Cooking Fresh Vegetables

I like stirfrys w/olive oil,salt and onion powder, really gives it a good flavor and if you don't cook it too long(leave a little crunch)it's still halfway fresh with lots of good nutrients.

Great question, I am looking forward to the responses!

I have a very quick dinner I like to make. In a stir fry like pan I put a little olive oil, sauté onion which is cut into strips, and then add vegis of choice. For seasoning I put in a little bit of soy sauce, honey, salt, pepper and a smidge of red chili. Sometimes I add chicken too- and then eat over rice. Everyone I have made it for young and old have liked it. It takes me about 20 min. to make with all the cutting.

Have fun!

Fran-

I grill my vegies and they are wonderful! Make a little bowl out of foil add a bit of olive oil, salt and paper and seal it up! Zuchini, green peper and onion- YUM! And it cook rather quick. I recently did asparagus and it was WONDERFUL! I know it's not fun to grill in this cold weather but I grill year round- I just love the flavor!

Good luck and nice topic!

I see that you are looking to cook healthy meals for your family in general. I can offer you some very simple, tasty and healthy sugestions from my website:
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You will find a large assortment of dips, soups, casseroles, marinades and desserts. As a Homemade Gourmet Distributor I can assist you with saving lots of TIME and MONEY, while feeding your family wonderful, healthy meals. Check out my website and call me. I have a Member Perk for Mamasource members.

Roasting fresh vegetables in the oven is easy and very tasty. Basically just chop up any combination of veg, all roughly about the same size. One of my favorite combinations is potatoes, carrots, onions and zuchini. Put them in a roasting pan, drizzle olive oil over them and then your favorite spices or herbs. Salt, pepper and thyme or rosemary is really good. Make sure all the veg are covered in oil/spices then roast in the oven at 425 degrees till all are done. For some extra flavor you can drape bacon over the top but that won't be as healthy of course. You won't believe how good you and your family will feel once you start to eat fresh food more often.

Steamed broccoli with parmesan cheese is a favorite at our house. Cut broccoli bunch into bite-sized florets. Place in glass bowl with a cover. Add 4 tbsp water and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes in microwave(depends on wattage)until tender but not mushy. Drain water and drizzle with 2 tbsp butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a little salt.

TRADER JOES! They have many frozen almost ready to eat healthy foods. One of my favorites is a broccoli/waterchestnuts combo that comes with a sauce. Just open bag, saute in skillet, and you have an instant stir fry meal. They also have frozen shrimp you can toss in, or cut up a chicken breast and toss it in (or tofu). TJ's also has frozen brown (or white) rice that you heat up in the micro for 3 min. For fresh veggies, I always keep lemon on hand. There are many ways to steam them. One, is in a steamer. Two, put a touch of water in the bottom of a pot and put the lid on, get the water boiling, then reduce heat and steam through. Third, put a touch of water in the bottom of a microwavable bowl, put in your veggies, then put a tight fitting lid or cover with plastic wrap. Microwave, but stir once or twice, carefully replacing the wrap. Then just put a little lemon and salt. My son's (almost 5) favorite meal for many years now is tofu and broccoli (with lemon). I also do a lot of one pot items, where I cook couscous, rice, or quinoa with chicken stock, seasonings, fresh or frozen veggies, and tofu or chicken. Just put all in and simmer. Another great option for carrots, squash, zucchini, etc. is to toss with olive oil and fresh herbs (basil or thyme, etc.) and garlic (I use fresh, either chopped or sliced) then spread on cookie sheet and put in oven. This is great to also cook chicken or fish in oven at same time. Just brush with olive oil and seasonings.

Another way to sneak veggies into their diet is to puree them and put them into marinara sauce for pizza or pasta. My son also loves to eat peas frozen. I started doing it when he was a toddler and teething. And its one of his favorite snacks to this day.

Hi there- I don't have anything to innovative. My key suggestions are
1. Ketchup helps with steamed broccoli- I just put frozen florets in the microwave with a tiny bit of water till defrosted
2. I got my kids into Edmame beans (soybeans) High in fiber and protein you can buy them in or out of the pod at Trader Joes. I sprinkle them with Sea Salt. My 4 and 6 year old like biting them out of the pod.
3. Sweet potatoes are awesome for you- either baked in the microwave with a little butter or I slice them thin and spread them on a cookie sheet with a little olive oil and salt and bake them until crispy.
4. I used to take fresh or frozen carrots in a bowl, drizzle a little honey over them with a little water and cook in the microwave until soft. My son has now decided he no longer likes carrots so haven't done this in awhile.
5. I also buy a lot of soups- my kids really like the Progresso minestrone.
Hope some of these work!

