These sound great, thank you. I've never heard of frozen fish pie mix! Is that a regional thing? I will have to find out! I see your point about ready chopped peppers, too!
I can do frozen okra Tom-style if I roast it till crispy with spray oil and seasoning.
Frozen spinach only in things sorta Florentine like.
Hate frozen mixed veg because they seem to mix stuff that doesn’t hold quite right.
Frozen edamame don’t make me sad, and most frozen beans are passable in soup.
Frozen cauli or squash/carrots/sweet potatoes or most others I can typically only do in purree/mash/blended soups. (Preferably home roasted first from raw and then frozen.)
Frozen artichoke hearts roast nicely using the okra method.
If I drank smoothies or cooked with fruit I would do frozen mango chunks. Frozen pomegranate arils are only about 45% crappier than fresh and out of season will do.
Frozen dark sweet cherries for eating straight from freezer. They are not a substitute for regular cherries. They are their own thing.
When I ate corn I did frozen corn in chili, but that was a lifetime ago.
Im vegetarian and use frozen vegetables also alongside fresh.
Its very handy to throw a few frozen vegetables in to chinese egg noodles, quality stock, maybe frozen quorn or fresh tofu and bingo its a noodle soup so quick and healthy and easy. I freeze herbs too and so will have coriander (cilantro) etc frozen also and chuck that in.
I have a rice cooker and put that on when running out to the gym. Brown rice is done when I get back starving. I often put frozen veg on top of the steamed rice while I shower and when I get out its cooked. So easy.
Quorn I mentioned already is a vegetarian protein and I typically have quorn pieces in the freezer.
I freeze fruit, berries & bananas mostly however mango and pineapple I've been known to freeze. I add a few frozen berries to my oats most every morning. I will blend up frozen banana and add in some protein powder maybe with light soya milk and make a 'nice cream' or milk shake. Sometimes I keep it thick and add in muesli.
Frozen mashed potato I recently discovered and the one I like comes in frozen pellet form. So easy and all I have to do is to put my vegetables, a liquid and these mashed potato frozen pellets on top and it cooks so quick and easy in my mini oven or microwave. As they are in pellet form its easy to use very little of the mashed potato for calorie counting or carb control purposes.
Freezing fresh tofu with the water drained out changes the texture of tofu to much more chewy. Many people prefer tofu prepared in this way.
Thank you so much. PurpleFrizzy, what is Tom-style? I whole heartedly agree on frozen mixed vegetables--it seems there is always one vegetable in there that can't stand up to the same cooking time or method or whatever as the other vegetables.
Thank you so much. PurpleFrizzy, what is Tom-style? I whole heartedly agree on frozen mixed vegetables--it seems there is always one vegetable in there that can't stand up to the same cooking time or method or whatever as the other vegetables.
Thank you Clairin. Great tips!
Place frozen into a 425F oven and let them roast until charred a bit.
Interestingly enough, this recent NYT piece by Julia Moskin, "What Omnivores Get Wrong about Vegetarian Cooking," makes the point that you can't be "snobbish* about frozen vegetables." If you want to pull off "a weeknight vegetarian dinner [with variety], like a sheet-pan dinner, a vegetable stew or a stir-fry" for your family you need to have some parcooked vegetables on hand. She recommends either relying on homemade frozen vegetables or finding a brand you like and buy them.
Furthermore, she makes the point that you have to learn to read recipes differently in terms of anticipating preparation times "because many food publications, including NYT Cooking, measure the cook time starting at the point where the ingredients are already assembled and prepped" and that plant based meals with several different prepped vegetables will always take longer than the estimated time. “Vegetables just take more work,” she says.
Anyway, this piece comes with about 25 recipes, including Spiced Seared Eggplant With Pearl Couscous, Savory Thai Noodles With Seared Brussels Sprouts, Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake, Spicy Noodle Soup With Mushrooms and Herbs, One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta, Tomato-Parmesan Soup, Vegan Thai Curry Noodles, and Takeout Style Sesame Noodles.
* [Her word, not mine, although I think I am a snob about frozen veg.]
I'm not a huge Bittman fan because I think his recipes aren't very well-tested, but he claims he experiment for a long time and that these recipes were his favorites, so maybe they are good.
I use frozen onions and peppers in dishes frequently. One of my favorites is a fajita or taco seasoned combination of onions, peppers and a protein over Spanish rice (also cooked with frozen onions, peppers and tomatoes). The veggies are not crisp, but they have texture.
I'll also add whatever veggies I have on hand to supplement fresh veggie soups. Kale, corn and peas work very well.
