Our Two Favorite Techniques for Cutting Vegetables
We realize that eating a real, whole food diet, void of convenience processed stuff, takes some time. Yes, it is easier to unwrap a pre-made pan of lasagna than it is to make it from scratch. Remember that the health benefits of eating real food far outweigh the time saved by the convenience of their processed counterparts. I love this short video by author and journalist, Michael Pollan that explains why homemade is better than corporation made.
Fruits and vegetables are important ingredients in most real food recipes. Learning to cut quickly is a key skill.
Chop or Dice Vegetables Quickly by Hand
Learning to chop veggies was a game changer. When I first started to eat more vegetables (usually 8+ servings a day), I was a SLOW chopper, so making a meal took forever. Once I learned this simple trick, chopping was so much faster. Follow these easy steps to chop any circular vegetable (onion, zucchini, carrot, eggplant, mushroom, etc):
- Make your first cut a cut in half long ways. and place the 2 flat sides down. Then the food doesn't roll away from you!
- Make quick slices in one direction (lenthwise).
- Slice in the other direction, across all the strips, as thin or thick as you need.
- Voila! You you have chopped or diced veggies.
Use a good sharp chopping knife! Don't be afraid of the big knife like the one pictured here. It makes the job easier! The more you chop, the faster you get!
Shred or Slice in the Food Processor
Dusting off the food processor might feel like a lot of work, but this tool can save you time. This is especially true when you are bulk cooking. Yesterday, I made a zucchini and eggplant lasagna. Using the slicer attachment, I had the veggies uniformly sliced in no time. I then switched to the shredder attachment. In less than 2 minutes, I shredded cauliflower into “cauli-rice” to go in a stir fry for another meal. This also works well for slicing vegetables to roast or shredding vegetables for many recipes, including egg casseroles.
Weekly Wellness Challenge
This week we challenge you to think about your chopping and make changes if necessary. Are you using the right knife? Are there any tools like a food processor that could make the job easier? Don't let the time it takes to prepare "real food" stop you from eating healthy! Try out these tips and let us know how it goes! Any other fruits or veggies you struggle to chop? Chat with us on facebook, and we'll try to come up with a tip for you!