Category Archives: vegetables

Eating More

by Mirafruit, habits, health, produce, questions, snacks, vegetables

I recently got asked the question, “How do I eat more fruit and veggies, I don't think I'm eating enough?” That's a good question. And one that's faced by a lot of people. Especially parents who are trying to encourage their children to eat a healthier diet.

One of the best ways I have found to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables is to have them on hand and convenient. This means they are not in your fridge just rotting in the bottom of your crisper drawer. I frequently encourage people to cut them up, prepare and make containers. Set them out on the shelf in your fridge and it's a grab-and-go snack. They can either be sorted by type of food or you can make “snack packs” with an assortment. Either way if you're in the mood to munch and you open the fridge door to see a convient snack right there you may find yourself eating more healthy choices.

Another way is to add veggies to other foods. You would not believe what gets added to my homemade spaghetti sauce. Add shredded veggies to a lasagna. Double the veggies in your omelette or frittata. What about soups? Loaded with pureed veggies, especially if it's a creamy style soup base is an easy way to boost your veggie intake without trying very hard. The trick is to make sure that you put in things that will not overwhelm your soup. Sharper tasting foods such as cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) or onions may not appeal to some. Mucilaginous textured foods such as okra may not appeal to others. Experiment and be mindful of what you are adding in.

Choose seasonal fruits and vegetables. I can't stress this enough. A tomato in season and from a farmer's market (if possible) tastes like the most delicious, amazing thing. A tomato in the middle of winter with a waxy coating tastes like cardboard. When foods are in season, and hopefully local, they are picked close to ripeness. Otherwise they may be picked early, stored, and then force ripened with ethylene gas. This forced ripening does not allow the flavor to come through, it just makes it look ripe. If you're eating unappealing, non-tasty fruits and vegetables it does not encourage you to want to eat more. As a side benefit, you really appreciate things when you can only have them in season.

Make different choices when you eat out. There are tasty ways to add more veggies to your diet when you are eating out which allow you to still enjoy your dining experience but avoid getting bogged down by the simple carbs and other unhealthy choices.

Skip the juice and eat the fruit. Did you know that it takes an average of 4 oranges to make 8 ounces of orange juice? That's a lot of sugar and those extra calories add up pretty quickly. It would be pretty difficult to eat four oranges in one sitting. However each orange you eat comes with a significant amount of fiber which helps to slow down the glycemic effect. The same is true for other juices. Switch your juice to water (add a few slices of fruit for flavor if you like) and eat the fruit instead.

Keep a food journal. An 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper folded into quarters gives you 8 spots to write down what you eat each day. If you're looking to increase things like water consumption (always a good idea) and fruits and veggies set a goal for yourself and then keep track of it. By looking back over the week you'll be able to see if you're meeting your goal and where you can make changes to increase your consumption a little at a time.

Small changes add up over time. By making one or two adjustments you may soon find yourself eating more healthy fruits and veggies.

Eating In The Woods

by Miralocavore, vegetables

Merriweather | photo: miradessy

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to take a Wild Edibles Foraging Tour with Merriweather today. He's always interesting and engaging, offering an amazing depth and breadth of information about edible, non-edible, and medicinal plants.

The ground was very wet and muddy at the Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center due to all of the rain we've had lately. And trust me, all of that rain is a good thing after the drought we've had for the last two years. However the muddy terrain didn't hold back our eagerness to follow Merriweather over log and trail in pursuit of the knowledge he had to share.

There are rules to wildcrafting or edible foraging:

1. Respect the law – in Texas it is a crime, carrying fines of up to $500, to rustle. That includes plants. So if you're going to harvest you need to ask permission first.

2. Respect the land – just like I learned in Girl Scouts all those years ago, leave it cleaner than you found it and if you packed it in, pack it out.

3. Respect the plant – make clean cuts so the plant can stay healthy and do not over-harvest.

4. Respect yourself – know, definitively, what you are picking and planning to eat. Don't assume because you could be risking your health.

It was a fascinating class and I think everyone was struck by the vast number of edible plants in our environment that we are not aware of. There was a mind-boggling amount of information. Although there are other books out there, I'm waiting for Merriweather to write one of his own because I'm sure it will be good. He has a unique point of view when it comes to sharing this information.

luna moth | photo: miradessy

There were lots of neat things to see during the class, not just plants. One was this beautiful luna moth which patiently clung to the branch, allowing us to turn it over so everyone could photograph “the pretty side.”

In spite of the chilly weather, overcast conditions, and muddy terrain everyone appeared to enjoy the expedition tremendously.

