Once Upon a Time, some creative cook wondered what would happen if corn and lima beans spent some quality time together. And you know what happened next. Succotash was born and became everyone's first mixed vegetable.
After that, another inventive person mixed up some peas and carrots and that became as common as succotash. A trend was born. The game was afoot!
Don't stop there, however. There's a wealth of lonely veggies out there in the world just waiting for a matchmaker to come along and pair them up with another kindred soul. In fact, the trend today is the create a medley - three or more veggies all happily sharing the same freezer bag.
You can spend a tidy sum of money on mixed veggies at the grocery store and you might be disappointed with what you get. Usually the cheapest vegetable is the one that takes more than its fair share of the bag. Carrots are notorious for this shameful behavior. That means in a bag of frozen peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots (you guessed it) you're probably going to get more carrots than any of the other contenders.
So, what to do? Simple. Make up your own combinations. What vegetables do you like? How will you use them? These questions will guide your choices.
I do quite a bit of stir fry, so I like broccoli, cauliflower, red and green bell pepper strips, sugar snap peas, and mushrooms for one combo.
Another favorite includes water chestnuts, red and green bell pepper strips, onion slices, celery, and bok choi.
Dinner and A Mixed Vegetable
Marc Matsumoto who tweets as norecipes and who, in his spare time, co-hosts Dinner and a Movie checked in with mushrooms, corn and fava beans as his choice.
Go for the crunch, not for the mush
Follow the normal procedures for freezing vegetables. This means blanching and quick cooling (peppers don't need blanching).
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I love the stir fry combinations, but for some reason it had never occurred to me to blanch and freeze the mixtures. Thanks for that helpful hint!
ReplyDeleteYou can also mix the contents of previously frozen packages of single veggies. If you've drained them properly before freezing, you shouldn't have to contend with clumps of frozen together peas or carrots or whatever.
ReplyDeleteStir fry is wonderful! I have a favorite vegetable casserole I make with french cut green beans, corn, sliced water chestnuts, a little sour cream and a little mushroom soup, cheese and town-house crackers crumbled on top. Bake at 350. Yummmmmm!
ReplyDeleteNancy, from Realms of Thought…
You know, that's the trouble with writing about food. I get soooo hungry. Sigh. Sounds absolutely wonderful.
ReplyDeleteKindleys do veggies. That’s just all there is to it. We do them in any form or format, too. Funny, because as a kid, I clearly remember that I’d had rather been horse-whipped than to eat vegetables. I might eat some corn, and maybe peas. But that was it. Now, you name it, I’m game. Donna says, our tastes change as we age…apparently so.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
I love carrot and bean combination, just the colour make it mouth watering.
ReplyDeleteBargain with the Devil
You know, I didn't even realize that's what succotash was! I remember Sylvester on Bugs Bunny saying, "Sufferin' succotash" all the time, but never knew what he was talking about. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder