Vegetables often get a bad rep, but the truth is, they can be quite delicious and can make for an amazing meal.
With minimal effort, any home cook can make them taste really darn delicious.
You don’t need to do much for vegetables. There’s no need to deep fry them or dip them in chocolate or smother them in a cheesy sauce. When it comes to getting the most out of your vegetables, simple cooking is best, and you should aim to highlight their natural flavour, rather than hide it.
Use seasoning
Seasonings are essential to bringing out the flavour of your vegetables. Salt is the bare minimum, and the right amount will make a huge difference.
Add salt gradually and taste as you go, they should taste more flavourful but not outright salty. Try herbs and spices like paprika, cumin, oregano, chilli powder, curry powder, basil, and more.
Use oil
Fat carries flavour and makes everything taste better. Fat also provides fat-soluble vitamins which tend to be lacking in veggies. And it can help absorb the nutrients in vegetables.
So it’s actually better for you (and your taste buds) to use olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or even butter when cooking veggies.
Mix with fruit
A great way to combine both fruit and vegetables is in a salad. A tasty way to do this is to start off with spinach, add halved cherries, sliced strawberries, and walnuts and toss in an orange-based vinaigrette salad dressing.
Don't overcook them
When you overcook your fresh produce, it becomes mushy and really soggy. Doesn't sound too appetising, does it? Keep an eye on your veggies while cooking them and check them often.
You want them to be soft enough to eat, but never mushy. When roasting or air frying, you want to get the right amount of crispy burnt edges without completely drying out your veggies. Remember that root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, yams, and beets will take longer to cook than more watery vegetables like asparagus, zucchini, spinach, or broccoli.
Pair with eggs
Add veggies to your favourite egg dishes to make those bright peppers and green veggies pop, while also getting in a great dose of protein for satisfaction.
Any vegetable tastes good in an omelette. Plus the fat found in the egg yolk increases your absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins in the veggies.
You can read the latest IOL Food digimag here.