I have found that roasting vegetables is the tastiest and easiest way to serve them. Just put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place them under the broiler until done. Asparagus and green beans are my faves. I serve them with a sauce made of 1 Tbsp. butter melted and lightly browned on the stove, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar.
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Roasting is an excellent way to cook many types of vegetables. I like to drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil on the vegetables before roasting; it keeps them from drying out too much in the cooking.
Roasted peppers taste excellent, and I like to use roasted red, yellow and orange peppers in salads.
When roasting root vegetables such as turnips or rutabagas, it is helpful to cook them on top of the stove for a while first. They tend to be very hard to roast if they aren't cooked until slightly tender first.
Roasting zucchini and other vegetables with a substantial water content works, but not successfully without first salting them to draw out a considerable amount of moisture.
Another great way to cook vegetables in the summer is to grill them. I grill virtually everything. The easiest method is to put them in tin foil. I prefer to use the non-stick kind which I spray with Pam (usually the olive oil flavored type.) When grilling vegetables, I put vegetables with similar cooking times together, so I sometimes wind up with several foil packets.
You can also purchase cages for fish or vegetables at specialty cooking and gourmet stores. I avoid drizzling olive oil on vegetables I plan to grill because the oil inevitably catches fire.
It is also possible to steam vegetables without a traditional steamer. I simply put a small amount of water in a pan. If you have cookware such as T-Fal that has a cover that can be set to different openings, you can decide how much to open the vent. I usually open it only enough to let the steam escape. When cooking vegetables in water, save the water that the vegetables were cooked in -- especially if you plan to make soup.
If you have health issues that suggest that you limit your sodium consumption, use Mrs. Dash to flavor your vegetables. There are other herb blends designed for vegetables that are excellent flavor additions. If you really miss the taste of salt, add lemon juice; it definitely isn't the same, but lemon juice adds a nice bite that improves the flavor.
If you feel the need to use butter, but have high cholesterol, use something like Butter Buds. They come in packages that can be added to water for a melted butter like taste. Or look for a margerine or buttter substitute made entirely of olive oil.
Most people tend to over cook their vegetables, and doing so removes a considerable amount of the nutrients, and destroys both the flavor and texture.
If you are a big asparagus fan, you can buy special asparagus steamers that cook the asparagus vertically rather than horizantally. The theory behind that is that the top part of the vegetable steams, while the bottom part, which is thicker is closer to the heat, so the entire stalk cooks more evenly. These steamers work well for corn, too.
You can also grill corn. Grilled corn is delicious. You can do it two ways: either completely husking it and putting it in foil, or soaking the ears, and removing the silks but leaving the outer husks on. Allow the ears to dry for a while before putting them on the grill. Use some sort of utensil that will enable you to turn the ears easily. You should turn them often to prevent them from burning: they can burn in foil or in the husks.
What temp do you roast the asparagus and green beans? How long should I roast them also? Thanks! Isabella
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