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Hate vegetables? Add seasoning

February 17, 2008 12:16 am

I'M THOROUGHLY convinced that if people knew more secrets to choosing the most delectable vegetables and seasoning or saucing them nicely, they'd discover that they actually crave vegetables.

It's true that old, overcooked or tough vegetables can taste worse than wet cardboard, but it's equally true that prepared well, they can be a succulent delight. Plus, many studies show that vegetables can reduce risks of heart disease, strokes, cancer and many other diseases.

Veggies are nature's medicine, and they also can be mouthwatering treats.

TASTE SECRETS

The problems most people associate with veggies are due to either overcooking them until they are a limp khaki-brown, undercooking so they are tough, or leaving them dry instead of taking advantage of the yummy array of sauces and seasonings out there.

I think fresh vegetables taste the sweetest. However, from a nutritional standpoint, frozen vegetables are similar to fresh vegetables.

I rarely eat canned vegetables--many are soggy, salty and have vitamin C leached out. However, canned tomato puree and tomato paste are indispensable in the wintertime. And marinated artichoke hearts, or Italian antipasto vegetables, are a treat. Also, canned beans are very quick and convenient for side dishes, soups or added to salads.

Raw and ready

In high summer, some juicy, just-picked vegetables do taste best unadorned. A tomato fresh from the garden, still warm from the sun, is lovely sliced and eaten plain or in a sandwich with a dab of mayonnaise. Fresh lettuce and thinly sliced radishes spice up any sandwich.

If you like salads, try the mingling trick. Consider chopping or grating the vegetables very small, into dime-size or even pea-size pieces, so that you will taste many flavors in a single bite.

You'd be amazed how different a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and carrot tastes chopped smaller and sprinkled with dried basil and oregano before you add the salad dressing.

Marinating is another way to enhance the flavor of vegetables. For example, I learned from my mother-in-law to make a salad of chopped red onion marinated for 30 minutes or so in fresh-squeezed lime juice and with a bit of oil. I don't like plain raw onions, but the lime juice adds tang while taming the onion flavor and eliminating onion breath.

SAUTÉ AND STIR-FRY

Many vegetables shine when cooked quickly--sauteed or braised until tender-crisp. This is especially true for green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus, and even chopped celery and carrots.

To heighten flavor, I start by sauteing a small amount of chopped onion, ¼ to 1/2 cup, in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a frying pan. Once the onion is fragrant and translucent, I add the main vegetable and saute for a few minutes. Next I add just enough hot water, white wine, or chicken broth to cover the bottom of the pan, then heat covered, for five to 10 minutes or until tender.

If you want more of an Asian stir-fry flavor, instead of adding broth, add equal parts water, soy sauce and vinegar, with a teaspoon of ginger and dash of toasted sesame oil.

The sauteed-onion-and-broth trick is also lovely with chopped cabbage (you can chop part of a cabbage or buy bags of shredded undressed coleslaw) or chopped collard or mustard greens. I usually add red-pepper flakes or lemon pepper to the greens.

Grilling is another fun option all year. Brush the veggies with vinaigrette dressing or a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with herbs such as thyme. Grill for five to 10 minutes. Diagonally sliced zucchini and yellow squash taste delicious this way.

It's also easy to make veggie shish kebabs by skewering cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, hunks of chopped onion, and slices of green pepper, or whatever you like.

soup and steam

Oven roasting is delicious as well, and makes many vegetables taste surprisingly sweet. Try slicing red-skinned potatoes or sweet potatoes, drizzling with olive oil, rosemary and chopped garlic, and roasting at 350 degrees until browned and tender when stuck with a fork, usually 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size.

Another easy way to prepare vegetables is to make soup. You can buy lots of ready-made broths; almost all vegetables taste good chopped into bite-size bits and cooked in broth until tender. If you're adding leafy greens, such as spinach, add them last because they cook the quickest.

If you like cheese, it jacks up the taste of just about everything. Plain steamed slices of zucchini or asparagus are luxurious when sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan--you don't need much, so it's relatively low-fat.

Macaroni and cheese gets new life and color if you toss in some frozen peas or broccoli while boiling the pasta.

Steamed green broccoli and white cauliflower look lovely sprinkled with shred-ded golden Cheddar cheese.

Colorful vegetables look beautiful and add wonderful flavors to your meals. They're nothing to dread.

Whether you like the comfort of a warm soup or the simplicity of grilled foods, you can prepare vegetables in a way your taste buds will love.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.