it takes to build and maintain healthy bodies. They're often wallet-friendly, fat-free and most importantly to us (we're a food site, not a health site - though we know a really great one) they're packed with incredible flavor and can be prepared in endless ways. We'll share a few of our favorite ways to cook vegetables that are in season right now, but first, a few tips: Suggested Seasoning Food Police? Puh-leez Michael Pollan is not going to come into your kitchen and smack the hothouse cucumber out of your hand and Alice Waters (probably) won't rappel into your dining room and mace you for serving non-organic melon. So long as you're trying to incorporate as many simply-prepared vegetables as feasible into your diet, you're ahead of the game. Fresh Is Best, But... The world will not end if you have some frozen kale at at the ready (Whole Foods just announced a new line of flash-frozen veggies today as a part of their Health Starts Here program), nab a bagged salad on your way home (just wash it thoroughly) or pick up a pack of pre-chopped cauliflower. It doesn't mean you're lazy, an insufficient parent or, heaven forfend, a "bad foodie." Someday, we'll all have that heirloom, from-seed, pesticide-free, Martha-esque garden just steps from the back door and oodles of hours to while away in veggie prep. Until then - just do the best you can. Winter vegetables in current rotation chez Eatocracy: Kale chips - Pre-heat oven to 350°F, strip leaves from the center stalk, spray or brush with cooking oil (we dig olive oil, but use what you've got), sprinkle with kosher salt and spread in single layers on baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy but not burnt. Eat 'em like potato chips. This method also works well with spinach or chard leaves, and benefits beautifully from a sprinkling of sesame seeds or a spritz of soy sauce or tamari. Cauliflower florets - Pre-heat oven to 400°F, trim florets from the center stem, spray or brush with oil, place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a mixture of equal parts cumin, paprika, curry powder and salt - or your favorite spices. Bake for 5 minutes, flip florets with a spatula and bake for another 5 minutes or until tender and very lightly browned. Serve immediately as a side or a snack. Winter squash - We've got you covered with Chef Tony Conte's 5@5 on squash cooking tips and our primer on roasting butternut squash, but the cucurbit that's currently rocking our socks is acorn. Pre-heat oven to 400°F, slice acorn squash in half vertically and scoop out the seeds. Score the insides of the squash a few times on each side and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle some brown sugar and a pinch of salt on the cut sides, along with a drizzle of maple syrup if you'd like it a bit sweeter. Place the halves, cut side up in a baking dish with 1/4 cup of water at the bottom of it. Bake for 1 hour, then check for tenderness; the flesh should be quite soft and the tops browned. Check again at 10 minute intervals until they reach desired doneness. Let the halves cool slightly and serve as-is, cut-side up, with a fork to scoop out the deliciousness. Want to stick to the savory side? Nix the brown sugar and syrup and go with butter, grated parmesan and a bit of nutmeg. Cumin and coriander also play well with most squashes' nutty sweetness. Roasted root vegetables - Pre-heat oven to 400°F, then peel and cut your favorite root vegetables - this works well with carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, onions and celery root - into roughly 1-inch pieces and place them in baking dishes. In a bowl, whisk together equal parts olive oil and beer or apple cider and brush this over the vegetable pieces. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place baking dishes on separate racks in the oven for 30 minutes. Stir the contents of the dishes, swap racks and check after another 30 minutes. Vegetables should be tender and browned. Stir as needed and check at 15 minute intervals for doneness. Scoop into a bowl and serve hot. Sweet potato mash (a.k.a. the deeply delicious dish that began a romance) - Pre-heat oven to 425°F, pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork and bake until tender and can easily be pierced with a knife. Depending upon your feelings on potato skin, either scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, or cut the potatoes into chunks and place those in a large bowl. With a masher or a large fork, work in butter (we dig yogurt butter), a pinch of salt, a few splashes of orange juice and a few drizzles of maple syrup to taste. Sprinkle in some smoked paprika if you're feeling wacky and mash to desired consistency. Fall in love as desired. Brussels sprouts - These are fabulous sauteed with stock, wine and shallots, blanched by boiling for a minute or two, then shocked in a bowl of ice water, served in raw ribbons with a vinaigrette dressing and countless other ways. Our go-to method, though, is to pre-heat the oven to 350°F, slice off the stem, cut them in half, place halves on a baking sheet, then brush or spray them with oil and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt. Then they go into the center of the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until tender, but not browned. Then boom – on goes broiler, the pan goes on the top rack and those babies sizzle until the tops are browned. Keep a close eye so they don't burn up - it'll only take a minute or two. Remove from heat and gorge. Note: the roast-then-broil method also works well for broccoli and cauliflower - just keep an extra-close eye during the second phase so the florets don't crisp away to nothing. Collard greens - We could write an entire treatise on these (many have) and you owe it to yourself to nab a copy of The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, which houses our favorite method ever. Until your copy arrives, grab a smoked ham hock or about 4 oz of your favorite smoked bacon (we like hog jowl) and place that at the bottom of a heavy, lidded pot with a tablespoon of oil. Place over medium heat until some fat is rendered off. CAREFULLY add 8 cups of water (it will pop, so stand back), a tablespoon of kosher salt and a tablespoon of red pepper flakes if you like heat (less if you don't.) Bring that to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. In the meantime, thoroughly wash the collard leaves (or dandelion, turnip or beet greens), strip out the hard spines and stack the leaves together. Tear them into pieces, or roll up and cut into 1-inch ribbons. When the water is ready, add the greens a handful at a time, stirring until they have wilted in, and add the next handful. Once they're all in, cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for one hour. Once they're ready, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and serve with a bowl of vinegar into which a few red pepper flakes have been added. And don't you dare discard the cooking liquid; the nutrient-rich broth is called "potlikker" and it's an excellent base for soup and simply dynamite with cornbread. Veg Out Do the best you can with the time and cash you have, and it will get easier. And hey - if you want help, we're here. Post your veggie queries or favorite winter produce tips and recipes in the comments below, and we'll do our darndest to get you through 'til springtime. |
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Radishes are cheap and taste like mild turnips when roasted. Easy to grow as well!
seriously some of you people are crazy with this vegetable diet GET A GRIP. By the way i am size 2 and 5'7 and i hardly ever eat vegetables and i am perfectly healthy.
