Make Vegetables Taste Good
1. Use seasoning
- Salt and pepper vegetables as they cook. Add herbs.
2. Use olive oil
- Fat carries flavor and provides fat soluble vitamins which tend to be lacking in vegetables.
3. Don’t boil your vegetables
- One of the easiest ways to make vegetables taste bad is to boil them. Boiling is also problematic because your vitamins end up down the drain.
4. Roast, saute or stir fry
- Unlike boiling, dry heat methods of cooking help add caramelized flavors to your vegetables and remove excess moisture.
5. Use good quality vegetables
- Buy what is in season and, if possible, locally grown.
6. Use tasty condiments and garnishes
- Add condiments to make vegetables more palatable, such as chili powder or hot sauce, honey or agave, soy sauce, lemon or orange juice, Parmesan cheese, toasted breadcrumbs, bacon, pesto, tahini sauce, yogurt sauce, spices, fruit, mustard sauce, toasted nuts or salsa.
Try some of the recipes below that are easily managed on a weeknight and offer lots of flavor.
Carrot and Sweet Potato Bake
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the carrots and sweet potatoes to the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
Stir together cranberries, walnuts, orange juice, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt.
Drizzle over the partially cooked carrots and sweet potatoes. Gently stir until evenly coated.
Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, basting with the pan juices halfway through cooking.
Roasted Cauliflower Florets
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 2-1/2 pounds), cut into florets about 1-1/2″ wide*
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Place cauliflower florets into a Ziploc gallon bag, add olive oil, salt and pepper. Shake to coat well and pour out onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove foil and continue roasting another 10 minutes until florets are golden on one side. Carefully turn the florets over, sprinkle with cheese and roast an additional 10 minutes or until golden all over.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley.
Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (pignoli)
- 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Bring 1″ of water to a boil over high heat in a 4-quart saucepan. Place a small rack or steaming basket in the bottom of the pot.
Place broccoli on the rack in the saucepan; cover and steam over medium-high heat until bright green, about 3 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer broccoli to a serving bowl. Add pine nuts, vinegar, oil, tomatoes, salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Braised Cabbage
Serves 6 -8
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cups shredded savoy cabbage (about 1 normal-sized head)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Directions
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat; add onion, cabbage, garlic and brown sugar to the pan.
Sauté until the cabbage is limp, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan.
Cook, stirring a few times, for approximately 20 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Sautéed Kale with Cannellini Beans
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (chili)
- 1 large bunch kale (about 1 pound), stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 cup vegetable broth or low-salt chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
Directions
Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper; stir until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute.
Add kale by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more, tossing with tongs to coat with the oil.
Add broth, cover and simmer until the greens are tender. Add beans; simmer uncovered until the beans are heated through and liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Stir in sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
