Steamed vegetables are one of my favorite things to eat! Not only are there endless combinations of veggies, but endless variations of seasonings as well. Most of the time I simply layer the vegetables in a deep, wide sauté pan and add maybe half an inch of water or vegetable broth to the pot. That gives me just enough liquid to pot-steam the veggies in about 10 to 12 minutes on a high setting. If we need a chance of flavor, I mix up a teriyaki style sauce with lots of grated ginger and minced garlic to drizzle over the veggies in addition to a little water.
Delicious pot-steamed Vegetables
For the bottom layer:
sliced carrots (try a different color if they are available)
golden beets, peeled and sliced into thin half moons
or any other hard, dense root vegetables …
For the middle layer:
cauliflower (try the yellow or purple varieties), cut into small florets
broccoli and/or Romanesco, cut into small trees
summer squash, red or yellow bell peppers,
green beans, Brussels sprouts …
For the top layer:
wedges of regular or Napa cabbage
baby bok choi sliced into quarters lengthwise
sugar snap or snow peas
baby spinach
asparagus
and any other quick-cooking vegetables …
Prepare your vegetables and layer them in your deep sauté pan.
Add about a half inch of water or vegetable broth to the pan.
Sprinkle a little sea salt over everything and put on the lid.
Turn your burner on high.
Set the timer for 10 minutes.
Keep an eye on the water level to avoid burning.
On my stove it takes about 12 to 14 minutes from start to finish.
We like our veggies al dente.
Rice, or any other grain, baked or mashed potatoes
are all tasty alongside the vegetables.
By layering hardest vegetables at the bottom, the medium dense ones in the middle, and the tender leafy ones on top, every vegetable has the perfect texture, despite being cooked in the same pot and for the same amount of time.
Teriyaki style steamed vegetables with tofu:
Prepare and layer your vegetables in a large, deep sauté pan.
Add some drained and pressed tofu or peeled edamame if you like.
In a small measuring cup stir together
1-2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1-2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon of sugar
a splash of saki or mirin
1/2 cup of tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup of water or vegetable broth
chili paste or hot pepper flakes to taste.
Drizzle the sauce over the vegetables and steam until done to your liking.
Vegetables are at their best when eaten in season!
in cahoots with muddy boots 
Oh wow, so healthy. Gonna make this too but what sauce is ideal Sabine?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arlene, the ideal sauce is the one you love! I do love the teriyaki one with a little chili paste. Perhaps there is a special Philippine sauce you could use? I’d love to hear about that! 😋
LikeLiked by 1 person
We use Philippine lime a lot here. I have two trees in the garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think some lime juice would be delicious in the teriyaki sauce!
LikeLike
Will try sometime Sabine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You sure eat healthy Sabine – that is a good thing and you know how to make your veggies not only appealing but tasty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I try to, Linda! There’s another pan steaming right this minute! 😋 How do you like to cook your veggies?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish I was that diligent Sabine because I enjoy fresh veggies. I usually just get frozen or canned veggies (the salt-free ones) and just cook them in a pot. I used to eat more fresh veggies when I had my bird, as I’d get a variety of veggies to share with him, so I’d steam them for me and feed him washed raw veggies. But after Buddy died in December 2016, and because there have been so many incidents of food poisoning I stopped buying raw veggies, and opted for the frozen/canned instead. But I have to admit that seeing your veggies made me rethink doing this. I used to buy the bagged salads and cut-up veggies all the time and really enjoyed them, then kept reading about how it wasn’t safe to eat the bagged salads and veggies so I stopped buying them. We have a Hepatitis A outbreak in Michigan and it has been bad here since 2016. There have been 27 deaths from hepatitis in our state and it is so bad that the tourism bureaus in Ohio and Indiana have advised visitors to Michigan to get the two-part hepatitus vaccine before venturing to our state. I have not eaten out in a restaurant or fast food, bought unwrapped baked good, and not even coffee, in years. Most of the problem is not practicing good food handling practices. Rather than risk any issues, I just don’t go out. The Hep A problems are not just small restaurants; there have been many large franchise restaurants that have had outbreaks as well. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/29/hepatitis-outbreak-michigan/651732002/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! I’ve never heard of the hepatitis outbreak in your state. I know there’s a crisis in the San Diego homeless community with hepatitis. I’ve never worried about getting anything from from veggies and fruit. I do buy mostly organic produce, and go to a small local chain that has a fantastic produce department. I did stop buying bagged produce because it’s never as fresh as it should be and because of all the salmonella outbreaks. But you should reconsider. Start small and wash every thing well. Frozen is good! Almost as good as fresh. I stopped buying most canned things because of the linings inside the cans. I only get coconut milk in them for curries. Finding a good produce place is half the battle I think. We’re also lucky in that Oregon and California have a lot of small farmers. What kind of bird did you have, Linda?