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paleorecipecookbook · 7 years ago

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The Expert’s Guide on How to Cook Mouth-Watering Vegetables

Overcooked, stinky Brussels sprouts seems to be the culprit of every veggie-fearing adult I know. If you were a victim of being served overcooked, boiled-to death, sulfuric, canned, bland, or soggy vegetables as a child, you never stood a chance. It’s not your fault that you have no idea what vegetables are capable of. Vegetables are actually tasty—really tasty.

Real Food Tastes Great

Most folks, even if they weren’t tortured by mushy broccoli, can find themselves in a rut with veggie preparation. Steamed green beans day in and day out is less than inspirational.

Vegetables are nutrient dense and a vital part of a healthy diet. The more vegetables you eat, the better you look and feel. The trick is to learn to love them. There are so many varieties, textures, flavors, and preparations—there is something for everyone’s tastes, even if you don’t know it yet.

While there are tricks for sneaking veggies into your meals when you’re convinced that you hate them, like hiding them in smoothies, how many pureed beverages can one take before insanity sets in?

Choosing produce seasonally and preparing it properly will highlight natural flavors and make your vegetable dishes delectable, desirable, even craveable. The goal is to actually enjoy eating your veggies so you don’t even want to mask them behind that protein powder!

10 Ways to Cook Mouthwatering Vegetables

Vegetables can taste great without hours of cooking or prep work. Here are 10 simple ways to get the most out of your produce, and some of them don’t even require cooking.

1. Blanching

When you do cook your vegetables, it should be done gently. Boiling tends to get out of hand and quickly turns your vegetable into flavorless, dull mush. Instead, give blanching a try!

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt well.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water. This ice bath is an important step in the blanching process.

To blanch, gently simmer your veggies, never more than a few minutes, sometimes even just a seconds, and then immediately stop the cooking process by plunging the veggies into the water bath.

Under blanching can stimulate vegetable enzymes and over-blanching will leave you with the colorless, flavorless, less-nutritious mess like over-boiling can, so it is important to check out proper blanching times for each veggie. When you blanch rather than boil you will find it easier to control the final outcome.

Once blanched, you can properly freeze for later use, sauté on the stove top in desired fat to enjoy warm, incorporate into omelets and frittatas, create salads, add to casseroles, or simply dress with a vinaigrette!

The best vegetables to blanch are:

Broccoli, Broccolini, and Broccoli Rabe (with lemon and olive oil, or chili flake, garlic, olive oil)

Asparagus (with orange and garam masala)

Cauliflower (with paprika and olive oil, or with capers, lemon, garlic, chili flake, and olive oil)

Collard Greens, Broccoli leaves, Cabbage leaves (use as a wrap or stuffed woth ground bison, chicken, pork, or turkey)

2. Steaming

Steaming vegetables is similar to blanching in that this method will maintain the brightness and yummy texture when done properly. Steaming has been made popular by dieters who shun fats. Steaming allows you to cook without added calories yes, but to me, this is not the point of steaming.

Creating delicious vegetables means creating appetizing textures, and steaming is just another great way to achieve delectable vegetables. You can use a steam basket or purchase a steamer with a fitted lid to steam your way to tasty dishes. Steaming also takes very little time, seconds for more delicate leafy greens like spinach, and just a few to several minutes for sturdier veggies like sweet potatoes, depending on the shape and size of your cuts.

Check out vegetable cooking time charts to get an idea about different veggie steam times, but it also doesn’t hurt to use a glass lid so you can see when items, like leafy greens, are steaming. Once they are wilted, they are done! Keep a fork on hand too for checking items like beets and hearty squash. Once they are fork tender, you are good to go.

The best vegetables to steam are:

Eggplant (use with a marinade, like coconut aminos, ginger, and avocado oil) Spinach (with lighly pickled red onion) Carrots (with a little orange and thyme or sweet basil)

3. Roasting

Roasting is one of the best ways to prepare vegetables because it involves zero to little processing beforehand, and then you just throw it all in the oven and forget it until the timer goes off.

Cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts often get the brunt of vegetable hatred due to common association with egg and sulfur vibes. Veggies like these contain a compound called sulforaphane, and when overcooked, that stinky smell and taste is released. The ideal method for preparing items like these so that they are delicious is to gently roast them.

Roasting creates yummy caramel and nutty flavors and delightful textures. Be sure the vegetables are clean, dried, and cut into like-sizes to ensure even roasting. Lightly toss your Brussels, broccoli, or cauliflower in a high smoke point oil—like avocado oil—and season and roast right away in a preheated 350ºF oven, agitating once or twice every 5-10 minutes or so, until golden and with crispy edges. Pro tip: once oiled up, roast right away. Leaving cruciferous veggies out once coated with fat will make for a soggy final product after roasting.

Roasting root vegetables is popular, too. I love to roast my roots by lining a sheet pan with parchment paper, loading it up with chopped sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets, and the like, rub with coconut oil, and season. Pop in a hot 400ºF oven and 20 or so minutes later you have amazing roasted roots, with no clean up thanks to the parchment paper.

The best vegetables for roasting are:

Kabocha or acorn squash with cinnamon and coconut oil

Whole sweet potatoes, stuffed with steamed spinach and coconut butter or manna

Brussels sprouts with bacon fat and hijiki

Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly and roasted in avocado oil

Beets, roasted whole with coconut oil (the skins peel right off after roasting)

4. Braising

Another popular root vegetable cooking technique is braising, when you sear an item stove top and then stew it slowly, covered. This can happen all on the stove top, or use a dutch oven and transfer from stove top to oven.

Braising vegetables along with meat roasts is super tasty. The glory of a one-pot-meal, like a braise, is that you can get a ton of different veggies into one dish, and a richer flavor for both the meat and the vegetables. If you are making a pot roast, see how many different veggies you can braise along with your beef, or add to a vegetable soup, or even toss in your morning egg scramble.

The best vegetables for braising include:

Leg of lamb with beets, parsnips, and celeriac

Pork shoulder with acorn squash, carrots, and apples

Beef roasts with turnip, rutabaga, and collards

5. Seasonal Eating

Choose your veggies seasonally and organic when possible. Tomatoes in the winter taste like mealy mush because they do not typically grow in the cold. When you eat produce without chemicals and pesticides, and from nutritious soil in the proper corresponding season, the produce just simply tastes better. Choosing to purchase from small batch and sustainable farmers is also a great way to experience the optimum potential of vegetables!

Once you are hooked on a particular vegetable, you can take a deep dive into varieties of early season, late season, and heirloom varieties of any given vegetable. When veggies taste amazing on their own, less processing or cooking is needed.

6. Knife Skills

Learning knife skills is one of the major building blocks of becoming a better cook, especially when it comes to vegetables. Knife cuts can seriously make all the difference. Whenever I am asked for tips on how to eat better, I always encourage taking a knife skills course. Consistent cuts create more even cooking, can speed up your prep skills, and creates surface area when you need it for marinades and more.

I once brunoised (1/8’’ dice) eight butternut squashes for a Thanksgiving dinner for my family. I was in culinary school and up for the practice, and these tender little, teeny tiny dices of orange flesh were just titillating! My mom has asked for them every year since. When you have specific knife cuts under your belt, you can reach higher levels of cooking.

7. Mouthfeel

We eat with our eyes first. If the dish in front of you is beautiful and appetizing, your brain will want to eat it! We are similarly triggered by images and cravings, but mouthfeel is also important. Using different knife cuts, tasty fats, dressings, marinades, and cooking methods will change the mouthfeel significantly. You have the power to make your veggies more delectable by finding the mouthfeel that appeals to you.

8. Dressing

Vegetables are made for vinaigrettes. If you are hip on simply prepared vegetable dishes by way of blanching, steaming, or raw, you must up your vinaigrette game! Lightly dressed, steamed asparagus, or blanched broccoli, will elevate your dining experience. Flavor is also in fat, so try sautéing in bacon or duck fat, or drizzling olive oil or nut oils like hazelnut over your veggies. With a little salt and pepper, this can make for melt-away and yummy textures, in a flash.

