Eat your vegetables

[jbb]

I'm starting a vegetable post. Why? Two reasons: I'm trying to eat more vegetables and today I saw a vegetable I had never, ever seen before and just HAD to take a picture of it. It's called Broccoli Romanesco. Ever heard of it? We'll have it with dinner tonight.

So which vegetables do you like? How do you prepare them? Is eating more vegetables on your 2014 to-do list?

[Cookies]

That's called broccoflower in my neck of the woods. It's absolutely delicious. Especially roasted or sautéed with garlic. I like veggies (and cooking) more than most people, and have them at pretty much every meal. I currently have some in the oven for the roasted veggie pizza I'm planning on tonight.
I'm pretty good with veggies, but eating more fruit is definitely on my 2014 resolutions.

[Flake]

I love vegetables but I wish I knew more of what to do with them. There are veggies I wouldn't even know how to cook. That broccothing looks amazing.

I've seen what we label broccoflower here, but it doesn't have that lovely shape!

[Cookies]

I love vegetables but I wish I knew more of what to do with them. There are veggies I wouldn't even know how to cook. That broccothing looks amazing.

I've seen what we label broccoflower here, but it doesn't have that lovely shape!

There are two types that are called broccoflower, the kind that looks like lime green cauliflower, and cooler romanesco kind. The is also a super cool looking purple broccoli out there. I think it's called sprouted broccoli.

[jbb]

My microwave has a fresh vegetable setting that seems to be able to cook most vegetables perfectly with about 2 tablespoons of water -- you use a covered microwave dish. The other way I'll cook vegetables is seasoned and tossed in olive oil then placed underneath chicken when I bake the chicken in the oven

[Scrawler]

Maybe I will start to eat more vegies with this kind of innovative choice.

[Jon Szanto]

I heartily endorse this thread! I'm so lucky to have a wife and partner who loves to cook, wants us to be healthy, and is always looking for new things to prepare! A favorite chef works at a small place here called Bo-Beau, and she came up with a recipe for brussel sprouts - those dreaded things! - that is really incredibly good. The recipe scales up really well - go figure: my side of the family is pretty fussy, but they keep asking her to bring back that side dish for big gatherings. Anyway, here is the version for probably 2 servings, well worth the effort.

(Anyone who might live near a Trader Joe's should know that they now have a Balsamic Reduction 'syrup' that completely does away with your need to do it from scratch)



Bo-Beau's Crispy Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients
1 cup Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
vegetable oil for sauteing Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon pancetta, diced
salt, pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, shaved

Balsamic Port Reduction
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup port wine
(Extra-special: add a splash of apple cider - this was left out of the "official" recipe, but the chef, Kathryn Humphus, told us...)

Directions (main dish)
Cut pancetta into medium-sized dice and crisp up in a pan on stove top, on high heat. Drain grease and reserve.
Fill a saute pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees. Fry brussels sprouts for 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon into mixing bowl. Toss with pancetta, salt and pepper. Plate with balsamic port reduction drizzled on top, plus 1 tablespoon of shaved parmesan.

Directions (Balsamic Port Reduction)
Place ingredients in a small saucepan and reduce over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes until it thickens to the consistency of maple syrup.
*Note this sauce is also delicious with vanilla ice cream.

[reprieve]

I cook a version of that brussels sprouts recipe regularly--at least once a week! It is that good. I usually use two to three slices of applewood smoked bacon (cut into small cubes) instead of pancetta, and I add a splash or two of apple cider vinegar immediately before serving. I sauté the entire thing in a heavy ceramic dutch oven on the stovetop and the brussels sprouts get nice and charred. I just toss the balsamic vinegar and wine in the pot instead of making a separate reduction. It usually takes about 30 minutes. When plating, I sprinkle a few of the reserved bacon bits on top; if I'm feeling decadent, I crumble a tiny bit of feta or blue cheese on there, too.

My other favorite veggie dish is roasted cauliflower. Heat the oven to 375F. On a baking sheet, spread an even layer of cauliflower florets. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 40-45 minutes until crisp and golden.

I roast a lot of vegetables. You can toss anything with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, stick it in the oven for 30 or 40 minutes and it will come out crisp and delicious. Asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes (roasted tomatoes are to die for over bow tie pasta!), etc., etc. It's so easy and so flavorful and so healthful!

[shudaizi]

Looks good, Jon. But, I'm not sure I could bear to lose a whole cup of (good) port on brussel sprouts (which I don't mind even simply roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt). Seems a waste of such heavenly nectar! I would have to get the Trader Joe's reduction just to avoid intense pangs of regret.

[jbb]

Thanks Reprieve & Jon. That Brussel Sprout rrecipe sounds amazing!