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is very bad and I looked into getting the shots last year, and I believe it was $110.00 for each installment. For Hepatitis A, you get two shots, six to eighteen months apart. I get allergy shots and have for decades and I asked my allergist about it and he said if you don’t eat out not to worry about it. Last year we had a Renaissance Festival – I think most states have them, and ours is always around Labor Day. So someone infected with Hep A went to the Renaissance Festival. That person ate food at multiple vendor offerings … about a week later, there was a social media campaign for anyone who went to the Festival, whether you ate or not, just touching anything is how they phrased it. If you had not had the vaccine, you were advised to get the first installment within 14 day. See that scares me … that event is nowhere near me, but if I went I wouldn’t have eaten, but in this case it didn’t matter. Meijer, where I do my shopping is only found in the Midwest. They have produce, but I think Kroger is better and fresher. The only produce markets around here are about 7 and 9 miles away respectively. So I opt for frozen which they say flash frozen preserves the nutrients. I do worry about the BPA in the cans. I do like Amy’s canned soups and they are BPA free. My mom passed away in January 2010 and we had a canary named Sugar. He got a respiratory infection and was pronounced cured but died suddenly two months later, a few minutes after I uncovered him. I was very upset and vowed to never get another bird, but it was right before Christmas and my neighbor said I should not be alone, and reluctantly I got another canary because I believed she was correct. Because I do not have any family and I work from home, just like Sugar, my new canary, Buddy was a companion pet. He had a stroke and I had him euthanized. It broke my heart and I can’t have any more pets – it is just too hard to overcome the loss. It is better I don’t go through that pain anymore. But both of them were very spoiled pets and both my Mom and me treated them like little princes. I used to mention Buddy in my blog posts, especially at Christmas, as he loved singing to the Christmas songs on the radio. I wrote a post after he died – it is a long post, but here it is when you get time, and you’ll see his picture. He was a Gloster Canary, also called a mop-top canary. https://lindaschaubblog.net/2016/12/04/forty-feathered-friends-at-the-footbridge/
LikeLike
We got hepatitis vaccines when we went to Korea and Bali. So I think we’re okay. I haven’t been to a Renaissance Faire in a long time! They are different, but fun. We used to go in California.
I am very sorry about your bird Buddy! Loosing a pet is difficult and takes a long time to grieve. That’s why we don’t have a dog at this time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, those festivals look fun – ours is quite far away so I’ve never gone to it. Thank you Sabine and I’m sorry to hear you lost your dog. I was devastated about losing him and when I went to pick up his ashes, I took all Buddy’s paraphernalia with me – I had two cages with identical set-ups inside, as to toys, cups, etc. – canaries don’t come out of their cages like parakeets – we had parakeets also. So, I swapped cages when I had him in to see the vet for toenail clippings or vet visits so I could clean it properly. I donated all his new and used items – some toys, food and treats (took some back some food as I had stocked up on his food/treats for the Winter). They gave all these items to bird shelters. Yes, it does take a long time to grieve. I just figured I won’t set myself up for that heartache and pain ever again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Until I’m ready for a new dog I’ll enjoy our neighbors dachshund puppy and Charlie, the Doodledog down the street. It was very kind of you to give your supplies to bird shelters. There’s always a need for that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s how I feel – the squirrels and now the birds on the porch can be my “pets” and get attention and treats lavished on them. And I’d be upset if something happened to them. That is how I found your blog as Tom said you had just done a post about a Coopers Hawk in your yard. I had been feeding a squirrel at the Park that morning, and he was eating peanuts and a Coopers Hawk swooped down on him – he ran under a picnic table and I got a fuzzy shot of the hawk. I was a little shook up – thankfully he didn’t get that squirrel after I made him a sitting duck by feeding him. My neighbor said he saw a Coopers Hawk get a squirrel in his backyard. I didn’t know they had bird shelters but the vet, who is an aviary specialist, told me that just like cats and dogs, people can no longer care for their pets and they must find a good home. Apparently there are lots of parrots that are given to shelters every year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There was a bird rehab place where we lived in Santa Rosa, California. Mostly for injured wild birds to be rehabilitated, but those who couldn’t be released back into the wild were housed there permanently. Owls, egrets, small song birds, ducks, you name it. They always appreciated donations, especially paper towels! The hawk sat in the plum tree last week. I missed him, but my husband saw him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our Howell Nature Center is like that – this is where Woody the Woodchuck lives that is our resident prognosticator. It is a rehab place. I would like to go there as they have alot of birds of prey there, all rehabbed animals. Most of these places are not around me. I don’t like to drive on the expressway – I’m okay for some expressways, except one which people go extremely fast. I went on it once