What do you think of when you read or hear the word vegetables?
Boring?
Gross?
Lame?Does an image of a fuzzy TV screen come to mind?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you’re not alone. I am writing this three-part post to help you do a 180-degree turn with vegetables. I want you to feel excited about vegetables, grow to like them, and know how to prepare them and incorporate them into meals. I have found that vegetables can be refreshing and delicious if I let them.
Why eat vegetables?
Vegetables are composed of about 80% water, some carbohydrates, and small amounts of protein and fat. They are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals, which our bodies need to function properly. These include (but are not limited to) fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Vegetables may reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes, formation of kidney stones, and bone loss. Adults should consume 2-3 cups of vegetables each day.
With all of these health benefits available at our finger tips we should take advantage of them!
Don’t stress! Eating some vegetables is better than eating none! Start small and work your way toward 2-3 cups a day. Also, eating vegetables with a little butter on top is better than not eating them at all!
So many types!
Our Heavenly Father has blessed us with such a variety of vegetables. Just as we marvel at the beauty and variety of flowers, we should marvel at the variety of vegetables He has provided for us. We can get bored with vegetables when we get stuck in vegetable ruts, eating the same three over and over again. I hope this list of all sorts of vegetables will spark ideas and excitement.
Acorn squash, artichoke, asparagus, avocado, bean sprouts, beets, bell peppers, black-eyed peas (no, not the band), bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cassava, cauliflower, celery, chives, collard greens, corn, cucumber, edamame, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, green beans, Hubbard squash, iceberg lettuce, kale, leek, lima beans, mesclun, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, olives, onion, peas, plantains, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, Rhubarb, romaine lettuce, sweet potato, spaghetti squash, spinach, taro, tomatillo, tomato, turnip, turnip greens, water chestnuts, watercress, wax beans, yam, zucchini
That’s fifty-eight, and this is by no means a comprehensive list! Amazing!
Don’t be afraid! If you don’t know what it is, Google it. Most of them aren't as scary as they sound.
You can get started with this easy recipe:
Broiled Tomato
Ingredients:
1 large tomato
2 tsp. sugar
1 T. melted butter
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
Remove the top of the tomato where the stem previously entered. Cut tomato in half. Sprinkle sugar on each half. Place on a cookie sheet and broil in the oven until tender. Remove. Drizzle with butter and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Next time: Storage, preparation, cooking methods.
You can get started with this easy recipe:
Broiled Tomato
Ingredients:
1 large tomato
2 tsp. sugar
1 T. melted butter
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
Remove the top of the tomato where the stem previously entered. Cut tomato in half. Sprinkle sugar on each half. Place on a cookie sheet and broil in the oven until tender. Remove. Drizzle with butter and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Next time: Storage, preparation, cooking methods.
By Breanne Vance
WSR Nutrition Consultant
Sources:
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. By Sarah R. Labensky, Alan M. Hause, Priscilla A. Martel
choosemyplate.gov
My brain :)
Images retrieved from:
http://rawedibles.blogspot.com/2013/05/10-vegetables-you-can-add-to-smoothies.html
http://www.fleischmanns.com/recipes.jsp
WSR Nutrition Consultant
Sources:
On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. By Sarah R. Labensky, Alan M. Hause, Priscilla A. Martel
choosemyplate.gov
My brain :)
Images retrieved from:
http://rawedibles.blogspot.com/2013/05/10-vegetables-you-can-add-to-smoothies.html
http://www.fleischmanns.com/recipes.jsp