Yum, I love vegetables. I also noticed the lack of greens and few root vegetables. I enjoy celeriac cubed and boiled and mashed with white potatoes. Yes, potatoes are a vegetable and very nutritious, they get a bad rap because they're normally covered with butter, gravy, sour cream, etc. A baked potato with the skin on it has more potassium than a banana. Good thing, I don't like bananas, LOL.

Rutabaga is good in soups and stews and I add them to pasties and pot pies. Brussels sprouts that are saut�ed or roasted are a completely different creature than those soggy boiled creatures Grandma used to make, still crunchy in the middle and soggy outside.

If you use the microwave a lot, Ziplock makes microwaveable veggie bags, I drizzle broccoli with a bit of sesame oil, add a tsp of sesame seeds and microwave it.

I also roast big pans of vegetables, mixing carrots, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, onions, whatever I have on hand. A sprinkle of herbs and salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and into the oven at 375 for 45 minutes or so. Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are good additions to that mixture too.

Carrots get a squeeze of orange juice, maybe a sprinkle of brown sugar. Winter squash gets maple syrup sometimes and beets are good with orange too. Cabbage is delicious saut�ed with onion and apples or pears, it can be baked that way too or made into "sweet and sour" with some sugar, vinegar and cornstarch.

Zucchini and summer squash is good with tomatoes in a gratin and shredded zucchini makes a nice sub for potatoes in latkes.

good luck, there are probably millions of ways to cook vegetables. I try to buy something new whenever I see something I haven't tried, just in case I'm missing something. That's how I found celeriac!

Annie

ruthanna, fantastic uses of vegetables!

jenny (ynnej) we need you to come back! You can contribute a lot to many people's health with you wonderful vegetable creations.

dcarch

We love to put fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts in a baking dish, melt some butter and drizzle over the sprouts, add a large sprinkling of brown sugar and bake at about 325-350 until done. The sweet of the sugar against the taste of the sprouts is wonderful.

This post was edited by walnutcreek on Sun, Jan 13, 13 at 15:36

AnnieD - You have great ideas from all the posters and beautiful and tasty combinations from Ruthanna.

I love vegetables! raw, steamed, roasted, stir fry. One thing that I am very particular about is that they have to be fresh, if I didn't have a garden and the weather available I would be looking into farms, farmers market or anything close by...

My advice to you is to experiment with new recipes with veggies that you are familiar and like and try a new one each week cooked in a very simple way. Soups and salads are the best to try anything and everything.

Tonight I am preparing dinner and the first thing that I do is pick carrots, beets and watermelon radishes for a raw salad dressed in olive oil. If you like radishes something new to try would be the watermelon one that maybe you can find at the Asian store if you cannot grow them yourself.

I do fritattas very often and any greens and herbs go there, this morning I used a lightly sauteed arugula with fresh herbs.

Carrots, beets and watermelon radish salad

Silvia

Silvia - I started receiving seed catalogs right before Christmas. That's the first time I've ever received them before January. I have a quarter acre that is very hilly and I have it terraced. I am so envious from what I have seen of your garden and always enjoy the pics of the fruits of your labor.

So here I sit on a cold January day perusing the seed catalogs and over planning what seeds I need. If I got everything I wanted to grow I would need 20 acres!

AnnieD - here is a link to some carrots from Daphne Oz of the ABC show The Chew. I loosely followed the recipe, adding more ginger and garlic. The second time around I used white wine and chicken broth instead of orange juice because orange juice frequently gives me canker sores.

And Silvia - I used the hazelnuts you sent me! Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Daphne Oz's (The Chew) Ginger Carrots

I also use rutabagas in stew. For years I only ate them at Thanksgiving, but now I serve them with pork roast and poultry. I love their sweet/bitter flavor.

Portuguese kale soup is a good way to eat your greens. The kale is added near the end so it doesn't lose its vitamins. I make it with canned tomatoes, carrots, and kale. It uses linguica or any type of sausage, but you just need enough to flavor it. Cannellini beans provide the protein. It's a traditon in Provincetown on the Cape.

Teresa - I look at seed catalogs like if I am looking at magazines and get ideas. My garden is postage stamp but produces so many vegetables for the family and I also share with friends and neighbors. I introduce new varieties to my friends when they come for dinner, they all love them and get a chance to try something new and tasty.
I cannot imaging a life without vegetables, it would be for me like the black and white movies. Fruits and vegetables bring everything to life in my opinion. I am saving some of the wild rice that you sent me and I enjoyed so much for a very special dish in the future. I am glad that you enjoyed the nuts, it is just a small thing but I didn't know that hazelnuts are native to your area.

AnnieD - You should come for dinner at my house sometimes, I will change your mind,lol.

Silvia

Wow! Thank you all so much for wonderful suggestions and some beautiful looking dishes. I will have to try them.

I don't typically use peas, corn or white potatoes/sweet potatoes/winter squashes as they are carbs and I err on the side of low carbs for side dishes... and opt for nonstarchy vegetables.

I made swiss chard one night and really enjoyed it...until the next day when they gave me the trots!!! DH's family grew all kinds of greens and cooked and ate them frequently, and he really enjoys them. I suspect I just need to eat them more often to get my gut to adjust.

Has anyone made Kohlrabi??? DH's grandmother made them as both greens and diced.

I do love rutabaga and will often eat that like cooked cereal for breakfast...I boil and mash with butter and nutmeg.

I'm reluctant to do asparagus as I was spoiled as a child...Dad grew it fresh and there's no way store bought can compare...it's simply not the same veggie.

(Boy does that sound like 101 excuses...I am my own worst enemy!)

I haven't ever tried cooking with fennel or jicama or tomatillos ....anyone try any of those besides olychick?

Silvia - all of the nuts from that company were the best I've ever had. I buy nuts at Costco or my favorite co-op The Wedge. I must not be getting good quality nuts because the ones you sent were to die for. Like a fine wine, I savored each cashew on it's own with an after taste of a bite of cantelope. I loved the sweet and salty combination.

Keep posting photos of the garden for those of us in the gardening starved North! I told you when you first started posting that I would be living my life vicariously through your posts. :-)

I make tomatillo salsa. Just roast them and scrape out the meat with a spoon. Put in a pinch of sugar because they are tart.

I recently saw Paula Deen swoon over mashed potatoes with celery root. Was going to try it until I saw it was $3 a pound. It's a big bulb.

I'm not sure some of these non-green/orange veggies add much nutrition.

I've usually only eaten kohlrabi raw, peeled, and sliced into chunks. I do like it in cole slaw. Substitute shredded kohlrabi for the cabbage.

How about some oven roasted veggies? Just drizzle with olive oil after cooking put your favorite spices on it if desired. Here's some combos I like cut into bite size pieces.

Butternut squash
Apples
Baby carrots
Cranberries
Walnuts, optional

Brussels Sprouts
(after roasting add walnuts, dried cranberries and drizzle with balsamic vinegar)

Butternut squash
onions
chestnuts

Tomatoes
Peppers
Summer squash
Onions

Butternut squash (what can I say, if its a good gardening year I have tons of these)
Sweet potatoes
Baby carrots
Parsnips

Teresa - I always order the nuts and dried fruits from them, they are tasty, fresh and have a good service, I am glad that you liked them, one of my favorites is the roasted cashews.
The garden is producing now beets, carrots, greens, peas, cabbages and fruits like bananas, papayas, star fruit, lemons and limes.

AnnieD - I planted tomatillos last season and I made a vegetarian chili with them this week. I broiled them cut in half and some yellow tomatoes. I sauteed an onion and garlic, add cumin and yellow chili powder, cilantro. Once cooked I added corn and black beans. Put the tomatillos in the food processor and add seasoning like salt, pepper. Add to the beans and corn. I served with jerk chicken. It is a very quick and tasty dinner to make, you can add the spices or not to your likeness.
I use fennel and jicama in fresh salads and I use the mandoline to slice them thin. Fennel I like with citrus and jicama with mango.

Silvia

My DD makes a wonderful ratatouille (no eggplant). We have an alligator chopper, which makes quick work of the chopping.

