A couple of weeks ago, I pulled a mostly empty jar of creamy peanut butter (organic and natural) out of the refrigerator. I looked at it upside down and sideways. I could almost hear it begging me to turn it into something snazzy. In a very lucky moment of inspiration, here’s what the doctor (me) ordered: Continue reading
Category Archives: Vegetables
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Cucumber Salad with Dill and Red Onion
My aunt used to make a recipe just like this. She was famous for mixing the brine with a little sour cream and drinking it after the cucumbers were gone. No kidding, her idea was once written up in a national magazine, and my family has been excited about it ever since! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Brussels Sprouts Slaw
When you hear about a recipe for cole slaw, you usually think about cabbage. The “cole” in cole slaw” actually refers to cabbage, and it’s related to the “kohl” in kohlrabi, as well as the “col” in colcannon, that delicious Irish dish of cabbage and potatoes. Like Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and cabbage are members of the Brassica family of vegetables, also known as crucifers. Continue reading
Eat the Rainbow
What is the benefit of loading up on colors? Why do people talk about eating as many colors as possible? What does it mean to “eat the rainbow?”
Most of the color in our diets comes from the carbohydrate family. When I talk about carbs, I am referring only to ones with an intact fiber matrix. That includes vegetables, beans, fruits and whole grains. It does not include carbohydrates whose fiber matrix has been stripped away — like white “refined” flour, corn starch & syrup, sugar or white “polished” rice. There is a reason these have no color. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Spring Greens & Grains
This is one of those recipes that gives you a chance to feature whatever grain you feel like eating today, whatever greens are in season, and whatever other vegetables you are in the mood to sautè. Take a deep breath, saunter through the kitchen to see what’s there, and then gather your goodies and start to chop. If you get everything ready early in the day, you can throw this together pretty quickly. And if you make the grains ahead of time, you’ll feel like a real pro when everything comes together in just minutes! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: The Best Broccoli Soup
Recently I discovered three large stalks of broccoli in the refrigerator, and one of them was starting to turn a bit yellow at the tips of the buds. Time to swing into action, unless I wanted those beautiful stalks to end up in the coop. And I did not! Continue reading
Wellness as a Pyramid
I like to think about health and wellbeing as a pyramid, a pyramid with three major pillars: eating patterns, activity patterns, rest & relaxation patterns. Notice I didn’t call anything diet and exercise — yeh, those don’t work. Continue reading
Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
If I had just one chance, a single opportunity to share one small bit of health advice, I would say “Eat more fruits and vegetables.” That’s all. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Spinach & Shiitakes
Dark green leafy vegetables are like taking a multivitamin! They are rich, rich, rich in so many of the nutrients that you need to build a healthy body! Consider making Spinach & Shiitakes for that special someone whose healthy body may be of personal interest to you. 🙂 Continue reading
Colorful Vegetables
We’ve been eating more and more produce at our house: Yesterday at lunch we had broccoli/cauliflower soup, a tossed green salad, a tomato salad, sour pickles, guacamole, baked apples stuffed with dried figs and shredded coconut. There was also homemade bread and local butter, and a cheese tray with chevre, cheddar and blue cheese. Most of the credit goes to my husband; he baked the bread and thought up the baked apples. Can you hear me cheering?
Even though the meal did not exactly have a theme (like Thai, or Mexican, or even Chesapeake), it did have a lot going for it. I’m talking about vegetables. And color. It had red, green (light, medium, and dark), white, yellow, brown, orange and blue (of sorts). That’s a lot of colors for one meal. And, as my mom taught me, the more colors at a meal, the better.
Colors are indicative of different kinds of nutrients, and so the greater the variety, the more likely you are to get what you need. Also, the deeper the color, the more nutrition. That’s why you keep hearing so much about including dark greens (kale, chard), rich oranges (sweet potatoes) and purple/reds (like beets) in your meals.
We’re not the only ones who benefit from eating vegetables. Especially at this time of year, when there is no grass to be found, I make an effort to toss substandard lettuce leaves, pits and shells with bits of avocado still clinging, carrot ends, and anything else I can think of, into the chicken coop. Yesterday I gave the chickens a piece of aloe that I pruned from a plant in the kitchen. We’ll see what they think of that — if they didn’t care for it, I will find it still on the ground when I go out to check on them this morning.
A story on the joys of vegetables would not be complete without a couple of great recipes. Here are some especially colorful ones from Cleveland’s noted Kosher cook and author, Joan Kekst, who was kind enough to submit these recently, along with a beautiful story that you should look for soon on these pages. Apologies for deleting 1/2 t sugar from the ingredient lists of these recipes — you can certainly add it back if you’d like, but I have a feeling that they will be sufficiently delicious without it!
BROCCOLI SLAW
1 lb. shredded broccoli stems, julienne (can be purchased in some supermarkets)
2 large carrots, julienne
2 red onions, julienne (approx. 2 cups)
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted
Juice of 1 lemon
2-4 T olive oil
2 T fresh lemon thyme leaves
2 T flat leaf parsley, chopped
Combine broccoli, carrots, onions and olives in a mixing bowl. Toss with lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add thyme. Allow to blend for 30 min, stir occasionally. Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnish with parsley leaves. Serves 8. Keeps well for 5 days.
COLORFUL VEGETABLE SLAW
1 lb. Chinese or green cabbage, cored
1 large carrot, peeled
1/4 lb. snow peas
1 red bell pepper, seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded
1 green bell pepper, seeded
12 green beans
1 small red onion
2 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 pinch celery seed
Shred cabbage as thinly as possibly. With a vegetable peeler, shred carrots thinly to make curls. Use remaining carrot scraps elsewhere. Julienne pea pods, peppers, green beans and onion. Remove corn kernels from the cob.
Combine all vegetables in large mixing bowl and flavor with vinegar, celery seed, oil, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to blend for 20-30 min. [NOTE: Use shredded zucchini or yellow summer squash, if desired.] Keeps 3 days.
TOMATO BASIL SOUP
1 T olive oil
1 large carrot
1 large celery stalk
1 large leek, white only
1 large garlic clove, cracked
2 lb. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 T tomato paste
1 bay leaf
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, more to garnish
Several sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream [optional]
In a non-corrosive pan, heat the oil and cook the carrot, celery, leek and garlic until softened, 5–7 min. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-25 min. Cool and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Puree soup in batches, strain into a pitcher or bowl, and chill. Adjust salt and pepper. Stir in sour cream just before serving, and do not reheat once sour cream is added. Serve warm or cold, in goblets or mugs. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Makes 6 C. Keeps 3 days chilled.
Bon appetit!