Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

As you can see in the table, these fat sources quickly add up. Butter is com­

monly used in cooking and just 3 tablespoons can put you over your maximum

goal of 20 grams or less each day! Cream can add up, too. Cheese adds a lot of
flavor and with so many delicious varieties, when used sparingly, may be a very

good use of your saturated fat grams.

One simple way of getting a “somewhat” butter flavor is to use the small I

Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray bottle to spritz vegetables just before serving.

Over the years, I have added more than my share of saturated fat—and other

potentially negative flavor additions, such as salt and sugar—almost by habit and
always for the pleasure that they unquestionably bring. But they have reduced to

some extent the benefits provided by grown food. However, when these addi­

tions are reduced in volume—again, not eliminated—they do their part in con­

tributing to our enjoyment in the way that a good perfume applied carefully does

its enhancement.

Seasonings of any kind need to support and enhance the flavor of the food
itself and never become an overwhelming presence.

Now . . . let’s take a look at cooking methods before we get into the recipes.

Blanch (Parboil)

Blanching is a method that can be used as part of the preparation before actual

cooking to reduce the cooking time needed for another method. In some cases,

it helps retain the color of the vegetable, especially for green beans and peas.

Blanching is the very swift process of dunking the vegetables—all at once—

into plenty of boiling water for about 1 minute and then turning them directly

into ice cold water.
While blanching will reduce both the water-soluble and heat-sensitive vita­

mins in the food, the loss is certainly not likely to cause any serious defi ciency.

In my judgment, the ease and the color and texture enhancement gained by

blanching help raise the volume of vegetables served and reverse the traditional

proportions, making the meat/protein the garnish for a change.

COOKING METHODS FOR MAXIMUM FLAVOR AND NUTRITION • 49