Mmm veggies…

Do you say that whenever you sit down to dinner?

No?!

You must be making them wrong.

Today I want to teach you the lazy-healthy way to make veggies delightfully delicious without the slaving-away-in-the-kitchen-all-day thing.

I’m seriously lazy when it comes to cooking, but I’m also seriously dedicated to my health. You get to reap all the benefits of my constant search for the laziest healthy recipes I can find (or make up)!

These three recipes require minimal work and are pretty hard to screw up.

The cool thing is that it doesn’t matter if you’re limited with cooking equipment! Whether you have an oven, grill, stovetop or even a hot plate, you can make delicious green stuff in a cinch. College kids, rejoice!

Takin’ out those excuses, one by one… ;)

Ok, so let’s get on with it! I’m going to share with you some of my go-to veggie dishes that we can all whip up with minimal effort, kitchen space and equipment.

These lazy-healthy recipes will take you through it step-by-step!

Lazy-Healthy Brussels Sprouts [OVEN]

What you need:

•1 pound brussel sprouts

•2 TB extra virgin olive oil

•1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

•Spray oil

•salt and pepper to taste

•cookie sheet

•aluminum foil

Morning Prep:

1. In the morning, cut a pound of brussels sprouts in halves, rinse, drain, then throw in a gallon-size ziplock bag (try not to get too much water in here).

2. Pour the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in there.

3. Seal the bag so that there is a lot of air inside, then shake-shake-shake!

4. When you have sufficiently shaken everything around, open the bag again. Squeeze as much air out as you can so it’s almost like vacuum pouch,then seal again.

5. Throw the bag in the fridge for the day to let those sprouts soak up all those yummy juices (I don’t recommend leaving these in there like this for more than a day… you’ll end up with zombie sprouts).

Makin’ It Happen:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Take out a cookie sheet and line it with aluminum foil, then spray the foil lightly with olive oil.

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the foil.

4. Take the baggie of brussel sprouts out of the fridge and spread them out on the foil so that the inside part is facing down. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.

5. Put on the middle rack in the oven for about 30 minutes (depending on the efficiency of your oven).

6. Using an oven mitt and spatula, shift the sprouts around a little so they don’t blacken too much, then close the door and keep roasting for another 10-20 minutes (again, depending on your oven’s personality here).

7. They should come out brown on the tops and bottoms, even to the point of crispy (how I like them).

Lazy-Healthy Broccolini (Baby Broccoli) [GRILL]

What you need:

•1 pound Broccolini, rinsed and chopped into bite-size pieces (I usually cut it into 3rds)

•2 TB extra virgin olive oil

•Chili flakes to taste (optional)

•Salt and pepper to taste

•large mixing bowl

•aluminum foil

•tongs

Gettin’ Broccorific:

1. Line the grill with aluminum foil so it looks like a makeshift veggie grill tray. DO NOT COVER THE ENTIRE BOTTOM GRILL- ALLOW SPACE AROUND THE FOIL FOR HEAT TO ESCAPE.

2. Preheat your grill (I put the grill on the “grill” setting, which brings it to 400-500 degrees), leaving the top closed.

3. Throw the cut up broccolini in your mixing bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Toss it well!

4. Bring your mixing bowl out to the grill with your tongs. Using the tongs, spread the broccolini evenly over the aluminum foil. Close the grill top again.

5. Grill’s are temperamental, y’all. Every single one is different. I recommend checking on your broccolini every 5 mins or so, tossing it using the tongs.

6. Take out and serve as soon as the tips get brown and crispy! (On my grill, this takes about 10 minutes)

Lazy-Healthy Kale And Tomatoes [STOVETOP or HOT PLATE]

What you need:

•1 bunch kale, rinsed and cut into wide ribbons (see video, ’cause I wouldn’t know what that means either)

•1 tomato, diced

•2-4 cloves garlic, minced

•1-2 TB extra virgin olive oil

•Salt and pepper to taste

•Large sauté pan

Cookin’ your kale:

1. In the sauté pan, warm your extra virgin olive oil over low-medium heat. I add salt and pepper in this step so it covers the veggies more evenly.

2. Throw in the tomatoes, avoiding any excess juice, and take the heat up to medium-high for about 3-5 minutes.

3. Toss in the kale and cook until wilted (about 5 minutes).

4. Throw in the garlic and toss everything around while cooking for 1 or 2 more minutes.

Super easy!

*****

Now here’s the challenge:

Which veggie are you going to make this week?

Got an awesome healthy recipe for us lazy-healthy people? Share it here and let’s get healthy together.

Come check out my Eat Well board on Pinterest for more recipes!

Stay strong (and hungry),

Amy

pic credits: “Baltimore Farmer’s Market” (altered) by Jeff Kubina on flickr CC BY 2.0, “Brussels sprouts before roasting” (altered) by johnsu01 on flickr CC BY-SA 2.0, “Broccolini” (altered) by ARTS on flickr CC BY 2.0, “Spicy Kale Blood Orange Salad” (altered) by ilovemypit on flickr CC BY 2.0