Getting Acquainted with Vegetarian Cooking

It's hard to go wrong with vegetables of any sort unless they're fried beyond recognition. Whether they're fresh, frozen, or canned, all vegetables have merit. Vegetables should factor heavily into your meals, and most people should eat double the portions they usually do. If you aren't doing so already, start eating heaping helpings of vegetables, and keep these points in mind:

All vegetables are worthwhile, but some are standouts and should be eaten often. Vegetables that have exceptional nutritional merit include deep yellow, orange, and red vegetables, as well as dark green vegetables. Examples include sweet potatoes; butternut and acorn squash; red, green, and yellow bell peppers; broccoli; kale; tomatoes; Swiss chard; and carrots. These vegetables are especially rich sources of vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.
Cruciferous vegetables — vegetables in the cabbage family — are also particularly good choices because they're rich in phytochemicals that may protect your health. Examples include dark green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, mustard greens, and collard greens, as well as bok choy (or Chinese cabbage), kohlrabi, and cauliflower.
If you cook vegetables, choose methods that expose them to high heat for as short a time as possible to help preserve their nutrient content. Nutrient-preserving cooking methods include steaming, stir-frying, and cooking in a microwave oven.
If you have trouble getting enough calories on a vegetarian diet, eat more cooked vegetables — especially starchy ones like potatoes, corn, and peas — and fewer bulky raw vegetables, such as lettuce, celery, green beans, and carrots.
Buy locally grown vegetables in season when you can. They're likely to be freshly picked and won't have had to travel a great distance (therefore losing nutrients) before getting to your table.
Strive for large portions of vegetables and serve them often. Make vegetables ingredients in your recipes on a regular basis. Look for creative ways to add them. For example, if your summer garden is giving you lots of tomatoes and green beans, add them to cooked pasta along with your usual toppings, or serve them alongside the rest of your meal. Combine them with a little vinegar and olive oil for a fresh summer salad.

Adding vegetables to your diet doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. Here are some additional ideas for making them a regular feature at meals:


If it's more convenient for you, buy prepared vegetables such as stir-fry mixes, baby carrots that have already been peeled and washed, and ready-to-eat salad mixes. You do pay more when someone else washes, peels, and chops your vegetables for you, but if it means that you'll eat more of them, it may be worth the extra cost.
After grocery shopping, take 15 minutes or so to wash, peel, and chop your own vegetables. Store them in an airtight container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. They'll be ready when it's time to prepare a meal, and you'll be more likely to use them if they're ready to go. This works well for such vegetables as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and onions. Potatoes, on the other hand, should be cut up just before cooking (to keep them from turning color), and tomatoes should be sliced just before serving to keep them firm and fresh tasting.
Consider purchasing an electric steamer. Steamers are inexpensive and easy to use. You can use a steamer to cook potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, corn on the cob, greens, and other vegetables. Steaming is also a good way to use up vegetables that have been sitting around for a while. Just wash the vegetables, cut them into pieces, and toss them in. Add water, set the timer, and go back to your life. There's nothing left to do until the vegetables are ready — no watching the stove or fiddling with the microwave.
Serve fresh, cut-up vegetables with hummus, low-fat salad dressings, black bean dip, or salsa. Don't limit yourself to carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli, although those veggies are great choices. You can also slice yellow squash and zucchini, daikon, jicama, cauliflower, broccoflower (a cross between broccoli and cauliflower), and cherry tomatoes.
Note that some cut vegetables, such as carrots and celery, should be stored in water, or else they will become dry and unappetizing.
Chop or grate fresh vegetables and blend them into marinara sauce for pasta, or toss them with cooked pasta and olive oil for pasta primavera. You can also add them to pasta that you have tossed with fresh pesto (an aromatic blend of minced fresh basil, oil, and other ingredients) or stir them into soup while it's heating on the stove.
Grated fresh vegetables make a fabulous sandwich filling. Grate several different vegetables (carrots, green peppers, and jicama, for example) and roll them into a flour tortilla with some homemade dressing, or add them to a pita pocket along with a scoop of tofu salad, hummus, or a sprinkling of grated cheese. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and heat your sandwich briefly.
Keep sweet onion on hand and use it liberally. You can also mince some onion and sprinkle it liberally on top of a big bowl of black bean soup.