WaterFilter.com

Eat your Veggies! Simple Cooking Methods

Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables that can be prepared in literally hundreds of ways. So what's best?

There is no best. The thing to do is to eat your vegetables, lots of them, everyday in a wide variety of ways and stop worrying about the preparation methods. Variety is the key...

Raw

Many vegetables taste fabulous just the way they are straight out of the garden. Lettuce, tomato, celery, cabbage, onion, radish, carrot are obvious choices here. But they are just as likely to find themselves next to chopped up broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans and zucchini on a starter platter with dips. Wash 'em, chop 'em and eat 'em. Oh, yeah, you could also make a salad!

Steamed

Steaming heats the vegetable and softens it's texture. It's gentler than boiling and allows the vegetable to maintain it's colour if not overdone. Use a stainless steel steamer that will fit into most good size sauce pans. Make sure you use a pan with a tight fitting lid. There should be enough water to just touch the bottom of the steamer. Water should be simmering the whole time the vegetables are being cooked.

Boiling

Boiling vegetables is really going out of fashion, but it's a legitimate preparation method! The big concern is loss of nutrients. All cooking methods result in the loss of some goodness from the vegetables. If boiling, try to find a way to use the water the vegetables have been boiled in (i.e. to make a gravy or sauce) to bring those nutrients back to the table. Vegetables should be barely covered with water. Bring the water to a boil (covered) then slow to a simmer until vegetables are tender.

Microwave

Very popular for vegetables as it retains colour, flavour and nutrients. Trial and error will be your guide with microwaving as there are plenty of variables involved. However, a few guidelines will help...The more food you put into the oven, the longer it will take to cook. Underestimate your cooking time rather than overestimate. Undercooked food can be cooked some more. Over-cooked food is ruined. Food straight from the fridge will take longer to cook than that at room temperature. All food continues to cook after it has been removed from the microwave oven. It is part of the cooking process and should be taken into account to prevent over-cooking.

Stir Fry

Very rapid method of quick frying vegetables, meat (optional) and sauces in one pan to make a meal. Primarily associated with Asian cooking. The key to doing this well is preparation. All items to be cooked should be chopped to a size that will allow them to cook quickly in the wok. It is also important that the wok is heated to a high, consistent temperature throughout. Vegetables maintain their colour and crispness with this sort of cooking (if not overdone).

Baking

Brilliant! Especially for those 'root' vegetables like potatoes, turnip, carrot and beetroot. Chop into similar size pieces, brush lightly with olive oil and put in a hot oven to roast. Size of the pieces will determine the cooking time but expect at least 40 minutes. Outside is chewy, inside is moist and fluffy. Dress with sour cream and chives. Yum!

Barbeque

Does anything scream summer like the word barbeque? Love a barbeque. This is primarily open flame cooking, so could apply to a campfire as well. Cooking outside just changes everything about food. You'll need foil, fire and fresh veggies. Grease your foil, chop your veggies and put the closed packages on the grill. Be adventurous, it's really hard to mess this up!

Judy Williams (http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com) splits her time between being a media executive and an earth mother goddess. No Dig Vegetable Gardens represents a clean, green way to grow your own food. The site covers all aspects of growing, cooking and preserving your harvest.

MORE ARTICLES:

BEST BioDiesel Cashton Receives Permits for 8 Million Gallon BioDiesel Plant -- Cashton Facility to Create Clean Energy and Jobs
BEST BioDiesel Cashton, LLC, announced today it has received a construction and operating permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for an 8 million gallon B-100 fuel production facility. Site work and construction activities have begun and the excavation for footings and foundations are in progress. The facility is scheduled for completion by end of April, 2007, and to being commissioning in July, 2007.

The Hidden Price of Being Healthy
What I am also going to point out is the not-so-obvious cost of not being healthy. But, as you know, nothing in life is free.

Bromate in Bottled Water
Bromate originates from the bromide ion and may form in some bottled water sources due to the disinfection process of ozonation. Even if the source water does have the bromide ion in it, very often the finished product carries no trace of bromate. It depends on a number of other factors such as how hard the water is, its alkalinity, PH and other chemistry factors as well as the ozone contact time. Another deciding factor is how much actual bromide ion was in the water to start with.

Gourmet Coffee ? You Can?t Resist The Second Cup
Could you ever resist the craving to have a second cup of that beautiful, strongly aromatic and lazily steaming cup of coffee? Perhaps no one can do it. A passionate Gourmet?s delight, freshly brewed, thick and dark brown and irresistible coffee just brightens up your day like no other drink or anything else can do.

Shopping for Supplements -- Living Healthy and Saving Money
When it comes to personalized weight loss programs and their role in weight loss success, diet gurus and so-called experts have had a lot to say when it comes to nutritional supplements. Usually what they are writing and saying and urging you to do is BUY! BUY! BUY! And what you should be buying is their particular brand of vitamins, minerals, healthy weight loss shakes, etc.

Coffee - Finding The Right Grinder
When exposed to air, coffee beans will oxidize. Coffee grounds suffer this more so because they have a larger surface than the beans and lack the beans? protective skin. Home coffee grinders allow you to stop the level of exposure and produce the freshest grind. Most importantly, grinding can be done when you need it.

Doan Champions GSA's Clean Audit and 'Fiscally Responsible Budget' before House Subcommittee
GSA Administrator Lurita Doan, in testimony today before the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, detailed and supported the U. S. General Services Administration?s $20.9 billion fiscal year 2009 budget.

American Elements Combines Nanoparticle, Rare Earths and Bulk Chemical Capabilities in Launch of New AE Water Treatment Group
American Elements announced today the launch of a new product group created through the merger of several technological and manufacturing capabilities under a single sales and technical support team. The new group will operate under the trade name AE Water Treatment™.

Water, The Magical Drink
Glowing skin comes free of charge to you. Our simple water does it effectively.

Global Air Filters and Filtration Equipment Market to Exceed US$7.1 Billion by 2010, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Growing concern over Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), stringent industrial pollution control regulations, new product innovations, and growing popularity of cabin air filters are the primary factors driving the air filtration market.

Caffe Sanora Commits to 'Keep our Troops Healthy' with Natural Antioxidant Coffee
Caffe Sanora tops in military commissaries and giving program to troops.

Clean Your TV With the Garden Hose
The new generation of outdoor televisions offers quality better than all but the most expensive indoor models, yet withstand Nature's worst storms, heat, dust and insects in hostile outdoor environments. Homeowners are snapping them up.

Parenting in the Kitchen – Lessons in Cooking, Socializing, and Bonding
Kitchens are where everything happens. It's not just where meals are prepared – it's usually the hub of the home, where family and friends get together to spend time.

Fitness Goal Setting For A Healthy Life
Whether you're interested in entire lifestyle change or you're just looking towards getting yourself in shape for an upcoming vacation, there is a lot that you need to think about. Getting in shape, far from being one goal, is actually a series of small goals, and getting yourself organized in terms of fitness means self-improvement in motivation and time management, not just in eating better!