Now that the kids are back to school, and the lazy days of summer are over, it’s time to get serious about meal planning. Here are just a few great reasons to cook vegetables sous vide.

• The SousVide Supreme can save you a lot of time and effort with a little forward planning. School lunches and even office lunches are sometimes a challenge, and it’s nice to have something a little more exciting than a sandwich. These three meals are simple to prepare, and by cooking the sous vide vegetables first, you can whip up the three recipes in no time.
• Cooking vegetables sous vide locks in all the flavor, antioxidants, and vitamins, so you can be sure it’s going to be a nutritious and tasty meal.  By preparing theses vegetables in advance, you can make meals in minutes during the week. On Sunday night, I often prepare a big batch of sous vide vegetables and then use them during the week for wraps, soups, salads and I even add them to risottos and pastas.
• The SousVide Supreme cooks vegetables to perfection. Sweet potatoes become sweet and tender and never mushy. Peppers become meltingly soft and zucchini retain that delicious bite.  It gives me a head start on the week and I know my meals are always going to be healthy and delicious.

Sous Vide Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and ½ pounds  (680g  /24 ounces) mixed vegetables (your choice of any or all of these)
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini / Courgetttes
• Eggplant / Aubergine
• Yellow, red and green peppers
• Sweet potato
• 2  tablespoons (30ml) of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) of fresh herbs finely chopped (parsley, thyme and chives)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme water oven to 183°F (83°C)
2. Wash, peel, and cut the vegetables into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces.  Put each set of chopped vegetables into its own cooking pouch.  Divide the oil and fresh herbs among the cooking pouches and add salt and pepper before vacuum sealing each pouch.
3. Arrange the pouches in a cooking rack in the water oven. Cook the squash, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers for 30-40 minutes, but leave the sweet potatoes in for about 60- 90 minutes. Once cooked, you can either quick chill the vegetables and reserve for use at a later stage or you can make the following delicious recipes.  Each recipe serves 4 people.

Couscous with Mediterranean Vegetables, Feta, and Mint

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (173g) of dried couscous
• 1  cup (240ml)  of just boiled water
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) of chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon  (15ml) of white wine vinegar
• 1 clove of crushed garlic
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) of olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 and ½  pounds  (680g  /24 ounces) sous vide vegetables
• 1 cup (110g) of crumbled feta

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the water oven to 183°F (83°C). Put the couscous in a quart size /0.95 liter zip closure cooking pouch. Pour the just boiled water into the pouch and use the displacement method to remove the air and zip the pouch closed. Put the pouch into the water bath and leave to cook for 8 minutes.  Once cooked, remove the pouch and leave to sit for a further 2 minutes. (If you prefer, you can also cook the couscous by the traditional stovetop method.)
2. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, put the vinegar, crushed garlic and olive oil into a bowl, and mix together with a small hand whisk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Open the zip pouch and use a fork to fluff the grains of couscous. Pour the couscous into a large serving dish.  Pour the dressing over the couscous and mix well with a fork. Spoon the sous vide vegetables over the couscous and sprinkle the chopped mint and crumbled feta on top. Serve as a starter, light supper or side dish. This is also a great meal for a lunch box.

Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) of olive oil
• 1 medium sized onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon (5g) of ground cumin
• 4 cups (680g) of sous vide vegetables
• 4 cups (960ml) of chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh cream (to serve)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cumin. Cook for a few seconds until the garlic is softened.
2. Add the vegetables and stir together for a few minutes, before adding the stock. As the vegetables are already cooked, you just need to reheat the vegetables.
3. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, puree the vegetables and stock.
4. Pour the soup back into the saucepan and heat over a medium heat.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and turn up the heat, so that the soup is cooked through and starts to boil.
6. Serve straight away with some fresh cream on top.

Vegetable wrap with spicy bean dip

INGREDIENTS                                                                                  

Spicy kidney bean dip

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) of olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• ½ teaspoon (0.25g) of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon (5g) of chili powder
• 1 ( 15 ounces / 425g) can of red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) of tomato paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

Flatbread sandwich

• Flat breads
• 1 cup of the sous vide vegetables
• Spicy kidney bean dip
• Baby leaf lettuce
• Feta

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put the olive oil in a medium-sized sauce over a medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add the crushed garlic, cumin and chili. Cook for a few seconds until the garlic is softened.
2.  Add the kidney beans, including the liquid and stir into the onion mixture.  Then, using an immersion blender or a food processor, puree the beans and onions until they form a smooth paste.
3. Taste and add salt and pepper and a touch of lemon juice if needed. You can also add more chili at this point, if you prefer more heat.
4. To make the flat bread sandwiches (wraps), spread the flat bread (wrap) on a board or clean surface.  Spoon about a tablespoon of the red kidney bean dip onto the flat bread (wrap) and spread it evenly to the edges using a knife.
5. Arrange about a quarter a cup of the sous vide vegetables on top of the flatbread.
6. Scatter some baby green leaves on top, along with some crumbled feta.
7. Fold the flatbread into a wrap and serve.