Easy Vegetable Recipes
On this page, you'll find three of the more easy vegetable recipes ever: two cold soups and a simple but delicious veggie side dish. Two other easy ones feature the tomato, a huge favorite worldwide because of its
great taste and versatility—whether cooked or raw. (Click here for a terrific (and hearty) tomato recipe. Then, scroll down that same page for the Mediterranean tomato salad. Both of those are simple to make and also delicious.
But maybe you're you feel more in the mood for green beans? Try this salad, which could even work as a main dish with some added protein. Another greenie to keep in your life is kale, which makes a great soup ingredient among other things: Easy Kale Soup.
Or how about some beets to dazzle us with rich colors of deep red, gold, and even stripes. Something else about the beet: it brings along some great baggage. (For example, well-prepared beet greens are hard to beat.) If you'd like a great summer soup featuring the beet, scroll down to our summer borscht.
Three Easy Vegetable Recipes
Just below, you'll find three examples of cooking in "flex mode," my short-hand term for simple, no-hassle cooking that draws more heavily upon creativity, flexibility, and occasional daring than upon labor. Perhaps you cook that way already; if not, you may find some great uses for those three traits in the kitchen.
So-Easy Summer Borscht
Blend a can of canned beets with a can of *beef broth and lemon juice (don't be stingy with the lemon) until smooth.
(Cool down with ice cubes for a little while, if necessary.) Serve in
cups or small bowls with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt floating
in each serving. If you have mint available, put a few sprinkles on the sour cream.
Too simple? Why not give it a try anyway; you might be surprised at how refreshing it tastes. And speaking of that taste, please do Not use
vegetable broth if you can possibly avoid it, as you'll lose some of the
bright punch of this particular soup. It's the onion in commercial
veggie broth that dulls it down, I think.
[*Vegetarian or vegan cooks might try Edwards & Sons Not-Beef Bouillon Cubes, which you can buy through Amazon.]
Cold Cucumber Soup
Peel and coarsely chop a cucumber, stirring the chunks into a cup or two
of greek yogurt thinned with milk to your preferred consistency. Add
some coarsely chopped walnuts, perhaps a little chopped dill and/or a
sprinkling of ground oregano/thyme, and some freshly ground black
pepper. Stir a bit, and you have a tasty and nutritious cold soup.
No
walnuts available? Substitute another kind of nut or perhaps some
pepitas or sunflower kernels. If you're a garlic freak, add some in but
with a light hand. Onions and/or garlic can quickly overwhelm the fresh
flavors of this rather delicate dish.
No, the golden beauty isn't some exotic cuke, just part of an unintended composition I saw one day in some friends' kitchen. Gorgeous, though, isn't it?
Dressed-Up Green Veggies
Toss very lightly cooked green beans, asparagus, or even broccoli or cauliflower with
toasted pine nuts or sliced/slivered almonds and a little pesto thinned
with a bit of the cooking water. Out of pesto? Substitute a thinned and
mildly spicy peanut sauce. Serve with tongs from a warmed platter, and
make a pig of yourself.
Quick and easy recipes: perhaps the best way for busy people to shoe-horn more produce into their busy lives. If you have one (or more!) such recipes (or "non-recipes") yourself that you're willing to share, I'd be delighted to post them. (See Contact Us.)
Please understand that the material at this site is NOT medical advice, as I am neither doctor nor nutritionist. What I am is merely someone who's lived successfully on a vegetarian diet for many decades...and I transitioned from omnivore to vegetarian gradually. Do check with your doctor, though, if you're considering big changes to your own diet. Also, be sure to find a dependable source of Vitamin B12.
Living Vegetarian the Easy Way
Copyright 2010-2024. Lynda Edwards. All rights reserved.