What's your number, sugar?
I love just about any veggie roasted, especially brussel sprouts. I toss them with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper, and throw in some whole cloves of garlic (peeled). After they're done roasting, I sprinkle a bit of balsamic vinegar over the whole thing. It compliments the nutty sweetness of the roasted sprouts quite nicely.
Vegetables (and fruits and whole grains and seeds/nuts) rock! Want proof? Original, creative recipes and beautiful photography through the link below to my partner's food blog.
http://soundlyvegan.com/
Vegetables are so flavorful sauteed with simple olive oil, salt and lemon juice. I like to steam brussel sprouts, then pan sear with olive oil, garlic and salt. Squeeze some lemon juice and yummm. Divine.
http://www.travelbyfork.com
My favorite way to eat collard greens is sauteed in olive oil with fresh garlic and sea salt, then when they are tender add a sauce of 2 Tbsp ground whole grain mustard, 2 Tbsp cider vinegar, 1+ tsp sugar, salt & pepper...cook just long enough to cook off the vinegar. I'll add steak strips, chicken, pork, bacon (whatever I have around) and make it a meal. I could eat this every day.
I like my brussel sprouts w a little butter salt garlic n paprika greens as cnn listed n salad salad salad romaine tomatoe cucumbers mmmm
I can't get enough veggies (yes, brussels sprouts are one of my favs!). A great web site for fellow veggie (and fruit) lovers is http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org. They've got nutrition info on every fruit or veggie I can think of and some I had never heard of along with some tasty recipes.
No, but I've seen it, doesn't look too good. I think I prefer to just go with veggies on meals where I omit the meat...eggplant parm, french onion soup, the possibilities are endless so no need to substitute meat when I still eat it for other days/meals.
Thank you! You inspired me to continue my resolution and for meatless Monday, I stopped and picked up some fresh brussels on the way home...roasted with fennel, onion, evoo, and some fingerling potatoes and they were heaven!! Made the whole house smell great too! Yummmmy
Have you tried any of the Morningstar meatless products?
Glad to see bussels sprouts getting the raves they deserve. but nothing can beat just simmering for a few minutes and slathering with butter. yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The picture of parsnips is making me crave some! Never tried them till a couple years ago, and now my husband & I love them. I'm going to try growing some this year. Sliced & steamed with just a little butter and a tiny bit of ginger, yum.
Being a vegan, I eat tons of vegetables. I try to eat as much local. organic, and 'in season' as possible. It's harder in the winter, but root vegetables stored in the basement, grains, nuts, seeds, and beans have to be some of my favorite foods. I LOVE squash, potatoes (any color), carrots, rutabagas, parnsips, onions, etc. And I freeze some vegetables like corn and peppers. It's also simple to can things like asparagus, beans, beets, and tomatoes.
Eating the way I do isn't hard, so it's shocking to see how few people incorporate vegetables into their diet. Especially since you can get any of the vegetables I listed at the supermarket despite the time of year. And how could people Not gorge themselves on fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer?!
And just by grazing some of the comments, I noticed that someone questioned the nutritional value of vegetables after they've been cooked. For a healthy diet most nutritionalists recommend that 49% of you diet be cooked, and 51% be raw. Without putting all the details here it has to do with the way your body handles it. However, a vegetables nutritional value can actually increase when it's cooked, like tomatoes. There are also vegetables that wouldn't be edible if they weren't cooked. It's easy enough to munch on a carrot or even sweet potato that's raw, but nearly impossible to do with a white potato. Plus all the starch wouldn't be good for you.
Gotta wonder: WHY ruin something that's otherwise very healthful with sugar, butter, syrup, etc?
Hello Hannah. While I generally agree with you I think the idea was to try and coax folks to eat veggies who otherwise are not eating them without the sugar, butter, syrup, etc.
Sugar, butter and syrup aren't bad for you. TOO MUCH sugar, butter and syrup are. Just be discreet with use and make them an accent rather than the basis of the dish.
All of these recipes sound great, but I don't understand multiple pans are needed for the Roasted Root Vegetables. Why can't you put all the veggies in one big pan?
You can! However the tastes wood interact,and you'd lose the satisfaction of knowing what each one tastes like! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Oh – just wanted to provide a solution if you end up with too many vegetables for one pan. Crowding doesn't allow for the best roast and I inevitably use more than one.
Great article with great ideas. This is also a great time of year to start planning for spring and summer. I always start saving a few extra dollars each week in the winter so when the time comes I can stock my freezer with locally grown, organic, seasonal fruits and veggies. When the time comes choose a few Sat or Sun mornings to go to local farmers markets and stock up! Then make the afternoon a friends and/or family affair to wash, cut, prepare, bag and freeze your healthy bargains (add wine, music and samplings and it's a party)! Frozen veggies are great for soups, stews, stir-fry, etc and frozen fruits and berries make great desserts, smoothies, etc. I still buy in-season fresh fruit and veggies year-round but this method guarantees that you have a great selection of healthy produce all year long without killing your budget or limiting you too much.
