By MELISSA D’ARABIAN

Associated Press

Serving a couple of vegetables every night at dinner is a great strategy for families with picky eaters.

Offering young kids a choice (“Would you like green beans or parsnips or both tonight?”) gives them a small but important sense of efficacy, while also helping to demystify ingredients that are served (non-threateningly) at the table. And for the rest of us, eating a couple of vegetables with each meal is a great opportunity to get in the variety of nutrients that keeps us healthy. But two vegetables a night adds up quickly, and we can find ourselves a little lost for creative preparations, especially when time is short.

One of my favorite ways to cook veggies quickly (even thicker root veggies) is the pansaute/steam method. It’s quick and melds the best of sautéing (a little fat and flavor) and steaming (speedy cooking without bland boiling).

Start by adding a little fat to a saute pan. I love coconut oil for the healthy benefits and slightly nutty and exotic notes it adds the veggies, but any neutral oil will do.

Saute the veggies for a couple of minutes, adding in whatever spices or aromatics you have around the house that your family loves. You can go simple with shallots or garlic or more complex with curry paste or Chinese five-spice powder.

Next, add liquid – water, broth, citrus juice – and cover to steam for a few minutes. Once the veggies are crisp-tender from the steam, uncover the pan and allow the liquid to evaporate, leaving the veggies in a tasty and simple glaze. Top with some kind of acid – lime juice, or tangy plain yogurt both work well with a variety of flavors.

And the final touch? Something crunchy (like pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts) and something fresh like chopped basil, cilantro or mint. The perfect veggie plan for weeknights.

 

MOROCCAN SPICED CARROTS with yogurt sauce

Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

• 1 pound baby carrots, peeled and greens removed
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon ras el hanout (Moroccan seasoning)
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Sauce:
• 1/4 cup plain Greek lowfat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts
• torn mint leaves for garnish

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook the mustard seed in coconut oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cumin, ras el hanout, paprika, granulated garlic and stir. Add the carrots and salt and stir to coat carrots with spices, and cook until the spices are deep in color, stirring, about 3 minutes.

Then deglaze the pan with stock and lime juice. Cover the pan and let steam for 3 minutes, then uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, another 2 minutes.

Meanwhile make the sauce by mixing yogurt, lime juice, smoked paprika and salt in a small bowl. Lay the carrots on a platter and spoon some yogurt over the carrots. Top with walnuts and mint leaves to serve.

Nutrition information per serving: 97 calories; 35 calories from fat; 4 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 1 mg cholesterol; 294 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 3 g protein.

Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook “Supermarket Healthy.”