Week 13: Veggies

Does anyone remember the Arrogant Worms and their classic "Carrot Juice is Murder"?  The message doesn't hold up well to the times but the tune continues to be a bit earworm-y.  Ironic music aside, I am thankful that vegetables exist and that I enjoy many of them.

I did not grow up exposed to many veggies and it has been a slow, lifelong process getting acquainted with them.  I continue to be a rather picky eater and I assume that there are quite a few vegetables that I have yet to meet.  Several "vegetables" that are actually not vegetables are on my no-fly list: zucchini and peas head up that catalogue, however I can tolerate them if they are well hidden in my food.  I am determined to absolutely detest eggplant (I believe I might spit it out if anyone was bold enough to try to fool me into eating some), ditto for bamboo shoots, and I was only recently introduced to brussels sprouts prepared in a manner that was quite delicious.  

My grocery orders are fairly basic and consistent: carrots, celery, onions, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers and squashes (the latter two also not actually vegetables).  Other veggies get added only for particular recipes and others are only eaten at other people's homes and in restaurants.  Why buy food I don't absolutely love and that has a high probability of being tossed out once it turns into mush?  So you can probably guess which photos are coming up...

These are my Buffalo cauliflower wings.  I make them frequently.  They are messy to prepare but totally worth it and they freeze/thaw/reheat nicely.

I don't recall why I was sautéing so many diced veggies but I'm sure that whatever it was for was yummy.

Sometimes when you cut up a vegetable, interesting shapes and patterns emerge.  

Roasted carrot fries, one of my go-to sides when I haven't planned dinner ahead of time.

Thank the stars for my air fryer!  It makes food prep so much faster and I love the way veggies crisp up without burning.  I use it almost daily for one thing or another (including muffins for which I have to thank my sister Anne for discovering).

I always use purple onions, although I am not sure why.  I think that years ago, I determined that these make me cry less than other types.  I have never done a taste test to see if I should actually follow a recipe that calls for a different kind (and foodies out there are probably face-palming at me right now).

Even a carrot has some interesting business going on inside.

Ah, the simple, elegant asparagus spear.  I made some last night using a recipe I googled to try something different: garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsely flakes and parmesan cheese, in the air fryer for six minutes, with a bit more parm once on the plate.  Holy mother of pearl, they were DELICIOUS!  I nearly went back and ate the leftovers (which would have made it the entire bunch!).  I'm definitely looking forward to having the rest with a chicken burger tonight.  The other benefit of the air fryer is that it reheats things better than the oven or microwave.

Woohoo, I'm on a roll.  Talk to you again soon!