It's so tasty, even the kids like it. She always makes a huge batch, and I take a cup or so with me to work, and add it to my hot tomato soup. It is very, very good in hot soup and, with some bread and cheese, makes the soup an amazing meal.

It ages well, too, so it's good as a side dish for the next day or two.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

AnnieD. I love Ann T's stacked enchiladas, so much that I grew tomatillos and made a big batch of sauce which I froze so I can have them whenever I want instead of just when I can find tomatillos in Michigan!

There's no meat in them but they are very substantial, plus you get corn in the tortillas. (grin) Here's the recipe, it looks more involved than it is:

Stacked Enchiladas -Ann T
==================
Source: Southwest Cookbook
Here is the recipe Helene for the Stacked Enchiladas. I see no reason why you couldn't layer these over lapping in a lasagna pan and then slice to serve. You will have to double the ingredients for the sauce as well as the fillings.

Vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas (6 inches)
1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) green Chili Sauce (recipe on page 195)
2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cups finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 350�F. Pour vegetable oil into a medium , heavy skilled to depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium high heat to 375�F, or until a strip of tortilla browns in 60 seconds. Soften the tortillas, one at a time, for about 5 seconds per side in the hot oil and drain on paper towels.

Heat the green chili sauce in a shallow pan and dip each softened tortilla into the sauce. Place 1 coated tortilla on an oven proof plate and top with 1 tablespoons green cili sauce, 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion; repeat twice so that 1 serving contains 3 layered tortillas. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 tortilla stacks. Bake the stacks for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

NOTE: Add cooked chicken and or pinto or black beans between layers.

Green Chili Sauce
1 Jalapeno chili seeded and diced
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tomatillos, husked and diced (or use canned)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 new Mexico green or Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced.
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, place the jalapeno , garlic, green onions, tomatillos and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat' reduce heat and simmer until theliquid is reduced to about 1 cup about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour the chicken stock misture into a blender or food processor.
Add the Anaheim chilies, cilantrol and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1 to 2 days refrigerated.

Servings: 4

Annie (The Other One)

We grew kohlrabi last year for the first time. I had no idea what to do with it, but we found we liked it just steamed and buttered. And in stews and soups, stir fry, slaw and roasted with whatever other vegies we had. (I didn't know you could eat the leaves!)

I recently started picking up fennel bulbs at Trader Joe's. Another thing I'd never tried. I've slivered it into salads and roasted it with other vegies (this fall we had fennel cut in quarters, fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise, and green beans tossed with a little olive oil....yum). I tried growing some fennel, but it was still very small when it frosted. I have high hopes for next year. The fronds made pretty garnish though.

Kale is the other thing we discovered we liked. I'd always heard it was 'strong' so I assumed I wouldn't like it. It grows way better than spinach for us and I was able to kick the snow off of it and have fresh greens until mid-December (need snowshoes to get to it now). I blanch it for a few seconds and throw it in the dehydrator, then crumble it into stews, risottos, pasta dishes, bean soup. Kale chips are good, too. We discovered marinating chopped kale in a vinaigrette makes a really nice tender salad. I posted a kale and apple salad, probably on the same thread as mabeldingeldine.

We like jicama. Julienned in salads, in stir fry, chicken salad, anywhere you want a little crunch. And I made a mean jicama latke when we were toying with a strict low-carb diet.

Small zucchinis, sliced lengthwise, rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with whatever, then tossed on a grill....mmmmm. I must be getting tired of winter.

I just ordered seeds. Trying tomatillos this year. I made some green enchilada sauce from green tomatoes, and it just wasn't the same.

I just recently made Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar and Maple Syrup Drizzle. Great way to eat Brussels sprouts

teresa_mn, Yotam Ottolenghi has a column in the Guardian, and lots of his recipes are there for the browsing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yotam Ottolenghi recipes

My GF raves about her roasted brussel sprouts, so I tried it....I used Ina Garten's method, I even turned the temp down and had them in the oven for less than half the time and they came out beyond burned...all the way to ashen!!

What time and temp do you use for them???

All these suggestions are wonderful....thank you all so much for taking the time to advise me. I really appreciate it.

