Burning Questions : Cooking Healthy Veggies

What is the healthiest way to prepare vegetables?  I mean the obvious answer is "not drowning them in butter", but is it true that boiling vegetables causes some large % of their nutrients to escape into the water?  And is it true that overcooking vegetables causes their healthy fibers to break down?  

• So, I am not a nutritionist, but from what I know I will say yes- boiling vegetables definitely causes vitamins and some minerals to get dumped down the drain with the water.  Sauteing or steaming until bright and slightly tender are better options.  You can use a microwave for this (I don't even have a microwave, so I never do this.  I think it makes everything taste nasty and it sort of freaks me out), or a mesh colander with a lid over a pot of boiling water if you don't own a steaming basket.  Or, just add just a little tiny bit of water in your pan with the veggies, cover it up, and let it and steam itself.  That way, you don't dump out a big pot of vitamin water :)  

• In the same sense, some fiber is definitely lost when veggies are overcooked.  I would again recommend sauteing or steaming so that they remain a little crisp.  I almost always saute my vegetables in olive oil.  To get the most fiber, raw veggies are probably best. 

• One random exception to keep in mind is tomatoes: while the vitamin levels (lots of vitamin C) decrease in cooking, the amount of lycopene increases dramatically, and is better absorbed by the body, when the tomato is cooked.  Yummy antioxidants!

Open Question and Answer Session : Go!

Leave a comment in the comment box below, or email me at vasinfo1(at)gmail.com to have your cooking/kitchen/food questions answered!

Summer-inspired food

Just a bright, beautiful, casual summer dinner on the back porch!  Corn on the cob, sugar snap peas, garden tomatoes, barbeque pork, and melon. Ahh...

Dust it Off - Ice Cream Maker: Strawberry Sorbet (and Popsicles)!

A couple of years ago, I decided to buy an ice cream maker.  It is a really inexpensive and fun kitchen appliance!  Naturally, I get it out of the cabinet and dust it off mostly in the summer (french vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, or strawberry ice cream, berry sorbets....yummmmmmm!). 

If you don't have an ice cream machine and don't plan on buying one, don't fret!   Just follow the same instructions, and pour the mixture into Popsicle molds instead :)

I keep the ice cream "buckets" in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap, so that they are ready to go when I decide I need sorbet now. 

For this simple recipe, I took about 4 cups of strawberries and 1+1/2 cups of water and tossed them in the blender.  

My hubby doesn't like seeds, so I passed the puree through a fine mesh strainer, pressing through with a rubber spatula.

Next, just stir in 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar, a good squeeze of lemon juice, and a big pinch of salt.

Pour into the (already turned on) ice cream maker.

The mixture should be frozen in about 30 minutes.  It will come out nice and slushy soft, so eating it right away is best.  You can put the rest in the freezer. 

        *Note: If you are not pregnant (dang it!), try adding a tablespoon or two of liquor (rum, framboise, vodka...whatever you like- it helps to keep the sorbet soft after you put it in the freezer.  Otherwise, it freezes up very hard)