Stir-Steaming

[Sequoia]

Tara counsels not heating oil, which means no frying. Here's a method for stir-steaming that produces results similar to stir-frying.

Cut up the veggies you're going to use, keeping them in separate piles.

Heat your frying pan or wok, then add a very small amount of water. Add the veggies that will take the longest to cook and toss them in the water, allowing all the water to evaporate.

Add a little more water, then the veggies that will take the next longest to cook. Toss until water evaporates.

Repeat until all veggies have been cooked. At any point in the process, you may choose to cover the pan while there's still some water in it and allow the veggies to steam for a bit to facilitate cooking; I do this early on with the longest-cooking veggies.

Remove pan from burner and stir in some olive or coconut oil, if desired, for flavor and nutritional value. Put veggies in serving dish or on individual plates immediately, so the oil doesn't sit around in the residual heat in the pan.

Works like a charm!

[Bob698]

Steaming is my preferred way to cook veggies unless they're slow roasted.
The only tip I could add is how you slice your veggies prior to cooking. Root veggies should be chopped smaller than most of the "green" veggies so they will cook faster.

[Bob698]

Speaking of greens, have you tried beet greens (beet tops) yet?
Its a big thing back in northern New England, kinda like our version of southern greens but they aren't slow cooked and you don't add any pork (this post is starting to make me hungry ) unless you want to try adding a couple of strips of uncooked bacon. Just wash the leaves and stems and then either boil or steam them with a pinch of salt. You don't need any spices because beet greens have their own flavor, kind of a cross between spinach and beets. At most, I'll just add a pat of butter.
The tops are becoming easier to find in stores if you don't have your own garden. Just go to the fresh/organic section of the produce aisle and grab a big hunk of beets. The greens will cook down quite a bit, so plan on canning the actual beets.

[kittin]

Good Eating

I learned to eat them. I buy all organic and do not want to throw anything away. I stir-fried(?) them with some onions. Afterwards I put in a little brown rice and added a small piece of crumbled meat (turkey sausage) and seasoned all with salt and pepper. It was filling. the beets were for someone else. The tops were to be thrown out. Yeah, right!