Every so often I'll send my friend a cooking question that morphs into a blog prompt. The most recent inquiry was regarding inspiration for preparing vegetables. I'm all about sheet pan veggie mixes (sweet potatoes, broccoli, red onion, Brussels sprouts, radishes, beets, cauliflower...) but sometimes I feel like I'm in a roasting rut!
I relish Kelly's creativity and thoughtful approach to meals. Here's what she sent back ---
Roasting vegetables can transform them into the most delicious crispy, caramelized versions of themselves. But roasting isn’t the only trick in the book. And with lingering summer heat, cranking the oven up past 400 is simply not bearable in many kitchens around the country. So what’s a veggie lover to do?
When I was tasked with writing about ways to cook vegetables besides roasting them, I honestly had to stop and think. Not because I’m a one-trick pony, but simply because my day-to-day meal planning and preparation relies on very few vegetable sides, and instead focuses on one-pot or one-pan meals that span multiple food groups. So that’s where we’ll begin!
Tip 1 | One Pot Meals
My number one tip for preparing vegetables is to choose recipes where the vegetables are already incorporated into the dish. If your vegetables are included as a part of the entree, rather than being a distinct side dish, that’s one less thing you have to worry about. A few favorite examples of this method include One Pot Mediterranean Orzo, Salmon Stuffed Acorn Squash, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala with Chickpeas and Kale, Perfect Baked Salmon with Lentils and Lemon Herb Sauce, and Easy Vegan Weeknight Stir Fry.
Tip 2 | Sauteed Greens
If a meal is looking heavy on proteins or starches, without much in the way of vegetables, my go-to easy vegetable side is to quickly throw a bunch of collard greens (or other dark leafy green of choice) in warm cast iron skillet with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and call it a day. Leafy greens are so nutritious and compared with their more delicate lettuce counterparts, they can last a long time in the fridge too. You can see examples of this method in this Sundried Tomato Polenta Bowl with Greens and Herb Baked Fish, Brown Rice Risotto with Seared Scallops and Chard, and Walnut Crusted Chicken with Collard Greens and Tomatoes.
Tip 3 | Grilled Veggies
For whatever reason, preparing food on the grill always adds a layer of excitement and ambiance to a meal, making mealtime feel more like a celebration than a daily routine. One of my favorite grilled vegetable sides are these Charred Green Beans with Harissa Yogurt, which I like to serve alongside these Grilled Salmon and Cherry Tomato Foil Packets. I have also enjoyed Grilled Sugar Snap Peas with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Grilled Shishito Peppers (simply toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill until charred), among other more common veggies.
Tip 4 | Salads
You know how everyone has that one “wow” dish that guests rave about? In my case, it is what we simply call, The Buckwheat Salad, and is a great place to start for people who aren’t normally huge salad fans. No matter which salad you start with though, there is no getting around the fact that salads are simply excellent carriers for vegetables (case in point: this DIY Harvest Bowl). Salads don’t even have to be green to provide you with ample veggies, as in the case of this Nicoise Tuna Salad.
Three cheers for roots, tubers, beans, & leaves!
- Kelly
No comments:
Post a Comment