Start with frozen vegetables

quick & easy

From a box or bag, these veggies make creating nutritious side dishes a snap.

If you're seeking ways to add vegetables to your diet, then harvest a few of these recipes. Frozen vegetables provide many nutrients and also offer convenience, affordability, and great flavor. Okra Creole, for example, brims with fresh-from-- the-field goodness, while Creamy Baked Corn will satisfy your craving for corn pudding-all without having to slice, shuck, or scrape. DONNA FLORIO

COLD FACTS

* Freezing vegetables helps maintain their flavors and textures. In addition, frozen vegetables often retain more nutrients than those on the produce aisle.

* Frozen foods lose quality more quickly in a refrigerator freezer that is opened more frequently than in a chest or upright freezer.

* Do not refreeze thawed frozen vegetables.

* Purchase packages that are firm-avoid those that are limp, wet, or sweating. Also bypass packages that are stained by their contents or that have ice on the outside-this indicates the vegetables may have been thawed and refrozen.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Oct 2002
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