How to Cook Veggies that Don’t Suck
I love eating vegetables, but I will admit that sometimes eating fruit is way easier. There are only a few veggies I can eat raw and genuinely enjoy (shoutout to bell peppers, baby carrots, and cucumbers). The rest need to be prepared desirably.
I’m sure that many of you have experienced the same sort of “blah” feeling with veggies, or maybe you don’t like very many veggies at all. If you’ve been feeling the veggie blues, it’s probably because you haven’t been preparing them/haven’t had them prepared the way you like. And maybe you don’t even know how you like your vegetables prepared! My focus today is to teach you how to cook vegetables that don’t suck and make your meals shine.
First thing’s first, get in tune with what aspects of food excite you. Think about flavor & texture. Do you like things crispy? Crunchy? Chewy? Soft? Do you like light flavors? Simple or complex flavors? Zesty flavors? Determining your food interests can help you narrow down a recipe and begin to cook something to your liking.
For me, I love veggies that are warm and soft from being roasted, but I also love a little crispy edge. I love easy flavors that taste light and can go with anything. Whenever I make veggies, I use my go-to chili lime recipe:
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder (or more to taste—I usually use about 1 ½-2)
½ tbsp black pepper
½ tbsp kosher salt
Juice of ½ lime (I like to juice the lime before the veggies are cooked but if you want a slightly less acidic flavor drizzle the lime juice after they’re done)
Steps:
Easy. Toss your veggies in a big bowl with the above ingredients and spread them on a baking sheet. Be sure the veggies are lying flat on the tray and not touching other veggies as best you can (this will help them get crispy). Bake for 10-20 mins on 400 and voila, easiest, tastiest veggies for your lunch/dinner!
This recipe works great with all veggies, but if you’re ever in a time crunch or just don’t know what to do, simple olive oil, salt & pepper will do the trick.
Try adding what you have on hand: fresh/dried herbs, lemon squeeze, a dash of spice, etc. Try sauteing your veg, or roasting, or blanching…you’ll never know what you like best until you try!
What veggies are you thinking of whipping up tonight?
By Jessica Kaplan