Tag: preparing vegetables

Three ways of preparing your vegetables

by Bloomilycious, posted in Health, Recipes

People are always asking me how they should they make their vegetables because it gets boring, there is no variety or simply because they are afraid of trying new foods.

I will give you three easy ways of preparing your vegetables to accompany any dinner.

 Pan Fried Bok Choy: I love this recipe for pan fried Bok Choy from Brownble, it is easy and it introduces us to this wonderful Asian vegetable:

Ingredients: 2 bulbs of bok choy (or 3-4 small ones). A drizzle of high heat oil (canola, sunflower or safflower) 1 tablespoon soy sauce (tamari for gluten free option) 1⁄2 lemon

Directions

  1. Wash and dry the bok choy without separating its leaves.
  2. Cut the bulbs into ‘steaks’ or thick slices, making sure the leaves are still held together by a bit of that core.
  3. Heat a pan at medium-high heat and add a drizzle of the oil to goat the pan.
  4. Add the bok choy slices, cover with a lid and let cook until golden.
  5. Flip and cook on the other side.
  6. Once golden and tender, uncover the lid, add the soy sauce and lemon juice, flip for a couple more seconds and serve. You might want to add some black sesame seeds as a garnish for beautiful presentation.

Steamed broccoli with yogurt: This is an easy, fast and delicious recipe that will go well with any meal.

Ingredients: 1 small head of broccoli, natural yogurt, fresh mint, fresh basil, pomegranate (optional).

Directions:

Yogurt dressing

  1. Press the fresh mint and fresh basil into a garlic presser.
  2. Immediately put it in the yogurt and stir.
  3. Optional: Stir in some pomegranate seeds.
  4. Let it rest for 15 minutes so the flavour enhances.

Broccoli

  1. Boil water in a sauce pan.
  2. Wash the broccoli and cut it into florets.
  3. When water is boiling put the broccoli florets in the sauce pan. No more than 20 seconds so they are crunchy.
  4. Serve immediately and put the yogurt sauce on top.

Oven baked butternut squash, carrots and parsnips: Just put them in the oven and save time while you do other things!

Ingredients: ½ small butternut squash, 2 carrots, 2 parsnips, oil, honey, dried Italian herbs.

  1. Heat oven to 180º.
  2. Cut the squash (do not peel), carrots and parsnips into medium pieces.
  3. Place them on an oven tray and drizzle some high heat oil.
  4. Add two teaspoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of Italian herbs.
  5. Toss the vegetables so all the dressing is evenly distributed.
  6. Place in the oven during 40 minutes and enjoy!

As you grow more confident cooking vegetables, you will notice that these recipes can be used with any vegetable you want. Slowly try to introduce more veggies into your life. Start with the vegetables you know and after some time begin to experiment. The key to eating healthy is variety.