Everyone needs to eat more vegetables. Even vegetarians. Most of the vegetarians I know eat a lot more pasta, rice, and bread than they do actual vegetables. (That was the case for me as well, when I tried vegetarianism for six months.)
We all know veggies are good for you, and none of us eat enough of them. It may seem silly to pay extra for vegetables just because they are in a special plastic bag, but if it helps you eat more, then I say the extra cost is worth it.
I have found steam-in-the-bag veggies in two forms: fresh and frozen. The frozen veggies are more convenient, obviously, since you don't have to worry about them going bad. But most of the ones you find at the store also have extra sauces and weird chemical ingredients, and who needs it?
And I personally do not care for the texture of previously-frozen vegetables. Too mushy.
The fresh kind are a somewhat new innovation, and your store is probably stocking them somewhere near where they keep all the pre-bagged salads. Safeway has a house brand which is simply labeled "Mixed Vegetables," twelve ounces of pre-cut, ready-to-eat broccoli, baby carrots, and cauliflower. Just microwave the bag for three minutes, tear it open, pour it in a bowl, and you are ready to go.
As far as toppings go, one benefit of steam-in-the-bag veggies is that they are already slightly damp. This means that you need only add a small dab of butter to lend delicious buttery flavor to the whole batch. Salt and pepper is always good. How about a squeeze of lemon to add a little bit of zing, or a dash of thyme to give some herb-y flavor.
The other benefit to buying these bags of fresh vegetables is that you can eat them raw if you like. Open a bag, grab a tub of ranch dressing, and go to town. Easy and tasty!
Image courtesy Flickr/Mike Knell
1 comments