I thought I'd give you a quick inventory of my veggies at the moment, and then tell you what I've done recently, or what I plan to do with them... And I'd be very interested to hear your ideas as well. :-)
1. Cauliflower (locally grown): as evidenced with an earlier post, I've enjoyed turning it into "mashed potatoes"- adding cottage cheese for both the creamy factor and also some cheesy goodness. The local cauliflower is so full of flavour, I rarely add much seasoning to it. I also enjoy cooking it with yellow mustard smeared all over and a little cheese melted on top. This is the way my mom used to always serve it, so its a little bit of home for me. I have also just been eating it raw, in my salads or dipped into cottage cheese mixed with salsa (thanks Alli, via Mom, for that idea!)
2. Broccoli: I've got a recipe for a Double Broccoli Quinoa that I think I'm going to try soon. Its 'double' because she made a broccoli pesto that looks to die for, and then there is broccoli mixed in with other veggies into the quinoa. Traditionally, I usually just steam or blanch it, dust with salt and pepper, and serve as a side. I did mix it into my Grown-up Mac & Cheese, since I didn't have spinach on hand, and broccoli and cheese go so well together.
3. Sweet Tooth Peppers (long red ones): These are so sweet and so yummy. I've been adding them to everything lately. They are great sliced longways and just thrown on the grill, and I've been enjoying them in my scrambled eggs in the mornings lately.
4. Yellow Zucchini: This is such a fun veggie. It has a very similar texture and taste to regular zucchini, but its a slightly milder flavour. I grilled these the other night with red peppers and Alligator chicken and it was such a light, summery meal. (see below)
5. Bell Peppers (locally grown): Whenever we drive to my in-law's home, we drive past a huge plot of hot houses that grow peppers. When its hot out, they open the roof vents, and the entire area is filled with the aroma of fresh bell peppers. Glorious! Of course, these are a great addition to any salad, adding a crunch and a tang, but I've been enjoying making stuffed peppers for dinner lately. I'll brown up some extra-lean ground turkey, and make up a marinara sauce (I usually throw in some green onions, celery, even broccoli or cauliflower sometimes to make it nice and chunky). Then I cut off the top of the pepper and stuff it with layers of turkey and marinara and bake or broil it until everything's nice and hot. (I also usually 'pre-steam' the pepper in the microwave by adding water inside and into a bowl, place the pepper in the bowl and cook for a minute or two to soften it up. It speeds up the baking/ broiling time quite a bit). I sometimes will put a little low-fat mozzarella cheese on top.6. Radishes: A fantastic snack, I sometimes just eat them raw with a little bit of salt to dip them in. :-) I love the peppery bite they add to salads, and I always try to have them on hand when I'm making tuna salad.
7. Kohlrabi: Looking forward to slicing this up and adding it to my salads. If you're not familiar with it, its taste is kind of a cross between cabbage and a radish. It is a fresh crunch in a salad. I will probably add some finely chopped to my next tuna salad as well. Would love to use it in other ways, but haven't found any yet.
8. I also picked up some Swiss Chard, cucumbers, and green beans as well today, which will be readily gobbled up this week, I'm sure. I always keep lots of lettuces, celery and green onions on hand because they have become such a staple in my diet.
That's a glimpse of my life according to my veggie drawer at the moment. Hope you enjoyed. I'd love to hear your ideas for how you've been using or would like to use your veggies!
JEALOUS!
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