Indoor Onions

by Mirasprouts, vegetables, wwme

Just a short post today. I recently found out that a number of my friends didn't know this super simple trick for growing spring onions (some folks call them green onions) indoors. So I thought I'd share.

Trim off any wilted or slimy bits from the onion.
Cut the ends so that there is at least 1″ of white bulb above the roots.
Place root end down into a glass with a little water at the bottom.
Place in a window where they will get indirect sunlight.
Watch them grow, cut and use as needed.

Here are a couple of pictures to demonstrate:

freshly cut spring onions

spring onions after one day

Isn't that cool? I find it's best the first time you let them re-grow. After that it doesn't always work as well and they're not as firm. But it's a great way to always make sure you have some on hand, especially if you use these onions a lot. And I do.

So what do I use them for? Soups, salads, as a garnish, in sauteed greens, in stir fry, they're very useful, high in vitamin K, and a tasty addition to a lot of dishes.

Note: Thanks to Mike for the reminder. I forgot to mention in the instructions that you need to change the water daily. Otherwise the jar gets rather stinky and the onions won't continue to grow.

Joy Bauer’s Food Cures

by Mirahealth, recipes, reviews, vegetables, vegetarian

Joy Bauer's Food Cures has been revised and updated; I was fortunate enough to have a copy recently come across my desk.

As those of you reading my blog know, I am a huge proponent of food and it's ability to help support a healthy body. We are what we eat; eating whole food and practicing wholesome nutrition goes a long way toward supporting our bodies and in dealing with health issues.

Broken down into several easy to understand categories this book covers the basics of understanding nutrition as well as how to, as Joy puts it, “think like a nutritionist.” She offers information about how to lose weight and support healthy skin and hair.

Speaking of hair, did you know the average person loses about 100 hairs each day? It turns out that since hair is made from protein if we don't get enough we can actually cause the rate of new hair growth to slow down. In the book Joy points out that hair is a good way to determine overall health and highlights which vitamins (and which foods contain those vitamins) are supportive for healthy hair and nails (which are made from the same hardened keratin protein as hair). Offering more in-depth health and nutrition support, the book also delves into conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, migraines, IBS and more.

The book is easy-to-read and laid out with step-by-step encouragement and support to help the reader reach their goals for health. The book is also sprinkled with lots of call-out boxes which cover the highlights and answer questions that the reader may have. She includes stories and examples throughout the book which is helpful. In addition to providing the necessary information to help the reader better understand the basics of their condition and how to best support their body each chapter has a 4-Step Program which reminds the reader of the basics, provides a grocery list, offers some additional suggestions, and then also offers meal plans with some delicious looking recipes. Her Citrus Smooth-See recipe on page 272 is delicious as is the Vegetable Oatmeal Bisque on page 322. And the Parmesan Couscous and Ratatouille with Olives, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil on pages 383 (listed below) is a new family favorite.

Joy Bauer's Food Cures provides what you need to know about healthy eating and whole food nutrition. It also gives you information to help you understand how to make those healthy changes.

Parmesan Couscous and Ratatouille With Olives, Tomatoes, and Fresh Basil
Makes 3 servings (1 1/2 cups ratatouille and 1 1/2 cups coucous per serving

Ratatouille

1/2 pound kale, stems trimmed, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow squash, cut into small cubes (about 2 cups)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cups kalamata or nicoise olives (7 or 8) pitted and chopped
Pinch of ground red papper
1/4 cup whole basil leaves torn

Couscous

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup sugar snap peas, chopped
1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth, heated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

To make the ratatouille:
Heat a deep saute pan over high heat
Add the kale, a sprinkle of salt, and 3/4 cup water
Cook, stirring occasionally for 13-15 minutes or until softened
If the kale becomes too dry add more water
Stir in the oil, squash, tomatoes, olives, and red pepper
Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the squash is tender and the tomatoes lose their shape
Remove from the heat and stir in the basil
Set aside

To make the couscous:
In a medium bowl, mix the couscous and sugar snap peas
Pour the hot broth on top, stir at once and cover with aluminum foil
Allow the couscous to rest for 5-6 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the couscous is soft and fluffy
Fold the cheese into the couscous and season with salt and black pepper

To serve:
Spoon the couscous onto a plate or bowl and serve the ratatouille on top

To learn more about Joy and the concept of food cures visit her website.

