Frozen Veggies (Dondurulmuş Sebzeler)

Preserving food is a habit of many; it dates back to times when there were no fridges or any other kitchen appliances. Back in the day, dehydration by drying was the best opted method. Without the water, you can keep food for a long time. And then came the fridges, and freezers, and even the freezers with large compartments. The idea is the same; when you have plenty of any food, you should preserve them, so that you can enjoy all year long. Now, my intentions are a bit different. See, my problem is, I buy a cabbage, and then cannot finish it in one sitting, and then it starts rotting. On the other hand, cabbage is very nutritious, and I want to consume it frequently, but it is not sold in small batches, and as an added rigour; it is not very practical to cook. With these considerations, I prepared veggie mixtures, and froze them in cubes. Now I can use them whenever I want; either in a smoothie, or in a soup, or in any meal that need extra flavour. Also, I cooked them on low heat, and short amount of time, so that they retain all the nutrition, but still digestible.

COOKING

Cabbage, ginger, and lemon:

You need cabbage, diced in large pieces. I used half of a full cabbage, because that was what I could fit into my largest pan. Then, ginger; peeled and cut in large chunks. And lemons; peeled and cut in half. For ginger and lemon, the amount depends on how you like the flavour. I added half of a whole raw ginger and three lemons. But you should definitely add them into the cabbage, since it takes away the nasty smell. Add water to the half level, bring to boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. 

Pumpkin:

Cut the pumpkin in large chunks. Add water to the half, boil, let it simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

Kale:

Cut the kale in large chunks. Add water to the half, boil, let it simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

Broccoli, tomato, carrot, and lemon:

I had one bunch of broccoli, three carrots, three small tomatoes, and two lemons. I cut the broccoli in florets, cut the tomato in half, peeled the lemons and cut them in half, and just cut the carrots in large chunks. Add water to the half, boil, let it simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

BLENDING

For all the veggie mix, I blended the mixtures right after cooking. I know it is a bit dangerous, blending hot stuff, but I thought they would blend more easily. However, due to safety reasons, you should wait until they are cooled down. If it is too thick, then maybe you can add more water to the mixture. 

FREEZING

I used the bags to make water cubes. I waited until the blended mixtures are cooled down completely. Then I poured them into the bags with the help of a funnel. I spend quite a time because the mixtures are viscous and do not flow as easily. But it was worth it. Again, if it doesn't flow at all, then add some water and mix. As an alternative, you can just put them into plain fridge bags, or into ziplocs, as I did with the pumpkin. Just fill the mix in a bag, into less than the whole volume. Then, press the bag gently into a thin layer, while taking the air out. The thinner it is, the easier it would be to break. Then you can break the frozen pieces and use them in any way you like.