You want me to eat that????????
(deactivated member)
on 6/2/09 10:50 am
on 6/2/09 10:50 am
Limp, nasty vegetables????
Most of us grew up with meat and potatoes - especially if we or our ancestors came from most of Europe and Russia. Meat on the plate was the most important part of the meal and of course you had to have that starch. To fill in the rest of the meal you often had pathetic limp vegetables. The biggest effort went into making certain that the meat, whether it was beef, poultry, fish, lamb was cooked properly and tasty. The poor vegetables were often just thrown together quickly from a can or frozen and nuked to death in a microwave. I'm making generalities here, I know not everyone did this but many do. The irony is that prior to our parents or grandparents, depending on how old we are, our ancestors probably didn't eat meat at every meal or even every day - they were lucky to have it once a week as a special meal and maybe tiny amounts otherwise. It wasn't until after WWI and even more so after WWII when meat became cheap and factory farming practices came into being that we have all been able to afford meat for any meal we want to eat it. Of course if your ancestors were wealthy, they always had meat available. This is why meat is so important in our meals - it was once very limited and scarce.
What happened is that not too many people like eating vegetables, myself included under these cir****tances. What I have found cooking vegan meals is that all my efforts go into making the vegetables special and extra tasty and now they are delicious. It does take a little more time but it's worth it. One of the keys is using good quality herbs and spices etc. to add that extra spark.
One of my favorites is sauteing fresh veggies (onions, zucchini, asparagus, shredded carrots leeks, and even frozen peas etc.) with fresh chopped garlic and basil - so simple and yet delicious. In the past I used olive oil but now I use Trader Joey's vegetable broth concentrate when I saute - both are delicious. Sometimes I cut up and add sun dried tomatoes and serve these veggies over whole wheat pasta. You could sprinkle some parmesan cheese ontop.
Spices are expensive if you buy them in the grocery store - I find them much cheaper at ethnic grocery stores. Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican stores all have great choice and quality because these people know and expect their spices to be flavorful. I also belong to a food co-op where I can buy spices very cheap by weight - I chose how much I need and put it in little zip lock bags.
So are you giving your veggies some loving attention when you make your meals? Do you have an easy way to make them tasty and special? Think about how wonderful the veggies are in a beef stew - because they got that loving care along with the beef.
Skylar
Most of us grew up with meat and potatoes - especially if we or our ancestors came from most of Europe and Russia. Meat on the plate was the most important part of the meal and of course you had to have that starch. To fill in the rest of the meal you often had pathetic limp vegetables. The biggest effort went into making certain that the meat, whether it was beef, poultry, fish, lamb was cooked properly and tasty. The poor vegetables were often just thrown together quickly from a can or frozen and nuked to death in a microwave. I'm making generalities here, I know not everyone did this but many do. The irony is that prior to our parents or grandparents, depending on how old we are, our ancestors probably didn't eat meat at every meal or even every day - they were lucky to have it once a week as a special meal and maybe tiny amounts otherwise. It wasn't until after WWI and even more so after WWII when meat became cheap and factory farming practices came into being that we have all been able to afford meat for any meal we want to eat it. Of course if your ancestors were wealthy, they always had meat available. This is why meat is so important in our meals - it was once very limited and scarce.
What happened is that not too many people like eating vegetables, myself included under these cir****tances. What I have found cooking vegan meals is that all my efforts go into making the vegetables special and extra tasty and now they are delicious. It does take a little more time but it's worth it. One of the keys is using good quality herbs and spices etc. to add that extra spark.
One of my favorites is sauteing fresh veggies (onions, zucchini, asparagus, shredded carrots leeks, and even frozen peas etc.) with fresh chopped garlic and basil - so simple and yet delicious. In the past I used olive oil but now I use Trader Joey's vegetable broth concentrate when I saute - both are delicious. Sometimes I cut up and add sun dried tomatoes and serve these veggies over whole wheat pasta. You could sprinkle some parmesan cheese ontop.
Spices are expensive if you buy them in the grocery store - I find them much cheaper at ethnic grocery stores. Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican stores all have great choice and quality because these people know and expect their spices to be flavorful. I also belong to a food co-op where I can buy spices very cheap by weight - I chose how much I need and put it in little zip lock bags.