If you have the space and can find a good deal it's great to get a second freezer just for this purpose. Some you can find for under $200, fit in a closet and use very little energy. A vacuum saver can also be a great purchase to prevent freezer burn.
Two years ago I challenged myself to this task. I spent $50 per month April – Sept ($300 total) buying what was in-season in bulk and getting great deals. For example: Blueberries u-pick in season $2 a bushel (more than a gallon), blueberries in Feb $2.99 an oz (a handfull). Bell peppers in season 5 for $1, out-of season (trucked and sometimes flown from a foreign country $2-3 each).
My family and house guests now get 8-10 servings of wholesome fruits a veggies a day, a variety/choice of over 40 options a day and I have saved over $1000 a year from off-season grocery store prices.
Next winter you can serve your guests a breakfast of waffles with peaches and berries, a lunch of homemade lentil or bean and veggie soup and an extravagant veggie stir-fry dinner or roast with veggies and they'll think you've gotten a huge raise... only you'll know that you have hundreds of extra dollars in your pocket and no room for TV dinners in your freezer.
Those are some good looking parsnips in the picture. They're good mashed up in some mashed potatoes.
Yummiest ways to eat your veggies?
Wrap them in bacon!
Seriously, my girlfriend makes an incredible dish consisting of Brussels sprouts, pancetta and honey. I personally like Brussels sprouts, but with the pancetta and honey, there's not a person on this earth who could deny eating them.
I love that all of the different cultivars of Brassica oleracea (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens and kohlrabi) are like nutritional superfoods. And it's great that they are all delicious.
'cept the vegetarians & Jews. ;) :)
mmmm...bacon...
Beets! Beets! Beets! My new obsession. They have come in my CSA vegetable basket the last few weeks and I have found a half dozen different ways of making them so far. My favorite were the beet-parsnip latkes. It was like Hannukah all over again, just sweeter.
I'd love to hear some good beet recipes. I've always stayed away from them, because I'm not one for sweet food.
I just eat them fresh and raw. But washed, of course. Cooking most vegies, no matter how, kills the nutrients and defeats the primary purpose of eating vegies. If you're cooking the hell out of vegetables you're just kidding yourself. Might as well grab a Big Mac.
So, what you are telling me is that I might as well give my 16-month old a Big Mac because cooking those veggies so that they are not a choking hazard is equivalent? Please, get off your high horse.
Keep in mind that Timetraveler is the same person who claimed that the 1 billion+ people in India aren't vegetarian because his/her local "Indian" restaurant serves beef korma.
If avoiding choking hazards is your main objective, just about anything other than a Happy Meal will do, provided it is sufficiently pureed, ground, boiled and/or liquified. But avoiding choking has very little correlation with eating nutritionally healthy. Fact is, Americans have come to believe that as long as they get something that was once upon a time a vegetable into their system, they're eating vegetables. This pretty much explains the 60+% obesity rate in America, by far the highest in the world.
Ugghhhh... do you just strive to embody reactionary gut-reaction instead of knowledgable understanding? Just because a vegetable is cooked does not mean that it destroys all nutritional value. Yes, a completely raw vegetable DOES provide more nutrients as various vitamins (notably vitamin C) degrade at higher temperatures.
The enzymes claim of raw proponents, however, has yet to be verified. "Enzymes" absolutely degrade upon being cooked, but enzymes are just proteins which are immediately digested upon reaching the acidic environment of the summer. So reason says that whether the enzyme degrades by cooking, or degrades by meeting the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, it doesn't really make a difference.
Until peer-reviewed medical research shows differently, a raw diet can not be called any more nutritious than a cooked diet.
You're reasoning reminds me of an old room mate. Her cats got fleas and she refused to use flea collars or flea drops. Why? Because when she tried it, the fleas didn't go away.
The fleas might not have disappeared immediately, but that does not mean that the flea treatments were not helping the problem. Just as you think that because there's a possibility that cooking food diminishes the nutritional value, it MUST mean that it COMPLETELY DESTROYS the nutritional value of those foods.
Stop reading the latest crap fed to you from diet magazines and get a degree in biological sciences.Food and nutrition is a biological science, and if you don't have a degree in that science, you are not qualified to make claims about it.
@timetraveler: Actually avoiding choking has much to do with nurition. Just because everyone does not eat raw as you claim to (which I find it hard to believe that every vegetable that you ever eat is raw) does not mean that others cannot eat healthfully. You seem like a very angry personAnd, I would argue that people are not obese because they actually COOK their vegetables.
@timetraveler: also, looking through your posts on this topic, your basic argument amounts to eating anything soft even if it is cake, marshmallows, whatever is just as nutritionally equivalent as a cooked vegetable? Please show me what science that is grounded in.
Ah...I get it... You're just a big button pusher!
You're an idiot. What time did you travel to? Stupid time?
Actually, cooking certain vegetables increases their beta-carotene, lycopene, and anti-oxidant content. This doesn't apply to all vegetables, though.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-healthier
Cooking certain veggies lightly increases their bioavailability of some vitamins, such as with carrots. Carrots are also hard to digest raw because they are very hard.
