How to Tame a Vegetable: and other cooking tips

Basic cooking technique: applied over and over again

• We either sauté, steam, or bake vegetables.  Sauteing works for almost everything.  Steaming works best for heartier vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.  Baking is best for vegetables that have liquid in them to spare (eggplant), or are preferred dryer and crunchier (potatoes and cauliflower).  Baking is by far the least effort intensive but takes the longest.
  
• Begin every dish with garlic and onions.
  
• Vinegars and oils should be the highest quality.
  
• Don't forget the spices.
  
• The only thing we overcook are mushrooms. Boil, macerate, pulverize, blend, chop, liquefy, and reduce over low heat for the best medicinal properties of these little treasures. All vegetables (besides potatoes) should be slightly undercooked, that way we can reheat them without texture compromise.
  
• Cook everything without salt. Add Bragg's Liquid Aminos or artisan salt at the very end of cooking to taste.  Once salt is absorbed by the dish it becomes less potent.  If we wait until eating to add salt we will spare excessive use.
  
• Cook everything without sugar.
  
  

Vegetables: in the order they go into the pot (you don’t have to use all of them)

• Root vegetables
  
• Garlic and Onions
  
• Mushrooms
  
• Seaweed
  
• Protein
  
• Broccoli, Asparagus and other stemmed forest friends
  
• Dark Leafy Greens
  
• Confused Fruits: Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Avocados
  
• Chopped Herbs: Cilantro, Parsley, and other herbs to make your meal complete.
  
• Splash of Condiment
  
  

Sauteing Vegetables

1. Using a stainless steel frying pan, heat the pan on high heat.  Flick some drops of water to see if it’s hot enough (the water will sizzle and pop).  Add a tablespoon of oil (or enough to completely coat the surface).  Heat the oil without letting it smoke (smoking = oxidizing).  Heating the stainless steel pan is essential so that it becomes nonstick.
   
2. Add chopped root vegetables if using (I prefer to bake my root vegetables).  Reduce heat to medium and cover the pan for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This takes less time than baking them.
   
3. Add chopped garlic and onions and reduce heat to medium-low for 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
   
4. Optional: turn heat to high, once sizzling, add 1Tbsp of light colored vinegar (apple cider, rice wine, etc) or left over white wine, sake, etc.
   
5. Add dried spices.  Reduce heat to medium low.
   
6. Add 1Tbsp of water
   
7. Add stemmed greens (broccoli, asparagus), dried fruit, and mushrooms (if using).  Cook for 5 minutes with the lid on (we are essentially steaming the vegetables)
   
8. Add leafy greens (if using).  Cook for 5 minutes.  For the more fragile leafy greens (spinach, watercress, arugula, etc.), essentially anything besides the cabbage family, kale, and chard, I’ll toss it in and turn off the heat completely, letting the residual heat cook the greens.
   
9. Add chopped fresh herbs and salt to taste (or Bragg’s) and chopped fresh fruit (if using)
   
   

Steaming (my least favorite method) Vegetables

1. This works best for stemmed vegetables, as the more delicate ones don’t hold up well.
   
2. Boil water in a sauce pan 1-2 inches deep.  Place a strainer inside (so that it’s not touching the water), or use an Asian bamboo steamer and place on top of the sauce pan.
   
3. Place stemmed vegetables (and/or nuts, dried fruits, and meat!) in strainer/steamer and cover with a lid for 10-15 minutes.
   
4. Optional: You can blanch the vegetables by immediately submerging them into cold water for 5 seconds and then straining.
   
5. Place veggies in a bowl and toss with desired spices and salt.
   
6. Add chopped fresh herbs and fruit if using.
   
   

Baking

1. This works best for root veggies and stemmed veggies.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375F if using stemmed vegetables, 425F if cooking only potatoes, and 400F if there is a mixture.
   
3. In a bowl, toss chopped root vegetables and stemmed vegetables in with 1-2Tbsp high quality avocado oil (or coconut, macadamia nut, olive).
   
4. Add spices
   
5. Add chopped onions and garlic
   
6. Evenly disperse mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
   
7. Half way through (25 minutes or so), take a spatula and flip the mixture.
   
8. Remove mixture from oven and place in a bowl with chopped fresh herbs.
   
   

The Basic Sauce

1. Most meals consist of either sauteing or baking something and then adding a sauce to it.  Remember, the best way to stick to healthy cooking is to make it easy, delicious, and quick.
   
2. Saute garlic and onions. Complete steps 1-5 of Sauteing above (omitting the root vegetable step 2). Add desired spices.
   
3. Place into a food processor.  Add 2c of walnuts (or desired nut) to every 1/2c water.  You can add more water to make the sauce thinner.  
   
4. Consider adding 1c of spinach and other fresh herbs (basil, sage, cilantro, thyme, rosemary).
   
5. Add Bragg’s Liquid Aminos to taste (this will also make the consistency thinner).
   
6. Top with crushed pepper
   
   

The Basic Cream (Blended) Soup

1. Follow Sauteing steps 1-5 in a saucepan (not a frying pan)
   
2. Add your base vegetable.  Good choices are mushrooms, bell pepper, tomatoes, cauliflower, leeks, spinach, and avocado; anything you want to be liquified in your soup.
   
3. Blend entire mixture in a blender (or food processor if you would like it to be chunky).  You will need to add water.  Start off with 1/2c increments until you reach the desired consistency.
   
4. Return to saucepan on medium low heat.
   
5. Add chopped leafy greens and herbs, halved tomatoes, green onions and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  You can also add additional chopped garlic and onions, roasted potatoes, and cooked protein.
   
6. Add Bragg’s or salt to taste.
   
   

The Basic Broth Soup

1. Saute garlic, onions, carrots, and celery in a large pot.  You don’t need to chop these much. For two servings of soup I use ½ onion, and entire bulb of garlic, 1 carrot, and 2 sticks of celery.  Consider adding in leftover chicken bones and carcasses.
   
2. Add seaweed (kombu)
   
3. Add tons of spices, fresh and dried.  Some of my favorites for a basic broth are rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and basil.  For dried herbs I like adding 1-2tsp each of cumin, paprika, ground pepper, turmeric.
   
4. Add water.  4c of water will make a decent 2 servings of soup.  Some of the water will reduce down, so you’ll end up with about 3c of soup.  Let simmer for 30-60 minutes.
   
5. You can either puree this mixture (if there are no bones), or strain out AND SAVE the stock you’ve made.
   
6. Return the broth to the large pot on medium heat.  Add chopped root vegetables (if using) or beans.  1/4c of beans to every 1c of broth is a good ratio.  Boil for 20 minutes.
   
7. Add steamed vegetables.  Boil for 10 minutes.
   
8. Add confused fruits.  Boil for 5 minutes.
   
9. Add leafy greens and remove from heat.
   
10. Add Bragg’s or salt to taste
    
11. Finish off with chopped herbs.