I think I definitely have to try the fennel...I had it once in an Italian restaurant that was mixed with other veggies and it was to die for....

I have made haluski (hah-LOOSH-ki) with the cabbage...another dish DH's grandmother used to make...saute the cabbage with onion in butter and oil, I throw in some caraway seeds. They used to serve it as an entree mixed with egg noodles with sugar and cinnamon on top, but I use it just as vegetable side dish....but it's a tad strong for breakfast...

I love vegetables. I like growing them, buying them, cooking them, eating them. My DH does not.

However, he does like roasted kohlrabi. Peel it well, cut it into "cottage fries", toss it in oil and roast at 425 or so for 10-15 mins, flip it and roast until the other side is well browned.

When tomatoes and courgettes are in season, slice them and stand them up alternately in a dish - upright like car wheels, then into a little olive oil, add some salt and pepper, fresh herbs like tarragon, thyme..... pour over and bake fo about 40 mins or until tender. Very pretty too. I must be dreaming of summer too!

Veggies are my main food group.....here are a couple of my favorites....I roast nearly all my veggies,(nearly everything from broccoli to squash) easy just cut up toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, place on baking sheet (I line with foil for easier clean up) and roast at whatever temp from 375 to 425 until caramelized and yummy.

Roasted Fennel and Carrots

3 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
4 medium carrot(s), peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium fennel bulb(s), trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp table salt, or less to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or less to taste
2 tsp orange zest, navel, minced, optional*
Instructions
• Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray.
• Place carrots and fennel in a single layer in prepared pan; coat with cooking spray. Roast, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to turn lightly golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with zest. You can use drizzle of olive oil if you don't want to use the spray.

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

1 medium head cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper -- to taste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds -- or fennel seeds (Optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Cut cabbage into 6 wedges and place in a single layer on sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with caraway or fennel seeds. Roast until the cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40-45 minutes.

Another "different" way with veggies is to grill them. But the weather has to cooperate with that method.

And finally, look at Trader Joe's for frozen asparagus. It is amazing, almost as good as fresh. It comes in regular and grilled versions. TJ is only place I have ever seen frozen asparagus. Easy to prepare, just place frozen in shallow dish and microwave for a couple of minutes.

Enjoy,
Murphy

I saw frozen artichokes at TJ's this weekend - have never seen them in any of our stores. Can't wait to try them!

Teresa

I'm enjoying this thread. You'd thing that as a vegetarian I'd have lots of ideas, but I've been stuck in a rut, too. This is giving me lots of ideas.

I haven't made this in a long time, but one of my favorite ways I've had fennel is in that salad created by Alice Waters. It was slices of fennel, mushrooms and parmigiano reggiano. Following is a recipe I found on Orangette's website/blog. I just did a search for Alice Waters fennel and mushroom salad, and there were lots of variations. No matter which you use, it's delicious.

From Orangette's blog:
Shaved Fennel Salad with Mushrooms and Parmesan

Adapted from Alice Waters and Julia Child



Part of what makes this salad feel special is its elegant, layered presentation. But if you're short on time " or just don't feel like fussing " you can certainly toss it in a bowl like any other salad. As for variations, you can try adding a dash of truffle oil for some sophistication and snazz, or, if you're feeling frisky, try replacing the mushrooms with paper-thin slices of Asian pear. We thought of that a couple of days ago, when we shared an Asian pear after big plates of this salad. The mingling of flavors was fantastic. Needless to say, it's next on our list.



1 medium fennel bulb

about 10-12 ounces 
5 or 6 small mushrooms, preferably crimini or white button


Good-quality olive oil

A lemon

Sea salt, such as Maldon

A hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Freshly ground black pepper



First, prepare the fennel. If it still has its feathery fronds, cut them off at the base of their stalks, and discard them. Rinse the bulb under cool water, and dry it thoroughly. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, trim away any bruises or brown spots on the very outermost "skin" of the fennel. Cut the bulb in half from root to stalk, and trim the root end. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the fennel as thinly you possibly can.

 Now, prepare the mushrooms. Wipe away any dirt on their surface with a damp paper towel, and trim off and discard the stem end. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the mushrooms very thinly.

