When you visit the grocery store or order online keep in mind that fresh veggies are best, yet even I have resorted to buying mostly frozen and some canned items during these unusual times. When you do buy fresh, make sure to prep much of what has a short expiration date upon arrival or once you get home with said produce. Obviously root veggies, cabbages, broccoli and the like can wait to be washed and chopped until you are going to use them right then and there for some wonderful meal. For frozen veggies, just add into your soup once it is boiling and you’re nearly done or if doing a stir-fry just pour in a little veggie broth/ water when adding in frozen veggies. It might feel overwhelming at first to have so much in your fridge or freezer at once, as I have been doing for my family. Although, I try and limit my shopping to once every week and a half or two and create a list of what I have and when it needs to be used. Cook and freeze what you buy or grow in order to save your produce from the compost bin.
Remember you can always roast veggies in the oven, with little or no seasoning to be used in a wide variety of dishes or simply eaten on their own afterward. For example, what I like to do with a bag of potatoes is roast half of them. First I pick out ones that are around the same size, then I wash and pat them dry, and next I line a cookie sheet with some waxed paper and preheat the oven at 400F. Now I place the potatoes into mixing bowl with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and coat them individually *set some aside with just the oil coating, I’ll explain later. You can do this with your hand or a spoon. Sprinkle your favorite herds, seasoning mix, and/ or a little salt. -Have a piece of bread ready to put that extra oil onto and eat on the spot, from both your hand and the bowl, but your call.-
Place all the potatoes on the lined cookie sheet and poke each with a fork several times. Once you’re done eating the bread and cleaning up your fingers and/ or the spoon and bowl, the oven with likely be to temp. In about 35-40 minutes, check one of the potatoes with a fork to ensure it is cooked through. Set them out to cool for 5 minutes or so and enjoy one or two. Let the rest cool to room temp and place in containers for either freezing or in the fridge for eating throughout the week.
You can top them with sautéed veggies, curried veggies, salsa, and steamed broccoli, or dare I say even to go sweet! Add in beans, lentils, or tofu of your choice with any of these combinations for a full meal. This is where the, “I’ll explain later” (*) statement comes into play. Potato candy is a thing, look it up. Coconut flakes, powdered sugar, and coconut milk are typically used here. However, we’re going to go a little healthier than candy here and I’m going to make this easier. Warm-up an oil-only-potato and drizzle with toppings of your choice. From a little maple syrup or chocolate syrup, coconut flakes, cinnamon, fruit cooked into coconut milk, to a spoonful of ice cream on top. Your choice, your call. Sweet or not. Or, sweet and savory side by side. Now there’s a little healthy food in your sweets.
Another cooking note, a dash of apple cider, coconut, or rice wine vinegar goes a long way to enhance flavor. Use this trick at the end of a stir-fry to deglaze the goodness off the bottom of a pan; toss some into a salad or a dash or two in your soup right before you eat. You’ll love the flavor profile this adds, as well as the natural digestive aid. The same thing can be done by adding in fermented veggies to the above dishes and more.
I will post more in-depth about components of these and other food preparation suggestions mentioned above.
Nathanisms 