The best vinaigrettes for vegetables are:

Raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and avocado oil, and whisk

Lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and whisk

Avocado, basil, spinach, lemon, olive oil, and blend

Carrot, ginger, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and avocado oil, and blend

9. Raw

Raw preparations are perfect when you purchase produce in the peak of their season. My favorite tool for raw vegetable prep is the mandolin.

But aren’t mandolins scary to use? You should be cautious as they are sharp and definitely not the tool to use while catching up on Game of Thrones. Focus and go slow.

Anything that will create noodles is also perfect when it comes to preparing raw items, like a spiralizer. A bowl full of noodles, no matter what the kind, is always fun! Dress them with pestos, add meatballs, or even eat as a salad and use your favorite dressing. If you don’t want to eat your vegetable noodles raw, you can quickly blanch.

The best vegetables for eating raw are:

Beets and zucchini (either paper thin or spiralized, marinated in a vinaigrette, with fresh and chopped herbs)

Heirloom tomatoes (slice or eat like an apple)

Daikon radish (do a quick pickle in a bit of raw apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and fresh pressed apple juice or a touch of maple syrup for sweetness)

Cucumbers

10. Herbs

Herbs can offer buckets of fabulous taste to your veggie dishes. Grow them yourself with minimal space and gardening efforts for a whole new level of enjoyment! Some herbs have detoxifying qualities, soothe digestion, and can even be anti-inflammatory. They also taste amazing!

Making a pesto is a great way to utilize your herbage.

The best pestos are:

Parsley, arugula, walnut

Basil, spinach, pine nut

Dill, caper, almond

Oregano, pistachio, garlic, chili flake

Bottom Line

Eat your vegetables. There is no way around it. Veggies are nutrient dense and good for you. You need to learn to love them, and a variety. Vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and tons of essential nutrients. If you start with quality veggies, you don’t have to be a wizard to make them tasty. Get creative, make friends with local farmers and other veggie lovers, bend their ears on their favorite ways to make them tasty, plate nicely, make them beautiful, or grow them yourself. And if all else fails, go ahead and throw them in that smoothie.

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banjospring97-blog · 6 years ago

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Trat's Life: Trat, Koh Chang And Koh Mak, Thailand

The province of Trat lies 315 kilometres from Bangkok and is either a 5 hour drive or a 45 minute plane ride away. The lush green forested province is located on Thailand's far eastern side next to the border of Cambodia. With mild humidity and heavy rain it's an area mostly known to Thais as a relaxing holiday location rather than an area heaving with overseas tourists.

I lift a clam off the plate from the stem and turn it around. The duck beak clam with long appendage is one of the many local delicacies that you can eat in Trat. We've arrived after a quick plane ride and have settled into having a local lunch with a group of friendly women at the Baan Nam Chiao Old community. Baan Nam means strong current and references the seas that feed this community.

The population of this seaside town is an estimated equal mix of Buddhist and Muslim who coexist side by side - this group of women cooking for us is a prime example. The main industry here is fishing and most dishes incorporate seafood of some sort.

Duck mouth clams

Back to these duck mouth clams. I take the clam tongue and chew on it. It's surprisingly crunchy and has the texture of a crisp bean or vegetable. The clam inside is creamy and slightly sweet absorbing the sauce well.

Pineapple and oyster curry

Locally grown Trat pineapple is a popular ingredient for curries but here the pineapple curry is studded with small oysters. This curry is sweet and slightly sour at the same time.

Crudites are served with Nam Prik Kapi, pungent shrimp paste made using tiny dried shrimp mixed with chillies, lime juice and salt. Lunch is followed by a hat weaving demonstration.

Afterwards we move to a nearby house. We walk past cockfighting roosters in cages and the sleepy town with the river crossing through it revels in the afternoon sun. A fluffy white cat rubs itself against my legs as I walk down a laneway where the sweet smell of caramel and coconut smell beckons us.

At this factory and residence they boil down sugar and coconut milk until it reaches a hard crack stage and then it is cooled in a large bowl sitting over a bowl of cold water.

Slowly and patiently they turn the mixture so that it cools down and is easier to handle. Then it is the job of one of the men to stretch it on a wooden hook-this is tiring work as the mixture is both hot and heavy.

The stretching transforms it into a lighter straw colour that is then stretched into a long single piece and then the brittle candy is cut into smaller pieces with a deft whack of a finger. The candy is delicious, like a hard coconut candy in stick form.

Our next stop immerses us into the world of fishermen. We take a ferry to Koh Chang island. The ferry ride is 45 minutes long and we nibble on Thai snacks along the way.

Before we know it we've arrived at Koh Chang where we board a gondola for a paddle through the mangrove forest that surrounds the fishing village. The area is busy with fishermen winding down for the day.

Some are busy doing household or boat repairs, while one man bathes scooping cups of water from a bucket over his clothes. Small children read books and do homework while lying on their stomachs while a tethered chicken sits complacently observing all. He's not bothered by our fascination with him.

The gondola ride goes for 45 minutes out to the clearing, past gnarled and tangled mangroves. The sound of the water is all you hear and it is wonderfully tranquil.

It's a 1 hour drive to our hotel for the night. The Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway is a large resort with 141 rooms. The beachfront hotel has several room categories and we are staying in a deluxe ocean view room on the third floor.

It's a 52 square metre room with a raised king bed with a mosquito net draping above. Outside is a terrace overlooking the pool and the beach in the distance.

Koh Mak

Nipon or "Onn", Koh Mak's community leader tells us that he is the fourth generation to live here on the island. "My mum knows every coconut tree". Koh Mak is an island that is making a concerted effort to become as low carbon as possible. Here you won't find jet skis to rent. Instead there are sailboats and bikes to ride.

There are plenty of long windy or curvy coconut lined roads to stop to take photos as well as cliff top cafes. Koh Mak attracts mostly Thai and European guests.

Signs warn of cats crossing and beware falling coconuts. There are just 400 residents on this 3,000 acre jungle covered island with only 30 resorts with a total of 400 rooms. The 78 year old school has just 48 students.

We are having lunch at Koh Mak Seafood on the south east part of the island. 90% of the produce served at lunch is actually from the island and a typical meal has plenty of locally grown vegetables and seafood.

Koh Mak Hot Pot

This meal is a real highlight with food taking on a twist from the norm. The Koh Mak Hot Pot is replete with roe on scallops, prawns and seafood and has a surprise layer of steamed egg custard on the bottom.

Nam Prik Kapi and crudites

Fishing makes up a large part of the industry here and although buying seafood from the mainland is cheaper they buy from local fishermen.

Pla Rad Nam Pla or deep fried whole fish

They have developed an app for fishermen to take photos of the fish that they catch so that people can buy it before they come back to shore. The fish that is served is deep fried and served with a delectable sweet fish sauce based sauce that you just want to drink as a soup.

Or Suan Ka Ta Ron or combination seafood in hot pan

And what looks like a plain omelette with bean sprouts is actually an utterly moreish oyster omelette studded with tiny oysters. It's the sort of dish you wonder how it is so tasty. Or perhaps it's just the sort of dish that suits the view just so perfectly.

So tell me Dear Reader, had you ever heard of Trat before (I hadn't)? Have you ever seen clams like the duck tongue clams before?

NQN was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand but all opinions remain her own.

Take Me Tours

takemetour.com/ [email protected]

Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway

111/1 Moo 1, Tambol, Amphur Koh Chang, Ko Chang District, Trat 23170, Thailand Phone: +66 39 619 111 accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-8463-mercure-koh-chang-hideaway/index.shtml

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/04/05/tra-koh-mak-thailand/

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prosejudo56-blog · 6 years ago

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Trat's Life: Trat, Koh Chang And Koh Mak, Thailand

Duck mouth clams

Pineapple and oyster curry

Locally grown Trat pineapple is a popular ingredient for curries but here the pineapple curry is studded with small oysters. This curry is sweet and slightly sour at the same time.

