What are your 3 favorite veggies and favorite ways to do them?

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4meandthem

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Mine are... In no certain order;

Green beans steamed with a liitle butter, garlic, parm and slivered almonds.( A little)

Whole steamed artichoke with a little drawn butter and garlic for dipping.
I also like mayo but I think I think I use a lot less fat when having the butter since it is a light coating rather than a dip.

Grilled eggplant that has been marinated a little after a long stay on the the grill.

How about you?

Steamed or grilled Asparagas gets an honorable mention!
 
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Onions- in almost every thing
Broccoli- steamed
Kale- with Apple Cider Vinegar

I would have included tomatoes. I didn't think of them as they have a short time frame to get good ones fresh. I do use canned salt free often as they are as close to fresh as I can get about 9 months of the year.
 
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if you're a gardener, lots of your favourite veggies come to mind that never make it into the house. sweet corn right off the stalk; tomatoes, sun-warmed off the vine with some sea salt or worchestershire; sugar snap peas, 'nuff said.

but if we're talking cooking:

asparagus, rubbed in evoo and koaher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, then grilled.

steamed baby stringbeans, all by themselves.

wilted spinach with roasted garlic and butter.
 
if you're a gardener, lots of your favourite veggies come to mind that never make it into the house. sweet corn right off the stalk; tomatoes, sun-warmed off the vine with some sea salt or worchestershire; sugar snap peas, 'nuff said.

but if we're talking cooking:

asparagus, rubbed in evoo and koaher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, then grilled.

steamed baby stringbeans, all by themselves.

wilted spinach with roasted garlic and butter.


I do enjoy fresh corn, however nutritionally speaking I have to put it further down my list of favorites. :chef:
 
Favorite veggies O dear. I have to vote with both hands full. And that's hard to juggle when typing. Me-thinks I am a bit indecisive or perhaps greedy. I like too many vegetables to narrow it to just three. The all around work horses --

Potatoes, is there any preparation not to like. A favorite is to peel a strip off baby reds, toss in evoo and dijon mustard, snipped rosemary and sage and roast them until they get quite brown, toss again with some roasted or pan sauteed onion and garlic. (I've gotten burnt garlic bits before the potatoes were done, so now i do them separate and combine). Serve them as a side veg or room temp with toothpicks at a party with a blue cheese or horse-radish dip.

Onions I usually use spanish onions as an all purpose onion for cooking. Red onions in salads. Recently I found some walnut sized red ones that are the sweetest ever. Scallion tops, for garnishes mostly, Bermudas grilled on burgers etc. I don't usually buy Vidalias or Walla-wallas as they are over priced here.

Carrots - always in season. I like them pan roasted or crisp steamed and then tossed with butter and sometimes a pinch of brown sugar and the "herb of the day" especially fresh rosemary, or thyme or Ginger to complement whatever else is being served. Real baby carrots, or younger ones with the tops still on from the fresh market, the larger bagged carrots are fine in soups and casseroles and alongside pot roasts and oven roasted chicken.

My favorite favorite veggies --

Garden grown Tomatoes in season, and our season is very short here, Fresh, or just coarse chopped, with its juices tossed with a little olive oil, garlic, chopped basil, parmesan cheese and served with spaghetti. Quick, simple, fast, flavorful. Good enough for guests or family. Serve them sliced with every meal in summer! Right now grape tomatoes seem the most flavorful in the market. I use Whole Canned tomatoes for cooking, sometimes imported Italian, most often just regular ones.

Cabbage. I think this is an under utilized vegetable. I buy small cabbages because a) I'm usually cooking for myself and b) when cooking for friends, smaller portions seem preferential. ( what does this say about my cooking !?!) I make cabbage "smiles", small wedges anchored with toothpicks to hold together, then oven roast or brush with evoo and grill, and the same if put in a pot of chunky vegetable soup the last part of simmering. Remove toothpicks before serving. I also like scalloped cabbage. Coarse chop and crisp steam and combine with a medium white sauce, top with colby or cheddar and some bread crumbs and put in a hot oven until cheese melts. A favorite cabbage salad is cut cabbage ribbons, combine with chopped apple, grapes, orange supremes with a sauce made with lemon juice, mayo, and very lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Green Beans. Whole baby ones I like best. Frozen or fresh. Simply steam and toss with butter and lemon juice and lemon zest. A little cracked pepper.

Honorable mention. Rutabaga. Has a nice light orange color and is naturally sweet. Good in soups, steamed and combine with mash potatoes, or mash solo, cut in chunks and oven roast. Serve raw cut in strips on a veggie platter.