So are you giving your veggies some loving attention when you make your meals? Do you have an easy way to make them tasty and special? Think about how wonderful the veggies are in a beef stew - because they got that loving care along with the beef.
Skylar
Roasting veggies has really opened new doors for DH & I! Light bit of oil, roast in an oven or on the grill....mmmm.
Who knew brussel sprouts were so sweet? NOTHING like a roasted beet in top shel balsamic vinegar, either.
DH & I grow several types of fresh herbs: lemon thyme, rosemary, 3 kinds of basil, chives, oregano, mint, lemon grass, sage, flat parsely. All of those only add to the roasted theme.
Who knew brussel sprouts were so sweet? NOTHING like a roasted beet in top shel balsamic vinegar, either.
DH & I grow several types of fresh herbs: lemon thyme, rosemary, 3 kinds of basil, chives, oregano, mint, lemon grass, sage, flat parsely. All of those only add to the roasted theme.
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~Mark Twain
(deactivated member)
on 6/3/09 1:49 am
on 6/3/09 1:49 am
Oh yes Neecee, I love roasted veggies - aren't they so good when the sugars in them have carmelized?
We've been roasting asparagus. I used to coat it in olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and it was fabulous, but now I'm roasting them bare. It's different and equally delicious - you just have to be more careful that they don't dry out. They get a sort of smoky crispy texture on the outside with a juicy texture inside - yummy.
Skylar
We've been roasting asparagus. I used to coat it in olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and it was fabulous, but now I'm roasting them bare. It's different and equally delicious - you just have to be more careful that they don't dry out. They get a sort of smoky crispy texture on the outside with a juicy texture inside - yummy.
Skylar
(deactivated member)
on 6/2/09 1:33 pm
on 6/2/09 1:33 pm
I LOVE fresh vegetables and actually, if I had a choice, I'd never eat meat but unfortunately I can't get enough protein unless I eat meat.
My very favorite meal anywhere is the vegetable plate at a restaurant here in Houston. It is a platter full of different vegetables with various spices, cooked and presented different ways. Very creative dish. Indian spices are really good on veggies.
My very favorite meal anywhere is the vegetable plate at a restaurant here in Houston. It is a platter full of different vegetables with various spices, cooked and presented different ways. Very creative dish. Indian spices are really good on veggies.
I didn't have time the first time I replied here, but I did want to talk about my childhood experience with veggies.
I was raised in northern Illinois and i remember the grocery stores produce section - sad in the winter months, overflowing in the summer. Not sure exactly why, but I suspect that trucking was not as extensive as it is today.
We ate lots of canned veggies/fruits - mainly b/c not as many families, mine included had freezer space. At that time, frozen veggies had lots of added sugar and salt - not like now where frozen is actually more nutritious b/c it is packed immediately.
Asparagus grew wild along the railroad tracks. Dad and us kids would go pick a huge batch - take it home where mom would cook the living daylights out of it with bacon and new potatoes. We loved that, but it never occurred to us to lightly steam or roast it!
Just funny how cooking trends have come to the forefront of life! TV has caused that. Again, even in my day - only 45 years ago - tv was very limited. We did not get a tv til i was 7 years old - I remember the day it came to our house. We got two channels!
I was raised in northern Illinois and i remember the grocery stores produce section - sad in the winter months, overflowing in the summer. Not sure exactly why, but I suspect that trucking was not as extensive as it is today.
We ate lots of canned veggies/fruits - mainly b/c not as many families, mine included had freezer space. At that time, frozen veggies had lots of added sugar and salt - not like now where frozen is actually more nutritious b/c it is packed immediately.
Asparagus grew wild along the railroad tracks. Dad and us kids would go pick a huge batch - take it home where mom would cook the living daylights out of it with bacon and new potatoes. We loved that, but it never occurred to us to lightly steam or roast it!
Just funny how cooking trends have come to the forefront of life! TV has caused that. Again, even in my day - only 45 years ago - tv was very limited. We did not get a tv til i was 7 years old - I remember the day it came to our house. We got two channels!
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~Mark Twain
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