 Assemble the salad in layers on a large platter or, if you prefer, on individual plates. First, make a layer of fennel slices. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Then place a layer of mushrooms on top of the fennel. Drizzle lightly with lemon juice, and season with salt. Using a vegetable peeler, cut thin shavings of the cheese, and arrange them on top of the mushrooms. Add another layer of fennel, followed by a light drizzle of oil, and then another layer of mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, and cheese. Repeat until you run out of fennel and mushrooms; you might have two layers of each, or you might have more; it doesn't much matter. Finish the salad with a good drizzle of lemon juice and a hearty splash of oil, and garnish with a few shavings of cheese. Serve immediately, with salt and pepper to taste.

 Yield: 2 quite generous servings, or 4 side servings

Sally

p.s. I just edited this to try to remove the symbols. I hope it works. If it does, disregard the following message I posted cursing the symbols.

Sally

This post was edited by sally2 on Mon, Jan 14, 13 at 15:31

Regarding Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I followed the recipe from "A Pioneer Woman Cooks." It was easy. They came out roasted and not burnt. I tossed in walnuts.

Here's a link to her recipe:

Here is a link that might be useful: Roasted Brussels sprouts

I tend to roam through the world of vegetables (as well as fruit) by purchasing in season choices which change all the time, so I'm assured a good variety for that very reason.

Then, I "roam" through my cookbooks, those from the library, and on-line recipes for inspiration for how to use them in new and different ways - not to mention the file of recipes I've collected here ;-). I try to make at least one new recipe each week to keep from slipping into the dreaded food "ditch".

The link below gives a month-by-month list that may help inspire you. Click on the highlighted food item and you'll find recipes for using them.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: The Cheapest Fruits and Vegetables Month-By-Month

Annie, I've found that I have to cut Brussels sprouts into quarters to roast to my liking. Otherwise, they're burned outside and hard in the middle. I really like them best sliced and saut�ed with some bacon, but it's not very healthy, LOL.

Like Grainlady, I tend to eat vegetables in season, I find they are at their best then. I also try to pick up fruits and vegetables that I'm unfamiliar with, just to try them. Sometimes they're wonderful, sometimes.....not so much. (grin) But you never know until you try, I don't want to miss out on anything delicious!

Annie

Even my kids will eat cauliflower when I make it this way.
Roasted Cauliflower
1 Head of Cauliflower (or more!!!)
1/4 c Olive Oil
Kosher or Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 400F. Trim and wash the whole head of Cauliflower then slice it about 1/4 inch thick. There will be lots of small pieces and several large lacy slices. Place the Cauliflower into a large bowl and drizzle on the Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper to taste, toss to coat.

Spread the Cauliflower evenly onto sheet pans (I use 2 half-sheet pans) and put in the oven. After about 10 minutes, stir them around to get the pieces on the edge of the pan moved towards the middle to encourage even browning, stir again every 10 minutes. After about 30 minutes it is ready, but can be left a little longer until even more browned depending on your taste.

I wish I was a veggie eater but I'm not. I love certain fresh veggies in season but overall they get pushed aside on my plate. I particularly dislike roasted veggies especially root vegetables. Salads don't appeal to me either BUT if I am served one I love it! Go figure.....

Of late I cooked two new veggies that I really enjoyed. One was Brussels sprout, sliced finely, and sauted with caramelized onions. Another was Lima beans with butter ( Thank you Lars)...

I know I need to do better and will definitely use some of the ideas posted here.

Thanks Momj47. I missed the link you posted yesterday. Some of the recipes in Yotam's booked really piqued my interest.

Teresa NC - I've seen those frozen artichokes in TJ's. Come back and tell us how you prepared them.

Teresa

Those blasted symbols didn't show up in my preview. There were other symbols that did, and I edited it to try to get rid of them. These are different symbols than what showed up in the preview. It's aggravating, and I apologize the recipe I posted is so hard to read. If you are interested in it, it's easy to find multiple variations of it by doing an internet search.

Sally

AnnieD, I roast my sprouts at 325-350.

I was surprised to see me mentioned with Lima beans, but they are one of my favorites and are very simple to prepare.

