Eat Your Veggies!

 

 We all know we should eat our veggies.  Every single health program out there stresses this in one way or another.  One popular tactic is to add a heaping helping of veggies by dividing a plate like this:

 It works.  But it is boring.  And limiting.  

Not my meme, but brilliant nonetheless.

I much prefer to incorporate the veggies into the dishes so that it is more of an enjoyable part of the meal & doesn't feel like a chore to be gotten through, before I can eat the "good stuff."  I think part of the key to this is variety.  Picking what is in season is important too--that opens the door to a whole crop (pun intended) of different veggies each season, which forces you to change up your recipes.  And then, there is the truism that what is in season is always the most flavorful.   

Here in Southern California we are (slowly) transitioning to Fall, but the fact is that temperatures are still in the mid 80s-90s this week and next. This does not inspire me to cook soups and stews and roasts. . . though that will happen eventually.  So what to do?

Menu-plan around a handful of veggies that: are full of fiber, store well, & can be used in a number of different recipes. 

Some of the things I like to have on hand: 

Cauliflower--roast it, boil it, eat it raw, or rice it & hide it in potatoes.  This week I used this recipe for Sicilian Pasta.  It has quickly become a favorite.  I did make a couple changes: no anchovies (at Mr. B's request), turmeric instead of saffron, walnuts instead of pine nuts, and I toasted the breadcrumbs with the garlic and added them at the last moment to keep them nice and crunchy. 

Broccoli--in season I have fresh, out of season I have frozen.  Use like cauliflower, or you could steam it & top w/ some salt (or garlic salt) & pepper, drizzle with olive oil & have it on the side.

Spinach--for salads (obvi.), but also in pastas (sauteed, or pureed into a "pesto"), in a sandwich or hamburger instead of lettuce, in omelettes/fritattas/ quiches, in palak with potatoes or paneer,  hidden any number of sauces, or you could saute it w/ some garlic, salt & pepper, drizzle with olive oil & have it on the side.

Zucchini--this is technically a summer squash but here we get to enjoy it for a little while longer.  It is incredibly versatile and takes on the flavor of most seasonings.   Make a quick sweet & sour dish by sauteing it, season w/ salt & pepper, then topping with equal parts honey & vinegar.  Or even more simply: sauteing w/ some garlic, salt & pepper, drizzle with olive oil--clearly this is my default and makes most veg delicious.  Add onion, or tofu if you like.  Throw it on top of pasta if you like.  Or potatoes.  Or rice.  Grill it.  Use it as pizza topping--I like it with a light white sauce, or just olive oil & herbs.  You can roast it in the oven--it cooks very quickly, so keep an eye on it.  It can be eaten raw (but I can not fathom doing so), made into zoodles (Being half-Italian, I think it's an abomination, but some people love it), and of course used in baking.

Carrots--can be steamed, roasted, eaten raw, used in baking, incorporated into sauces, used in a stir fry or generally sauteed for any recipe that calls for a mix of veggies. If eaten as a side on it's own, you could use olive oil to season, but *gasp* butter is better for this one. 

Btw, when I say "steam", I mean "pop it in a pyrex with a little water & microwave it for 6ish minutes."  Part of the challenge of eating healthy is that it's got to be easy or I just won't do it--so I make it easy whenever I can. 

 

Leave me a comment and tell me what is your favorite veggie-based dish?