Green vegetable medley recipe

This healthy, simple green vegetable medley features sugar-snap peas, fine green beans and broccoli.

It's a perfect simple side dish to serve up with a Sunday roast, or a simple weeknight supper like cottage pie. It provides an attractive splash of emerald green to the each plate, and is packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. It takes less than 20 minutes  to prepare this dish and is one of the easiest ways to serve up these vegetables. The speedy cooking means the veggies retain their vibrant green colour and crisp bite. Adding a little butter and lemon lifts the flavour and makes it feel a little bit more special than just plain steamed veg.

Ingredients

• 90g (3oz) sugar-snap peas
• 200g (7oz) fine green beans
• 1 head of broccoli, about 200g (7oz) in weight
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 30g (1oz) butter

Method

1. Use scissors to trim off the ends of the sugar snaps and fine beans. Then cut the beans into short pieces.
2. Snap off the little florets (mini trees!) from the head of broccoli. Put the sugar snaps, beans and broccoli into a non-metallic serving dish.
3. Add the lemon zest, butter and 3 tbs water and cover with cling film. Pierce the film several times with a fork. Microwave on High for 5 mins, until the vegetables are almost tender. Leave in the microwave for another 3 mins. Carefully remove with oven gloves.
4. Take off the cling film — away from your face as the steam can scald you. Serve the vegetables with the chicken and potatoes.

Top tip for making green vegetable medley

Feel free to add in other favourite vegetables like shredded cabbage or florets of cauliflower.

How do you make green vegetables tasty?

Adding extra flavour that enhances - rather than overwhelming - the vegetables is the best way to do. Adding a little butter or lemon as we have here is a great start. If you want more flavour, toss in a few pieces of fried bacon or pancetta, or top with a little grated hard Italian cheese like pecorino or Parmesan.

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