I keep a lot of frozen vegetables on hand so that I will always have some, but that is somewhat limiting. For fresh vegetables, I have several favorite ways of cooking them that may not seem the most healthy, but I don't think they are that bad:
1. deep fried in tempura batter
2. deep fried wrapped in masa, as in quesadillas
3. deep fried in egg roll wrappers
4. fresh in rice paper wrapper, as summer rolls

For 1. tempura, I like to use strong flavored root vegetables, such as turnips, parsnips, onions, etc
For 2. quesadillas - I normally cook with cheese, and I like to use mushrooms, cooked broccoli, huitlacoche, or any other cooked, leftover vegetable.
For 3. egg rolls, I use traditional bean sprouts, water chestnuts, celery, cilantro, tofu, etc
For 4. summer rolls, I use shredded jicama, soft lettuce, shredded carrot, avocado, artichoke hearts, and rice noodles.

I very often stir fry vegetables or else make Pad Thai and will include Bok Choy and several other random vegetables.

I like to make souffle with squash, and I make casseroles with eggplant or okra as a main ingredient. There are many ways that I like to make eggplant, and it is one of my favorites.

Lars

I make pumpkin pie filling sweetened with Splenda, pour it into ramekins and bake the ramekins in a water bath until set. I eat it for breakfast or dessert. I usually start with the flesh of a roasted squash, but canned pumpkin works fine too.

Vegetables stiil count as vegetables even if you incorporate them in soups and stews or even dessert!

This New York Times blog has some cauliflower recipes that sound really good.

Here is a link that might be useful: cauliflower recipes

may flowers mentioned Portuguese Kale Soup. Here is a recipe:

Portuguese Kale Soup

This is so wonderful....all this info is amazing. Thank you to everyone for all your ideas and encouragement.

Thanks walnutcreek and Annie...I will try again with a lower oven temp and cutting the brussels up first before roasting.

jimster, that kale soup sounds perfect for DH! and one I haven't made before. Thx.

lisacdm, are you saying you roast the cauliflower as slices? Do you flip them half way through?

grainlady, that list is a keeper...thanks! I do try to eat in season as not only is the cost down, but the flavor is way up.

sally2, that fennel salad sounds delish. I don't think DH would mind if we had salads for dinner, but I'm not sure...he's usually looking for something hot, as am I....to eat I mean. ;)

I didn't see anyone mention rapini (broccoli rabe), so I thought I'd throw it in for consideration.

We like it sauteed in olive oil with garlic, and finished with some parmesan. Or I'll add it to other vegetables for a pasta primavera.

Annie - yes I slice the cauliflower but some of it comes off in florets when I slice. You could break into florets and half or quarter the pieces. Either way it works. I usually stir/flip half way through.

Speaking of "Expanding Vegetable Options" ----

Look into "foraging". Not because there are many edible plants in your own garden that's free, but it's fun, delicious, educational, healthy, and convenient.

Spring will be here soon. Many of them will appear before you vegetable garden is ready.

But that's another topic altogether.

dcarch

A lot of flowers are edible. I have now growing nasturtiums and borage and I use the nasturtium flowers and leaves sometimes. Here is my lunch today, very simple and tasty.

Picked some purple and green snap peas, nasturtiums are on the side.

{{gwi:13457}}

Teresa wild rice, so aromatic and delicious! snap peas and tomatoes, dressed with olive oil, pink salt and pepper

Silvia

dcarch, you're correct. Purslane is nice in coleslaw and I use lambs quarter in place of spinach in salads, although I like it raw better than cooked. Dandelion greens are good when young and tender, but they get big, tough and bitter quickly.

Like Silvia, I enjoy the peppery flavor of nasturtiums but some flowers, although edible, have that "perfume-y" flavor that I don't care for. I don't like rose water in things either, that same flavor.

Annie

Much as I love vegetables,
I, too, have been pretty much 'in a rut'
with them lately.

This thread has inspired me to
Try to remedy that.

So tonight I made the Roasted Brussels Sprouts
from the link that Booberry85 posted.
Very easy, and so delicious! ! !

