101 Wednesdays: Dry Sauté Without Oil

So this is my very first cooking video, I'm not thrilled with it and I promise to get better with them in the future. I'm a little camera shy, poor Zach had to film at least a dozen takes. If it wasn't for his encouragement, I would have given up on the first try.

I plan to make a short video every Wednesday for something I'd like to call "101 Wednesdays". I realize I use a lot of words and techniques in my recipes loosely that you may not understand. So, the point of these videos are to explain some of my very basic cooking techniques - things like dry sauteing, how to cook a squash, how to chiffonade kale and so on. I'd love to hear from you and find out what questions you may have so that I can cover as much as possible.

This idea was inspired and motivated by my dear friend Gerry. I hope I don't disappoint him. 

The point of this video today, dry sauteing and cooking without oil, is to show you how easy it is to cook your vegetables without the use of oil. People are so used to loading up their pan with oil before even adding their ingredients, which adds a bunch of unnecessary calories from fat. You can still get full flavor by sauteing your vegetables without oil. If you feel like you really can't do without oil, or are starting out by taking baby steps with this healthy eating lifestyle, I would recommend using a finishing oil after you cook your food. Measure your oil so you know how much calories your intaking. Eventually, you can start phasing out the oil after you find it's simply not necessary. Vegetables and the seasoning you use will produce enough natural flavors on their own that you won't need the excess oil at all. *I got a little nervous towards the end of the video and poured a wee bit too much water on my onions. You don't need to add that much water... the water is just to help deglaze your pan and loosen up the veggies a little if they start sticking. 1 - 2 tbsp of water should be enough.