Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables that can be prepared in literally hundreds of ways. So what's best?

1. Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables that can be prepared in literally
hundreds of ways. So what's best?
There is no best. The thing to do is to eat your vegetables, lots of them, everyday in a wide variety of ways and stop worrying about the
preparation methods. Variety is the key...
Raw
Many vegetables taste fabulous just the way they are straight out of the garden. Lettuce, tomato, celery, cabbage, onion, radish, carrot are
obvious choices here. But they are just as likely to find themselves next to chopped up broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans and zucchini on a
starter platter with dips. Wash 'em, chop 'em and eat 'em. Oh, yeah, you could also make a salad!
Steamed
Steaming heats the vegetable and softens it's texture. It's gentler than boiling and allows the vegetable to maintain it'scolour if not overdone.
Use a stainless steel steamer that will fit into most good size sauce pans. Make sure you use a pan with a tight fitting lid. There should be
enough water to just touch the bottom of the steamer. Water should be simmering the whole time the vegetables are being cooked.
Stir Fry
Very rapid method of quick frying vegetables, meat (optional) and sauces in one pan to make a meal.Primarily associated with Asian cooking.
The key to doing this well is preparation. All items to be cooked should be chopped to a size that will allow them to cook quickly in the wok. It is
also important that the wok is heated to a high, consistent temperature throughout. Vegetables maintain their colour and crispness with this
sort of cooking (if not overdone).
www.gourmetrecipe.com