Using up fresh veggies?

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I’d like to be able to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and I absolutely detest both canned and frozen veggies (can you say veggie slime?). Trouble I’m having is just about everything comes in family sized bunches, so every time I get fresh veggies I end up wasting a lot. Anyone know any good ways to either use up fresh vegetables or store them that doesn’t turn them to mush?
 
DarkLight said:
I’d like to be able to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and I absolutely detest both canned and frozen veggies (can you say veggie slime?). Trouble I’m having is just about everything comes in family sized bunches, so every time I get fresh veggies I end up wasting a lot. Anyone know any good ways to either use up fresh vegetables or store them that doesn’t turn them to mush?
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Some you could turn into soup (carrots, zucchini, cabbage, celery, etc.), but I can’t really recommend doing that with lettuce.

I’m sure making it into soup kills a lot of vitamins, but at least it wouldn’t feel so wasteful…

It’s too bad you can’t stand frozen veggies. Maybe you’d like them better with better preparation? I’m personally passionate about microwave-steaming for stuff like broccoli. Something like this item is very helpful, preserves the color, and there’s no slime whatsoever:

progressiveintl.com/products/mini-steamer

I grew up on canned beans and nowadays, I don’t really see the point.

There’s also the option of going with longer-keeping veggies: carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
 
That’s just my impression of store-bought frozen veggies: they taste like mush to me. I haven’t really tried it myself, so if home freezing produces better results I’d be up for trying it.
 
I think frozen vegetables are the best. We drain out all of the water from them before they are served and they come out exactly like steaming fresh vegetables.

They keep for so long in the freezer and are cheaper and have smaller portions then buying them fresh.

Unless the veggies can be picked one at a time…and a lot of then can be (cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions)…I usually just buy frozen in the steamer bags.

Squash and sweet potatoes can be diced, cooked, mashed and then frozen in small portions.

I’m sure you could buy fresh and pre-steam the veggies and then vacuum seal them in portions and then defrost and heat them up…without them turning to mush or going bad.

But I don’t see the difference in that and the pre-packaged steamed veggies in the frozen aisle.
 
I’m not typically that fond of steamed veggies either, unless they’re very lightly done. I’m very sensitive to the texture of my food and I don’t typically like veggies unless there’s still some crunch to them.
 
DarkLight said:
That’s just my impression of store-bought frozen veggies: they taste like mush to me. I haven’t really tried it myself, so if home freezing produces better results I’d be up for trying it.
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I think it’s largely a question of preparation. I’ve had very good luck microwave steaming frozen broccoli and cauliflower. That is just about as good as microwaved fresh broccoli.

On the other hand, it’s true that when I microwave mixed stuff (for instance packaged frozen stir fry veggies where there’s a lot of variety in consistency and size), a lot of the veggies come out pretty sad.

If you could persuade yourself to tolerate at least some frozen veggies, it would be very convenient for you because you can portion out exactly as much as you need and put the rest back in the freezer. The other thing is that frozen veggies are actually more nutritious than fresh veggies that have been riding across the country in a truck.
 
You could toss them (depending on the vegetable) into a frittata. Which is basically a baked egg dish that you incorporate whatever bits of leftovers that you have or like.

I’m making one tonight with leftover ham, broccoli, spinach and tomatoes. Of course cheese is my best friend so I’m adding that!
 
DarkLight said:
I’m not typically that fond of steamed veggies either, unless they’re very lightly done. I’m very sensitive to the texture of my food and I don’t typically like veggies unless there’s still some crunch to them.
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Yeah, that could make frozen ones difficult.

What about stir fries? You can do them to a desired done-ness, and really pretty much any veggie will work. Greens are also nice that way (I don’t understand why so many people think the only way to cook them is boil them to death.)

Roasting is also an awesome way to cook vegetables. A bit of oil or butter and salt and yum!
 
DarkLight said:
I’m not typically that fond of steamed veggies either, unless they’re very lightly done. I’m very sensitive to the texture of my food and I don’t typically like veggies unless there’s still some crunch to them.
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There isn’t a way to freeze fresh veggies without breaking down the integrity of them.
They are composed of water and tend to crystalize in the freezer…like ice.
A lot of them do keep well in the crisper for a long period of time though.

It could be a decent way to ensure you eat more vegetables. Just include them in all of your meals.
Buy a lot of single ones.
 
Kelfa28 said:
There isn’t a way to freeze fresh veggies without breaking down the integrity of them.
They are composed of water and tend to crystalize in the freezer…like ice.
A lot of them do keep well in the crisper for a long period of time though.

It could be a decent way to ensure you eat more vegetables. Just include them in all of your meals.
Buy a lot of single ones.
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Yeah, it might be necessary to just buy a few of the more perishable ones at a time and just work through them, but keep a bigger stock of longer lasting ones. (Similarly, at our house, I buy both berries and applies, and try to remember to eat the berries first.)

By the way, bear in mind that there’s nothing especially more virtuous about veggies versus fruit.
 
DarkLight said:
I’m not typically that fond of steamed veggies either, unless they’re very lightly done. I’m very sensitive to the texture of my food and I don’t typically like veggies unless there’s still some crunch to them.
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I’m like that, too. For spring, summer and fall, at least, I grow vegetables in pots and pick what I need right before eating it. In season now for me are cool season greens like loose leaf lettuces and other leafy greens. So, I try to mostly eat what’s in season in my own garden, and I’m not going to waste anything because I had to grow it myself (and because I’m kind of weird I probably talked to it and became sort of fond of it while growing it. :o:blush:)
 
Out of curiosity, how are you cooking your frozen veggies to make them slimy? Are you using the quantity of water and the recommended cook times, and then modify them until you get the crunch that you like?

I hate canned peas because they’re mush. I love underdone frozen peas. Fresh sugar-snap peas are awesome, but my budget won’t stretch quite that far… so I buy bags of frozen vegetables, because I can cook up just enough for one meal’s worth (I hate leftovers) and then clear out my freezer with, say, a chicken pot pie or a soup, once I have enough remnants.

I also found that when I slice up my family-sized bunches of raw veggies into crudités I go through them far faster than if I only sliced up as much as I wanted to eat in any particular meal. It was nice, because it kept me from snacking on other stuff.
 
I think the best way to use them up is to try and incorporate them into every or nearly every meal.

Breakfast: frittata, omelettes, or just big egg scrambles with the previous night’s leftover veggies thrown in

Lunch: salad with some roasted vegetables thrown in (or raw if you like), soup made from your veg and a little rice or some beans, can also put cucumbers, peppers or any other crunchy veg onto a sandwich

Dinners: roasted veggies are my favorite and we always have a protein + at least 1 veg + salad at dinner. The leftover roasted veggies make it into breakfast or lunch the next day.

You can also use them for snacks like carrot sticks with yogurt dip or hummus. Also works with cucumbers, peppers or anything that is sturdy and holds up. Kale chips are also very enjoyable as a snack.
 
Grow your own, use mini hot houses for some out of season veg.
Then you can pick fresh at your leisure or you could take the excess
veg and either pickle or dry (dehydrate) them.

Another favourite of mine is to use the remainder to make
vegetable pies (these can be frozen for use at a later time.)

Hope it helped.
:tiphat:
 
Veggie pizza!

We use a simple dough recipe from the internet, use jarred marinara for the sauce, cheese, and you’re set. Throw the veggies down, some spices you might like and you’re good to go. It’s super cheap and takes almost no time (once the dough is made)
 
OP, I’m with you in that I can’t stand mushy vegetables. I’ve always loathed canned vegetables for exactly that reason–that, and the weird aftertaste they seem to have. shudder

However, I find frozen vegetables to be quite tasty, and not at all mushy. The key to this for me is a) to not use a microwave (I know that one can microwave vegetables well, I just don’t have enough experience with microwaves to know how) and b) to pay close attention when cooking them.

Certain types of frozen vegetables are more likely to be problematic in this regard than others. Basically, if you have a wide assortment of types of vegetables–like in a stir-fry mix–some will be mushy (say, pepper strips) before the bigger or more crunchy pieces (carrots, sugar-snap peas) are cooked. However, just one type, or two if similar (cauliflower and broccoli, for example), will cook much more evenly.

I place them in a pan with just a little water, barely enough to cover the bottom of the pan. I may add seasonings at this point; a little butter, or a splash of soy sauce, garlic powder, and ginger if I want a more Asian flavor. I then heat the vegetables on medium-high, stirring fairly frequently and checking for done-ness, and pull them off as soon as they’re heated through but before they start getting mushy. This method results in really good veggies just about every time, provided I don’t pick up a book halfway through and get distracted until the veggies burn, that is. 😛
 
Stir fry the veggies.
Make soup out of them.
Juice them if you have a juicer.
Put them in a quiche.
 
DarkLight said:
I’d like to be able to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and I absolutely detest both canned and frozen veggies (can you say veggie slime?). Trouble I’m having is just about everything comes in family sized bunches, so every time I get fresh veggies I end up wasting a lot. Anyone know any good ways to either use up fresh vegetables or store them that doesn’t turn them to mush?
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Do you have Farmers Fresh deliveries where-ever you are? We get vegies delivered weekly, we order online and over the phone, we can choose 1 carrot or 10 carrots or any other vegetable. There’s me/hubby and a 2 year old in the house. I usually plan a week of meals before we order.

What I don’t use goes into soups. Now winter is coming, I always have a pot of soup on the stove, chicken&vegetable soup, pea&ham, chicken&corn, minestrone, bacon hocks&vege soup. You can get great recipes online if you are not sure. I just experiment till it’s right. 😃 Rellies/friends drop in and always head to the stove.
 
DarkLight said:
I’m not typically that fond of steamed veggies either, unless they’re very lightly done. I’m very sensitive to the texture of my food and I don’t typically like veggies unless there’s still some crunch to them.
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Then stir-fry is your best bet.
Lightly cooked, still crunchy and colorful. You make it as flavorful or mild as you wish.
 
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