All great ideas funjen, thank you. I use frozen diced onions often --mostly because I hate chopping onions--but, for some reason, never thought of trying frozen peppers. I've never looked--can you buy frozen onions in strips fajita style? I've only ever looked for the diced variety...
Replies
Frozen spinach only in things sorta Florentine like.
Hate frozen mixed veg because they seem to mix stuff that doesn’t hold quite right.
Frozen edamame don’t make me sad, and most frozen beans are passable in soup.
Frozen cauli or squash/carrots/sweet potatoes or most others I can typically only do in purree/mash/blended soups. (Preferably home roasted first from raw and then frozen.)
Frozen artichoke hearts roast nicely using the okra method.
If I drank smoothies or cooked with fruit I would do frozen mango chunks. Frozen pomegranate arils are only about 45% crappier than fresh and out of season will do.
Frozen dark sweet cherries for eating straight from freezer. They are not a substitute for regular cherries. They are their own thing.
When I ate corn I did frozen corn in chili, but that was a lifetime ago.
Its very handy to throw a few frozen vegetables in to chinese egg noodles, quality stock, maybe frozen quorn or fresh tofu and bingo its a noodle soup so quick and healthy and easy. I freeze herbs too and so will have coriander (cilantro) etc frozen also and chuck that in.
I have a rice cooker and put that on when running out to the gym. Brown rice is done when I get back starving. I often put frozen veg on top of the steamed rice while I shower and when I get out its cooked. So easy.
Quorn I mentioned already is a vegetarian protein and I typically have quorn pieces in the freezer.
I freeze fruit, berries & bananas mostly however mango and pineapple I've been known to freeze. I add a few frozen berries to my oats most every morning. I will blend up frozen banana and add in some protein powder maybe with light soya milk and make a 'nice cream' or milk shake. Sometimes I keep it thick and add in muesli.
Frozen mashed potato I recently discovered and the one I like comes in frozen pellet form. So easy and all I have to do is to put my vegetables, a liquid and these mashed potato frozen pellets on top and it cooks so quick and easy in my mini oven or microwave. As they are in pellet form its easy to use very little of the mashed potato for calorie counting or carb control purposes.
Freezing fresh tofu with the water drained out changes the texture of tofu to much more chewy. Many people prefer tofu prepared in this way.
Thanks hope some of that helps.
Thank you Clairin. Great tips!
Soup:
package frozen mixed veg
large bottle bloody mary V8
Can rotel tomatoes and chiles
1 pound hamburger
Worcestershire, salt, pepper to taste
Brown the meat, mix it all together, let it simmer.
I'll use frozen mixed veg or peas and carrots in shepherd's pie and pot pie. Always defrost, rinse and drain first.
I don't like the frozen mirepoix or frozen holy trinity you can find. The seem to lack flavor compared to using fresh for that.
Place frozen into a 425F oven and let them roast until charred a bit.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2019/09/04/frozen-veggies-bring-flavor-color-and-convenience-to-these-7-recipes/
I believe their business model lets you look at a few articles a month before hitting a pay wall.
Interestingly enough, this recent NYT piece by Julia Moskin, "What Omnivores Get Wrong about Vegetarian Cooking," makes the point that you can't be "snobbish* about frozen vegetables." If you want to pull off "a weeknight vegetarian dinner [with variety], like a sheet-pan dinner, a vegetable stew or a stir-fry" for your family you need to have some parcooked vegetables on hand. She recommends either relying on homemade frozen vegetables or finding a brand you like and buy them.
Furthermore, she makes the point that you have to learn to read recipes differently in terms of anticipating preparation times "because many food publications, including NYT Cooking, measure the cook time starting at the point where the ingredients are already assembled and prepped" and that plant based meals with several different prepped vegetables will always take longer than the estimated time. “Vegetables just take more work,” she says.
Anyway, this piece comes with about 25 recipes, including Spiced Seared Eggplant With Pearl Couscous, Savory Thai Noodles With Seared Brussels Sprouts, Cheesy White Bean-Tomato Bake, Spicy Noodle Soup With Mushrooms and Herbs, One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta, Tomato-Parmesan Soup, Vegan Thai Curry Noodles, and Takeout Style Sesame Noodles.
* [Her word, not mine, although I think I am a snob about frozen veg.]
I'm not a huge Bittman fan because I think his recipes aren't very well-tested, but he claims he experiment for a long time and that these recipes were his favorites, so maybe they are good.
Our local paper wrote about the best frozen veggies "Sno Pac" brand, available at co-ops locally: http://www.startribune.com/get-fresh-in-the-freezer-with-these-9-food-items-at-twin-cities-markets/505856152/?refresh=true
I'll also add whatever veggies I have on hand to supplement fresh veggie soups. Kale, corn and peas work very well.