No More Excuses! Lekue Steamers for Veggies

Brandolin11

I wanted to tell y'all about a great little kitchen gadget that has revolutionized the speed with which I can cook veggies. I don't know about you, but part of why I never used to eat veggies was because I felt like they were such a pain to prepare and then to wait to steam. And I personally hate the taste and texture of frozen vegetables, so those were out.

Well with this little thing, you need worry no more.

It's called a "Lekue Steamer". It looks like a little spaceship. It's made of silicone and goes in the microwave. You put a little water in the bottom, put the tray in, put your cut-up veggies on the tray, close it up, and put it in the microwave. Most veggies cook in 3-4 minutes tops and they are PERFECT.

Some ideas for what to do w/your veggies once they're steamed:

Diced zucchini - drizzle olive oil and balsamic over them, finely shred a little fresh basil over it, crack a little pepper and sea salt over it, squeeze lemon juice over all, then sprinkle italian breads crumbs and toss.

Shredded kale - drizzle sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce over it, stir in some thai chili-garlic sauce, and squeeze a little lime juice in.

Baby carrots (don't even cut!) - butter, brown mustard, pumpkin pie spice, tiny bit of brown sugar

Broccoli - see kale above for an asian flair, or, sprinkle garlic salt and italian seasonings on it, squeeze in some lemon, and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it.

Green beans and grape tomatoes (steam together) - Olive oil, red wine vinegar, a little soy sauce, lemon pepper, lemon juice - toss in a can of tuna, a chopped hard boiled egg, and some diced baked potato for a little "nicoise" salad.

When I'm done steaming the veggies I pour them in a bowl and put on the toppings. That way the steamer doesn't get all nasty. I literally just rinse it out when I'm done and set it to drain - don't even wash it. You're done in about 8 minutes tops.

http://www.lekueusa.com/Food-Steamers-cat4.html

Brandolin11

P.S. - this is the one I own. You can fit almost an entire head of kale in it (chopped) and I once got a whole diced eggplant in there.

I should mention this is great for steaming veggies/onion/garlic together which you can then stick in a blender with some chicken broth, half and half, and spices to make an incredible cream soup.

http://www.lekueusa.com/Large-Steam-Case-with-Tray-Clear-1-qt-plu3402600B04U004.html

Rage_Phish

i steam on the stove and it only take 4 minutes for me, but that thing would be handy at work where i only have a microwave.

Brandolin11

i steam on the stove and it only take 4 minutes for me, but that thing would be handy at work where i only have a microwave.

YES! I steam veggies at work every single day. I have a little cutting board, a little knife, and an arsenal of oils, vinegars, and spices at my cubicle. It is shocking how quickly you can steam up a fabulous bowl of vegetables, and the clean up is nearly instantaneous.