freezer

20 February 2017

Give Your Frozen Veg Some Va-Va-Voom with our Homecooks Top Tips!

Frozen veg is probably the biggest frozen staple, with most homes in the country having at least a bag of frozen peas on-hand for an extra portion of vegetables. That was certainly the case when we asked the Fresh from the Freezer fans to share their top tips for frozen food with us.

We were inundated with top tips on how to make your veg even more appetising, to create a range of side dishes that will make the whole family shout out for seconds!

Brussels Sprouts

Often given a bad rep, Joan Hunter has a great idea to make your sprouts full of flavour and transform even the biggest haters into firm sprout fans!

“I defrost my frozen Brussels sprouts, slice them in half and fry with chopped bacon and frozen diced onion. I don’t like Brussels on their own but this dish is so tasty!”

Hidden Sauces

Sheila Evans has cracked it when it comes to getting enough veg into her kids’ meals – even if they don’t know it!

“A good way to get children to get veg is to puree it and add it to spaghetti Bolognese or any other sauces.”

If you want to make your own ‘secret veg sauce’, why not give our Baked Cod with ‘Secret Vegetable Sauce’ recipe a go, here.

Finished-Dish-e1445260591844-150x150 Oven Baked Cod with Tomato and Hidden Vegetable Sauce

Courgettes

One that a lot of people don’t know about, frozen courgettes are a great go-to as they’re pre-sliced and ready to cook straight from frozen.

Edward Marsland has a great tip if you’re not sure how to get the best out of your courgettes:

“I have frozen, sliced courgettes, place my portion on kitchen towel to catch any moisture and fry them in a little oil in a frying pan until golden and crispy.”

Seasoned with a little salt and pepper, courgettes make a flavoursome side dish to any meal, or can be used as a base to a cheesy tomato bake. Simply layer the cooked courgettes with mozzarella and tomatoes and bake until golden.

Peas

We can’t forget about the humble pea and if, like us, you can’t get enough of them, elevate them from a simple side dish into a complete meal with Lynda Karpen’s recipe with a kick.

“Put a little garlic oil and chilli oil into a sauce pan, add some diced frozen onion and lightly fry it – don’t let it go brown. Pour In a small bag of frozen peas, top up with vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper and simmer. When ready, blitz in a food processor or blender and enjoy with a hunk of crusty bread!”