This is a really really good article. The only thing that I take issue with is the buying pre-cut vegetables. The premium you pay on buying pre-cut fresh vegetables is not worth your money (note that this does not apply to frozen vegs). Prepping any amount of a vegetable to feed a family of 4-6 shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes. Plus, with cauliflower and broccoli, the stem is just as delicious as the florets.
Shred broccoli stem while it's raw and add it to a salad. You can also cube it/rough chop it/ julienne it and add it to a stir fry. Or do as I do, and just chomp on the stem while you are cooking to pass the time. It's the delicious and it pains me to watch people throw it out.
Note: Because I know people are anti-vegetarian, I am a red-meat eater. But vegetables are just as delicious.
It's good to know that I'm not the only who likes to munch on broccoli stems! And timetraveller definitely showed his ignorance concerning vegetables, the Indian culture, and overall people. You may be 20 something and live in Philly, but it doesn't matter how many years you've been alive or how many cities you've been to. What matters is what you've taken from your experiences... what you've learned and the people you've connected with. You've got a lot of years before you get to be as old as he is now. I'm sure you'll be a whole lot less cranky and much more intelligent.
Oh, and I'm not anti-vegetarian :) Go Veg!
If you seriously want to learn how to prepare and eat veges on a regular basis, check out how we Indians do it, we have been doing it for thousands of years being totally vegetarian and all. Some of the easiest ways are – 1)to roast them on mediaum heat in a shallow pan sprinkeld with some olive oil and seasonings of you choice, 2) make a spicy vege stew, 3) toss them up with rice or pasta 4) grate/boil-mash/mix with flour/roll out to make stuffed tortillas on a flat pan 5) core and stuff with boiled rice/pasta and bake. I could go on.. but it would be easier to check out complete recipes on some cooking sites. Keep in mind that you do not need to have the exact spices or combinations mentioned there, improvise to suit you taste buds and make do with what is already in yr pantry. it will be tough to start with as you have to train your taste buds anew, but think about all the benefits to your health and to hunality in general and of course Mother Earth
"being totally vegetarian and all." Please. Give me a break. Tandoori Chicken? Chicken Korma? Lamb Curry? Last time I checked, chicken and beef were not categorized as vegetables. Nice fantasy though.
@Timetraveler: Don't be such an ignorant American. Meat is a very infrequent item in Indian diets. Every dish you just listed is a westernized version (mainly English-modified version of traditional Indian cuisine) of those dishes. The overwhelmingly main source of animal protein in India is from cows milk.
Your local Indian take-out restaurant is as authentic Indian as your local Chinese take-out restaurant is authentic Chinese.
You can tell this because you referred to "lamb curry" as a dish. Curry is a generic word for sauce. Korma is a type of curry, Vindaloo is a type of curry, saag is a spinach based curry. Curry is NOT a spice. There are hundreds of diffeernt curries, and your local Indian restaurant calls their dish "Lamb Curry" because they don't want to confuse the average ignorant American.
Yikes, you may be a time traveler, but you're definitely not a world traveler! The dishes you mention are from a small region of India, and they are far from the staple dishes in that region. No surprise they're the ones popularized and emphasized in the States, but the vast majority of Indians just don't eat those dishes. India is incredibly vegetarian, to the point where you have to seek a "non-veg" restaurant if you want to satiate your carnivorous cravings.
@Fremry: You presume a great deal. First of all, I'm not an American. How ignorant do you feel now? Second, the work "curry" (kari (கறி ), translates to vegetables AND meats cooked with spices with or without a gravy. Indians DO eat meat. To claim "us Indians [...] being vegetarian and all..." is simply and absolutely disingenuous. One is either a vegetarian (NO meat in diet whatsoever) or NOT a vegetarian. There is no "kinda" vegetarian. Go learn something before spewing nonsense that betrays YOUR ignorance.
@timetraveler: you may not be American but it's fairly evident that you ARE ignorant
I assume you were American as Eatocracy is on CNN's US website. It is not on their International, Mexican or Arabic website. So American or not, you're actively posting on CNN's United States website.
That being said, when a country and the traditional cuisine of that country does not include meat, I could care less about the minority who do. The reality of the situation is that Indians have not had the affluence to eat meat in any consistency for thousands of years, so when you talk about finding expertise on creating vegetarian dishes, India is ABSOLUTELY the culture to go to.
I also like that you quoted Wikipedia as your definition for curry. You said it came from the word Kari, meaning a dish made with vegetables/meat with spices with or without gravy. You neglected to quote the real definition in the same wikipedia article which is:
"Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of spiced dishes, especially from Indian or other South Asian cuisines. It is analogous to 'soup' or 'stew' in that there is no particular ingredient that makes something 'curry'."
"Curry" is derived from the word you defined, but Kari and Curry are two different things, as Curry is not the English term for Kari. It is the English translation of what is a concept in Indian cusine, namely a spiced sauce.
Yeah, this. Indian cuisine is the only diet that could seriously get me to go vegetarian. Dozens of different beans, many different kinds of rice, leafy greens, root vegetables, artistic use of herbs and spices, peppers you've never heard of, mango varieties that you never knew existed, and a type of cottage cheese (paneer) that you can make on your stovetop with milk and lemon juice.
India has such diverse growing climates that you can literally find an incredible Indian recipe for any vegetable on this earth.
Oh yeah, and let's not forget Beef Vindaloo: that old favorite "vegetarian" delight. LOL!! Why do Indians believe they're vegetarians?
