Eat your Veggies, Fool: This ain't no rabbit food!

by Caitlin

So last week I waxed on and on about being green and eating veggies and Earth Day and the green things again and etcetera. So, vegetables, yes, good. But unless you’re planning on digging carrots out of the ground and plopping them directly in your carrot-hole, dirt and all, then veggies require a little work. Aside from frying them and/or covering them in cheese, here are my two favorite (healthy) methods for making them not only palatable but something to look forward to. 

(Writer’s note: I find the word ‘veggies’ to be annoying in an overly cheerful way. But I find typing out ‘vegetables’ repeatedly to be annoying in a time-consuming way. So overly cheerful wins out for now. Until I just shorten it to veg. Which, come to think of it, sounds sophisticated and somewhat British. Veg it is!)

Delicious VEG over heinously ugly but most-delicious-ever Yankee Pot Roast. [Photo credit: Me.]

Veg Delishifying Method #1: Roasting

I know that Jonna became obsessed with roasting this winter, and I did too. The hardest part of it is the trimming and chopping of the produce. The rest pretty much takes care of its delicious, delicious self.

Are you ready? This is very complicated.

Preheat oven to 400. Trim and chop your veg as you please, doing your best to keep the pieces about the same size. Toss them in enough olive oil to get them lightly coated. I've found that this is about a tablespoon per sheet pan of vegetables.  Salt and pepper to your liking. Maybe add some chopped garlic if you’re feeling crazy. Spread in a single layer on roasting pan or cookie sheet. Place in oven. DUNZO.

Just give them a stir/turn/shake around every 10 or 15 minutes until they’re at your desired doneness. In our house we like to leave them in there for up to an hour, until they’re nice and caramelized and the little bits have gotten all nice and crispy. Go ahead, dare to leave them in there a bit longer. You won't be sorry.

Roasting works exceptionally well for brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onions or spring onions, carrots, mushrooms, parsnips, broccoli, sweet potatoes (regular potatoes need their own post), or any combination of the above. 

See? A combination with lots of brown and crispy bits. [Photo credit: Me.]

Bonus: My husband Zach once roasted a bunch of veg with bacon fat instead of olive oil. Clearly I made a wise choice in my spouse.

Testimonial: Over the winter my cousin was in town with her family, and we served them this. Her 10-year-old demanded the recipe and they’ve been making them ever since. Do you need further endorsement than a 10-year-old asking for vegetables?

Method of Delish #2: Garlicky and Lemony

Good for: Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, and broccoli, plus greens like kale, spinach, and chard.

 

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a photo of kale look TASTY? [Photo credit: me.]

Greens: Heat a teaspoon or two (or more, if you want. I don’t care.) of olive oil on low-medium heat and saute a ton of garlic (I have yet to find an amount of garlic that is too much for this. I think I am up to 8 or 10 cloves now) until it's getting translucent but not brown. For love of god don't burn it. Burned garlic is of the devil. Throw all your washed, trimmed greens in, and squeeze a lemon over for flavor and so it can steam. Add some salt and pepper, and voila.

Heartier veg: If you’re doing one of the denser, heartier vegetables, you'll want to brown it first to get some color and flavor, and cook it a bit longer. It's also a good move to chop them a bit finer so that they cook more evenly and quickly. Once you've done that:

Saute your garlic and veggies in olive oil until they're at your desired doneness, deglaze with white wine or stock, throw in some salt and pepper, squeeze half a lemon over it. Add a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan if you please. Et voila. Dunzo. 

Any questions? 

(No seriously. I realize these are not scientific recipes by any stretch, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.)

What’s your favorite way to cook vegetables?

Comments

[Jessica]

Pretty much all I eat is veg (I say it that way :) ) since I am a vegetarian so I have a TON of ways to eat them but for roasting of brussel sprouts I add balsamic vinegar, SO GOOD. Just add a healthy splosh (I watch a lot of Nigella Lawson) when you are doing your olive oil step and you won't be sorry.

[Michael]

I sautee mine with minced garlic till they are cooked sufficiently. Then I put a tiny tiny amount of butter on top and a few pinches of salt. mmm, tasty!

[Caitlin]

Jessica, it's so funny you say that because I've been thinking about doing that!

Michael, YES. Why do I always forget about butter? Next time I'll do that instead of parm!

[Christy]

Thank you for posting a picture of kale. I just got some kale in the CSA box this week and it's not the type I think I'd try to roast (it's red russian kale, not the standard frilly-edged stuff), so I was thinking of sauteing it like what you show.

[Jen L.]

This post cracked me UP! I love kale and chard. My husband, also a fan of bacon, fries up bacon, garlic and onions, then tosses in the greens, hits them with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar then sprinkles on parmesan cheese. YUM.

I'm also on the roasting bandwagon. Roasted veg are SO easy and mucho delicious.

[Nancy]

One of my favorite things ever is to throw whole eggplant and 2 red peppers in the oven for 40 minutes. Once you peel them they are totally mushy. Mix together and add some ex. virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Let sit over night in the fridge. I use this as a tangy spread on pita with hummus. SO GOOD.

[Caitlin]

Christy, I'm a kale addict! I've never tried roasting it but now I'm thinking about it :) Have you tried kale chips? They're awesome! (Google kale chips, a bunch of recipes will come up.) Massaged kale salad is also really good (especially with lacinato /dinosaur kale). I make a variation on this one, leaving out tomato and adding apple, cranberries, nuts, or anything that sounds good to me.

http://goneraw.com/recipe/avocado-kale-salad

Jen L. - My husband has a similar method for cooking brussel sprouts. Why haven't I tried it with greens before?! SOO good.

Nancy, that sounds DELICIOUS. I love that kind of stuff. YUM. Oh man, I can't wait to try that this summer when I can get super fresh peppers and eggplant from the farmers market!