TAKING THE MEH OUT OF VEGGIES

Research links diets rich in vegetables with a lower risk for heart disease, but The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that most Americans eat less than half the amount of recommended vegetable servings.

Meals packed with produce can help you lower the risk for heart disease, lose weight and add more fiber, nutrients and antioxidants in your diet. If you're finding it difficult to get your daily servings of vegetables, try these two simple cooking methods that make eating more vegetables easy and delicious.

Steaming is one way to prepare simple, clean-tasting vegetables without salt, oil, or seasoning. It is especially helpful to get to know how vegetables taste in their most simple, pure form. Steaming takes about 5-10 minutes for green leafy vegetables, and 10-25 minutes for root veggies. All you need is a steaming basket and a pot with a lid filled with about two inches of water.

Steamers come in a variety of forms. The stainless steel, fold-up variety fits inside of a pot to keep the vegetables above water. Some pots are specifically made with holes in the bottom for steaming over another pot of water.

• Wash the vegetables.
• Chop. The smaller the size, the faster they will cook.
• Bring water to a boil.
• Cover the pot, and steam vegetables in the steaming basket over the water for several minutes until they become bright in color
• Taste, and decide if it is cooked enough for you. Cook longer, if you prefer.
• Be sure to take the vegetables out of the pot, and splash cool water over them, or they will continue to cook and lose color.
• These can be applied to all vegetables that you wish to use for steaming:
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil or toasted sesame oil to every 2 cups of greens
• Add 2 bay leaves or 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the water
• Sprinkle greens with toasted pumpkin, sesame, flax, or sunflower seeds, almonds, or walnuts
• Sprinkle greens with fresh herbs, such as mint, dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, or scallions
• Use tamari, soy sauce, or umeboshi vinegar to add extra flavor
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice over them
• After steaming them, quickly stir-fry in olive oil with a pinch of sea salt and garlic

Blanching, or quick boiling, is another way to prepare vegetables quickly and "cleanly”.

Blanching helps to quickly break down the fiber of raw vegetables, more than steaming does, which aids digestion. Blanching vegetables also removes the raw flavor and

brightens up their color.

• Bring water to a boil.
• Add a pinch of salt
• Wash and chop the vegetables
• Drop the vegetables into the water and lower the heat
• Cook until they become bright
• If you prefer softer vegetables, let them cook longer
• When finished, rinse the vegetables in cool water to stop the cooking process

REMEMBER, FOR BOTH STEAMING AND BLANCHING: Different vegetables take different amounts of time to cook. Harder vegetables, like roots, take the longest. Green leafy vegetables, such as collards and bok choy, take less time.

Any vegetables can be steamed or blanched. These two cooking methods are especially good when you want to "get to know" a new vegetable by tasting its essential flavor.

You can serve steamed or blanched vegetables plain, with a dressing, or with a wedge of lemon. Try adding roasted nuts or seeds as a topping or some freshly ground pepper.

Experiment with different combinations of vegetables. Pay attention to colors, textures, and flavors!

Let us know how it turns out!

In health,

KiMS Wellness Committee