I cannot even believe I just wrote that title! The truth is, I love vegetables and think they taste great. But, I’ve been reading a fabulous book by Kathleen Flinn called The Kichen Counter Cooking School and have discovered that perhaps not everyone shares my sentiments about veggies.
The fact is that when many people think of vegetables they think of soggy, overcooked, tasteless pieces of food. The rest just aren’t quite sure how to cook them and that’s how vegetables are keeping their distance from many American dinner tables.
So in the interest of igniting many more love affairs with veggies like my own, I wanted to share a few of Flinn’s tips for making vegetables taste better with what she calls “Flavor Splashes”:
1. Asian Ginger Lime: Warm 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, add some fresh grated ginger or a dash of dried ginger, fresh like juice and a 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce (or tamari or Nama Shoyu). Heat through for 3 minutes.
2. Cajun Oil: Warm 2 teaspoons olive oil, add 3 chopped green onions and cook until tender, then add 1 teaspoon of Cajun spice blend (or cayenne), fresh lemon juice and some hit sauce.
3. Garlic Citrus Butter: Heat 2 Tbsps butter, add 2 small cloves of minced garlic, some fresh thyme or other dried herbs and 1 tsp lemon or orange juice. Saute for a couple of minutes until the garlic softens.
4. Herb-Lemon Oil: Warm 2 tsps olive oil and add the zest of 1/2 a lemon and 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh herbs. Heath through.
5. Thai-Style: Heat 2 tsps peanut oil and add 2 chopped green onions, 1 Tbsp crushed peanuts, a squeeze of fresh lime and some hot sauce. Gently heat through.
Once you’ve chosen your flavor and made the sauce, pour onto steamed, sauteed or grilled vegetables and toss to coat.
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