Dried "VEGETABLE FLAKES" are nothing to “snicker” at  . . . (I can almost picture your mocking grins and my hand slowly raising itself and getting ready to give you a little slap) … HOW DARE I ?!

It’s that stuff you’ve noticed when face-to-face with a vegetable soup that you add boiling water to for a quick lunch at the office or just lazing around at home in your pyjamas and old socks ! Okay, so if you have had one of these instant soups in the past, then why are you giggling now ?

I’m exploring new available ingredients that we never think of and that always laying around in our pantries … Vegetable flakes are practical, easy, don’t take up any space (because they’re dehydrated), ready to be used for many different things, and gluten-free. We often use garlic and onion flakes but rarely the rest (tomato, spinach, leek, bell pepper, celery flakes), and yet they add flavor and color to dishes that require just a bit of that extra vegetable taste that only require some simmering and without having to chop up just a little part of a whole bunch of fresh vegetables.

I had a bag lying around. Instead of breading the shrimp, I used these flakes. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s subtle, it’s nice … and by the way, I’m thinking about dehydrating my own vegetables now and making my own vegetable flakes for this winter… :)