Sweat, Veggies, Sweat

As you can tell, the meals I post on here aren't always the most calorie-conscious or healthy ones in the world. I mean, this would be a really boring blog if I only posted salad recipes - and my husband wouldn't have gained some much-needed weight. However, in between all the pad thais and veal piccatas, I find the time to make some nutritious food as well. One of my favorite methods for cooking vegetables is steaming and, with the farmers market down the block, I've come to realize that there's a variety of vegetables besides broccoli that taste wonderful steamed! Below, a combination of kale, swiss chard, garlic cloves and acorn squash .....

How To Steam

1. Fill your pot with about an inch of water

2. Place a steamer basket in the pot. The water should not rise above the basket. If it does, pour some out.

3. Place the lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil

4. Place your vegetables in the pot and put the lid on, letting them steam until done

Vegetables have different steaming times depending on their thickness and size. Since it's hard to say exactly how long vegetables require, check for tenderness by pricking with a fork in vegetables like squash or pumpkin and look for bright green color in greens like kale, swiss chard and broccoli.