3 secret facts you should to know about green vegetables

GREEN VEGETABLES SALAD

 -1 bunch broccoli

-1 head cauliflower

-4 to 9 green onions and blades

-1 pkg. frozen green peas

-1 c. mayonnaise

-3/4 c. sour cream

-3/4 tsp. salt

-1/2 tsp. garlic salt

-2 tsp. sugar

Method:-

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, garlic salt, and sugar. Pour over vegetables. can be made night before and refrigerated until serving time.

What are some ways to prepare green vegetables that makes them taste better?

Just to start with I'll say that getting good quality fresh produce makes a huge difference in the taste. That basically either means going to a farmer's market or an expensive store like While Foods. But for certain things like tomatoes it can really be worth it. I wouldn't do that for cucumbers or garlic though.

First quick easy thing: you can bbq almost any vegetable coated in Kraft Zesty Italian dressing and make them better. Mushrooms, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini. When cooking eggplant though, first slice it, cover in salt and allow the salt to draw out the bitter juices. When the slat is saturated, rinse it off thoroughly and prepare however you'd like. Sauteed in lots of olive oil with garlic is always great.

An easy way to get lots of veggies is to make them in a soup. I recently got a 50+ yr old Thanksgiving guest who never eats any green vegetables of any description to love squash soup-- bake a squash whole at 300 until the skin is nicely browned. Cut in half, remove seeds, scoop the flesh into a saucepan with vegetable/chicken broth. Add some onions that have been sauteed in butter and olive oil with cumin powder, and italian seasoning. When the onions are nearly done sauteeing add 5 large finely chopped garlic cloves and continue to sautee until onions are transparent. When everything is in the pot together cook on a low heat and blend with an immersion blender. The longer a soup cooks the more the flavours have a chance to develop, that's why they're often better the next day. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top.

My family loves zucchini pizza. Just shred (julienne) a bunch of raw zucchini in the food processor. Season lightly with salt and pepper and layer in the bottom of a baking dish. Layer tomato sauce (preferably homemade) on top of that, and plenty of reduced fat shredded mozzarella on top of that. You can top this with some slices of tomato. Season with oregano, salt and pepper on top, and bake in the oven at 300 until the top starts to brown.

Other things to look up that are tasty green vegetable based things: Minestrone, baked squash with brown sugar, artichoke fritters, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, eggplant parmesan, broccoli soup, broccoli-craisin salad, green beans with toasted almonds, sweet-potato home fries, guacamole, saffron cauliflower puree (Top Chef), creamed spinach, corn pudding, hummus (not a veggie but chickpeas are a good source of protein), spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, green pea puree, grilled marinated portobello mushroom, tomato basil and provolone portobello burger, cucumber raita. Honestly I could go on and on.

You can make a great vegan spinach lasagna with this recipe. I find that it's much better if you use your own tomato sauce. Just sautee a large onion in butter and olive oil with cumin and italian seasonings until transparent, just before it's done though add an entire bulb of finely chopped garlic. Add to a pot with 2 large cans whole tomatoes. blend with an immersion blender but leave some chunks. Slowly reduce over two hours, stirring regularly. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach Lasagna

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles

2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 lb. soft tofu

1 lb. firm tofu

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup soy milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 tsp. minced fresh basil

2 tsp. salt

4 cups tomato sauce

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside.

Place the tofu, sugar, soy milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the spinach.

Cover the bottom of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third of the noodles). Follow with half of the tofu filling. Continue in the same order, using half of the remaining tomato sauce and noodles and all of the remaining tofu filling. End with the remaining noodles, covered by the remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Source: mein kopf

What is a good recipe for a hearty green vegetable-based side dish, something original to serve twelve people?

Hearty Vegetable Recipes 
Carrot Casserole 
9 C. carrots, thickly sliced 
6 oz. low-fat cheddar cheese, thinly sliced 
2 1/2 c. milk 
1/4 C. dry whole wheat bread crumbs 
4 T. butter 
1/4 c. flour 
1/2 tsp. dry mustard 
1 tsp. sea salt 
1/4 tsp. celery seeds 
1/8 tsp. pepper 

Source: M.L.J