Nutrition Health - Power Plants

You know you have to eat vegetables—everyone from your mother to the nutritionist says so. Maybe you’re even among the 18 per cent of men who manage to meet the recommended five or more servings a day.

But once you’re on your third round of basic steamed greens in a given week, you start to see why “vegetable” is just another word for dull, mindless or brain-dead. Meat is easy because you can just slap it on some hot surface and your dinner’s ready in just 10 minutes.

Hold it! Vegetables are not so bad altogether. These 10 alternatives make vegetables interesting—without a lot of gourmet goings-on. We’ve grouped them under four new principles. Now set the steamer basket aside and step up to the plate.

SOUP ' EM UP
Your blender can be used for something other than making protein shakes.

Italian white-bean soup
How to make it:
Coat the bottom of a medium-size saucepan with 2 tsp olive oil and heat to medium. Mix in one diced small white onion, two crushed cloves of garlic, and 1 tsp dried rosemary. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent (five to six minutes).

Add two cans of rinsed and drained haricot beans, 1½ cup low-sodium chicken stock, ¼ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Stir it and cook for five minutes more. Then pour the bean mixture into a blender and mix until smooth. When serving, drizzle each bowl with extra-virgin olive oil.

Cold cucumber soup
How to make it:
Peel and chop a cucumber. Make sure you use one that is long, skinny and seedless. Then dump it in a blender along with one chopped onion, ½ cup plain, low-fat yoghurt, 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp dried dill and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth, adding more yoghurt 1 tbsp at a time if needed to reach the desired consistency.

GRILL THEM
The high temperature of a grill caramelises the sugars in vegetables. Those blackened grill marks aren’t just decoration; they’re the sweet spot—literally.

Mexican corn
How to make it:
Pull ¾ of the husk off and discard, leaving a thin layer. Pull back the remaining husk to remove the silk, but leave the husk attached. Pour about 1 tsp olive oil in the palm of your hand and rub it into each ear of corn. Then rub in ½ tsp cumin, a smoky Mexican spice, mixed with a pinch of salt. Fold the remaining husks back into place and grill the corn for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat, turning occasionally. The corn is done when it’s golden and glossy looking, with light brown grill marks.

Mixed-vegetable skewers
How to make it:
Cut the following into one-inch chunks: one red bell pepper, one yellow bell pepper, one zucchini and one onion. Arrange them in piles, along with a carton of white mushrooms. Thread the vegetables onto metal skewers in whatever pattern you choose. Lightly brush each skewer with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper and dried thyme. Place the skewer on a medium-hot grill pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally.


Spicy succotash
How to make it:
Dump one cup frozen soybeans and ¼ cup water per serving into a saucepan and heat over medium-high until the beans are thawed and most of the water has evaporated. Add ½ cup frozen corn, ¼ cup low-fat milk and a pinch of garlic salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to the pot and stir. Cook for five minutes.

White-bean and roasted red-pepper salad
How to make it:
Rinse and drain one can of white kidney beans or haricot beans and let them dry. Dice one roasted red pepper and dump it into a large bowl. Add five leaves of roughly chopped fresh basil, one crushed clove of garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the beans and toss to mix. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and toss again to coat.

Hot garlicky green beans and tomatoes
How to make it:
Trim the ends off 450gm green beans, then cut them in half and place them in a pot of boiling water for five minutes. Drain the beans in a colander, run cold water over them and set them aside. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp red-pepper flakes into a non-stick skillet and heat to medium. Add two crushed cloves of garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the beans and 1kg diced tomatoes and cook for three to four minutes, tossing frequently to coat the beans with the garlic and pepper.

Roasted fennel
How to make it:
If you liked licorice as a kid, you’ll like fennel—it has a mellow anise flavour. Look for fennel bulbs near the cabbages and weird leafy greens. Chop off the green tops and peel away the outer pieces of the bulb—just like an onion. Cut the bulb vertically into ¼”- to ½”-thick slices and toss with 2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast in a 425°F (218°C) oven for 20 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.

Crispy cauliflower
How to make it:
Divide and chop a head of cauliflower (¼ per person) into big, bite-size pieces and toss with olive oil in a bowl to coat them well (2 tsp oil per quarter). Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Toss again to coat. Spread the cauliflower evenly on a baking sheet and roast in a 425°F (218°C) oven for 20 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. Don’t pile it up—the more it comes in contact with the pan’s hot surface, the crisper it will get.

Spicy sweet-potato sticks
How to make it:
Peel a sweet potato, then cut it into three or four pieces lengthwise. Cut each piece into finger-size slices and put them in a bowl. Add 1 tsp olive oil per potato and toss to coat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tsp chili-powder blend, and paprika per potato. (Any peppery spice will do.) Toss again to coat. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in a 400°F (204°C) oven for 30 minutes, turning them once halfway through.