Seasoning Veggies

Once I started roasting them I never went back to steaming, SO much better tasting! Just toss cut up veges (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and Brussels sprouts work best) with some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and roast them in a hot oven until they are dark and crispy on the outside and tender inside. Give them a quick stir once or twice while they cook. Even my vege hating daughter loves them this way.

I'm vegetarian, so I'm fond of using vegetables to flavor other vegetables. :-) I also love using garlic, fresh herbs, vegetarian broth, and oh-so-many other things. I use veggies the way you would use meat, so for me veggies are the entire meal and not just a side dish that you steam and add salt & pepper to and then eat.

They make up hearty soups, pastas, gumbos, rice dishes, blend well with tofu, polenta, cous cous, black beans.

They mix up really well with meat dishes. Add colorful veggies to your fajitas and quesadillas. Add colorful veggies to your pizza. Add tri-color peppers to roasted potatoes with some onion, olive oil, salt and pepper and you'll be amazed at the burst of flavor.

Lemon juice and lime juice brighten up almost anything. Real, fresh garlic... not the jarred stuff... is amazing. Curry in your hash browns or mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes... oh curry is so versatile. Get some chili powder and cumin. Start using fresh rosemary, basil, oregano. Think about sauces and glazes. A simple honey glaze on steamed or roasted carrots is lovely. I love steamed broccoli with some crushed red pepper and real brewed teriyaki sauce. Homemade Chinese vegetable sautee.

My point is not to become vegetarian, but start thinking about vegetables in a different way. Stop thinking about them as just side dishes and it opens up a whole new world.

A great place to start is looking for high-rated vegetable (not necessarily vegetarian) dishes on Allrecipes.com. Don't bother with anything rated lower than 3.5 stars. I try to stick with 4 stars and I always read the reviews.

So for instance, Stuffed Zucchini. Oh. My. Gosh. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/stuffed-zucchini-2/detail.aspx

I made some changes, such as removing the sausage but I added a "meaty" vegetable aka mushrooms. I used my own homemade marinara for the topping sauce. I brought them to work for a function once. They disappeared and then I had to make them again by request. :-)

Another way to mix it up is to broil them. I love to broil veggies as it adds a different flavor. Usually, I just do a little olive oil and garlic.

I use Simply Organic spices!!

I toss veggies with: Organic olive oil, a drop of turmeric, dill, parsley, and whatever else I have in the cabinet !!

I mix at least 4 organic spices--I do all combinations to mix it up !

In the summer, I get fresh herbs from a farm !

My fall-back (a.k.a. lazy) way is garlic pdr. onion prdr., salt and pepper with a little butter at the end. However, like previously mentioned, fresh herbs are lovely. They are cheap and you can use your imagination as to which ones for whatever veggies. I would try Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, and such... experiment.. You can also just try smaller servings for just you so you can see what appeals to your taste. If you like raw veggies, you can take a nibble of whatever herb of choice and different veggies together raw and imagine them meld together cooked....

Have fun and experiment! :)

Butter & sea salt.
Boring maybe but I love butter. 😏

I love to roast them with fresh garlic and olive oil. Or add some fresh fennel to the veggies you are roasting.

Steaming seems boring. Most of the time I roast or saute.

Some family favorites are:

Roasted cauliflower- Lemon juice, sliced garlic (4-5 cloves) and olive oil

Green beans- Par boil 2-3 minutes then saute in OO, minced garlic, lemon juice and white pepper

Asparagus- Saute in sesame oil, garlic, ginger & splash of soy sauce when almost done, cover for the last minute.

Broccolini- Steam a few minutes then saute with OO and minced garlic

Grilled veggies- Marinade onions, bells, zuc etc. in OO, apple cider vinegar, fresh basil, OO & soy put on skewers and grill or broil.

Sauteed Zuchinni and Onions with good old garlic and OO.

Mushrooms- Saute in OO, touch of butter & garlic, finish with a splash of dry white wine.

I could go on and on. Stir fries and roasted veggies like eggplant, zucs, onions and bell peppers are so easy and good.

Change up the steaming part and you'll have more options.
I'm hungry gotta go make dinner!

I really like Penzey's spice blends. If you have a Penzey's near you go in person. You can smell everything and the staff are knowledgable. Some of my faves for veggies are Mural of Flavor, Ruth Ann's and herbes de provence plus a little olive oil or butter.

Depends.

Zucchini Squash saute with olive oil and some onion and 1 clove of garlic..

Or you can add some basil to the above, and then as another option add a can of crushed tomatoes. with the basil. Once this zucchini is tender, I add grated Italian cheese on top and cover the skillet for about 8 minutes.

Yellow squash, slice, saute with a little butter and olive oil, when slightly soft add it to stove top stuffing and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

We also cut squash into strips.,( like carrot stick size), sliced onion, garlic pod, salt and pepper, (red pepper flakes, optional) and place in a foil packet, add a bit of olive oil. Close the packet and place on the grill for 15 minutes.. Delicious as a side dish.

We add mushrooms and strips of Poblano peppers to the foill packet with the above squash, once cooked, you can use it as vegetarian fajitas in tortillas!

I like veggies. So I can enjoy the flavor of the veggies I just use a bit of butter, a little salt and pepper.

Salt, olive oil, butter, basil, garlic....

We like to lightly sprinkle steamed veggies with sea salt and a variety of herbs, depending on what we are hungry for. We often use rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, basil, parsley, fennel leaves, sorrel or marjoram. We never use much of any of them though, because we like the taste of the fresh veggies. More often than not, we just lightly salt (or not) the veggies and eat them that way.

As a side note, we grow almost all of our herbs, and dry them if possible, to have in the winter, although many of them will winter over, so we can have fresh herbs year round.

Happy cooking.

I like a good squirt of lemon on my steamed veggies.