You are a complete moron. If you took the time to educate yourself you would know that most of India is vegetarian, that lamb does not equal beef, and that just about every dish you listed is "American" Indian food Please do not pretend to be something that you are not.
@Timetraveler: Are you really that dense? Are you really so ignorant as to not be able to tell the difference between an "Indian Restaurant" selling food to you in the US and authentic Indian cuisine.
I've been living in Philadelphia for 7 years now, and eat Indian cuisine probably every two weeks. There's only one "Indian" restaurant I've ever visited that sells beef and it's owned by a white guy. I don't know what crazy town you live in, but Beef Vindaloo is not Indian. I can't imagine that what sheltered town you live in that you think that the local Indian take-out restaurant is authentic Indian cuisine. Actually take the time to read and immerse yourself in Indian cuisine to understand how ridiculous you sound.
To note: I'm a 20 something white suburban kid, who moved into Philadelphia who has never been to India. If I can understand Indian cuisine, anyone can. Take the time to actually, you know, go to an Indian market or community, meet some people and talk to them about the incredible culture that they bring to this country. Food bridges all cultural divides. Food brings us together in a way that nothing else can. When you eat another culture's authentic cuisine, you get a glimpse into the window of who they are.
Walk a mile in another man's shoes? Nah. Eat a meal at their table, instead.
@Fremry: You had me laughing hysterically. It took me a while to regain my balance. You're a 20 something suburban white punk whose claim to being worldly is having lived in Philly for 7 years? LOL!!! And you presume to lecture me on world cuisine with your cheap, juvenile "food bridges all cultural divides" cliche, thinking you've discovered something? I was living in Philly when you were crapping your diapers in whatever backwater _shithole_ hick town you moved out of. I've LIVED in more cities than you've read about. I've traveled to more cities than you'll ever hope to see. And for your information, I now live in Chicago, a premiere, world-class restaurant city, at least as diverse as NYC, London or Paris with respect to anything related to fine cuisine.
You stupid hick punk who have just discovered something other than Burger King to suck in, thinking you've come up with the solution to all of the world's ills, if only people would take the time to eat at one another's tables, then all will be right with the world. LOL!!! How original. Yeah, you're the first to think of that. You are a first rate moron! Go travel and live in a dozen countries east of Budapest, then come talk to me about your stupid "world" philosophies. What an idiot!
Ever heard of a sacred cow?!
And you resort to nothing but ad hominem attacks, not taking the time to actually address any of the claims I've made, but rather taking the lowest common denominator by attacking the few personal details I've given and making the dubious claim that, by physically existing longer than I, you must absolutely have the superior argument.
I've been working in software development for 6 years, and you remind me of all of my crotchety old coworkers who can't relate to the Indian coworkers we have.
Call it a cliche as much as you want, but when I went out on a limb and sat at the family dinner table of my Indian coworkers (multiple Indian coworkers brought their families to this dinner), we bridged a cultural gap by sharing a meal that has only brought our team closer and in better communication.
You remind me of the 60 year old manager who refused to come.
@Fremry: It has little to do with "physically existing". It has to do with experiencing, learning and knowing. You simply have far less of it than I do, in every respect, including software development (and I wager credentials thereof).
Let's not forget that you were the one who started with the blind presumption of someone you don't know living in a "crazy town" and being "sheltered". Given that, I had to communicate in a language you might understand. Knowing a few Indians in Philly and having Indian food doesn't give you license to berate people. This behavior only shows your limited perspective and knowledge. Frankly, you sound like a jackass when you think you're onto some little-known gem just because you've had different smelling food with someone who looks and talks different. You've got a lot to learn. And you'll never learn it in Philly, no matter how many Indians you have lunch with toward "multicultural understanding". If you're serious about learning something, live in a few countries on the other side of the pond. Going to the Indian market in Philly isn't exactly the same.
Gita,
Those are all great suggestions. We are a vegetarian family in the UK and I'd say about half our food has an Indian influence. Everything tastes so good and even vegetables many people consider bland are tasty and jazzed up with a little Indian influence in one's cooking.
Grill the things with a olive oil and some seasoning. The best, and experiment with different veggies. Organic is good but don't go nuts about it and just enjoy eating.
AS LONG AS THE VEGETABLES ARE DEEP FRIED, I'LL EAT THEM!
feed veggie to goat eat goat!
do you know that for each one pound of goat you eat, it has to be fed 20 pounds of veges. even if you were to reduce your meat input by a couple pounds a week, u save enough food for 20-40 people on the other side of the planet who have to go hungry more often than not. just a gentle suggestion.
I joined a CSA (all organic) late last year and love it, just internet search for CSA with your city and state name. During the peak of fruits and veggies I picked up a huge delivery weekly and am now doing the winter shares 1 delivery a month of root veggies, cabbage and winter squash. I have eaten a lot on new things I have never eaten before in my life, some squash varities I have never seen in the store. Mine is a prepaid plan so good chunk of change up front but my grocery bills are so low now. I have had to learn to incorporate at least 2 veggies a meal to get through the amount. For some reason when it is in the house and looking you in the face and your money is already spent, at least I, became more conscious of not letting it go bad. My cost for the winter shares broke out to about $16 a week and I have a lot more items then I could buy for $16 at a grocery store. I now have 3 friends and we are going to split a family share next year which will save us all money. Check it out and support a local farmer. Remember you can freeze, dehydrate or can extras.
I wish that there was a veggie cooking show.
Anyone who is veggie-averse should make Marcella Hazan's basic minestrone (the one with cabbage and beans in it). It is luscious.
