"Cooked Vegetables"

Most diets allow, even encourage, unlimited cooked vegetables. They are easy to make and very healthy, besides being low in calories. The key to successfully cooking them is a good covered pot or frying pan, covered, of course. To keep the flavor in without having to add salt, a diet no no, is not to use water. Water dilutes the flavor, ends up being thrown out along with most of the vitamins.

Here are a few general principles:

• start by sauteing onions in a bit of oil
• add other vegetables in the order of slowest to cook first--that means that carrots before squash and squash before cabbage
• cover and stir periodically
• when they're almost soft enough to eat easily, turn off the heat, and let them finish cooking. You can cover the pot with a towel, so the heat doesn't leave too quickly, and yes, keep the cover on.
• Of course you can use garlic and herbs, fresh or dried and other seasonings. Miso is good, too.
• I generally don't reheat them, and yes, they can be eaten cold.

Enjoy!