Crudites are served with Nam Prik Kapi, pungent shrimp paste made using tiny dried shrimp mixed with chillies, lime juice and salt. Lunch is followed by a hat weaving demonstration.

At this factory and residence they boil down sugar and coconut milk until it reaches a hard crack stage and then it is cooled in a large bowl sitting over a bowl of cold water.

Our next stop immerses us into the world of fishermen. We take a ferry to Koh Chang island. The ferry ride is 45 minutes long and we nibble on Thai snacks along the way.

The gondola ride goes for 45 minutes out to the clearing, past gnarled and tangled mangroves. The sound of the water is all you hear and it is wonderfully tranquil.

It's a 52 square metre room with a raised king bed with a mosquito net draping above. Outside is a terrace overlooking the pool and the beach in the distance.

Koh Mak

There are plenty of long windy or curvy coconut lined roads to stop to take photos as well as cliff top cafes. Koh Mak attracts mostly Thai and European guests.

Koh Mak Hot Pot

Nam Prik Kapi and crudites

Fishing makes up a large part of the industry here and although buying seafood from the mainland is cheaper they buy from local fishermen.

Pla Rad Nam Pla or deep fried whole fish

Or Suan Ka Ta Ron or combination seafood in hot pan

So tell me Dear Reader, had you ever heard of Trat before (I hadn't)? Have you ever seen clams like the duck tongue clams before?

NQN was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand but all opinions remain her own.

Take Me Tours

takemetour.com/ [email protected]

Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway

111/1 Moo 1, Tambol, Amphur Koh Chang, Ko Chang District, Trat 23170, Thailand Phone: +66 39 619 111 accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-8463-mercure-koh-chang-hideaway/index.shtml

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/04/05/tra-koh-mak-thailand/

0 notes

donaldflower00-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Trat's Life: Trat, Koh Chang And Koh Mak, Thailand

Duck mouth clams

Pineapple and oyster curry

Locally grown Trat pineapple is a popular ingredient for curries but here the pineapple curry is studded with small oysters. This curry is sweet and slightly sour at the same time.

Crudites are served with Nam Prik Kapi, pungent shrimp paste made using tiny dried shrimp mixed with chillies, lime juice and salt. Lunch is followed by a hat weaving demonstration.

At this factory and residence they boil down sugar and coconut milk until it reaches a hard crack stage and then it is cooled in a large bowl sitting over a bowl of cold water.

Our next stop immerses us into the world of fishermen. We take a ferry to Koh Chang island. The ferry ride is 45 minutes long and we nibble on Thai snacks along the way.

The gondola ride goes for 45 minutes out to the clearing, past gnarled and tangled mangroves. The sound of the water is all you hear and it is wonderfully tranquil.

It's a 52 square metre room with a raised king bed with a mosquito net draping above. Outside is a terrace overlooking the pool and the beach in the distance.

Koh Mak

There are plenty of long windy or curvy coconut lined roads to stop to take photos as well as cliff top cafes. Koh Mak attracts mostly Thai and European guests.

Koh Mak Hot Pot

Nam Prik Kapi and crudites

Fishing makes up a large part of the industry here and although buying seafood from the mainland is cheaper they buy from local fishermen.

Pla Rad Nam Pla or deep fried whole fish

Or Suan Ka Ta Ron or combination seafood in hot pan

So tell me Dear Reader, had you ever heard of Trat before (I hadn't)? Have you ever seen clams like the duck tongue clams before?

NQN was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand but all opinions remain her own.

Take Me Tours

takemetour.com/ [email protected]

Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway

111/1 Moo 1, Tambol, Amphur Koh Chang, Ko Chang District, Trat 23170, Thailand Phone: +66 39 619 111 accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-8463-mercure-koh-chang-hideaway/index.shtml

Source: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/04/05/tra-koh-mak-thailand/

0 notes