Vegetables add color, taste, texture and bulk to our daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables and many of them are low enough in carbs (and high enough in fiber) to be perfect for low carb diets of all sorts. They can be prepared in literally hundreds of ways. So what's best?

There is no best. The thing to do is to eat your vegetables (and lots of them) every day in a wide variety of ways. Stop worrying about preparation methods. Variety is the key...

Raw

Many vegetables taste fabulous just the way they are straight out of the garden. Lettuce, tomato, celery, cabbage, onion, radish, and carrot are obvious choices here. But they are just as likely to find themselves next to chopped up broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini on an appetizer platter with dips. Wash 'em, chop 'em and eat 'em. Oh, yeah, you could also make a salad!

Steamed

Steaming heats the vegetable and softens its texture. It's gentler than boiling and allows the vegetable to maintain its color if not overdone. Use a stainless steel steamer that will fit into most good size sauce pans. Make sure you use a pan with a tight fitting lid. There should be enough water to just touch the bottom of the steamer. Water should be simmering the entire time the vegetables are being cooked.

Boiling

Boiling vegetables is really going out of fashion, but it's a legitimate preparation method! The big concern of course, is loss of nutrients. All cooking methods result in the loss of some goodness from vegetables. If boiling, try to find a way to use the water the vegetables have been boiled in (i.e. to make a gravy or sauce) to bring those nutrients back to the table. Vegetables should be barely covered with water. Bring the water to a boil (covered) then slow to a simmer until vegetables are tender.

Microwave

Very popular for vegetables, microwaving retains their color, flavor and nutrients. Trial and error will be your guide with microwaving, as there are plenty of variables involved. However, a few guidelines will help. The more food you put into the oven, the longer it will take to cook. Underestimate your cooking time rather than overestimating. Undercooked food can be cooked some more. Over-cooked food is ruined. Food straight from the fridge will take longer to cook than foods already at room temperature. All food continues to cook after it has been removed from the microwave oven. It is part of the cooking process and should be taken into account to prevent over-cooking.

Stir Fry

Stir Fry is a very rapid method of quick frying vegetables, meat (optional), and sauces in one pan to make a meal. Primarily associated with Asian cooking, the key to doing this well is preparation. All items to be cooked should be chopped to a size that will allow them to cook quickly in a wok. It is also important that the wok be heated to a high, consistent temperature throughout. Vegetables maintain their color and crispness with this sort of cooking (provided you don't overcook them.)

Baking

Super! Especially for those 'root' vegetables like turnips, carrots, etc. Chop them into similar size pieces, brush lightly with olive oil, and place in a hot oven to roast. The size of the pieces will determine the cooking time, but expect at least 40 minutes. The outside is generally chewy, and the inside is moist and in some cases almost fluffy. Dress with butter, herbs, or chives. Yum!

Barbeque

Does anything scream summer like the word barbeque? Most people love a barbeque and with Spring around the corner, we'll want to start planning for warm weather barbeques. This is primarily open flame cooking, so it can apply to a campfire as well. Cooking outside just changes everything about food. You'll need foil, fire and fresh veggies. Grease your foil, chop your veggies and put the closed packages on the grill. Be adventurous, it's really hard to mess this up!



Copyright © March 2006  Low Carb Luxury