Ideas for frozen stew vegetables?

Question

I would enjoy some new ideas to prepare up frozen stew vegetables. I am looking for new ideas to jazz them up as a side dish. I am serving them with a roast but do not want them served the typical way you would normally see them served with a roast. I just bought some of those new Ziploc zip & steam bags but not sure what to accent the vegetables with. Thought of a bit of seasoning salt or dill but would enjoy seeing everyone elses ideas.

Answer 1

I agree with josu 63. Old bay or seasoning salt will probably be good, and definitely avoid the dill!

Mix veggies with some olive oil, and a generous sprinkle of the Old bay or seasoning salt. If you don't have those then use a sprinkling of kosher salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. You can then cook them in your microwave zip & steam bag, and they will be OK...but microwaving them doesn't produce the best flavor.

For best flavor, brown the seasoned, oiled veggies in an oven pan w/ sides, like a lasagna pan. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 30-45 min (depends on sizes of the veggie chunks). You can also sprinkle a few leaves of rosemary, or some bay leaves, in with them before roasting to give a pleasant rosemary or bay leaf flavor.

I'd also advise caution with that ezine article on "How To Make Vegetables Taste Better With Herbs And Spices". Over half of those recommended combinations have been rejected as downright horrid by my family and customers!

Here's my family's opinion of these combos:

Sweet Potatoes - nutmeg or cinnamon Yum!

Potatoes -garlic and basil, Yum! Chives and rosemary are some other good options.

Potatoes, mint and sage - Yecch! What were they thinking!

Squash (orange) -thyme, basil and rosemary Yum! But the rosemary may be too strong for some.

Squash (yellow) -basil, parsley and oregano: Unsure. The oregano is too strong for some folks, but the basil & parsley do work well.

Cabbage -cilantro and cumin Yuck! Many folks dislike the bitter, sometimes overly pungent flavors of both cilantro and cumin!!

Instead I recommend allspice & paprika, or a mild curry powder, or turmeric, ground coriander seed, & pepper.

Carrots -cumin, sage,- Yuck! Many folks dislike the bitter, sometimes overly pungent flavors of both sage & and cumin!!

Carrots- ginger Yum! a small bit of either rosemary or cinnamon (but not both) also works well. :)

Corn -marjoram or sage, Unsure. Marjoram works well, but many folks dislike the pungency of sage. I like to use basil with corn.

Corn- dill seed & thyme, Unsure. Thyme works well, but many folks dislike dill and dill seed!

Corn- basil and rosemary, Unsure. Basil works well, but rosemary is too strong a flavor for some tasters.

Broccoli -basil and oregano (with tomatoes) Gross! Tomatoes and broccoli clash, and the oregano clashes too! Basil works ok by itself.

Peas -thyme Unsure. It isn't bad, but it doesn't add that much either. Better choices include chives, & garlic salt.

Beans -oregano and basil, onion and garlic Yum!
Beans- add chopped nuts Yuck! This is a mismatch, unless you're grinding up the beans into hummus and then garnishing the dish with nuts.

Egg Plant -Basil and parsley Yum! But basil and oregano is even better.

Leeks -Garlic and ginger Gross!! Leeks clash with ginger, and the garlic is a pointless waste of money & time, since it will blend right in with the naturally garlicky flavor of the leeks! A much better choice is marjoram or thyme.

Asparagus -Tarragon, basil & cheese Yum!

Asparagus- (add tomatoes) Gross! Asparagus clashes with tomatoes.

Brussel Sprouts -Parsley and Garlic well, it helps, but many folks hate brussel sprouts no matter how they are made.

B. Sprouts- (add walnuts, orange zest with sweet peppers)
Yuck! This combo is absolutely disgusting!!

Beets -ginger and cinnamon Yuck! What a mismatch. :(
Beets-(add lemon juice to retain color)-- Yum! This is a good idea, and the lemon juice improves their flavor too.

Spinach -Basil and garlic, Undecided. The basil helps by itself, but the garlic is too strong for some.
Spinach with Basil and fenugreek is better. Or with basil and tarragon.

Spinach, Dill and lemon- Yuck!! This combo is horrid!

Answer 2

Toss the veggies on a roasting pan w/ sides. Toss w/ some olive oil, kosher salt, and some black pepper. Roast in a 350ºF oven for 30-45 min (depending upon size of them). You can also sprinkle a few leaves of rosemary in with them before roasting to give a roasemary flavor.

Answer 3

Try the seasoning salt or Old bay seasoning and a little butter.

Skip the dill - if your bag is the same I buy - not sure that is a good mix with everything in there.

Answer 4

Yes, just throw the frozen vegs and chic ken in the crock with some water or chicken broth. Cut boneless chicken breast, vegs cook for 3or 4 hrs in crock pot if like added wide noodle the last half hour for chicken and noddles or add lot of broth for chicken ,vegs soup.

Answer 5

Is dependent on the context really. Which is better as a snack - fruits personally. It's tastier and gives you that tad of sweetness. Which can be better as a snack if you are trying hard to slice back on sugar and lose weight vegetables

Answer 6

Sweet Potatoes - nutmeg or cinnamon
Potatoes -garlic and basil, mint and sage
Squash (orange) -thyme, basil and rosemary
Squash (yellow) -basil, parsley and oregano
Cabbage -cilantro and cumin
Carrots -cumin, sage, ginger
Corn -marjoram or sage, dill seed & thyme, basil and rosemary
Broccoli -basil and oregano (with tomatoes)
Peas -thyme
Beans -oregano and basil, onion and garlic (add chopped nuts)
Egg Plant -Basil and parsley
Leeks -Garlic and ginger
Asparagus -Tarragon, basil (add tomatoes and cheese)
Brussel Sprouts -Parsley and Garlic (add walnuts, orange zest with sweet peppers)
Beets -ginger and cinnamon (add lemon juice to retain color)
Spinach -Basil and garlic, Dill and lemon

Answer 7

Why not add noodles.