Definitely a 'keeper' recipe!

The sprouts were of widely varied sizes,
So I left the small ones whole
And halved the large ones.
375 degree oven, as directed.
I stirred them around about every 10 minutes.
It took about 30 minutes to get them the nice
Roasted brown I wanted.

Even my DIL
Who claimed to hate Brussels sprouts,
Had 2 helpings.

I'll be trying the Kale salad recipe
Posted by mabeldingeldine
Tomorrow or the next day.

So many tempting ideas in this thread!

Rusty

This post was edited by therustyone on Sun, Jan 20, 13 at 1:08

Thanks for all the great ideas. We eat large quantities of vegetables and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare them.

Silvia, I had already identified you as the Carrot Queen. Please keep us up to date on your garden bounty as some of us sit here in the winter weather.

Annie, when you mentioned a peppery flavor, I remembered that one of my favorite greens is watercress. I remove the stems and saute it along with fresh spinach and toss it with drizzles of soy and hoisin sauce.

I also lightly steam cress in the microwave and add it to mashed parsnips for a nice flavor combination.

My favorites:

Hosta stems, very early in the spring, better then endives.

Daylily stems, also early, better then asparagus.

dcarch

I love veggies, and tend to eat them first if served a plated meal.

A couple of tips for buying brussel sprouts-- (disclaimer here- I hate them, but DH loves them). BUY SMALL. According to DH the large ones tend to be tough and not as tasty. Sometimes TJ's has them on stalk and they seem to be better, possibly fresher than the bulk variety.
Secondly, I've had very good luck in halving or quartering them before cooking.
Thanks to some suggestions on the CF and elsewhere, I've expanded my preparation to include quartering and giving them a fairly quick saute on the stovetop with olive oil and balsamic. I think the addition of carmelized onions and bacon bits would make it even better.

Another note is that finely grated parmesan cheese is great sprinkled over many veggies. DH loves when I prepare either cauliflower or brussel sprouts lightly steamed in the microwave then tossed with olive oil and a pat of butter, minced garlic,a couple of shakes of worchestershire sauce, seasoned breadcrumbs (Progresso) and a liberal amount of parmesan cheese. Continue to cook for another couple of minutes until done. My microwave has a lot of power, your timing may vary.
Panko is also excellent in this recipe and works well with the cauliflower too.

Annie- one way to inspire your veggie options is to look global. Make authentic veggie dishes from the cuisines you like. We cook vegetarian but I love to cook dishes from different cuisines. Please post what is your favorite cuisine type and let us see if we can post a couple of recipes for you to try.

I roast many vegetables and love that flavor. Some how I've never tried brussels sprouts or cabbage prepared that way. Thanks for the heads up on cabbage Murphy it's one of my favorite vegetables.

I've never tasted fennel cooked or raw. I'm going to buy some this week and see if we like it.

Di

We eat a number of cuisines, but typically, american, italian and eastern european (I'm Polish, Italian and Hungarian and DH is Slovak.) We are not fans of asian cooking in general....we both dislike coconut...we have eaten chinese food, but it's not something we crave or go out of our way for.

That is a great suggestion though, to think of different cuisines as a way of putting a new twist on the vegs.

I have Chinese 5 spice which I really like, but am not sure how to use it...are there good pairings with veggies with that?

I just made a mulligatawny which came out delish....I do love cramming veggies into soups as they do get soft and yummy that way.

Annie
If you ever start cooking Chinese food at home(provided you can get the Chinese veggies) you will never look back !
You can use 5 spice powder in many ways...I like it in a marinade when I make Chinese roast pork. I roast on 325F slowly. I slice the pork into thin strips. They are used in a simple Asian style chicken soup(curry spices and coconut milk or chicken soup with dumplings), egg rolls or to top pan fried noodles.

If you don't feel like getting into Chinese...may I recommend an excellent cookbook : The Food of Greece by Vilma Chantiles
My copy is so worn I need to get another...
I make plenty of Greek vegetable stews and spinach/kale and rice to serve as main courses with a big salad and feta on the side. I also make the baked Gigantes beans and the anise biscuits. Oh let me stop I am going on now..