Photo: Thinkstock

We may be losing an hour of sleep from Daylight Saving Time this weekend, but come Monday, we'll have an additional 60 minutes of daylight. They'll be most noticeable right around dinnertime, so many of us will find ourselves eating our evening meals a little later. Why not use those few minutes to try something new (and healthy) in the kitchen? Here are four fast fresh ways to turn everyday vegetables into meals that wow.

Roast your own peppers. Cheaper and much more flavorful than jarred, homemade roasted peppers are a snap to make. This recipe explains how to do it (and how to make a soup with the finished product).

Slice your greens. Adding leafy greens like arugula and spinach to couscous or quinoa isn't always seamless: rip the vegetables into shreds and they overpower the tiny grains; chop them finely and they get lost. Slicing them into slender ribbons takes some time but ensures they'll be easy enough to pick up on a fork with the grain, and still lend substance to the dish.


Chop cabbage and make homemade coleslaw. Pre-shredded, bagged cabbage can taste dry. Spend the 15 minutes to cut your own (plus, you get to decide how thick to slice it) and make Cristina Ferrare's Crunchy Coleslaw with Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing.

Caramelize onions. When you slowly let an onion cook in its own juices (plus a hefty dose of butter), magical things happen. Use the sweet, rich ingredient on baked potatoes, in spinach salad or in this tart (the recipe also explains how to caramelize onions perfectly).

Keep Reading
Kitchen cross-trainers
Meals you can cook from ingredients in your pantry
6 cooking techniques to master...from the masters