to go to the Zoo and I took surface streets home. When we visited my grandmother in Toronto, it was a nightmare the last 20 miles or so as it involved several expressways and all the cars whizzing by … every time we went (about 5-6 times/year) something was under construction and we’d get re-routed. I never had to drive to work as I took the bus from the end of my street, so never head to deal with Winter weather, or a lot of traffic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Driving is crazy everywhere! In Bali, there were no real traffic rules. At least from what we observed. Here in Oregon it used to be mellow, but now that there has been such an influx of new residents, streets and freeways are always crowded and people in too big a hurry. I just drive and if the guy behind me doesn’t like it, he or she can go around my car. Maybe there is a friend or neighbor who’d want to carpool with you and have a fun outing?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, people drive too fast and are always in a hurry here. I do have someone who reached out to me through my blog and she lives in the area (maybe 20 miles from me). It was after I wrote about going to the marsh at Point Mouillee and mentioned it was very deserted. She told me she was trying to organize a hiking group for others who like to go into some of the parks and places which are vast and a deserted. There are some forest-type venues around here that I would not go to, simply because the crime is bad and both a walker and a jogger have been killed while on a trail in a wooded area and it was not that far off the beaten path either. I am leery of everything, having worked in the City of Detroit for decades and forget the City of Detroit … our city has crime issues galore. I have not been out after dark or before dusk in many years. It’s not even safe to go to store parking lots sometimes – muggings.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! That is too bad about the crime in your city. I can’t imagine having to super cautious all the time. My suburb is safe, but I don’t go to downtown Portland alone. The panhandlers are relentless and make me feel uneasy. Most cities have issues with crime and drugs, but your city sounds bad. I have a friend who spent her childhood in Detroit. 🙋
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have lived here since 1966 and it was not always like this. About six or seven years our City has money problems and went into receivership. They let first responders retire and did not replace them. They had police officers working part time and not enough police for the City (about five miles big) and the crime started. People started moving out of Lincoln Park which also was not good as no one wanted to move here and many homes still stand vacant. We are now over the money crisis, more police and firemen have been hired and things are normal again in that regard, but the crime remains. When I worked downtown I left in the dark and came home in the dark in the late Fall/Winter months. There were no worries walking home that long block. I wouldn’t do it now. The panhandlers were relentless in Detroit too and they hit up all the downtown office workers – everywhere you walked, you saw them. We have drug issues in this City also. I follow the City’s crime site on Facebook and there have been several people overdosed on the street and two in the Kroger store bathroom, about six blocks from where I shop. Detroit is not all crime riddled and downtown is making a comeback thanks to a billionaire (Dan Gilbert, Quicken loans and Cleveland Cavaliers owner) … he has bought up half the abandoned office buildings in Detroit.
LikeLike
Sadly a lot of cities and even small towns seem to have gone that way. We can only hope that things will get better eventually. 🙋
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you Sabine – I look at what has happened to our neighborhood since I’ve lived here and just cringe. I always wished I lived in a small town – one where everyone knows one another, one main street … I may be living in the past with those dreams.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙋
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know, Sabine, I never think to steam vegetables! I do tons of roasting in a hot oven or on the grill, though. I think your layers are genius!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Missy! I used to steam just a couple of things together, but this way we get more variety in one dish. I got a new range last summer and the oven isn’t nearly as good as my old one. That’s how I rediscovered steaming! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good idea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a pretty way to eat. Love it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Marlene! I hope you are well! 😊
LikeLike
You have totally inspired me, Sabine! The variety looks incredible. So vital!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Ali! Glad I could help!
LikeLike
I love the idea of layering the veggies and steaming them together. I have never tried that but it looks so pretty in the pan. I am going to the market today and I think I will try this idea. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yum! It’s such a simple way to prepare a meal! 😋
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am saving this. I was considering getting one of these deep saute pans for the cooktop in my new house. Veges are a healthy and scrumptious meal. But I can’t wait for that so I am going to try this with my existing pan this week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Any heavy-bottomed deep pot or pan will do, Amanda. I’m making a pot of them tonight! 😋
LikeLike
Great. I will definitely try it out. I think tomorrow night maybe.
LikeLiked by 1 person