Hey there, I'm way behind on reading my emails and digests so sorry this is so late! Check out www.sparkpeople.com ...it's a site focused on a whole healthy lifestyle change...great recipes, I'm sure you could find some awesome veggie dishes. It's all free, so I'm pretty sure you could browse the recipes without joining if it's not your thing.

Another thought, don't forget you can marinate your veggies just like meat! Stick with healthy things like fresh lemon juice and spices(no oil).

Ok I know you wanted to know cooking fresh vegetables. But here is what I have found... my kids don't like the texture of them cooked and ites healthier t eat them raw. So I have manyt containers of allt he fruit and veggies cut up and in the fridge. My kids get to grab them whenever they are hungry if they ask for dip I give them a small dot on a plate. Not sure if this woudl work for you but seriously that is the only way my kids eat it and it is easy!! Soemtiems they will eat them stir fry with olive oil and sesame seeds too.

Have fun!!

Dear Fran,
One thing that is good and easy for me is a vegetable skillet.
Put some oil in a large skillet.
Thinly (1/8") slice onions, carrots, zucchini, potatoes,(or whatever vegetables you have on hand that are able to be sliced) and make single layers of each.
Put some salt and pepper in with the layers (seasoned salt is good for veggies).
Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes.
Cover and cook on low heat.
They will take a long time to cook so this is something you can put on mid-afternoon to be ready for dinner.
Check often.(every 20 min. or so)
Do not stir.
When all the vegetables are tender you can top the skillet with cheese if you like, or not.
If you do, cook a few minutes more to melt the cheese.

My favorite and tasty way to cook vegetables such as you describe is to steam them (get a steaming basket to put inside your saucepan).
Then put some olive oil in a skillet, saute some diced garlic
and onions add the steamed vegetables and some salt and pepper or seasoned salt.
Toss around to mix in the flavorings and you are done!

I usually use frozen mixed vegetables of all kinds and I like to just toss all kinds of vegetables together into the steamer and then the skillet!

Here is a quick snack:
Mix together 1 can of black beans (rinsed), 1 can of corn (drained), and 1/2 can of diced tomatoes that have diced green chilies, plus some Medium Pace Picante sauce (according to your taste). You can use HOT if you like it spicy.
Serve with Frito Scoops or another dipping corn chip.

Hope this helps you.

I am in a similar situation to you. I have made it one of my new year’s resolutions to eat more veggies (& have my family eat more veggies, too!). The microwave steamers and steamers on the cook top were just a little too hard for me. I just never seemed to get the veggies just right (I am not a very good cook yet!). I bought a rice steamer from COSTCO and it works great! The rice cooker/ veggie steamer is so easy, because it beeps when they are done.
I also am using the Sneaky Chef/ Deceptively Delicious tricks, too (along with a visible veggie at every meal).
Thanks for the post! I’m looking forward to hearing what other moms say!

Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" has become our cooking bible. I'm a vegetarian, but my husband is not (is way into his pork products in a Homer Simpsonesque way!) and he relies on that book as much as I do.

It gives basic cooking instructions for most vegetables, plus slightly more advanced recipes that are great because they are actually quite simple.

I'm trying to eat healthier too bc I'm nursing. I hate veggies and have found some ways to "trick" myself into eating them. One is that I throw the frozen veggies (Trader Joe's has some greaaat blends) into a pot with some olive oil and add some fresh minced garlic (the pre-minced stuff in the jar) and saute the veggies until they are still crunchy and add some garlic pepper. Also, I recently discovered that chopping them up and mixing them in rice is good and also puree-ing some spinach and adding it to spaghetti sauce works great and you don't even taste it! Hope that was helpful...

Asparagus - preheat your broiler; trim and wash it; use your misto to spray a baking sheet; place asparagus on baking sheet in a single layer; spray asparagus with your misto; broil for 3 to 7 minutes, depending on the size (thickness) of the shoots; sprinkle a little garlic salt / powder on it. As Rachael says, YUMMO!

