My grandpa always reminds me to enjoy “everything in moderation,” and it is something I try to keep in mind every time I eat.
So put some butter on your broccoli, crumble some crispy bacon over your green beans, just not eat it everyday. Go to dinner with your friends, have some dessert, just don’t eat like that every day.
It is a great philosophy to live by. I helped make a side dish for a family party a few years back, it was just broccoli with salt, pepper and butter and people kept asking what I did to make it taste so good, honestly I did nothing to the broccoli other than bring out the natural flavor. If putting some butter on your vegetables means that you actually eat them then that benefits you more than cutting out the butter and not eating your vegetables.
When I was younger my family would visit my grandparents during the summer, and the fresh summer vegetables were some of the best I remember. To this day my favorite summer meal is a BLT, crisp, green lettuce, juicy tomatoes that taste like the sun and the crunch of bacon all come together in the perfect bite.
Family is one of your best sources for new recipes and cooking techniques. If you have been craving that favorite snack from your childhood give your parents or grandparents a call and see if they can show you how to make it. There are just some things the grocery store cannot duplicate and a family memory of food is one of them.
Summertime is the best season for trying new fruits and vegetables, but if you are not sure where to start just start with the basics. Go to the store or your local farmer’s market and pick one new vegetable, you can search the internet for some ideas or sauté your new veggie with some butter, a little salt and pepper.
Another great way to add new vegetables is to put them in soups or salads. If you are unsure as to whether you should cook a vegetable or not, say kale for example, ask the vendor you are buying from, they will know the best ways to make their products taste.
Do not be worried about having a recipe for everything you cook, sure they can give you measurements, but for something like a bowl of broccoli you can use your intuition. Not sure how much salt to add to the sautéed broccoli? Start by adding a small amount of seasoning and add more if you need it. Remember, you can always add more salt or butter but you cannot take it out. The same thing applies to cooking times. If you are a little unsure about how long to cook a new vegetable, just remember that you can always let it cook a little longer.
Cooking new things can often be intimidating or seem like a lot of work, but trying new things can be fun. And are you not getting a little bored with fast food?
