I'm getting ready for the holidays. Eating light may be a roundabout way to prepare for it, LOL!!!
Don't you think that's a smart move? Eating light before the holiday feasting definitely helps me feel a bit more balanced. Plus, it makes indulging in all those delicious holiday treats even more enjoyable when the time comes. 🎄🍽️
For lack of terms, I'll name this dish...
I hate throwing away food, particularly unused vegetables in the refrigerator. I found that this dish is so delish with any vegetables!
Repurposing unused vegetables into a delicious dish is a great way to reduce waste and make sure nothing goes to waste in the fridge. Plus, it gives you a chance to be creative in the kitchen.
I've found a versatile way to enjoy a variety of flavors and textures.
You can even add spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, green onions (and so many other vegetables) to the ones I used.
For this dish, I used carrots, green beans, red pepper, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflowers, celery, and of course, onions and garlic. For flavor, I used fish and shrimps.
Heat up the cooking oil, and sauté onions and garlic.
When a dish is sautéed, it is cooked in a little amount of fat over high heat, causing it to "jump" in and out of the heat to prevent sticking. The word's original meaning is "sauter," which is French for "jump." Foods like veggies are best browned or seared by sautéing.
When the onions are translucent, add the vegetables one by one in order of "hardness", i.e, carrots first, followed by cauliflower, and celery.
Keep in mind that the food that takes the longest to cook should be sautéed first.
When adding ingredients to the pan, try to space them out so that the items that take the longest to cook are the first to go in.
To move the food about in the pan, you need room. A regular frying pan will work just as well, but you may also use a skillet or sauté pan.
I added the fish balls. This is an optional ingredient. I had it in my freezer. I cooked it for two minutes then I continued adding the other veggies.
Season your veggies with salt and pepper!
To prevent food from sticking, shake the pan or stir frequently. Simply take the pan off of the burner or element for a little period of time and think about lowering the temperature if the fat or components begin to smoke.
Continue sautéing by adding the next vegetable, in this case, the zucchini.
Next I added chicken broth (or water) and the shrimps, and bring to a boil
Then I added the broccoli and the beans and I cooked that for a minute or so.
Most hard veggies will sauté in 5 to 7 minutes, but you may test a portion by tasting it. The taste is the true indicator of whether an ingredient is cooked, even though the color of the ingredients is crucial.
Since the components will continue to cook long after the heat is turned off, most sautéed veggies should be cooked al dente, or just undercooked.
Next, the mushroms and red bell pepper. I cooked that for half a minute.
Stir everything until cooked. Then thicken the vegetables with a slurry of cornstarch (1 teaspoon cornstarch to 2 tablespoons water).
A good Chef taste everything he/she cooks! This is to ensure that the meal is cooking correctly. You can only tell if anything is done right by taste.
Taste!!! (Add more salt and pepper if needed.)
All photos were taken by me with my iPhone.
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Hugs and Kisses 🥰🌺🤙!!!!
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