FOODS | Steamed Carrots , string-beans and cabbage Medley!

The importance of eating a balanced meal cannot be over emphasized. A balanced meal is considered a meal with protein (animal or plant), carbohydrates and vegetables.

Often times, as Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans, we do not put a fair portion of vegetables on our plates as we do with protein and carbohydrates.

A balanceed meal ensures that you will get your daily intake of fiber, which is essential for digestion, the removal of waste and toxins from the body and provides you with the necessary minerals and vitamins for a healthy body.

To help achieve this, I will suggest we start what I want to call a ‘Veg-It-Up’ cooking habit when we do your meal planning through to meal preparation.

So today, for the start of our Veg-It-Up cooking, we are going to plan a meal and “veg it up“!

Recommended Menu

• Rice and Peas
• Stewed Turkey
• Butter-flavored Steamed cabbage, carrots and string beans medley
• Fruit Drink
• Dessert : Frozen mango slices 

Recipe : Steamed Carrots , string-beans and cabbage medley.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb Carrots
• 1lb string Beans
• I small cabbage
• 4oz Butter
• 1/2 tsp salt , pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic
• I small onion chopped 

PREPARATION:

The trick to creating the steam vegetable medley is to steam all your vegetables in one pot.

Steam them together by stacking your hard vegetables at the bottom of the pot and then place the softer vegetables at the top.

Add salt, butter, pepper flakes, garlic, onions etc.

Steam until tender. Serve with dinner or lunch!

IMPORTANT

Cook enough of the vegetable medley to last for two or three days , especially if you have a busy lifestyle.

Other vegetable medleys I like are cauliflower, Celery and carrots; Choyote , red, green, yellow sweet peppers and carrots; Calaloo, eggplant, okra; Tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and Pak Choy, cabbage and spinach.

Bon Appetite and Veg-It-Up!

EDITOR’S NOTE: 

Minna LaFortune is a trained Caribbean caterer and also president of the Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora (SACD).

Check out her food group on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bestfoodscaribbean/?ref=share_group_link and  her Wattsapp group: Caribbean Kitchens Netwk