Breanna Danielle’s Guide
to Storing and Prepping
Vegetables

Welcome to EATS, where we bring you plant-rich recipes and tips for flavorful, sustainable home cooking. Together, we will explore the world of plants, sharpen our kitchen skills, and help create a more just food system. EATS is not about what you can or can’t eat, or what you should or shouldn’t eat. It’s about eating (and cooking) more plants and enjoying every single bite. This guide is by Breanna Danielle (@plantbasedbre), a recipe developer, food writer, and content creator who specializes in plant-forward dishes. 

As a plant-based foodie and content creator, I am often asked for tips on how to transition to a predominantly plant-forward diet. My first suggestion is to learn how to cook four to five plant-based recipes in your kitchen. Staying consistent with plant-based eating can be challenging if you rely on takeout or other people to cook your meals. In my experience, one of the most exciting parts of cooking plant-based recipes is being introduced to various fruits and vegetables. Before eating a primarily plant-based diet, you couldn’t have paid me to eat Brussels sprouts. I only had them boiled with salt, pepper, and margarine and found the texture and taste highly off-putting. Once I transitioned to plant-based eating, I began trying different Brussels sprouts recipes, and now they’ve become a staple in my kitchen. Instead of boiling them, I bake them, which gives them a much more enjoyable texture. Eating a plant-based diet has exposed me to the versatility of so many vegetables.

If your childhood experience was anything similar to mine, then most of the vegetables on your plate were canned green beans and corn. There are understandable reasons to reach for canned vegetables, as they have a long shelf life and are economical, but the taste and texture rarely compare to fresh vegetables. So, if you have written off certain vegetables or fruits because you didn’t enjoy them as a child, I’d encourage you to give them a second chance in adulthood. New cooking methods and seasonal eating may have you looking at fruits and veggies you swore off in a new light. 

When I transitioned to a plant-based lifestyle in 2013, it was challenging because I was living in a college dorm room and didn’t have access to a kitchen. Once I moved off campus and had access to a kitchen, my world was transformed, and I began to find it so much easier to consistently eat plants. Getting comfortable in the kitchen will make it easier for you to incorporate more vegetables into your day-to-day meals. And depending on where you live, produce can be pricey, and throwing fruit and veggies away because they spoil in the fridge feels like throwing money away. Not all produce goes in the fridge; some even need to be removed from the store packaging to keep it fresh longer. 

The first general rule to remember is that you don’t want to store fruits and vegetables together. Storing similar produce types (e.g., dark leafy greens or root vegetables like carrots and beetroot) is a good general practice for keeping your produce fresh long enough to cook them. Generally, any produce (vegetable or fruit) should be kept whole until you’re ready to consume it. Avoid cutting or peeling your produce, with the exception of dark leafy greens, before you properly store them. A significant component of making your meals at home is how you store produce and your cooking methods. In this guide, you will learn the best storage and prep practices for produce that are commonly used all year round.

storage

COOKING METHODS

When I hear people say, “I don’t like vegetables,” I typically assume it’s because they haven’t had vegetables prepared in an enjoyable way. Often, vegetables are served overcooked and under-seasoned, creating an experience where the texture and flavor are far from satiating. The texture is the most important thing to consider when preparing vegetables, so in this section, I will share some cooking options for commonly used vegetables. 

Tips for Specific Vegetables: