Here's my secret for keeping a stash of delicious, satisfying veggies ready-to-go in the fridge with minimal fuss. Ready?!
Step 1
Go to the store or farmer's market – or sign up for your local delivery service – and pick out some kickass veggies. (Can I get a hell, yeah for Farmhouse Delivery?! Find your local favorite here.) You're going to want a lot.
Like, A LOT.
Like, more than you think.
If you're following the Whole30 guidelines (and really, you should be), that means approximately 2 cups of cooked veggies at every meal, give or take, based on your size, activity level, and the veggie.
But to keep it simple, figure it this way:
(1 cup X 2 different veggies X 2-3 meals per day) + (veggies for snacks)
See? That's a lot of veggies.
For variety and to keep myself from going bonkers, I usually make raw veggie snack packs* for snacks and cooked vegetables for dinner. Then sometimes, when I'm feeling really frisky, I SWITCH it. Very exciting!
OK. Back to shopping for veggies.
Need ideas? Try these on for size – aren't you tempted by their beauty and brains?! (And if these don't inspire, check out my previous post Taste the Rainbow.)
Step 2
Wash veggies under running water, then cut into 1/2-inch dice or 1/4-inch slice, depending on your mood and tastebuds.
Step 3
Lightly steam/saute the veggies individually until just-tender. Do not cook them completely or you will be sad.
Don't know what I mean by steam/saute? I throw the just-washed-so-still-kinda-wet veggies into a hot saute pan, crank the heat, throw on a lid, and let the residual water make them wilt a little. Let 'em sit for about 3-4 minutes, remove the lid, and give 'em a vigorous stir. Keep the lid off and saute to desired just-wiltedness. If they stick or start to get too brown, add a tablespoon of water to continue the steaming process.
Step 4
Place each veggie in its own container and place in the fridge. Put them in hot – cooling at room temperature allows bacteria to grow. Um... ew. I usually reserve the bottom shelf of my fridge for the containers of hot veggies.
Step 5
When it's time to eat, heat a saute pan, add 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite fat (mmm... coconut oil), and let it get hot. Then throw in a cup of your prepped veggies and seasonings of your choice. I usually just go for sea salt, garlic powder, and pepper. But you can get creative if you like. Or use some of my previously recommended spice blends. Remember to repeat this activity for 2 vegetables per meal.
Step 6
Dig in. Feel smug and satisfied.
*As a balance to my cooked veggies at meals, I have raw veggie snack packs for at-work snacks that contain a mix of the following: pepper strips, cucumbers, snap peas, jicama, and occasionally celery. Throw in olives for fat and some leftover meat from dinner... done!
Super secret inside tip: frozen veggies. I always have frozen chopped broccoli and frozen chopped spinach in the freezer. You can treat it exactly as above, without the pre-cooking step, just defrost it in the fridge overnight... awesome in a pinch when stir-fried with protein – or thrown into a pan with some eggs for an anytime omelet.
See, veggies are easy!
I'm a very unsure cook, so hope you don't mind a question or two ... How many days do veggies cooked this way last in the fridge? And have you ever tried freezing them? I tend to knock myself out cooking huge batches of things all at once, then pulling them out of fridge or freezer as needed. (I know I can try these things myself, but would be interested in your experience/advice if you get a chance). This sounds like a dynamite way to cook veggies. Thanks a bunch!
ReplyDeleteHey, Ehsa! Let's see...
ReplyDeleteHow long do they last? If I cook a head of cabbage, 3-4 zucchini, and a pound of brussels sprouts, that usually gets me through, like, three days. I usually end up eating two heads of cabbage a week because I really like it and it goes with lots of stuff.
Generally, I've kept cooked veg in the fridge for 5-6 days, and it holds up OK. If you're worried about cooking too much at once, you might pre-cut everything, but only steam/saute half of it... then when the cooked stuff is gone, you can repeat with the already-cut stuff in the fridge.
Freezing... I haven't had good success freezing cooked vegetables. They tend to get really mushy/watery after defrosting. If they're cooked in liquid -- say, in a soup or curry -- they hold up much better. But just steamed, I don't think they hold up very well.
Great idea!!
ReplyDeleteI am starting paleo/clean eat and this will hopefully help me to get there. Great blog
Boya
This was a really helpful post! Quick question -- I'm assuming you handle the cabbage the same way you would any other vegetable? You'd steam lightly then saute it with a bunch of other vegetables later? Or do you usually keep the cabbage raw? I rarely eat cabbage because I'm not really sure how to prepare it.
ReplyDeleteHurray! The 5-6 days in the fridge would totally work for me, so I'm off to market to get the veggies for my steam/saute debut. I may try to freeze one small container just to see, but I think you're right about mushy/watery. Thanks so much for your response!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, as usual! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBoya --> Good luck with eating clean. Have fun with it!
ReplyDeleteMichelle --> Yes, I do the cabbage the same way. I chop it into cube-type shapes, but you can also shred or slice it. Different shapes have a different texture... experiment to see which you like the best. I don't like it too thin.
Ehsa --> Let me know how the freezing goes!
Wells Family --> Thank you! I'm glad you like it.
I'm really pleased to announce that I had great success freezing veggies prepared the "steam + saute" way. I used cabbage, onion, cauliflower,and red/yellow/orange/green peppers, all cut into a chunky dice. I cooked each separately, then mixed them all together and put them into 3-cup Pyrex 7 x 5 x 1.5" dishes (they're fairly shallow). Then I poured in just a bit of chicken broth, not enough to drown them, just to provide a little moisture. Defrosted a dish for dins last night, cooked them up in olive oil, and they were just terrific!
ReplyDeleteMy previous veggie-freezing efforts pretty much resulted in mush, but these came out great. I think the key factors may be good size chunks, shallow containers, and some but not a lot of broth, as well as leaving the veggies quite crisp in the steam + saute process.
Also, my Penzey's pizza seasoning arrived (where has this been all my life?) so I made the sausage soup only with ground turkey, and it was a big hit!
So thanks a million for all your cooking tips as well as the wonderfully clever way you present them!
Ehsa, that's AWESOME! Congratulations. And the shallow container + broth is such a great tip. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCan you EVEN with that pizza seasoning?! It's really great for homemade tomato sauce, too. Heat oil, add organic crushed tomatoes, a clove of garlic, and a few teaspoons of pizza seasoning. DONE! WIN! WOOT!