Also, I've steamed asparagus to tender-crisp, and left it on the counter and let the kids help themselves. They love it!!! Nothing on it at all!

Sounds like you have a big family to cook for! One suggestion is to buy your veggies and do some pre-cutting - cut up carrots and celery into sticks for the family to munch on, cut up the broccoli and anything else that will last a few days in the fridge so that you can just grab some, through it into a steamer, and steam the veggies. Steaming is the best way to preserve the nutrients in the veggies. Once they are steamed, you can always just drizzle a little bit of olive oil over them and shake a little Mrs. Dash or other flavored seasoning, or a little bit of parmesan on broccoli or cauliflower is good. Also, we steam brussel sprouts, then toss them in a pan with just a little olive oil and dill. Sti-fry is also always good - heat a large pan up pretty hot, add the oil (sesame oil adds a great flavor), and toss in whatever veggies you've got - stir fry until just cooked through but still crunchy. You can add chicken, pork, beef, or just add some noodles, a little bit of red pepper and ginger, and then toss in some soy sauce or hoisin sauce or plum sauce for a bit more flavor. We go simple most of the time - like you, I don't need or have time for all the fancy-schmancy recipes!

I've found that steaming them in the microwave is quick and easy--and frozen veggies are just as healthy as fresh, since most were frozen very quickly. For green beans, I simply steam them in the microwave for about 5 or 6 minutes and then maybe--maybe--add a little butter and a little parmesan cheese. It's quick, easy and delicious! You can do the same with broccoli. As for carrots, the microwave again works well. Make sure you add enough water, though, or they'll shrivel up. I usually do about 1/2 cup water with about 1 cup carrots, cover, and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, check for tenderness and then cook in small spurts (like a minute) till tender. Add a little butter and sprinkle some brown sugar on, and it's good to go. If you have a Betty Crocker cookbook, it gives a wealth of information on different methods to cook veggies in the vegetable section. Check it out! Have fun and happy cooking!

If you're steaming for health sake, don't cover in cheese sauce like someone responed. I'm Italian and Greek. We're know to be some of the worlds favoite type food preparers. Green veggies, yellow squash etc, can be steamed or boiled, drained, drizzle olive oil over (enought to coat when tossed),couple teaspoons garlic powder, salt and squeeze half a lemon over for a fresh taste. You could use lemon pepper in place of lemon or forget the lemon altogether. Salt brings out the flavor of EVERYTHING so a small amount is always used. Some garlic goes in everything but desserts. You can bake butternut squash..cut in half, clean out seeds,sprinkle of salt over each half, bake. When soft enough, mash each one with your fork, put a couple pats of butter and a tablespoon or so of brown suger in each one. The kids and hubby will love them. I've been cooking for 40 some years. E-mail me with any cooking questions. I'll be glad to answer for you. ____@____.com

Jessica Seinfeld has a new cookbook out called Deceptively Delicious all about making vegetable purees and putting them in kid friendly foods. It looks really useful on this topic. B.

For an easy side dish, I usually just boil or steam my veggies and season with a little EV Olive Oil, and salt and pepper. I do this with broccoli, beans, carrots, potatoes, brussels sprouts, etc.

By the way, congrats to you for making efforts to eat healthier. Thought you'd like to know though, that when you're in a crunch, frozen veggies are still really good for you because they are frozen immediately, preserving all the good stuff!

Good luck,

Denise

I like to steam my veggies. You can get an insert for a pot on the stove, a stand-alone steamer (if you have the room for an extra appliance), or a microwavable steamer. It's one of the best ways to keep the nutritional value. Then I season with a bit of butter and salt and pepper or just some Mrs. Dash so there's no salt.

Do you have a slow cooker? I love the crock pot for easy meals because you can start it on low in the morning and come home to a cooked meal. You can basically find anything on line you want a recipe for. Just google something like "Crock Pot recipes" for general stuff. If you have something in mind, like a pork roast sitting in the freezer waiting to be used, "Pork Roast crock pot recipe". You can throw all your veggies in with the meat and let them cook all day for mushy veggies or do it when you get home for warm, but not cooked veggies. Oh, and if you do have a pork roast, PM me and I have a FABULOUS recipe for you!