[jbb]

Looks good, Jon. But, I'm not sure I could bear to lose a whole cup of (good) port on brussel sprouts (which I don't mind even simply roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt). Seems a waste of such heavenly nectar! I would have to get the Trader Joe's reduction just to avoid intense pangs of regret.

Good port is up there on my list of pleasures too.

[Moxoftritonytes]

I like to eat vegetables that were stir-fried in a hot wok in a tablespoon of hot sesame oil and two tablespoons of Teryaki marinade for a couple of minutes. These are just delicious. I also like to add some of these into my Ramen noodle soup.

[migo984]

I have 2 or 3 meat-free days each week. I'm not anything like a vegetarian but meat production is horrendous for the environment so I like to do my bit.
I only occasionally roast vegetables. Although the flavour is good it's not the best way of preserving their vitamins & minerals - surely the point of eating them in the first place. I usually just steam mine (no salt added) or stir fry very quickly in a sunflower oil and various spices. One of the best places to find unusual vegetables is the local Chinese supermarket or farm shop. My current favourite vegetables are kohlrabi, cavolo nero or chard, curly kale, rhubarb, artichokes, dandelion greens & purple sweet potato.

Good recipes using vegetables (and meat) can be found here: http://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/

[I like mango pudding]

wow, that's some fractal geometry in those cauliflowers!

[Cookies]

I like to eat vegetables that were stir-fried in a hot wok in a tablespoon of hot sesame oil and two tablespoons of Teryaki marinade for a couple of minutes. These are just delicious. I also like to add some of these into my Ramen noodle soup.

Yes, sesame oil makes everything better! I often stir fry veggies and throw them over some brown rice for a quick tasty dinner.

[jbb]

The Broccoli Romanesco pretty much tasted like cauliflower. I can't wait to have an excuse to make it for friends who have never seen it.

[jbb]

I like to eat vegetables that were stir-fried in a hot wok in a tablespoon of hot sesame oil and two tablespoons of Teryaki marinade for a couple of minutes. These are just delicious. I also like to add some of these into my Ramen noodle soup.

Yes, sesame oil makes everything better! I often stir fry veggies and throw them over some brown rice for a quick tasty dinner.

I particularly like toasted sesame oil. .... and btw, welcome to FPGeeks Cookies.

[inkstainedruth]

Funny, I like most of the cabbage family (although have not run across broccoflower). But Brussels sprouts and me? Uh uh. We just don't see eye to eye. Oh, and I don't like cooked cauliflower, or raw broccoli (swap the prep style on those two and I'm just fine).
I'm fairly good with most veggies, although not really a fan of green leafy stuff like kale, or most forms of peas (sugar snap peas, especially raw, are fine). However (in addition to Brussels sprouts), the following fall under the category of "Not Food": beets, lima beans, and okra. Beets are simply evil (although my mom swore I ate baby food beets just fine). Lima beans, I'd find the smallest ones possible and swallow them whole, so I wouldn't have to *taste* them. At all. And as for okra, sorry guys, but I'm a Northern girl: you can't fool me -- there *is* no way on the planet to prepare them that they're not slimy. Plus, the first time my husband and I went to Colonial Williamsburg we had lunch at one of the taverns in the historic area, and made the mistake of ordering the Brunswick stew. That horrid aftertaste? The okra....
Oh, and tomatoes are mostly just gross. Unless they're in the form of something like spaghetti sauce and therefore unrecognizable as tomatoes (but then, it's too acidic for me). And for some strange reason, they're okay in salsa, and in tabouli salad. And the only way that sweet potatoes are edible (by me) are as the chips they serve in a local Peruvian restaurant.
On the other hand, I have to be careful when handed a serving dish of asparagus.... I have to remember there's this thing called "sharing" -- because I could *easily* eat a couple of pounds of steamed asparagus at one sitting without a sideways glance....
Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[PowerWriter]

Brussels sprouts -- throw handful(s) of fresh sprouts into a pan, lather with olive oil, throw in more chopped garlic than you think is good for you, and turn up the heat to medium for 7 to 10 minutes until you see some charring. Dump on a plate [with hopefully some meat on it] and enjoy.

[Cookies]

I like to eat vegetables that were stir-fried in a hot wok in a tablespoon of hot sesame oil and two tablespoons of Teryaki marinade for a couple of minutes. These are just delicious. I also like to add some of these into my Ramen noodle soup.

Yes, sesame oil makes everything better! I often stir fry veggies and throw them over some brown rice for a quick tasty dinner.

I particularly like toasted sesame oil. .... and btw, welcome to FPGeeks Cookies.

Thank you! I just found out they sell toasted sesame seeds in the Asian aisle of my grocery store, so now I will have to be on the lookout for toasted sesame oil as well