Recipes for "Different" Vegetables

gryp

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 3:36 pm

Re: roasted root veggies- I don't use recipes but you only have to dice them up and then dress it with some olive oil, and then salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and anything else you like. I usually do thyme and basil, maybe chili powder. Whatever I'm in the mood of.

ra_mom

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 3:39 pm

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

How do you shred the squash? It's impossible to peel!

I was hoping I could use frozen squash...

I use the fine blade of the food processor. It's a snap.

Peeling is simple when you use a sharp non-serated knife. I peeled a small one last night.

greeneyes

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 12:39 pm

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

Thank you for all of the extra ideas! Greeneyes, could I have the creamed parsnips and roasted eggplant (which I always hated as a kid, but I'll give it a try now)? Thank you so much!

Creamy Parsnips & Spinach

1 T. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 medium parsnips, cut in 1/4 inch rounds
2 cups light cream or plain soy milk
1 cup water
2 (10 oz) boxes chopped frozen spinach, defrosted for 20 min
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
tiny pinch nutmeg

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute 4-5 minutes, until just golden.

Sprinkle in garlic, and saute 3 more minutes.

Add parsnips and cream or soy milk. Simmer 15 minutes, it will get bubbly.

Add water, heat through. Turn off heat. Use an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

Return to medium heat. Break the partially defrosted spinach into chunks and add to pot. Shop and stir with a wooden spoon. Add seasonings. Stir well and heat through.

Transfer to a serving bowl, serve hot.

greeneyes

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 12:42 pm

Here's how I make roasted eggplant:

Slice eggplant. Place in a colander and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Let sit for around 20-30 minutes. Rinse eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.

Place eggplant slices on a baking sheet that is sprayed with pam. Season eggplant. (I use "everyday seasoning".) Drizzle with olive oil (or spray with pam, oil will taste better obviously). Bake at 400 degrees until soft and a little crispy. Yum!

HindaRochel

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 12:59 pm

I make a delicious fennel salad.
Fennel and carrots with some dill and oil and vinegar, a little salt.

Zucchini, I recently started zapping and serving with just a bit of salt and butter/substitute. Zap till just tender. OR you can zap till tender and toss with a bit of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
I slice eggplant and zucchini, salt, let sit for 1/2 then fry them up.
You can also do a batter dip with them.

Sweet and sour beets. (use sweetener of your choice and cider vinegar...cook beets till soft, then add the dressing and cook a bit more.)

Red cabbage with carrots in a vinaigrette.

Cabbage sauteed lightly and served with a bit of salt.

Sauteed mushrooms.

life'sgreat

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 3:07 pm

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

I feel like we eat the same six or so vegetables all the time, and I'm looking for something new, different, but still relatively healthy. Here's what we eat on a regular basis, cooked:

Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Squash
Broccoli
Green beans
Zuchinni

We also eat cucumbers and peppers, raw.

What else can I use? Does anyone have interesting, GOOD recipes using "different" vegetables like parsnips or something? Oh, we do eat beats sometimes too, and they're really good. Sweet and juicy, surprisingly.

TIA!

Do you cook them all, or do you roast, bake etc...? Roasted veggies are divine if done well.

I like to roast kabuchi squash (in season now, or probably end of season almost), acorn squash. I also have done carrots and parsnips roasted. You should google roasted vegetables and you'll get many ideas.

If you want the recipes for the above mentioned, just holler.

life'sgreat

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 9:30 pm

I forgot! My favorite is candied tomatoes. I cut it in half (beef tomatoes, or even plum tomatoes), drizzle olive oil and salt and bake it on a cookie sheet on 500 for 2 hours. Check for blackened tomatoes. Once the edges start getting a bit black, it's done.

greeneyes

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 10:23 pm

runninglate wrote:

greeneyes, can you pls post the recipe for oven roasted tomatoes with onions and peppers? Thanks.

Oven Roasted "Melted" Tomatoes (from Norene's Healthy Kitchen by Noreen Gilletz)

6-8 large tomatoes (about 3 lb.), or plum tomatoes
6-8 cloves garlic
2 medium onions
1 red or yellow pepper
2-3 T. olive oil
2-3 T. balsamic vinegar
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lined with foil with pam. Cut tomatoes into quarters or wedges (depending on size) and spread out in a single layer on prepared pan. Cut each clove of garlic in half and scatter over tomatoes. Slice onion and peppers, spread over tomatoes. Drizzle veggies with oil and vinegar, sprinkle with seasonings. Mix well.

Bake uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45-60 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender. Serve hot or at room temp.

I love this recipe! I make a big tray of these tomatoes a couple times a week. It makes a great snack.

greeneyes

Fri, Dec 02 2011, 9:08 am

runninglate wrote:

thank you! That sounds delicious. I hope to try it soon. I dont like balsamic vinegar though. Can I just skip it or is there something I shld subsitute?

I think it would still be good if you skipped it. It does add a great flavor though.

Mrs Bissli

Sat, Dec 03 2011, 5:12 pm

Parsnip--peel, trim top and tail, cut into chunks and roast. comes out really sweet and delish. You can also make into soup, goes nicely with a bit of curry flavour.

Aubergine/eggplant--broil till outside skin is charred, then mash up the pulp. You can add fried onion, tehini, lemon juice etc for great dip. You can also cut them into cubes and stir-fry, season with soysauce and vinegar.

Okra--great cooked with onion and tomato sauce, or in curries. Or you can cut them into slices and make into pakoras/fritters (best if you can get ground chickpea flour).

Fennel--shred thinly and dress with vinaigrette. It's also great to braise them with a bit of oil, water, parve soup powder, once soft (but before turning mushy) turn off heat and add a squeeze of lemon.

Beetroot--also great in soup. makes lovely colour purple soup with potatoes. Makes great pickles together with turnips

Roasted red peppers

Mooli (long white radish, also called daikon radishes) or turnips--grate and mix with vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, salt). Very refreshing. We also love adding turnips to chicken soup, gives lovely sweet aroma.

I also make pickled radishes

imab

Thu, Dec 29 2011, 7:10 am

I'm also trying to integrate new veggies. I recently tried this potato fennel soup, it was great! The second time I made it I added 1 chopped turnip.

http://wemakesoup.blogspot.com......html

I've recently started munching on raw kohlrabi (its from the broccoli family)
I slice it thin, sprinkle with lemon juice and oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It tastes great especially after about an hour when the flavors meld.

celestial

Thu, Dec 29 2011, 10:20 am

I LOVE rainbow chard! It's so pretty and delicious and tastes great. It's good with golden raisins, pine nuts, and balsamic sauce.

Zucchini's another favorite of mine. I saute it in butter and put it in salads, grill it, etc. You can also slice it thinly and use it as a wrap with feta and tomato sauce.

If you're interested in ethnic cooking that will open you up to a new world of fruits and veggies. If you like Mexican for example you might fall in love with tomatillos and the verde sauce they make. I have Smile

What about asparagus, sweet peppers, eggplant, kabocha pumpkin, portabello mushrooms, kale?

A great beet recipe is roasted beets, green apples, carrots, walnuts, parsley, and feta (optional) with apple cider vinegar.