Good Luck:)

I cook them in tomato sauce. Put some oil in the cooking pan, let it get hot. Dice some onions, then put them on the oil. Let them cook until they soften. If you want to cook with meat, now is the time to put it in the pan. If you are adding meat, add some water so the meat doesn't get burnt. If you are not adding meat, just add tomato sauce and cook until it darkens a bit. Add vegies and water, cover and let it cook. They are great with rice, mash potatoe, or just by themselves.

Below is an incredible way to cook sweet potatoes and another two for zuchini. Sweet potatoes are super healthy for you and your family! My family eats all these recipes like they'll never be available again. :)

Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potatoes
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put the potatoes in a large plastic bag and toss to coat. Then add the other ingredients and toss to coat again. Put into a baking dish at 400 F and bake for 45 or until tender. Stir occasionally. You can also add 1/2 carrots for a little flavor change up. Enough for 4.

Here's another one to make with Zuchini:

4-5 Medium Zuchini, sliced in rounds
Feta Cheese Crummbles
2 tsp. Lemon Juice

Saute Zuchini in a little olive oil until almost tender. Toss Feta over top of zuchini, sprinkly with lemon juice and put a lid on the pan. Let sit for a min or two until feta is slightly melty. Zuchini will soften in the remaining heat, so don't let it sit too long. Enough for 4.

Healthy and Flavorful!

For a full-on, Quick Meal with Zuchini, try this:

Scrambled Eggs
4-5 Zuchini, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
1/2 C Cheddar or (healthier) Mozzarella

Saute Zuchini with the onion until tender, adding a little garlic powder or fresh garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Place zuchini in the middle of each plate, top with hot scrambled eggs and top with cheese. If you're meat eaters, you can throw on some bacon crumbles for a little something extra. Makes about enough for 4.

My son would eat this every day if I made it!

the easiest way to cook most of those veggies (spinach, squash, broccoli) is to steam them or cook them with a little water. Cook till they are just lightly done - ie not overly soft.
The cooking magazine "Cooking light" is great for ideas on healthy eating and not always so elaborate. If you want some fabulous easy cook books, try "Rachel Favorite Foods" and "Rachel's Favorite foods for Friends". They are by Rachel Allen. She is irish and a mom and her books are lovely, very easy, very quick meals for a family.

Hi there,

I like to roast veggies in the oven--just cut them in small pieces, toss with olive oil and a little sea salt, put them in a 350 degree oven. Depending on how crisp you like them, check after about 20 minutes. I like to mix brocolli, summer squash, zucchini, with a little onion and red peppers for flavor-also sometimes add some fresh pressed garlic, depending on your taste.

Hi Fran,
I make a really quick dish using fresh veggies. My kids love it and it's really easy. Buy 85% lean ground beef (it feeds our family of 4), any veggies that you want to use, and a pasta sauce. Just cook the beef in a pan (no oil needed since you have a bit in the beef), and add in the veggies as you cook it. Harder, longer to cook veggies first, and continue. When beef and veggies are close to cooked, just pour the pasta sauce and let it cook for about another 8-10 minues. That's it! I usually make white or brown rice on side, or pasta noodles. Since it has the pasta sauce, it sort of blends or covers the veggies. I buy organic as much as I can, even the pasta sauce. You can use any veggies that you have on hand- peas, carrots, corn, peppers, potatoes, onion, asparagus, even cilantro and garlic. The cilantro does give it a great taste! Hope this helps and works for your family. We call it the "poor man" dinner because beef and rice is cheap and I use any and all veggies before they go bad. Try it!

We subscribe to a CSA and get a giant box of veggies every couple of weeks, plus we eat 90% vegetarian meals (my older son is a vegetarian) so we've been getting pretty good at this vegetable stuff, but I'm really looking forward to reading other peoples ideas because it is challenging to come up with new things everyone will eat!

Like another poster, we also serve raw cucumbers and carrots (and whatever else we have onhand) as snack several times a week. I mix ranch dressing with low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt for lower-calorie dip.

Roasting vegetables is a great tip I saw someone else posted (I like the herbes de provence seasoning from Penzeys with root vegetables, but just salt, pepper, thyme, and marjoram is good too.)

I like to experiment with different herbs on freshly steamed veggies. Makes such a big difference in taste! Dill is a classic for peas or carrots. My kids also like a little grated cheese on steamed broccoli. Not much - a couple of tablespoons for a family of 4 (something with flavor, cheddar - not mozzarella).