Asparagus. Ok, even I have to set a limit on this. If it's not green beans, asparagus is what's being served.
 
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Spinach - any way I can get it, prefer it over lettuce for salads

Asparagus - roasted, grilled, steamed, with or without lemon

Nappa Cabbage - slaw, prefer it over lettuce for sandwiches

Onions, garlic, tomatoes - end up in most meals in some form or another
 
Fresh green beans, steamed, tossed with EVOO and tumeric
Broccoli-steamed, topped with a dab of butter and ume su vinegar
Aspargus, steamed, topped with a bit of butter, lemon, S&P
 
Depends on the season, Currently in the winter months

Baby Spinach, sauted in EVOO with garlic, shallots and a small grating of lime zest {just tried the lime last night, sounded good, tasted great!}

DD loves zuchinni sauted with oil, garlic, shallots and a tiny bit of curry powder.

Green beans roasted in the oven with garlic and shallots.

Seems like garlic and shallots make it into just about everything I make regardless of the season.:rolleyes:
 
I suppose this could be answered at least two ways. One would be which would be most missed if they went away. The other is which are most liked.

I most like zucchini, potatoes, and onions. Zucchini brushed with olive oil, dusted with salt, and broiled until just beginning to turn has, for me, the interesting trait shared by rice, being something I could eat every day without tiring. Potatoes for their versatility. Onions for their unique flavoring ability.

I think I would most miss tomatoes and the whole category of chard/kale/mustard/etc.
 
I think there's something to be said for seasonal vegetables. In my mind there is nothing better than a fully-ripe heirloom tomato picked fresh off the vine in late summer. I rarely eat fresh tomatoes other than that - and only at that time of year. I don't do much to prepare them. Slice and sprinkle with a pinch of Kosher salt and maybe a drizzle of good olive oil. All other tomatoes pale by comparison.

I also have a napa cabbage recipe I love. It's a Nepali curry recipe that was given to me by a co-worker. The main ingredients aren't much more than cabbage, potatoes, and onions. But boy, is it good!

Speaking of cabbage, my third vegetable is also my second: cabbage. Red cabbage, that is. I like it prepared German-style, as my grandmother made it... cooked with apples and bacon in red wine and vinegar.

Since I mentioned cabbage twice, I'm going to name a fourth vegetable. I love spinach. I can eat it raw or cooked, but my favorite preparation is very simple. Heat some olive oil in a big dutch oven and drop in a pound or two of spinach. Once you smell it start to sear, flip it quickly with tongs until just wilted. There should be a few bits here and there that look slightly "overdone". That little bit of smokiness pervades the entire dish. Then I just toss it with a little more oil, some salt, and a few shavings of nutmeg. I can sit and eat the whole thing myself.
 
can't think of a veggie I don't like...

string beans (green or yellow) cooked with bacon and white wine

asparagus roasted with olive oil and herbs de Provence

mushrooms (a good mix of types) hot sauteed in clarified butter with shallots and a dash of Madeira
 
Favorite veggie? It's the one I'm eating now, whichever that is. I love them all except for rutabaga. I do try to choose and prepare veggies in their season, so there are many I love that I am not eating now. Like asparagus. That season doesn't come around until late spring. :yum:
 
I'm not willing to put a "Favorite" tag on any vegi. I like too many to do that.:yum:

Craig
 
Favorite veggie? It's the one I'm eating now, whichever that is. I love them all except for rutabaga. I do try to choose and prepare veggies in their season, so there are many I love that I am not eating now. Like asparagus. That season doesn't come around until late spring. :yum:

Yup, far too many great tasting vegis to choose only three. But I think my favourite group of vegis is the brassicas.
 
Cauliflower, but it must be roasted!
Tomatoes - I love them raw best, but also love them barely cooked in all kinds of pasta dishes.
Roasted potatoes, tossed with extra virgin olive oil and a variety of spices.
 
My BIL got me roasting cauliflower. I prefer it that way now. I have done florets and slices I think the florets are a little better. I like garlic,turmeric,cumin and S&P on mine then drizzled with EVOO before roasting.
 
So hard to choose!

fresh from the garden: tomatoes and cucumbers, baby turnips (raw)
cooked: tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, onions
 
Everything but...brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.

Love almost daily...mushrooms, onions and tomato product of some sort.

Fresh or frozen baby peas, good quality corn, cauliflower or broccoli.
 
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