Basic Recipe for Sautéed Vegetables [for beginners]

i have a weight-loss champion who i follow over at tumblr who recently posted that she needs help with cooking.  and i remembered that i also have other friends who might want to learn to cook and eat healthy so i hope this will help them as well.

the main ingredients are:

2 cloves of garlic, chopped or sliced [or use bottled minced garlic, sold at supermarkets]
1 shallot or 1/2 of an onion, chopped or sliced [optional]
1 or 2 ripe tomatoes [optional]
1/2 bell pepper [optional]


a vegetable of your choice [or 2 or 3, or more], cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of chicken broth [optional]

procedure:

1. heat a pan [preferably non-stick for beginners] and add a tablespoon of canola or corn oil
2. adjust the fire between the low and medium settings, slide in the garlic and onions
3. when the garlic and onions are wilted, move them to the side and add the tomatoes and bell pepper
4. when the tomatoes and bell peppers are wilted, slide in the vegetables as well
5. sprinkle in a pinch of pepper and a pinch of salt
6. add in the broth if you want it to have sauce
7. switch off the fire as soon as the vegetables are cooked to your liking [either still crunchy or wilted]
8. enjoy with a siding of rice, pasta, or bread

Some examples:

2 kinds of vegetables: yard-long beans and straw mushrooms

 In this picture i used 2 kinds of veggies, when using two or more vegetables always put in first the thicker kind like beans or root veggies which need longer cooking time 2-5 minutes before you add the thinner ones like leafy greens.  this way, nothing will end up over-cooked and mushy or undercooked and unpalatable.

in this case, i added the mushrooms first.  some trivia: mushrooms can be used as a substitute for meat because of its earthy taste. 

1 kind: french bean

the picture above is the simplest to make, it only involves: a tablespoon of oil, a tablespoon of bottled minced garlic, french beans, and salt and pepper.

 

mixed vegetables: cauliflower, carrots, sweet peas plus cashew nuts

this is for when you get used to sautéing already.  you can actually add as many veggies as you want, and even nuts too.

other tips to keep in mind:

• there are no rules on what veggies to use, but i suggest you try the ones you are used to eating first as you will instinctively know when it is done, when it looks right.
• if you use non-stick pans, you can forgo oil or you can use oil-sprays or even a pat of your lite butter/butter substitute.  if you use butter, put it in the pan with a little oil so it won't burn up quick and always lower the fire
• as a beginner, never use nut butter as it has sugars that will easily burn and blacken what-ever you are cooking
• you can also add pre-cooked meat like shrimp or rotisserie chicken, put them in just before you slide in the veggie
• take note that i wrote optional even on the main ingredients, but know that the more ingredients you put in, the more flavorful the dish becomes
• MOST IMPORTANT of ALL, taste what you are cooking AS you are cooking.

learning how to cook is almost always trial and error.  if you don't  practice you will not learn.  so don't be afraid to make mistakes.  cooking can also be as quick as 5 minutes as there are already so many pre-cut veggies and pre-cooked meats being sold in the supermarkets.  to save money, you can even do the prepping yourself by cutting them up and storing them in air-tight containers and in the ref a couple of days before you plan to cook them.