My kids like squash with just butter, but you can also use a mixer and add a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg and brown sugar. Squash soup is also good and pretty easy to make (you can google for recipes, but basically, broth, onions, squash, seasonings of your choice - we like curry, cook until soft, puree if desired.)

We like this vegetable casserole with dumplings recipe to use up root veggies (minus turnips, plus parsnips, substitute soy sauce for tamari, use whatever seasonings you like): http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=10161.0

If you google "crustless broccoli quiche" you can find some good low-calorie ideas to use up those giant bags of broccoli from Costco, and my kids love it.

I've also been experimenting with using veggie purees (from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook) in other foods. This casserole is very rich and could take less cheese, but it's an example: http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/200710/food_2...

I like the Ziploc/Glad steam bags a lot. You can just cut the veggies up, add some olive oil and spices, shake 'em up and look on the bag to see how long to nuke them. If you're feeling more creative, try cutting up your veggies and tossing them in olive oil and spices you like, lay them on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 1/2 hour at 350 or so... Keep checking 'em. And good for you for trying to be healthier and including more veggies!

Check out foodnetwork.com. They have a ton of recipes! Also, I find that one of the chefs, Giada, has very tasty meals -- with few ingredients. Enjoy!

I like the advice of many posters re: steaming, but as for carrots, broccoli and sugar snap peas, why cook them at all? Just serve rinsed in cold water and possibly with a little ranch dressing for dipping. Baby carrots, sold in 1 or 2-pound bags, are great even though they're a bit more expensive - there's no prep, no waste, and all kids will eat them, so you know they've always gotten something fresh! We don't cook vegetables at all - we just have a rule that the kids have to eat something fresh at every meal, fruit or vegetable. They're very healthy and now that they're a bit older they voluntarily eat fruits and veggies. It's not necessarily true that an elaborate cooked meal is more healthy.

I actually don't do anything fancy with my veggies, besides steam them in the microwave. My MIL told me this is better (to preserve the nutrients) than stove top. I buy the bags of broccoli from trader joes and it makes it so easy and we all love it. My husband and 2 year dip the broccoli in the wasabi mayo from tj too. Also, I would suggest canola oil. It is suppose to be the healthiest oil (again from my MIL)?? hope that helps.

Steaming your vegetables is the best for you, next to raw. You might try a cheese sauce to pour over the broccoli or asparigus. I just cook it in water until tender. Nothing really special.
Snack time-try chex mix (recipe can be found on the chex boxes), grahm crackers, the gerber fruit snacks. They are in the babyfood isle.
For meats-try ground pork or turkey instead of hamberger. It has less fat and greese. They also have turkey bacon.
Hope these suggestions help.

If you have a fax machine, I can fax you some VERY simple ideas. I'm a personal trainer with over 30 years of experience and have trained trainers and worked with MANY MANY people over the years to get them to cook healthier. Healthy can be VERY simple and VERY flavorful. You just have to know what to add to what....i.e. lemon pepper to corn, peas or broccoli. I've got TONS of ideas. I DONT have them on computer.

I heard this tip on a cooking segment on TV recently. The chef said don't cook with extra virgin olive oil, as the cooking process makes it taste bitter. Besides, you don't want to spend the extra money on that type when the other (and cheaper) grades of olive oil will do for cooking! Save the extra virgin olive oil for things like salad dressing or flavoring veggies/pasta when the taste of uncooked oil will be key.

One great vegetable to try on your family is edamame (soy beans). They are fun to eat (you pop them out of the pods) and they are tasty when prepared with a little salt (follow package prep directions). Kids like them and they don't know that they're good for them!

My other suggestion is to use a microwave steamer. Tupperware makes a great one. I can steam things like green beans or asparagus in just 3-4 minutes (even from frozen). I add a little soy sauce, a few drops of sesame oil, and some pepper or herb blend and it comes out delicious. I use the microsteamer also for cooking things like bacon and ground beef because it really gets all the fat out from the meat, thus making it healthier to serve your family. You can find the microsteamer on my website: My.Tupperware.com/camillajoe

Happy cooking!

