Though wholesome consuming is nuanced and I’m not one to advocate strict meals guidelines or pointers, it’s no secret that greens are fairly good for you. They include tons of various nutritional vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (bioactive compounds in plant meals) that may assist scale back your threat of illness and enhance your total well being. They’re additionally loaded with fiber, which aids digestion, helps a wholesome intestine microbiome (as a result of sure fibers feed probiotic micro organism), and helps hold you common. And after they’re ready the suitable approach, they’ll additionally style fairly darn good.
The factor about greens is that they’re perishable, to allow them to go dangerous in your fridge or in your countertop should you don’t use them up shortly sufficient. Plus, just about all uncooked greens require some quantity of washing, peeling, de-stemming, or chopping earlier than they’re able to be cooked or eaten. None of those challenges are insurmountable—and I’m not knocking recent greens—however for days and nights when all that prep work looks as if an excessive amount of, there’s one other approach.
Enter: frozen greens. Blanched and flash-frozen on the peak of freshness, frozen veggies are simply as nutritious because the recent ones within the produce bins. (Blanching means the greens are shortly boiled, then plunged into chilly water, a course of that cooks them, however retains them crisp.) As a result of they’re already washed, chopped, and cooked, they’re additionally far more handy to make use of. And though this isn’t all the time the case, they’re sometimes cheaper—each as a result of they price much less on the grocery retailer, and since you’re approach much less prone to throw them out as a result of they went dangerous, which saves you cash long run. (Frozen meals will be saved indefinitely, however realistically, you’ll in all probability need to eat it inside a few months since frozen meals can nonetheless lose taste and texture high quality over time. however it by no means really goes dangerous.)
In fact, frozen greens aren’t an ideal substitute for recent greens, and so they don’t work in each recipe. As an example, should you’re making a salad or a uncooked veggie platter, recent greens are nonetheless your greatest guess. Fortunately, there are nonetheless loads of choices the place frozen greens gained’t compromise the style or high quality of your meal. Listed below are 5 dinner recipes that make use of every kind of frozen veg.
Chelsea Kyle. Prop styling by Amy Elise Wilson for Laird and Good Firm. Meals styling by Pearl Jones for Ashley Klinger & Co.
1. Complete Wheat Dumpling-Topped Rooster Pot Pie
Rooster and dumplings are a consolation meals staple for lots of parents. Though making them is a multi-step course of, this recipe saves a while through the use of frozen greens—no chopping required!—and pre-cooked rotisserie rooster. It makes a reasonably large batch (8 servings), so you may make it for a bunch, or refrigerate leftovers and reheat them for lunches and dinners within the days to return. Get the recipe.
