I told you all that I would give you an overview of the veggies I took to my friends’ house for dinner.
The vegetable is a strange thing. I know it’s good for me. I know I am “supposed” to consume a certain amount every day in order to keep a healthy body and a date-ready physique. However, I have to be honest, I’m just not into it.
I once had a friend who realized she was pregnant because she was constantly craving…. wait for it… salads. I have a feeling that is not going to be me. I mean, I can appreciate a well-made salad, but I do not suffer a love affair with vegetables in general and I can always appreciate a good sour patch kid or ice cream cone much more than I can a vegetable tray.
This year though, I decided that perhaps if I made a point to make vegetables fun and tasty, I would consume them more often.
So there it is… in spite of my aversion to New Years’ Resolutions, I find myself face to face with one: Consume/Cook/Appreciate more vegetables. So now I’m on a mission to learn more techniques and recipes that will help me appreciate and even enjoy the plants of the food world.
So my first foray into this self-imposed experiment was finding to veggie dishes to go with my friend’s burritos. These particular friends and I go to a breakfast place here in Reno quite often and one of the things that we look forward to when we go is the succotash that they serve on the side of their dishes.
It’s corn, black beans, squash, peppers and onions, perfectly seasoned and goes with everything. I thought it would be an easy and cheap thing to try and copy.
But I also thought a green salad would be good, and I remembered a butter lettuce salad with a lime-based dressing that I once saw in Cooking Light and decided to try and recreate it. Both ended up being excellent! Though, admittedly, we had way too much food for just the three of us. Hahaha.
On a whole the start of the vegetable experiment was a success. I liked the dishes and had a good time making them. Plus, I feel like I really got my full suggested servings of vegetables for the day, which for me is a major win!
Veggie Succotash
- 1 Bag Frozen Corn
- 3/4 Can Black Beans
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Medium Zucchini
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
Put a pat of butter or a little bit of olive oil in a skillet and melt.
Put the onions in the pan and sauté until clear.
Add frozen corn, beans, pepper and zucchini. Sauté until corn is defrosted and cover for several minutes until all ingredients are warmed all the way through and the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Mexican Lime Butter Lettuce Salad
- 1 Bag of Cut and Washed Butter Lettuce
- 1 Ripe Avocado
Dressing
- Juice of 1 Lime
- Cumin to Taste
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
- A Dash of Agave Syrup or Honey, if Desired
Mix all dressing ingredients and dress lettuce and avocado. Enjoy the veggie goodness!!!
Hope this will help you all get some more veggies into your regular rotations too! Happy Cooking!
Leave a Reply