Vegetables: CONQUERED! (Veggies #6.10)

I totally eat Brussels Sprouts now.

So there.

AND I'm better about trying new veggies. But to be perfectly honest, I still don't like most of them.

ITEM CHECKED OFF.

Zucchini: Shred It and Forget It. (Veggies #6.9)

I've discovered something.

Zucchini doesn't have to be in chunky cubes or round slices for you to eat it!

There are two super simple ways I've been using zucchini for meals. The first is the yummiest, and least vegetable-y: zucchini pancakes! These aren't like batter pancakes, but more like the potato pancakes you might have had if you're a descendant from central/eastern Europe. I can make two of them fresh in the morning in just under 10 minutes, which is a lovely way to start my day. The recipe is from a great Paleo cookbook I'm borrowing, Practical Paleo. Super simple recipes. I've scaled this one waaaay down, as I do with most of the recipes in the book.

1/3 zucchini, shredded/julienne style (I use our cheese grater!)
1 medium egg
~1 tablespoon coconut flour
salt to taste
coconut oil or bacon grease (I figured out that if I cook 2-3 slices of bacon in the pan before the pancakes, it's just the right amount. Plus then I get to eat bacon!)

• Mix everything together. If the mixture is drippy-runny, add a little more flour. You should be able to scoop about half of it with just a fork if it's sticking together enough.
• Add oil to a pan over medium heat. Let it warm up, then drop zucchini mix by heaping spoonfuls. (Or just split the mix in half and drop that much.) Flatten in out a little so you have a flat circle. 
• Let them cook for about 5 minutes on each side. The flat sides will get nice and brown and crispy. If you like less crispy things, just don't cook them as long.

The second way to eat zucchini is even easier: as a noodle substitute. Just use a vegetable peeler (or the long, wide cheese grater option!) and shred down to the seeds. Then you can either steam them (~5mins) or throw them in the microwave with a favorite sauce (~3mins). So far I've only tried it with pesto. Yummmm.

Happy Eatings!

Brussels Sprouts: Experimenting

I can't officially say that I like Brussels sprouts just yet. I've tried cooking them two nights in a row now, and they're just kinda... meh.

I've tried two preparations, both pretty similar.

Last night I cooked up some bacon in a skillet, then cooked the sprouts cut side down in the bacon grease. Bought some balsamic vinegar for dipping - should've been a home run, right?? But not quite. Still tasted ... meh.

Tonight I just halved them, tossed them in some olive oil and minced garlic, and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Then at the very end I sprinkled some parmesan mixed with oregano and thyme and tossed them around a bit more. Again, another combo that - for me - is almost guaranteed to be enjoyed, but I still didn't like the sprouts. Too... cabbage-y? They just didn't seem to have any specific flavor other than "blech." Not offensive enough for me to swear off of them forever. I'll still try some recipes. Especially because I still have, like, a pound of them left in the bag I bought from Costco.

So, veggie connoisseurs - what step am I missing? What makes that flavor fade into the delicious that most people seem to think surrounds a Brussels sprout?

I like it raw! (Veggies #6.7)

Big news!

Well... really, it can be classified as "news that will not shatter the earth" because it mainly affects me and that guy I'm married to.

Right, anyway, the news!

Turns out I don't mind broccoli - if eaten raw!

This "raw veggie" theory has presented itself twice recently:

The first was when I took a suggestion from a very wise former-college-roommate of mine (hi, Katie!) who accepted the Broccoli challenge with this recipe for broccoli coleslaw.

I made it over 4th of July - and it's delicious! It helps that the broccoli is drizzled with sweet/vinegar-y goodness.

This recipe led me to try to shred my own broccoli over the weekend, since buying bunches of broccoli seemed cheaper than buying it pre-julienned. (And maybe because sending that guy I like to the store with instructions to buy broccoli slaw resulted in a purchase of 4 heads of broccoli. Maybe.) The shredding attempt was weak at best, but it did leave me with a large bag full of bushy broccoli tops, which I would've felt awful throwing away. So I bought a tub o' veggie dip and tried just eating the raw broccoli with a bit of dip last night.

Totally. Tolerable!

The second example was so fleeting I barely noticed it. At a wedding shower for my new sister-in-law (husband's-brother's-wife) the hostess made a pasta salad with fresh cut, uncooked yellow squash from her garden. I really liked the crunch and how the italian-style dressing stuck to it w/o smothering.

Another win for veggies! A war I'm happy to be losing. :)

Plus, as we move into fall & winter, I'm hoping to explore some of the fun seasonal veggies. Last year I conquered acorn and butternut squash, plus I have lots of recipes pinned for soups and crock pot goodness.


Here's the recipe for the broccoli slaw mentioned above. I've edited it to match how I decided to prepare it after making it by-the-book the first time.

(Pro tip: it's a Paula Deen recipe, and you DO NOT need the 3/4 stick of butter. Ever. I don't even cook the ramen/almond/sunflower seeds, just crunch them and toss.)

Ingredients

• 2 bags (3-ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup in Oriental
• 3/4 stick butter  I just saved you a million mental calories.
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 bags (12-ounce) bags broccoli cole slaw (in the bagged salad section of the grocery store)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• Chopped green onions, for garnish (I tend to forget this part)

Dressing Mix:

• 3/4 cup canola vegetable oil (what's a Canola, anyway?)
• 1/4 cup brown or white sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 ramen noodle seasoning packet (Oriental)

Directions

Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat. Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat). Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. (Be sure all of the sugar is dissolved!) Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped green onions.

If the veggie looks like a starch, is it still a veggie? (Veggies #6.6)

The veggie - Cauliflower.

I've never had a really strong opinion either way about cauliflower. Not after I figured out it was nothing like broccoli. But it also doesn't jump to my mind when I think vegetable, either.

The starch - Potato.

I don't really care for potatoes. It's a texture thing. If they're in chip or french fry form, I can tolerate them. And once in college they were so cheesy-creamy-delicious that I forgot they were potatoes. But yeah, not really a fan.

The magic - Steaming & blending.

My rice w/ steamer is a) adorable and b) super handy!

Blend, blend, blend, blend...

I steamed about half a head of cauliflower until it was good and mushy, then threw it in the food processor until it was like a pulp.

Then I added a little butter and Parmesan cheese (not much!) and put it on a plate and it's just like mashed potatoes! Except without the grainy starchy-ness of potatoes! AND there's even a little nutrition to the cauliflower, where as potatoes are pretty much all carbs.

Ta-daaa! We ate ours with a plate of fried fish & okra. But if it's a vegetable, it's good for you... right?

If there's a vegetable on the plate, it can't be bad for you.

Next on the cauliflower front, from my friend Jessica:

Soon.

Veggie Office Help (Veggies #6.5)

It's becoming better known at work that I'm not keen on veggies. The fact that I live in the city, get regular exercise, occasionally bike to work, try to recycle, and know about how to eat healthy makes me a bit of an anomaly in the office, and most coworkers assume these hippie tendencies must also mean hippie diet.

Not so, dear office mates. Not so.

So I've garnered some support as of late and some yummy recipe ideas, too. And my good friend Mark often brings good to share (along with a daily chuckle) and he's very veggie-conscious.

He shared some sugar snap peas with me the other day with some hummus for dipping, and I have to admit it was a super simple and had a really delightful crunch to it.

So, I say this is Veggie Solution #5! (Halfway!)