Turn vegetables from a necessary aspect into the main attraction

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When you think about a meal, are vegetables the forgettable side character or the villain?

What if they could be the stars of the show?

“Eat more vegetables,” doctors and nutritionists say over and over again. But for many people, this is difficult to do, because they are not enthusiastic about vegetables or do not like them.

Many people's first experience with vegetables in childhood is steaming them, and although steaming works well with some vegetables, they don't taste as good that way, says Caroline Chambers, author of the new cookbook.What do you cook when you don't feel like cooking?“.

Learning to love vegetables can mean expanding your understanding of the possibilities when it comes to cooking them, she added.

And while you may want to keep eating your favorite vegetables year-round, plants actually taste better — and can be more enjoyable — when eaten in season, says Chambers, who resides in Carmel Valley, California.

Fortunately, Chambers specializes in making food fun and exciting without a lot of fuss. She started her career as a caterer, then became a recipe developer. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people were staying home, I started posting recipes online that were easy to make using what you already had.

Making vegetables the part of the meal you're excited about doesn't take a lot of work, she said.

With a full harvest of cold-month produce at the grocery store, here's how you can fall in love with vegetables.

If you think the plants on your plate are a dish you “have to eat,” rather than a dish you “want to eat,” it may be because you're not cooking them right, Chambers said.

“I think vegetables have more flavor than meat in many cases when prepared properly,” she added.

In the fall and winter, roasting is one of the best ways to get a great vegetable dish, says Chambers, who shares recipes on Instagram and hosts the podcast “So Into That.”

“Summer vegetables are delicious raw. Corn, green beans, tomatoes — all of these things are delicious, either raw or after three minutes of cooking,” she said (she notes that the same is not true for Brussels sprouts, squash, and sweet potatoes).

“In order to make these things taste really good, you have to roast them at a really high temperature for longer than you think,” she added.

When roasting vegetables, the trick is to keep the oven between about 400°F to 425°F for 35 to 40 minutes and even longer for squash, Chambers said.

Roasting at higher temperatures helps you get the right texture, removes the sulfur taste from the Brussels sprouts and gives the squash a sweet caramel flavor, Chambers said.

“I don't want any roasting to happen at 300 (Fahrenheit range).” “I want 400 and above for 35 minutes minimum, and probably closer to 450,” she added.

How do you know when you have it right? Texture can be a good indicator.

The crunchy exterior is nice, but it's important to pair that with the inside when it comes to this winter vegetable, Chambers said.

“This is where high heat comes into play,” she said. “Raising their temperature to over 400 helps the outside get a little crispy, so touching the pan will make the outside of the Brussels sprouts nice and crunchy, while the inside becomes tender and melt-in-your-mouth.”

You can stir the vegetables to cook them evenly, but Chambers finds she doesn't need to do that often. Instead, it makes the side in contact with the pan more crispy.

At the end of the baking process, she said, she likes to keep the oven lit and check it frequently.

“Once the edges start turning golden brown, they will go from golden brown to black very quickly,” she added.

After cooking your vegetables properly, make them the star of the show with some flavor.

It doesn't take a lot of work, Chambers said. A little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic go a long way — or use store-bought sauces to make weekend evenings easy and exciting.

Green Gods sauce — which typically contains ingredients like cream, herb mixture and lemon — or ready-made pesto can add brightness to a variety of dishes, she said.

She added that harissa paste is easy to find in most grocery stores and contains flavors such as garlic, lemon, olive oil and hot pepper.

“You get that cheater shortcut component and you don't have to do it all yourself,” Chambers said. “Just rely on very tasty store-bought things to serve with them.”

Makes 4 servings

● 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas

● 1 pound medium-sized carrots

● 1 large red onion

● 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

● 2 tablespoons harissa and more for serving

● 2 teaspoons honey

● 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more

● 1 (8 ounce) piece of feta cheese

● ½ full-fat plain Greek yogurt

● Peel and juice of half a lemon

● A handful of soft fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, cilantro, basil or a mix

● A handful of toasted nuts, or a quarter cup of toasted seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Throw the chickpeas into a colander. Drain but do not rinse.

3. Arrange a few layers of paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet, then pour the drained chickpeas over them. Use another paper towel to dry it. Discard all paper towels, then shake the chickpeas until they form an even layer. There will be some chickpea skins on the baking tray now, no need to take them out. They will be roasted into crunchy little bits and will be delicious.

4. Cut the carrots diagonally into ½-inch thick slices, then slice the onions into thin slices. Add carrots, onions, olive oil, harissa, honey, and 1 teaspoon salt to the chickpeas and toss well to coat.

5. Roast carrots until golden on the outside but fork tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, blend the feta cheese and yogurt. Squeeze the lemon in the blender and add a little salt to it. Mix on high speed until smooth, scraping down sides as needed, 30 to 45 seconds. If it is too thick and the blender is having difficulty blending, add a little water, one splash at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.

7. Chop herbs and nuts.

8. Take the grilled vegetables out of the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Taste the vegetables and add more salt as needed. Stir in herbs.

9. Spread a tablespoon of whipped feta cheese over the bottom of a bowl or plate, then top with a pile of roasted vegetables and a sprinkle of nuts. Add another amount of harissa on top if you like spice.

abbreviation: Skip the whipped feta and crumble some feta on top. Look for chopped butternut squash or sweet potatoes at the grocery store and use them in place of carrots.

Pesto substitute: Omit the harissa and honey, and instead add a tablespoon of store-bought pesto to the vegetables after roasting them. Serve with burrata instead of whipped feta.

Quoted from “What do you cook when you don't feel like cooking?“By Caroline Chambers. Copyright.