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Green Tea Gives Your Vegetables a Flavor and Health Boost — Here’s Why

Take your stir-fry or steamed veggies to the next level.

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Even as an adult, getting your fill of nutrient-rich vegetables can be difficult; raw veggies like broccoli, carrots, and green beans are crisp but bland. (You’re likely eating veggies for the health benefits more than the flavor.) But it doesn’t have to be this way. Seasoning veggies with salt and pepper is a start, but there’s an additional trick for infusing them with some extra kick (without the added calories). The next time you’re cooking vegetables, reach into your cabinet and grab some green tea.

Why Veggies and Green Tea Are an Ideal Combo

Green tea is known for its earthy, floral taste — which complements nearly all veggies. It’s also health-boosting: Green tea is linked with warding off viruses and improving memory, thanks to nutritional compounds such as flavonoids and EGCG. Similarly, red, orange, and yellow veggies get their bright color and anti-inflammatory properties from plant pigments called carotenoids. In short, veggies and green tea make a perfect, nutrient-rich pair.

How To Infuse Vegetables With Green Tea

There are some quick ways to incorporate green tea into an everyday veggie dish. Whether you have green tea bags or matcha powder on hand, these three ideas will enliven your plain ol’ vegetables:

  • Sprinkle matcha powder into a stir-fry. A tasty dish on MyMatchaLife.com combines one teaspoon of matcha powder with soy sauce and sesame oil. The mixture is then cooked alongside vegetables and chicken. (Or, leave out the chicken for a purely vegetarian stir-fry.)
  • Steep a tea bag as veggies are boiling or steaming. A tip from a recent issue of our print magazine First for Women suggests placing a tea bag in the water that your vegetables are boiling or steaming in. This way, you can enjoy the tea’s fragrant flavor with each bite.
  • Cook veggies in green tea infusion. Arctic Gardens has an easy recipe for stir-fry infused with green tea and ginger. Brew a green tea bag in water for 10 minutes, and mix it with other ingredients, including ginger and soy sauce. The green tea infusion is used as a base to cook frozen veggies and garlic.

Clearly, green tea is made for more than just sipping. Looking for other ways to transform ordinary vegetables? Check out this hack for making tender and crisp veggies or whip up yogurt-roasted carrots.


For more on the health benefits of green tea:

Sipping Green Tea Every Day Could Be the Key to Living Longer

Drinking This Popular Beverage Regularly Could Lower Your Risk of Kidney Stones

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