Happy Thursday! Hope everyone is having a great week. As I write this, it’s finally warm in Ithaca, which honestly calls for a celebration 🙂 The temperature is 62 degrees today! I’m hoping the long upstate New York winter is over. Warm weather always calls for refreshing, light food, and this gluten free veggie plate I had for lunch was incredible.
I always feel so good after eating a lot of vegetables. We all know how healthy they are. However, cooking or preparing veggies the right way is so important. In my opinion, they’re much less enjoyable when eaten plain.
I say this a lot on this website and on my Instagram, but vegetables cooked in the right oils, spices, herbs, etc. are game changing. If you don’t like a certain type of vegetable, I encourage you to give it another try…but when you do, cook or prepare it with lots of herbs and spices that you like.
Here’s an example. As a kid, I used to hate brussels sprouts, but now I absolutely love them. When prepared with garlic, butter, and black pepper, brussels sprouts are so delicious. Another awesome way to eat them is with mint and chili paste. I’ll have to make recipes soon so you can try them as well 🙂
Back to the recipe, though. When eaten all together, the vegetables pictured make up an awesome gluten free veggie plate. I use lemon, olive oil, capers, salt, and pepper in this recipe to add flavor to the broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms. The butterhead lettuce is the perfect finishing touch; it adds a refreshing note to the plate full of savory, cooked veggies.
I’m hesitating to call this a recipe because it is so easy…but it’s so good! Also, it’s incredible for when you’re in a rush or are just craving a vegan/vegetarian meal 🙂 I hope you like it!
Flavorful Veggie Plate
Ingredients
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
- 1 handful spinach
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 3 pieces butterhead lettuce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 c lemon juice
- 2 tbsp capers
- salt, pepper, additional desired spices
Instructions
- Add shiitake mushrooms to a nonstick pan on medium heat. Sprinkle generous amount of salt and pepper on top – they should taste like salt and pepper chips. Cook until the mushrooms have a firm consistency.
- When mushrooms are finished, add to a plate and set aside. Add broccoli and spinach to the pan with olive oil and lemon juice.
- When broccoli and spinach are cooked, add 2 tbsp capers for extra flavor. Let simmer and mix veggies for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add broccoli and spinach to a plate and top with desired spices!
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