The World's Healthiest Foods

How to Cook Healthy Good Tasting Vegetables

Q. How do I cook delicious vegetables?

A. Start with vegetables that are fresh and preferably in season. When you start out with vegetables at their nutritional and flavorful peak, you will find little needs to be done to showcase their flavor.

The next key factor in preparing outstanding vegetables is to not over cook them. Remove your vegetables from the heat while they are still a little crisp, and their color is at its brightest.

With these two essentials in place, you can then get creative in flavoring your vegetables. As our vegetable recipes show, I am quite fond of dressing vegetables with just a little extra virgin organic olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. This brings out, but does not overpower, virtually any vegetables' natural flavor. When your greens and other vegetables are fresh you really can't beat their natural flavor.

Q. What other ways can I flavor my vegetables for more variety?

A. For extra antioxidant benefits as well as more variety in flavoring, try tossing with a tablespoon or two of chopped fresh herbs. It is important to use fresh herbs for this. Dried herbs are better used when you are cooking for a long time. Using fresh herbs makes a fresh tasting dish, still allowing the natural flavor of the vegetables to come through. For some great examples of this, check out our following vegetable recipes:

For winter dishes that feature root vegetables, try mixtures of dried spices that are more compatible with soups or long slow cooking, such as curry powder, chili powder cumin, and garam masala. Some delicious examples include our: