Freezing vegetables actually helps to preserve essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. From sides to main dishes, here are some quick and easy recipes that make meal prep as painless as possible.
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Ingredients:
1 bag Ardo frozen brussels sprouts
½ lb bacon
Olive oil spray
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:
Empty bag of Ardo brussels sprouts into the air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. While your brussels sprouts roast, cook your bacon on the stovetop. Once done, chop into small pieces and set aside.
After 10 minutes, remove the air fryer basket and spray brussels sprouts with olive oil. Add salt and shake to evenly coat. Return basket to air fryer and cook for another 5 minutes, or until desired crispiness. Empty brussels sprouts into a dish, top with bacon bits and freshly grated parmesan cheese, serve hot.
Spinach, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche
Ingredients:
1 cup Ardo frozen leaf spinach
1 cup Ardo frozen broccoli
¼ cup olive oil
6 eggs
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 refrigerated rolled pie crust
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
⅔ cup milk
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Directions:
Defrost your frozen vegetables prior. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, adding defrosted broccoli and chopped onion. Cook until tender. Add in spinach and garlic and stir, cooking for 4-5 minutes more. Line crust on the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish, adding vegetable mixture from the stove.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in your cheddar cheese and pour mixture over vegetables. Bake for 30-35 minutes, letting cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Summer Vegetable Curry
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup Ardo frozen sliced carrots, defrosted
1 cup Ardo frozen cauliflower
½ cup Ardo frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
1 medium summer squash, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup onion, diced
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 ½ tbsp. yellow curry powder
½ cup vegetable broth
1 ½ cups canned coconut milk
½ tsp. salt and pepper
2 cups brown rice
1 tbsp. lime juice
Handful of toasted peanuts (for garnish)
¼ cup mint leaves or cilantro, chopped finely (for garnish)
Directions:
Cook onions until softened in 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and stir. Add 1 tbsp. oil, summer squash, bell pepper, thawed carrots and cook for 5 more minutes. Add curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and stir.
Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, thawed corn and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Serve vegetable curry over brown rice, topping with fresh lime juice, mint leaves and toasted peanuts.
Teriyaki Green Beans
Ingredients:
Frozen Ardo Green Beans
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp honey
2 tsp minced ginger
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water
2 tbsp butter
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Toasted sesame seeds
Red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
Steam green beans until tender.
Next, prepare the teriyaki-ginger sauce. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and then stir constantly for one minute. Reduce heat just a bit. In a very small bowl or cup, whisk together cornstarch and water. Whisk cornstarch slurry into teriyaki-ginger sauce until incorporated. Let cook for about 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened a bit. Remove from heat.
Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and allow to heat thoroughly, until skillet is very hot. Once hot, add the butter and then quickly add the green beans and toss a few times to coat evenly. Turn the heat up just a bit, then let the beans sit on the hot skillet to char and blister. This process is quite noisy, as the beans crackle and pop in the hot skillet. After a minute or two, peek at a green bean that is in direct contact with the bottom of the skillet. If it is blistered, then give all the beans a toss, letting other beans get some blistering time on the hot skillet.
Repeat this process once more, until you have a good amount of blistering. Then drizzle 1/3 cup of the prepared teriyaki-ginger sauce over the charred beans. Very quickly toss the beans a couple times to coat, and then immediately remove beans from the skillet to a serving platter. You will need to work quickly. If left even just a little too long in the skillet, the sugars in the teriyaki-ginger sauce will burn with the high heat.
Sprinkle beans with some flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and toasted sesame seeds. If desired, also sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Ardo products are available in grocery stores island-wide.
For more information regarding each product, visit www.ardo.com