What's difficult about cooking and eating vegetables? Most of them can be sauteed in butter or oil with onion, shallots or garlic, and maybe some wine to deglaze or water to braise. Some fresh herbs, some spice. Mix with pasta, ,or grind into a soup or veg spread. Roasting, broiling, steaming, grilling. I don't get this "vegetables take too much time" thing. And Batali: bruschetta is not a real dinner. Your kids need more balanced nutrition than that!
It may not be a real dinner, but it sure is a real good start. :-)
veggies are too much work? that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard. you can eat them raw, you can wash them and throw them in a steamer or you can roast them if you're too lazy to put together a recipe.
i think a lot of people have been programmed to hate veggies. i guess if they were fatty and had sugar on them they'd be a great american institution.
I think I eat my weight in crucifers in a given year. I eat 4 heads of broccoli per week. The only vegetable I am not really fond of is english peas unless they are uncooked and fresh. I am not a vegetarian, but I absolutely live for fruits and vegetables.
Veggies are good and for a great way to eat more veggies: soups! Plus, peppers are so good:
http://dsantofrenchie.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/frenchie-and-the-yellow-pepper-soup-with-basil/
David D'Santo
Frenchie and the Yankee
http://dsantofrenchie.wordpress.com/
Roast Sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook down a 1 to 3 ratio of honey and balsamic vinegar and 1 tbls butter and drizzle over potatoes when they come out of the oven. Oh so tasty!
One of my favorite recipes lately is a wrap with brussel sprouts, baby bella mushrooms, sliced onion and crushed garlic. To prepare the brussel sprouts, remove the outer leaves and then peel as many of the remaining leaves as you can. Slice the mushrooms and onions, and saute them with the garlic in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Throw the sprout leaves in last, as they require the least time to be done. Pepper heavily and put the contents in a flour tortilla. Delicious, hearty, and has a nice meaty flavor. Also low fat/low calorie.
Wow! I love that idea of the brussel sprout , onion and garlic wrap! I'm going to try it
I like my veggies steamed with nothing on them. Their taste alone is what's I like, not all the butter, cheese, herbs, salt etc..
Ooooh, and as far as what I cook, its january in MT, it came on a truck from somewhere else unless it is a potato.... Costco is always a good bet, but you better be hungry to get through that much food with 2 people before it spoils....
I am suprised no one has chimed in with the bbq. It may be january in MT, but I pull out the bbq any time of year. Think the wifes favorite I make is the simplest, red onions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, whole mushrooms, and zuccini chunks on a skewer, toss them on the bbq (i use charcoal and soaked apple wood for smoke), abotu 5 minutes a side and call it good. Some don't liek the different doneness factors of mixing them on one stick, so at times I have made specific varieties on each stick, and cooked differnt lengths of time to make sure all are cooked to the same doneness. Can be a meal itself, or cook your meat first, then let the meat rest while you do the veggies, no spices needed :)
layer chopped sweet potatoes (peeled if you want) with brown sugar and some of those little marshmallows in a crock pot until it's full
squeeze in the juice of an orange
set crock pot to medium and ignore for several hours
devour.
I really like the intent of this article. A couple things surprised me: first, that I am part of an apparently elite 4% that gets enough veggies, and second, the emphasis on cooking methods that take a relatively long time. Why not shift that time to prep and therefore purchase typically fresher and tastier, hopefully organic items that haven't been broken down, packaged and shipped? Steaming and microwaving are viable, tasty and more healthy methods of preparing vegetables, as is just plain eating stuff raw. My friends know me as the Salad Queen; obviously I spend *all* the time on prep, but the combinations I come up with are really mind blowing and delicious. Not just my opinion, promise! And I have grown to enjoy the prep time. My assumption is that the goal of the article is to make veggies as yummy as possible, generally by adding fat and salt, and as easy as possible, mostly by buying prepared veggies. I get it, but we're in serious trouble if grabbing a whole carrot is considered an unappealing snack choice. And good prep equipment like a food processor, mandolin, or just a decent knife can radically reduce prep time.
And I can't resist a plug for organic items. I am exceptionally fortunate to live close to arguably the best market in the nation (Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers' Market), and I am shifting to organic produce with increasing enthusiasm. Yep, costs more, so I don't always spring for organic yet, but I value these items more, mostly because ORGANIC TASTES BETTER! No question. And this means I'm satisfied with less, which helps mitigate the increased cost.
Can I also say that we spend just about the smallest percentage of our money on food of any country? Good food costs more, but it is worth it. And so are you.
Last but not least, you probably won't feel *too* hippie if you grow your own herbs. Takes those raw/steamed/nuked/roasted/whatever veggies to another level.
"Why not shift that time to prep and therefore purchase typically fresher and tastier, hopefully organic items that haven't been broken down, packaged and shipped?"
Because it's the middle of January, there's a foot of snow on the ground outside, and therefore any produce one consumes will have to have been stored since the autumn or shipped in from elsewhere, at the very least?
Just a wild guess.
To add to that point, farmer's markets can be arm and a leg expensive. Here in Chicago, the ones that sell all organic are full of yuppies, and I don't say that lightly. I ride my bike up when it's warm out, but to get to the winter market, I have to take 3 buses. Why? Because the really nice farmer's markets aren't anywhere near the neighborhoods with low rent. Why? Because they are holy bajezus expensive and nobody from my neighborhood could afford to shop there. I eat my conventionally grown veggies with pride because it's the only darn type I can afford right now, and I appreciate this article for making me feel okay about that. While I appreciate your plug for the local market and organics, the point of this article was to make us feel good for eating veggies, no matter where we get them from.