Hi! My family too has started to try to eat healthier and cook better. This summer I purchased an Oval Microwave Cooker from Tupperware and it is the BEST!!! It has three levels that stack in your microwave and you can cook all sorts of healthy meals in it - the best part is that it only takes a few minutes and you can have a whole meal in ONE dirty dish without having to turn your stove on!!! For example, one of our favorites....rice in the bottom, chicken breast above in the next level (fits 4-5 large, and throw a bag of frozen vegetable onthe top level. Pop in the microwave for about 14-16 minutes and you ahve perfectly steamed vegetables with moist chicken and able to serve it on rice. Sometimes I season with different spices, but still so easy!!! There are a ton more things that you can use with it and it comes with a cookbook. If you are interested I know a great Tupperware consultant that has a website you can order off of - just let me know and I will send you the address.
Seriously, this thing is great - I love it mainly for the steamed vegetables beacuse I am not very good at doing them on the stove.

I love the Ziploc Zip and Steam bags they are perfect for just steaming veggies in the microwave and I've always heard that steaming is best

We love to toss aspargus, potatoes, etc in olive oil and put them on a george foreman grill.. delish!
we also have a wok (LOVE IT!!)and I love to buy the frozen shrimp scampi and cook that first(no oil needed), add a bag of frozen veggies (sometimes they will have enough water to then cook the rice (instant)which, I then toss in. All is done with very little effort from start to finish within 15mins!
The wok is wonderful since you need very little oil, food cooks quickly (as long as you keep tossing) and you can be as creative as you want. I really love to do peppers (yellow, red, orange and green). Rice is easy and wonderful!
Press and seal is wonderful for steaming veggies in the microwave, esp if you don't want to dirty many dishes.. you can cook adn serve in one dish and don't have to make the whole bag in one meal.
I also try to use different seasonings to avoid adding too much oil or butter for taste.
Enjoy and the best way to find out is to experiment! Enjoy and good for you!

After you steam the veggies you lightly spray with flavored olive oil, you place the spices in the oil and it will flavor it over a short time.

One of my kids' favorite dishes is simply broccoli and cauliflower. Cut them into florets and place on a glass baking dish or pie plate. Cook in microwave on HIGH about 2 minutes. Let them sit in the microwave while fixing some other stuff. Then, add a couple of pats of butter or margarine (lowfat of course)and sprinkle with paramasan and nuke for another couple of minutes until veggies are tender.

I also started buying the already made up veggie trays. It seems my kids will eat them better if there isn't a lot of prep. You can still use them to cook with if you want, but for just eating with some dip, they are very convenient. Also, you can use a lot of other vegetbles in the microwave dish above. Just remember that some veggies like carrots will take longer to cook than others.

Experiment with them and you'll find something you really like! Just try adding various spices and see what strikes you!

Bon Apetit!

PS. I just remembered one other thing. If you are going to be gone all day, you can use your slow cooker. I have one that is small for doing dips and I often put corn, peas or green beans in there with a little seasoning and let them cook all day on low. You will need some liquid and this is great for frozen veggies when you can't get fresh ones.

I cook my vegetables in a corning wear dish that has a cover, in the microwave.
I add a little water and cover the dish and cook for 5 - 6 min. I love cooking corn on the cob that way and also broccoli and cauliflower don't smell up the house. I either put a little butter or cheese in after I've drained the water.
My twin granddaughters love to dip vegetables - raw or cooked.
We use warmed butter or salad dressings or cream cheese.
Hope this helps.
I've been cooking for 45 years and have 3 grown children (one of whom hooked me up to this website just yesterday) and I have 5 grandchildren the oldest is 4 years old.

We have a steaming basket that you can buy in Bed Bath Beyond/LNT. It is great because I am not much of a cook and can still manage ;). You just put a little water in the bottom, put the steamer basket in, put the veggies in the basket, turn on the burner and the veggies steam cook. It is so wonderful! My son, niece and nephew all love steamed broccoli.

If you enjoy cauliflower I really like this one. Separate a head of cauliflower and place in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and put in a casserole dish. Mix together 1 cup of mayonnaise with 1/4 cup of mustard and pour over the cauliflower. Then add 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese on top and bake at 350 for about 20 min.

Or if you enjoy mashed potatoes but want something a bit different you can steam potatoes (cut in pieces) along with either cauliflower florets or broccoli florets. When they are tender you can either mash them together or if you have a potato ricer put them through that. A great way to get kids to eat more veggies without them knowing it.