Help me with my veggie cooking rut

[anna7602]

This is not really IN-related, but I feel like if I had my slow cooker, my immersion blender and my food-processor in this country, I'd be doing much more interesting things with vegetables. Borscht and gazpacho are out, for example, without my kitchen gadgets. I've basically been doing sauteed zucchini, steamed broccoli and/or cauliflower and/or green beans, roasted beets, and fresh carrots and peppers for going on 5 months now.

Please give me new ideas that are simple.

[clickerish]

Might I suggest you make veggie lasagna, ratatouille, kale salad, caprese salad...

I used to be a vegetarian, so I think once you get into the swing of things, you'll go crazy even without machines

[anna7602]

May 29, 2012 15:03:08 GMT -5 clickerish said:

Might I suggest you make veggie lasagna, ratatouille, kale salad, caprese salad...

I used to be a vegetarian, so I think once you get into the swing of things, you'll go crazy even without machines

I realize it's a psychological thing. I feel weirdly naked without my gadgets. The thought of doing all that chopping for a veggie lasagna without the help of a food processor is daunting. I know it's doable, but it's just daunting, darn it!

I haven't seen kale since arriving in France. I even looked up the word in the dictionary (now I forget it) and asked at the farmer's market to no avail. Maybe I had the season off. I thought it was a winter leaf. Is it summer? DD loooooves kale chips.

[clickerish]

Kale is an autumn/winter, yes, but during spring and summer, we usually just substitute collard greens--you might be able to find those more easily. Spinach salad with eggs and so forth is also good.

Ha, the recipe for veggie lasagna I have uses eggplant instead of noodles, and there is minimal chopping so no gadget needed. I would send it to you, but I'm at work and it's at home somewhere...

[anna7602]

May 29, 2012 15:13:41 GMT -5 clickerish said:

Ha, the recipe for veggie lasagna I have uses eggplant instead of noodles, and there is minimal chopping so no gadget needed. I would send it to you, but I'm at work and it's at home somewhere...

Ohhhh! You just triggered a remembrance of a veggie lasagna recipe I have in a Spanish cookbook that is eggplant-based. I made it for a vegetarian friend back before DD was born and had completely forgotten about it until now. Thanks for reminding me! It's in one of the cookbooks I actually brought with me to France.

[Wanderista]

I'm kind of hooked on panko-breading veggies right now, things like asparagus or eggplant, stuffing peppers or making "adult" grilled cheeses with fresh, quality ingredients when I'm feeling lazy (thanks, Pinterest). I also make various quiches or pies. You can always try going to new local markets as a way to source new kinds of veggies, things like endives, chard, rhubarb, for example? And when you get bored of an ingredient, you can always try changing up the way that you cook it for more variety. Maybe try combining unfamiliar veggies with some of your favorite in your standard dishes.

[Cheesecake]

Make use of the fact that you can get white asparagus. Boil until tender, serve wirh ham, chopped egg, melted butter and parsley. Oh and boiled (new) potatoes.

I do all kinds of salads this season. I did a warm-ish pasta salad tonight. Tortellini, some white Turkish cheese, tomatoes, steamed broccoli - slughrly cooled, olive oil, black pepper, toss and eat. Yummmm!

Another favorite is tomato, bell peppers, cilantro, avicado, maybe some spring onions yumm, yumm, yumm!

I also just griddle/grill all kinds of veggies

I have fat fingers, please excuse typos!

[ktkl09]

Rataoutille! Mmmm...now I want some tonight!

[VillainV]

This time of year I do a lot of salads.

I also try to incorporate veggies into the main part of the meal -- fajitas (grilled peppers, lettuce and tomato as toppings), stir fry (baby corn, pea pods, broccoli, carrots).

We also do grilled asparagus when we use the grill.

[doctoranda]

Just like Villain I was going to suggest grilling asparagus. Lovely with some chili oil. I also really like Thai food and so making a veg Thai curry is great-- green, yelllow or penang curry paste with whatever veggies and coconut milk, it's super easy. Eggplant parmezana (sp??-- I am too lazy to look up proper spelling), vegetable mousaka, also great. Oh and do you like Indian food? Indian cuisine has many great recipes, e.g. masoor dahl (lentils), baingan bharta, aloo gobi (sp probably off). If you need recipes just pm me and I'll send some.

I also like stuffing pita pockets with sauteed vegatables and top with cheese and some home made yogurt garlic sauce. One of my FIL favs I cook is a fried rice with bell peppers, tomato, pine nuts, chopped olives and onion or leeks and some crumbled feta. Curried yams is nice too but that is a bit of a wintery dish. Stuffed bell peppers are nice too (could be stuffed with the above mentioned fried rice). Chili sin carne. Japanese style noodle soup with bok choi, seaweed, spring onions, shiitake. Just tossing out some ideas here. So yeah if you like em and you need a recipe pm me ;-)

[dutchgirl678]

I love white asparagus. Miss them so much! I would put them in the oven, wrap ham around them, put some cheese over them. Use the left over skins to make asparagus soup.

[anna7602]

Thanks, all! Tomorrow (Friday) is farmer's market day, so I will shop based on your suggestions.

[mrsukyankee]

Why don't you buy a cheap immersion blender or chopper thing to help you out? That way you can make the soups/stuff more easily. I can't imagine that they don't have something reasonably priced where you are...

[dulcemariamar]

I like to eat Spanish gazapacho and pisto.