Veggie Fest showing off textures

[supernova]

Hubs to be and I recently went through a spate of mostly meat and potatoes or pasta and meat... you get the idea. Mostly due to low funds and that's what was in the freezer. By the time it was over, I was jonesing for veggies.

In my veggie fever, I dreamed up a concoction that was cooked, crunchy, and rainbowy (If that can be a word. :-) )

Here's what I came up with:

Savoy cabbage
Mushrooms
Carrots
Spring Onions
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Red Bell pepper
Snow peas
Watermelon Radish
Celeriac

Celeriac, Radishes, Savoy Cabbage Squashes and mushrooms I sliced. Carrots I got the mini snack sized and halved them. Dice everything else into manageable bites.

Raw or nearly so:
Red bell pepper
Snow peas (briefly heated in the microwave)
Celeriac
Watermelon Radish
Green tops of the onions


Cooked:
Savoy cabbages - braised to bright green in a little butter, water and couple of Tbsp vinegar.
Squashes - Sliced thin tossed with olive oil, S&P, then spread out on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 10 - 15 mins until a little brown around the edges.
Carrots, Onion whites, and Mushrooms - sauteed in olive oil and butter until tender.

I served it over a little nest of Vietnamese rice vermicelli dressed in dark sesame oil, S&P, and some rotisserie chicken I got at Costco.

Awesome texture experience! I really liked the 1/2 Cooked 1/2 raw aspect. Very filling. it also made A LOT. I didn't even get to add the eggplant that I also got.

[Arkansas Granny]

1. That sounds really good. It would really hit the spot when I'm hankering

for veggies. I'll be trying this. I don't know if I can find watermelon radish or celariac locally, but I'll bet you could substitute other selections.

[Warpy]

2. I modify the hell out of something I first tasted at a restaurant

and went home and duplicated, listed on the menu as Hunan chicken:

Aromatics: 1/4 inch slice minced ginger, minced 1 garlic clove and chopped scallion

Stir fry: sliced yellow and red peppers
sliced shiitake mushrooms
sliced bamboo shoots
sliced water chestnuts
carrot, sliced on the bias
pea pods
precooked chicken, cubed pressed tofu, or Quorn Naked Cutlets

Sauce: mix together 1 T chile paste with garlic (I like Lan Chi the best), 2T soy sauce, 2 t sugar, 1 T sherry; add to 1/4 cup of cold water mixed with 1 t of cornstarch.

Warning: this is quite hot and you'll need plenty of plain boiled rice. Don't tone it down by skimping on the chile sauce with garlic because it just won't taste the way it's supposed to.

You want veggie colors, this one has 'em all.

[yellerpup]

3. Sounds beautiful and tasty.

Abundance and variety excites my eye and palate. This dish would satisfy on a lot of levels. hi: