VEGETABLES IN THE MICROWAVE

The microwave oven stars when it comes to cooking vegetables. It cooks them very quickly which means they retain nutrients, their flavour and their colour. If you don't want to cover the dish with plastic wrap, use a snug-fitting plate or saucer. All vegetables should be cooked on HIGH and drained immediately afetr cooking.

Asparagus (250g)
Snap off wooden ends and, if the spears are thick, peel them with a vegetable peeler. Place in dish with 2 tbsp water,cover with plastic wrap and cook about 2 minutes.

Broccoli  and  Cauliflower (250g)
Cut into florets, cut thick stems into slices. Place in dish ( stem end towards edge) with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 3 minutes, depending on size of florets. Allow about 10 minutes to cook a whole cauliflower in the microwave.

Brussels sprouts (250g)
Remove tough-looking outer leaves and cut a thin slice off base. Score a cross in base of each sprout, place in dish with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 3 minutes, depending on size of sprouts.

Cabbage (half a cabbage)
Shred cabbage, place in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Place in dish with a knob of butter (if desired) but no extra water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 4 minutes or until tender.

Carrots (250g)
Cut into slices or sticks, place in dish with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 3 minutes.

Corn (2 cobs)
Remove husks and silk. Wrap each cob in plastic wrap, place on microwave turnrable and cook about 5 minutes.

Green beans ( 250g)
Top and tail beans. Place in dish with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 3 minutes for whole beans, 2-3 minutes for sliced beans.

Mushrooms (250g)
Slice, place in dish with about a tbsp of butter, cover with plastic wrap and cook 1 minute. Lift plastic and stir to distribute melted butter, cover again and cook about 1 minute.

Peas (250g shelled)
Place in dish with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 3 minutes. To cook frozen peas, place in dish with no water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 2 minutes.

Potatoes (250g)
Cut into quarters (peeled or unpeeled), place in dish with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 4 minutes. To cook a whole potato, rub with oil if desired, pierce the skin in several places with a fork and cook about 5 minutes.

Pumpkin (250g)
Peel and cut chunks. Place in dish with 2 tbsp water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 4 minutes.

Silverbeet and  Spinach (500g)

Trim and shred leaves, rinse with cold water. Place in dish with no additional water, cover with plastic wrap and cook about 3 minutes.