Plenty growing in Cali right now, so I'll definitely enjoy my *hopefully* organic inexpensive picks from the market tomorrow. Stay warm, peeps!
-brown some artichoke hearts in olive oil in the bottom of a pot (medium-high heat, ~5minutes)
-add lots of baby spinach and some shredded parmesan cheese, stir
-cover until spinach steams and cooks down, just dont let the spinach burn (~3 minutes)
play around with the proportions, its not terribly important but it should be mostly spinach
it's perfect as a side dish, sometimes I add a can of white kidney beans with the artichokes to make it into a meal. It's fast, easy, DELICIOUS, and high in nutrition. Good with black or red pepper depending on your tastes. Also works really well on rice.
Seriously good and an unfairly easy way to trick people into thinking youve got gourmet kitchen skills.
My mouth is watering!
CELEBRITY ROASTS
Veggies are the star when roasted. Here's a few:
Drizzle olive oil and sea salt over trimmed asparagus spears, place on rimmed baking sheet in hot oven, roast until just tender but not mushy, rolling the spears a few times while cooking. Keep and eye on them; beautiful brown spots will appear on the spears when they are nearing perfection. The second they come out of the oven, splash some good balsamic over them–hear the sizzle and smell the aroma as it hits the hot pan. Serve immediately. Repeat.
Mince some garlic and mix with fresh ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and some salt. Combine with some nice olive oil and toss with (just barely) blanched broccoli (or thawed frozen, if that is what you have). Spread on rimmed baking sheet and place in hot oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve. Stand back for applause. Repeat as needed.
Toss some cauliflower florets with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt. Place on rimmed baking sheet and stick in hot oven. Roast until tender and brown spots start appearing. Pour into serving dish, add shaved parmesan, toss. Serve immediately. Collect adulation. Repeat often.
I feel so bad for the woman who thinks all veggie taste nasty! Sad that she is also addicted to sugar. It reminded me of when I started to aim to eat 8 servings of fruit and veggies a day. At first, it didn't taste as good as the processed foods I was used to. But after a month of sticking with it, I craved veggies! And when I drove by fast food places I would gag at the nasty grease smell. The first time I had pizza I felt swollen from the sodium. Not only did I loose weight, I had more energy and my skin glowed! My point is, give it a try, and really try, for a prolong period of time, like over a month before you give up. Sure you will have a day where you don't reach your goal but don't give up, start fresh the next day, don't take yesterday's mistakes to tomorrow. I have read that it takes trying something 7 times before you like it so don't give up!
I also agree with joining a CSA. The food is delivered to your door, how great is that and lots of times with recipes on how to use the food. Doing this has helped me try new veggies because they send what is in season and not what I'm used to. I'm eating Kale, beets and acorn squash this week!
Suggested seasoning? Velveeta, of course!!!
Withdrawn, your Honor!
wig out bra like totally
this article if great. i am so sick of all the hippies insisting that you are living your life wrong if you're not attached at the hip to the farmer's market. $1 for a bag of frozen broccoli? yes please!
Best and fastest side dish ever: Frozen chopped broccoli in microwaveable bag (no need to comment that it's frozen or that cooking in plastic will kill you, heard it already), follow the directions for microwaving and when its done throw it in a bowl with some smart balance butter, salt and toasted pinenuts that you keep in your freezer. Super yummy, no offending broccoli smell and very easy.
I love my veggies! My fav for roasted brussels sprouts is just like the recipe mentioned in the article except I toss in a little balsamic vinegar before roasting. Soooooo good.
Great article and it looks like you are feeling better!? And, rather timely as one of my food resolutions is to eat more meatless meals (not vegan RH). I have a farmer's market at the college a few block from work, so no more excuses for me!! I will stop there today.
shut ur face hole u r stupid
Ew. Who let in this troll. :/
Local is great, but unless you live in an area that produces citrus, you're in for some scurvy if you limit yourself to locally grown produce! I buy local produce when it's available, but I'm not giving up tangerines and pineapple just because I live in the midwest.
Sounds like a taste issue, not a health one! You'd be hard pressed to get scurvy whether you get your pineapples shipped in from Costa Rica or not!
I'm a HUGE fan of veggies and am dying to make these kale chips. Also, I loved the acorn squash tip. I'll definately make the cauliflower, as well as the brussels sprouts. I got so many great ideas, thanks!
I'm with JJ, Empress & JLS! Simplify! I love anything green! Not that the I love the rainbow of all other veggies any less but the green ones are my fav!
I love this. I've definitely had to gently remind myself of the "food-police" point a few times already this winter. Especially when my body says, "GIVE ME A TOMATO!" in January.
Dear April, please come faster. I would like my will to go to the farmer's market back. Xoxo: Rebecca
I am all about my veggies, in any form I can get them. From roasting them with a little bit of BV or EVOO (brussel sprouts!) or turning them into a delicious soup or just going at them raw with a simple home made dressing. There are a few that I'm not a fan of, radishes are the leader of that group, but for the most part I love my veggies. This is one of the main reasons why I'm a vegetarian, that and what Melissa (above) said about veggies is me when it comes to most meat. I also agree with Empress and JLS that when it comes to prepping veggies simple is always better and adding bacon really takes away the true taste of the veggies.
http://dancingveggies.blogspot.com
roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini and red bell pepper + sprinkled w/ salt, pepper and rosemary = a delicious combination I promise- try it!
This article has so many greasy ways to prepare vegetables. I like preparing them in a lentil stew (probably less than half lentils). It is low fat, low cal, nutritious and delicious. Instead of adding bacon to vegetables when you cook, add vegetables to your meats, rice and beans when you cook. Bake sweet potato fries (baked fries oxymoron). Make sandwiches or wraps with greens (not iceberg lettuce), carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms and bell peppers. Parsley and cilantro are both cheap, delicious and nutritious ways to add flavor to many dishes.
Cooking your vegetables in bacon fat defeats half the point of preparing them.
Vegetables aren’t always consumed because they are low in fat. They contain many nutrients that are difficult to find elsewhere. Adding some extra flavoring makes them more palatable, therefore making it a lot easier to get enough. If people are concerned about the teaspoon of oil that is needed to crisp up their roasted veggies then they can take an evening power-walk. If they’re drowning the goods in fat, though, you’re right…it’s probably not a good thing.
Of course they are all prepared greasy. They asked the most obese chef on the Food Network about vegetables.
Greasy? Not at all - and a small amount of good fat is necessary in a healthy diet. We're not saying to drown the vegetables. Use a spray bottle to finely mist the vegetables with olive oil, or go with a commercial cooking spray. The fat content is minimal and they roast or bake up beautifully.
Good fats are essential in helping to metabolize foods. Olive oil has been proven to be heart healthy.
Great point. One awesome way to server veggies is just to steam them and spritz with a little lemon juice. Green beans are unbelievably good this way.
As much as I love Collards cooked old school Southern style, it simply takes too long. When I discovered how Collards are done in Brazil, I was immediately hooked by how fast and delicious it was. Strip leaves of center rib then stack up the cleaves and roll tightly. Slice into fine ribbons, finer the better. Then cook in a pan with olive oil and garlic...add cooked smoked meats or Ham if you'd like...and sprinkle sea salt on top. Serve when the greens tender up but not overcooked. They should still be dark green and have a bite to them. No more than 5to10 minutes and you are done. Veggies like seafood should be prepared the simplest ways to bring out their flavor.
Sounds just wonderful! I love almost all vegetables, although it's mostly the ones available in the average grocery store. Years ago I lived on a farm and had fresh veggies throughout the seasons and enjoyed the cooking as well as the blanching and freezing. There's nothing better to taste than the young tender shoots of asparagus while standing in the sunshine of the garden.The older I am the more I want and prepare fresh over frozen veggies. I enjoy trying new veggies as well as new recipes for the more familiar ones.
Oh, I know full well that I don't eat enough vegetables. Why don't I? Not because of cost. Because of the nasty taste of most of them. I like corn, peas, and carrots, and love the seasoning of garlic, onions, and tomatoes (especially made in to a sauce), but to actually bite into garlic, onions and tomatoes is disgusting.
All other veggies are gross.
In 2004 I was in a car accident that caused bleeding in my brain in two places and a skull fracture. Nothing tastes the same except for sugary things which has unfortunately resulted in me gaining weight since sugar is the only thing that usually tastes good. And smell... well its almost completely non-existent. I can smell things if they are particularly pungent or, sometimes, if they are literally almost touching my nose (like whithin millimeters) so I rely mostly on texture and often not even then.
Most veggies are nasty.
I'm sorry to hear about your car accident. That sounds horrible. That would be really hard to have your taste buds effected like that. :(
My uncle was in a motorcycle accident years ago. He lost his sense of taste completely for years, and as it slowly returned (don’t ask me how, I couldn’t tell you), nothing tasted the same. He learned to work with food to make it taste good again. It still wasn’t the same as he remembered, but he managed to return to the enjoyment of food after a lot of experimenting. I wish you similar luck.
Great ideas. Here's a recipe for roasted asparagus with a little something different. http://makeitnaked.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/roasted-asparagus-with-walnut-crema/
I did not know you could make chips out of Kale. I will definitely try this.
Kale chips go really well with a nice red pepper hummus or with tzatziki sauce. So yummy!
http://dancingveggies.blogspot.com
The kale chips are really good! Very light and crisp. You'll throw out the Pringles and never miss them.
We like collard greens and mustard greens turned into chips. Some smoked paprika or a tiny bit of cayenne can give them a very nice kick. Root vegetable mashes can be very nice. Turnips or sunchokes cooked than blended with a little milk, butter, salt, and pepper are so good. And while we love pork in our greens, smoked turkey with the skin for our non-pork eating friends and butter (a generous portion) for vegetarians. We throw our spices in the pot after the first hour and let ours go for 2 hours. I like my greens soft.
Suuuuunnnnchooookessss...love them! Sadly a rarity where I live. I covet your produce access, missy.
Our local winter produce may be a bit scarce after the snow. That said, I'll get my vegetables wherever I can whether they're local or not. Today is definitely a mixed bean soup kind of day. Another one of my favorite vegetable preparations, definitely not a diet-friendly preparation, is to core and onion and put some butter in the cavity. Sprinkle on a little salt, wrap it in foil, and let it cook in the oven until it's soft enough to eat with a spoon. That is heaven.
love collard greens with vineger
Me to baby!!!
Thanks for the extra tips Angela! They're a nice addition to the suggestions in the article. I like that you presented both kosher and vegetarian alternatives. I'm ready to go shopping and get cooking!
It sounds insane, but peanut butter is an awesome vegetarian alternative to pork for greens.