As promised, here are a few more vegetable recipes. I make all of these and my family enjoys them. One of the secrets to cooking vegetables is to not overcook them. Overcooking makes them mushy, tasteless, and destroys the valuable nutrients. Think like pasta--al dente--vegetables should have a little bit of a crunch to them. I always use fresh vegetables when I can, if not, I use frozen. I never use canned because they have too much salt, and they often taste mushy. Also, I hate the way canned green beans squeak on your teeth! So here are a few recipes for you to try.
I had a great crop of green beans in my little back yard garden this summer, so I tried a few new ways to cook them.
#1 Green Beans on the Grill
1 lb. fresh green beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 glove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Wash and trim ends off beans
Place beans on piece of foil large enough to wrap around beans
Drizzle oil over beans
Crush garlic over beans
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Toss beans to coat with ingredients and wrap tightly in foil
Place on grill over medium heat
Cook for five minutes and check for doneness.
#2 Green beans with herbs
1 lb. green beans - fresh or frozen (if using frozen, defrost for one minute in microwave.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic minced or crushed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 tsp. fresh
1/2 tsp. dried basil or 1 tsp. fresh
For fresh green beans, wash, trim ends and cut in half. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan with 1/4 cup cup water. Cover and cook over medium low heat heat for five to seven minutes, stir occasionally. Drain any remaining water and serve.
3. Grilled Eggplant
I mentioned my last post that I belong to a Farm to Table group at my local garden center. This spring we planted a large vegetable garden. Each month we meet, help care for the garden and enjoy food prepared by their wonderful chef. We had an abundance of eggplant this year so I have been cooking a lot of eggplant. We all enjoy it on the grill, and it is so easy to make. You can also do this with zucchini, yellow squash, and even asparagus. Cut the vegetables into long strips about 1/2 inch wide, brush with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I use one of those pans with holes made for the grill to keep things from falling in, but if the eggplant slices are big enough you can put them right on the grill. Grill until just tender.
#4 Sautéed Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Onions
This recipe was a favorite of my mother's.
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Wash zucchini and squash and slice thinly. Thinly slice onions. In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter. When onions soften add squash and zucchini and sauté until just tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Before you remove from the heat, add cheese and stir. Remove to platter and sprinkle with parsley.
#5 Carrots with Basil
6 carrots peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. dried basil
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cook over low heat for five minutes.
So I have given you five easy recipes to prepare. Hopefully you will eat more veggies! Try them out and let me know how you like them. Feel free to leave questions or comments! Have fun!
Happy Cooking!
Carol
a.k.a Nonnie
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