Rub Your Vegetables

Rub your Vegetables
So who remembers the mum saying, “eat your vegetables” in the tone of, “I know they taste like shit but they are so good for you”. You never heard her say, “eat your juicy steak”, or “you’re not leaving the table till you have a bite of your chocolate cake”. It is true, vegetables are paramount in building a healthy diet, and I am all for more vegetables.
This year our house is all veggies all day on Mondays. This has been a great way to explore and create great vegetable dishes that do not seem like a punishment to eat. I have not been held at the table once till, “I ate all my peas”.
With the proper attention to detail you can make killer vegetable dishes that not only taste great but satisfy your hunger. The keys to great Veggie dishes are proper cooking technique and great seasoning.
Personal preference goes into technique as those who prefer al-dente may use slightly different methods than someone who likes mush. The seasoning I recommend of course is Mangia Dry rubs, and we start many dishes with those as a base and tweak the blend with other spices to get new and different flavor profiles.
The number of combinations is limitless, but here are a few we have come up with:

  • Spaghetti squash (rub mixture: mangia rub plus turmeric)

 

  • Marinara: Substitute 2-3 tablespoons dry rub for salt/pepper GpOp and use veggie stock in this Quick Marinara Sauce recipe
  • Fennel ( sauté with butter, fresh garlic and a tablespoon sweet dry rub)

 

  • French onion soup (sauté 4-5 chopped onions in 2-3 tablespoons dry rub, teaspoon crushed rosemary, 2-3 tablespoons pulverized dry
    mushrooms, kosher salt, add box veggie broth. Put in oven safe bowl, top with French loaf slice/fresh mozzarella and broil)
  • Beans and rice ( sauté Black beans in olive oil and 2-3 tablespoons Dry rub, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 avocados diced, mix with rice and add ½ cup chopped cilantro, kosher salt to taste)

A challenge for many veggie dieters is getting enough fat. Consider adding nuts as a snack and make sure you include avocados on veggie days.
Other things to consider: Just like pitchers and catchers are set to show up at spring training in weeks not months, if you are planning a vegetable garden now is the time to plan. The crew at MangiaTV really likes the products from Seeds of Change. Their brown rice and quinoa available at Costco is great for the dirty rice recipe. They also have an organic seed catalog for your garden needs.

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