14 responses to “Help me eat up my veggies!”

1. 

   ter August 21st, 2009 at 09:36

   Thank you so much for that link about freezing greens! Now that it’s just me, I keep wasting veggies because no matter how much veggies I eat (and I eat alot!) I still can never eat it all before it goes bad!

   I also recently bought some rubbermaid “produce savers” which do help but really it only gives an extra few days of freshness. Worth buying, yes, but even still I can’t seem to eat it all.

   I’ve been making red pepper soup alot this summer, mostly because it is even better with fresh peppers. I don’t see any red peppers in your pile though.

   I have looked but can not find if they have anything like this here in Manitoba.

2. 

   jenny August 21st, 2009 at 11:07

   That is a huge bag of spinach!

   I love rutabaga so I thought I’d mention what I usually use it for - pasties. Cornish pot pies type things. But I recently saved a recipe for a kale and roasted potato salad with tahini dressing. I haven’t made it yet myself but I’m sure if you substitute the rutabaga for the potato it would turn out great. Recipe is at Dinner with Julie bolg.

3. 

   Saver Queen August 21st, 2009 at 11:28

   Ter - I know what you mean. I really hate waste so I’m definitely going to look for more tips like this on how to preserve extra produce. Right now I’m taking good care to either wash and dry my herbs and/or keep them in water, and that’s helping with those greens too.

   Jenny - thanks for the suggestion. I love pasties! Yum - do you have any recipes for those? The kale and roasted potato salad sounds good too and I have tahini on hand, so I’ll have to check out that blog.

4. 

   M August 21st, 2009 at 13:05

   For the Beans/mix of bean, here is a recipe
   http://saffronhut.blogspot.com/2006/11/more-is-more-16-bean-adai.html

   I usually don’t go for the 16 bean, I use whatever Beans/Lentil mix I have with me.

5. 

   M August 21st, 2009 at 13:07

   BTW, the Udad Dal or Urad Dal mentioned in the recipe is this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urad_dal

6. 

   Saver Queen August 21st, 2009 at 13:24

   M - great idea! I dont have a griddle but I trust I could make it in a frying pan?

7. 

   M August 21st, 2009 at 13:38

   Yes, frying pan should be fine. I used to use it before I had the fancy griddle.

8. 

   NMPatricia August 21st, 2009 at 14:26

   We started getting a box of vegetables (we haven’t gotten beans in it - yet) from a CSA and it has changed significantly how we eat. I plan our meals around what is going to be in the box (I know ahead of time. I pick up the box on my food shopping day.) We also are eating more vegetables than I ever had. It is fresher. Best of all, I am learning about new fruits and vegetables that I have never tried before and are now having to try (which is a good thing) because that is what I have to eat! It definitely has lessened what we spend because I now plan around what is fresh and what we get. And the organically grown vegetables we get in the box are far cheaper than in the stores.

9. 

   Money Funk August 21st, 2009 at 15:37

   Oh, how cool that is. For $10? Very cool. I need to look into joining a CSA of sorts.

   I didn’t know you could freeze spinach or kale. I mean, i’ll make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then pop out and store in a ziplock bag. I’ll have to check that out.

   Salt & Chocolate has a recipe for a green smoothie. Sounds delish!

   All your soups you could freeze in single serving dishes for lunches and stuff. Very cool.

10. 

    Catherine August 21st, 2009 at 16:25

    Hi SQ!
    Love the box of goodies! I found this recipe and thought it looked yummy.

    Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup Recipe

    Ingredients

    * 3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered lenthwise
    * 2 large tomatoes, quartered
    * 1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges or 4 or 5 slices
    * 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick wedges
    * 6 garlic cloves
    * 1 Tbsp olive oil
    * 6 cups or more of vegetable broth*
    * 4 cups of finely chopped kale
    * 3 large fresh thyme sprigs
    * 1 bay leaf
    * 1 15 oz can of Great Northern white beans, drained

    If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.
    Method

    1 Preheat oven to 400°F (reduce heat by 25°F if using convection oven). Brush rimmed baking sheet with a thin coat of olive oil. Arrange carrots, squash, tomatoes, onion, and garlic on sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast vegetables until they are brown and tender, stirring occassionally, about 45 minutes.

    2 Cut squash and carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in food processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup broth onto the baking sheet; scrape up any browned bits. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

    3 Add carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

    Can be made a day ahead. Serves six.

    And this one too!

    Cooked rutabaga is baked with a cheese sauce and bread crumbs.
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Ingredients:

    * 1/4 cup melted butter
    * 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    * 2 cups milk
    * 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    * salt and pepper
    * 1 large rutabaga, diced and cooked (4 to 5 cups diced)
    * 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs tossed with 1 tablespoon butter

    Preparation:
    Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; stir in flour. Continue to cook and stir until smooth; gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place rutabaga in a shallow, lightly buttered baking dish; pour sauce over rutabaga. Sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 6.

    Hope these inspire you….like you need inspiration! You are a fabulous cook and I love your blog!
    Take care!

11. 

    Mrs Roberts August 21st, 2009 at 22:19

    Put kale torn into bite size pieces in a bowl and toss with olive oil and salt. Put it an a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until crisp. They taste like potato chips and will keep in a food storage bag for a week or so. I got this recipe from Jaques Pipen, its good everytime.

12. 

    Heidi August 23rd, 2009 at 05:44

    Hello

    I love that you got this box of veggies so cheap. I am from Australia and we have beans like that all the time. They are already sprouted so you can just eat them fresh. Just rinse under cold water and pop into your mouth! Yum! They are lovely added to salads!

    Enjoy!

13. 

    jess August 25th, 2009 at 18:45

    the beans look like they are actually sprouts. i wouldn’t cook them! the super nutritious power of sprouts dies if they are cooked. make a giant salad with the spinach & use the sprouts as an accessory. add them to cold salads (like your potato salad) too, for extra crunch and protein. or you can add them to sandwiches, but that tastes a little “hippie” to me.

    crispy roasted kale chips!!!! you will be so addicted. http://bookcook.blogspot.com/2007/12/crispy-roasted-kale.html

14. 

    Saver Queen August 25th, 2009 at 20:06

    Thanks for your tips everyone!

    One problem with the beans / sprouts. The sprouts, which are delicious, are mixed in with raw, hard chickpeas and red beans. So now I’m not sure what to do! The beans are quite bitter eaten raw, but the sprouts are delicious!

    Thanks for everyone on the blog and via twitter who suggested the kale chips. The kale, unfortunately, actually went limp quite fast. I just didn’t get to it in time to make the chips! So I mixed it with spinach and made stuffed peppers, instead. The next time I get kale I will definitely make those kale chips!

    Thanks for your suggestions!