Vegetables done easy

One of my goals in eating is to try and eat as many unprocessed foods as reasonable.  In my readings on vegetables, it turns out that cooking aids humans in the uptake of nutrition in many vegetables.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-healthier

I do think that eating raw vegetables can be a positive decision and can possibly influence some to make healthier choices.  Some of the best tasting food I ever had in my life is that which is eaten right out of the garden.  I trusted these gardens though as I knew no pesticides were used.  Make sure your raw veggies are clean before you eat them.

All of that being said, you get in your CSA or you buy a lot at the farmers market or grocery store.  What do you do with all of those veggies?

An easy option is to steam them.  You do not have to have a steamer to do this.  If you have a pot and a strainer or colander you can use that. Just put an inch of water in the bottom, put the veggies in the strainer/colander, heat, and cover.  Check the veggies every so often and when they are the texture you like enjoy.  One of my personal favorites are beets.  I used to hate these but when I got a ton of them one CSA I discovered that steamed they become delightful.  A lesser but effective method is to put veggies in a bowl, put a little water in the bottom of the bowl.  Soak a paper towel and put on top of the bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes.  It works but I'd rather not unless I am in a huge hurry.

A more tasty option is simple and works for almost any combination of vegetables.  A list of some that I have done this with (okra, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, peas, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, artichoke, asparagus, carrots, corn, parsnip, salsify, peaches, beans, etc)

Recipe:
Take whatever vegetables you have in virtually any combination.  Cut them up.  Slice them and quarter them.  For okra, I like to cut off the stem part and slice down the middle.  Dice onions.  Put all the vegetables in a skillet with the diced onions.  Fill about an inch of water in the pan.  Put about 2 soup spoonfuls of olive oil or 1 of butter per every 4 cups of vegetables (Again, I eyeball this but that should about be the ratio).  Add a soup spoonful each of course ground pepper and  course kosher salt.  Cook on high heat until everything gets bubbling and steaming. It will take a while for everything to get going so this is when I usually start my grilling.  Make sure not to burn anything by stirring every so often.  When most of the water has evaporated out everything should have a nice browner hue.  Turn the heat down to low or simmer and stir every so often.  When you are ready to eat it is ready.

The great thing about this method is its simplicity.  It makes a great stand alone side or is even better when put on top of rice, potatoes, or quinoa.

If you live too busy to cook everyday, I suggest cooking a large portion on a day early in the week.  This will keep well in a ziplock container or bag in the fridge all week.  I find that if I use tomatoes in mine I will never tire of it but that is me.

A note on canned tomatoes:  I have come across some online writings that suggest not eating canned tomatoes as the liner of the cans contain BPA and the acidity of the tomatoes degrade this liner.  These suggest using tomatoes canned in glass.  Later on in the year, I will talk about canning. More importantly I will talk about how to find amazingly cheap places to buy high quality vegetables, especially tomatoes, for canning.