How to make Green Vegetables everyone will love

Green vegetables! We know we should eat more, but sometimes more kale is the last thing you fancy eating! Green vegetables are full of Vitamins such as A, C and K, and also contain iron, potassium, folate, calcium and a whole host of other nutrients! Green vegetables are often referred to as leafy greens, but there are plenty of ‘un-leafy’ green veg too! Did you know that green vegetables such as peas or soya beans also contain a reasonable amount of protein making them a great choice for plant based diets.

Why am I concentrating on green vegetables specifically? Several reasons! Firstly, green vegetables were what needed eating from my fridge when I checked what was for dinner. Secondly, green vegetables need little or no cooking so are a very quick food to prepare. Thirdly, my late Mum loved vegetables and it seemed only fitting to write about something she would choose any time!

My late Mum

Last week (Tuesday 25th May 2021) my beautiful Mum lost her lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. As many of you will know, I had spent many an hour looking after her in her last few months. We spent lots of time talking about food and recipes and below are a few dishes we had previously shared.

Fragrant Vegetable Curry One of Mum’s favourites.

Minestrone Soup Mum loved this flavoursome version.

Puff pastries The last few weeks I had been making Mum a different pastry each day. She loved pesto, cheese & tomato tarts, sausage & cheese rolls and cheesy sesame puffs.

St. Clements Cake Mum absolutely adored this cake and named it ‘best cake ever’

The Green Vegetable Recipe

Of course, vegetables rarely need a recipe! Pop them in or over a pan of boiling water and cook for a few minutes until still crunchy! Well, that was Mum’s way and is the way most often followed by me. However, for this recipe I wanted to add a slight twist to the recipe making them mouthwateringly great! Stick with me on this idea! I have used milk rather than water to cook these vegetables in. I use oat milk at home and I have added enough to lightly cook the vegetables without drowning them! I have then removed the vegetables and used the remaining liquid to make a delicious fragrant ‘green’ sauce!

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Green Vegetables in Sauce

Lightly cooked crunchy vegetables in a deliciately spiced creamy sauce.

Course: dinner, lunch, sides

Keyword: curry, greens, sauce, sides, vegetables

Serves: 1 main dish

Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth

Gather

• 1 bag baby spinach (500g bag)
• 200 ml milk of choice (I used unsweetened oat)
• 1 teaspoon mixed curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1 bunch sprouting broccoli (can use regular broccoli)
• handful of mange tout (snapped in half) (can use sugar snap peas instead)
• 1/2 cup frozen garden peas
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (can omit or sub hard grated cheese)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• salt to taste
• pinch of red chilli flakes (if desired)

Prepare

1. Ensure the spinach is clean and drained of any water. Place in a large pan (I used a wok pan) and add the milk. Sprinkle over the curry, cumin and garlic and cook until wilted.

2. Add the broccoli and mange tout and mix in. Cook for a couple of minutes stirring frequently to ensure even cooking.

3. Sprinkle the peas over and allow to cook through for 3-4 minutes.

4. Using a slotted spoon or similar, remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside to keep warm.

5. Sprinkle the cornflour over the remaining liquid in the pan and use a whisk to make a sauce. Add the nutritional yeast and black pepper and cook until you have a reasonably thick sauce (add more milk if it's too thick, add more cornflour if it's too runny). Add salt to taste if needed.

6. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables and gently mix through. Sprinkle chilli flakes over if using and finish with a bit more black pepper.

7. Enjoy!

What do I need?

This recipe calls for fresh green vegetables. You can use whatever you have, but a mixture of shapes and textures is best. Apart from the vegetables I have used, you could use spring greens, green beans, kale, chard, pak choi, soya beans, broccoli or even green peppers. The spices can be swapped around too, any masala or curry mix would work, as would an equal mix of coriander, cumin and turmeric.

If you are new to cooking or your kitchen needs a refresh, here are a few useful things for this recipe. I receive a small commission if you click and purchase through these links (the prices are standard Amazon prices)!

Serving

This is a lovely meal by itself, but you could add your favourite grain or a protein to it. Alternatively serve it as a side dish or as one of many vegetable sides.

Storage

I would encourage you to cook and eat these vegetables when you need them. They will store for 2-3 days in the fridge but in reheating you will lose some of the freshness of the dish (especially if using leafy greens).

Sharing

I hope you feel inclined to try this delicious green vegetable recipe! I love seeing your adaptions and interpretations of my recipes and I’d love to see what vegetables you are using for this dish.

Please share your photos and tag me @LifeDietHealth or using #LifeDietHealth on Instagram, Pinterest,  Facebook or Twitter.

Leave me a comment below… I love to chat!

I hope to speak with you soon

Laurena x