Friday, July 10, 2009

Cook With Canned Vegetables

Canned vegetables give you a source of greens any time of the year, but this convenience comes at the price of taste. To preserve the vegetables in the cans, manufacturers cook the contents and pack them in salted water. This changes both the flavor and texture of product. You can still successfully cook with canned vegetables if you know some tips to hide their tinny taste. These tips apply for all types of canned fruits, vegetables and beans.


Instructions


1. Choose your canned vegetables carefully. Opt for those marked "no salt added" or "low sodium."


2. Open a can of vegetables, drain into a colander over the sink and rinse.


3. Choose recipes requiring the least amount of cooking possible: steaming, stir-frying, pressure-cooking or microwaving.








4. Replace fresh or frozen vegetables with an equivalent amount of drained and rinsed canned vegetables.


5. Shorten long cooking times or add the canned vegetables at the end of the cooking time.








6. Puree legumes such as green peas or chickpeas with spices to create your own dips, or add water to the dip and serve it as a hot or chilled soup. Canned green peas pureed with mint and cream, served chilled, creates a light spring soup for an appetizer or first course.

Tags: canned vegetables, green peas