Disclosure: cmp.ly/1, cmp.ly/5

Curried Cauliflower

by Mirarecipes, vegetables, vegetariancauliflower, curried cauliflower, curry, reipce

Health Benefits of Cauliflower

A delicious cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and pantothenic acid. High in fiber, some studies indicate that it's a good choice for cardiovascular health due to its ability to bind bile acids and help regulate cholesterol levels. In addition to cardiovascular support, cauliflower is also good for the detoxification, digestive, immune, and inflammatory systems in the body.

In my part of the world, cauliflower is in season. I'm very fortunate to live in an area where we have an extended growing season. While I miss certain crops that need cold weather to grow well (like rhubarb) I love the veggies that come out of my garden.

Eat it All!

Cauliflower is a fabulous white vegetable. Sometimes it comes in an orange-y yellow color or even purple. Those have a few more antioxidants, but they're all still cauliflower and absolutely delicious steamed, baked, roasted, or even be eaten raw.

The tastiness doesn't stop with the florets. Easy and versatile to prepare in a number of different ways, one of the things that always seems to surprise people is that you can use the cauliflower green leafy bits too. They make a great vegetable to go along with your cooked cauliflower.

In the summer I often roast the greens right along with the florets. Drizzled with fruity olive oil, some sea salt, and fresh ground pepper they are truly fabulous. A friend of mine recently told me that he used the greens in place of kale to make cauliflower greens chips and they were delicious.

Now that we're heading into colder weather I'm not eating raw or steamed vegetables as much, preferring different cooking methods. At this time of year with cauliflower, I often like to curry it. The flavors of curry go well with the cauliflower and greens. Over a bed of rice with some protein on the side it's a very satisfying dinner.

Curried Cauliflower

A delicious, warming way to serve this versatile vegetable

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 generous pinch mustard seed
2 Tbsp olive oil cold pressed, extra virgin, organic preferred
1 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cauliflower greens, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup water
salt to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine

Instructions

Heat olive oil in the pan
Add mustard seeds and cook until they just start to pop
Turn heat to medium
Add onions and saute until starting to soften
Add garlic and saute one minute more
Add curry powder and stir well
Add cauliflower, greens, and water
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 8-10 minutes until cauliflower is tender
Season with salt and cilantro

Zoodles And Sausage

by Miraflexitarian, gluten free, recipes, summer, vegetablesrecipe, sausage, zoodles

It's zucchini season, that means LOTS of zucchini and a distinct need for more recipes. And while zucchini bread is really delicious, there's only so much of that that you can eat in one season.

Below is a dinner that I made recently using zucchini noodles or zoodles. One of the great things about this dish, aside from using up more zucchini, is that it's quick, easy, and very tasty. It's an assembly-style dish. You cook each of the layers individually and when you get to the last layer dinner is done. Most of the time is spent in prep-work, the actual cooking doesn't take too long. I do keep the dish in the oven in between layers (set to 250 degrees) to make sure everything stays warm.

Making Zoodles

These days with so many people eating gluten-free that means no pasta. The challenge is that there are so many delicious recipes out there that use noodles as a base. My favorite solution is to make zoodles. You can even use the oversize-on-their-way-to-baseball-bat sized zucchini. Of course, you can use the smaller, more tender ones too, really, in this case, any zucchini will do.

Previously the best way to make zoodles was to use a vegetable peeler, carefully peeling each side. This meant you had a leftover core with lots of seeds in it. Sure you could cut up the core and throw it into your recipes, but somehow it always seemed to get just a little gloopy. Nowadays some genius has invented a zoodler that does it for you. Not only can you make noodles from zucchini, using this amazing device you can "zoodle" a whole bunch of different vegetables like carrots, beets, and more. It's a fabulous way to add more veggies to your diet.

So grab your zoodler and let's get going...

Zoodles And Sausage

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

1 package pre-cooked, chicken cilantro sausage
1-2 zucchini, turned into zoodles
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup minced cilantro
sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet
Add 1/2 of the diced onion and the garlic
When the onion starts to soften turn down the heat slightly and add the zucchini
Toss and cook the zucchini for approximately 5 minutes until it is coated in oil and warmed through
Place zucchini and onions into a serving dish
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet
Add the rest of the onion
When onion starts to soften add bell pepper, tomato, and tomato paste
Saute until bell pepper starts to soften
Add salt and pepper to taste
Spoon mixture over zucchini noodles
Place sausage in the skillet and heat until browned on the outside
Remove sausage from skillet and slice into bite sized pieces
Sprinkle sausage pieces on top of dish
Garnish with cilantro

Notes

If necessary you can make this dish ahead. Simply reheat in a 300 F degree oven for about 20 minutes until all of the ingredients are warmed through

Garden Update

by Miragarden, gratitude, herbs and spices, vegetables

I woke up this morning to a deliciously cool morning, breezy, sunny, birds singing, perfect garden weather. So I took myself out into the garden for a little early morning weeding and puttering around in the dirt.

This has been a horrible year for vegetable gardening for me. I confess I'm a wimp. If it's raining or over 90 degrees I don't like to be out there. We didn't get rain but we certainly had more than our fair share of extraordinarily hot days. And we had a drought. The end result of which is that we got peas, beans, tomatoes and hot peppers. But the zucchini didn't grow (I had always thought it was impossible to NOT grow zucchini — shows what an expert I am), the broccoli and sweet peppers were stunted and bitter, and many of my herbs grew so poorly that I was unable to harvest anything. I'm afraid to try to dig the potatoes, I don't think anything is there.

This morning however I was thrilled to see some things survived and are actually doing well. Here in East Texas our Fall weather is mild enough that many folks refer to it as a second spring. We are fortunate enough to have an extended mild season that allows us to grow another set of crops. Given the hope that follows the soaking rain we had a week ago I'm recharged and ready to get back into the garden.

the cabbage is starting to recover

a baseball sized lemon – the only one on the tree

our eggplants are starting to fruit

the harrdier herbs survived: oregano, sage, chives, pepper basil, a curry plant and yarrow

our fig tree is producing a bumper second crop

Being outside made me realize how much I have been shut inside during the heat of our summer. Yes, I went for walks and bike rides, but to just spend extended amounts of time outdoors enjoying the yard and my surroundings — didn't happen. I'm grateful for the cooler weather, the opportunity to be back outside and the resiliency of mother nature.

Purslane Soup

by Mirarecipes, vegetables

Purslane | photo: Aomorikuma

Merriweather has been posting delicious pictures and food ideas for many of his foraged delights. The other day he posted a picture of purslane (Portulaca oleracea).

When we lived in CT my husband and I had the stuff running wild all throughout our vegetable garden. It was, quite frankly, a weed. I spent many hours yanking the stuff out cursing at how readily it regrew not realizing that just the act of weeding caused it to reseed and become more vigorous.

All that changed the day I was at a local farmers market and saw one of the farmers there selling the stuff. His was golden purslane which is slightly different than the everyday variety we had in our garden, but it was purslane nonetheless. I began to look at my weedy friends with a rather different eye.

A succlent plant with an unusual sour-yet-sweet flavor I quickly discovered that although you can eat it raw I didn't like it that way. I also don't like okra and the texture was too similar for me. Steamed was okay but the best was when The Washington Post published this recipe for a purslane and spring pea soup. Let me tell you four cups of purslane is a fair amount. And this recipe is so delicious we often doubled it thereby neatly using up large quantities of purslane. High in both vitamin A and C as well as magnesium, purslane can be a good vegetable to add to your nutrition plan…if you can find it.

Purslane Soup

2 tablespoons organic butter
2 leeks (white and light-green parts only), washed and chopped
4 cups purslane, rinsed and dried
2 cups fresh peas
3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable broth
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

In a large pot melt the butter.
Add leeks and saute until limp and golden.
Add purslane, peas, potatoes, and broth.
Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and blend using an immersion blender.
Salt and pepper to taste.

May be served hot or cold with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream on top.

Seasonal Eating For Best Health

by Mirafruit, grocery, locavore, seasons, vegetables

I regularly teach a class on seasonal eating. What the benefits are and why we should look to consume more seasonal (and local) produce. Obviously part of the benefit is that seasonal foods are picked when they are fully ripe, especially if they are local, rather than being picked under-ripe and either stored or transported before being force ripened. This means that the nutritive value of the food is fully developed as well as it's flavor. Anyone who has ever eaten a truly fresh tomato knows what I am talking about.

Benefits of seasonal eating

Better for the environment: Eating seasonal, locally produced fruits and vegetables also helps to reduce the environmental impact of your food. If you think about it, why eat tomatoes from 2,000 miles away when you can get better tasting ones closer to home without burning massive amounts of fossil fuels?
More flavor: as mentioned above, food that is picked when it is ripe, rather than when it is convenient to harvest, is going to taste better. The texture (which contributes to the taste and the enjoyment) is also better because the produce is not artificially chilled and then force ripened, all of which changes the produce.
Support your local farmer: most often when you're buying local, in-season produce you're buying it direct from the grower. This helps to cut out the middle man. Farmer's markets and CSA's are a great way to meet those who are actually growing your food and to be able to talk with them about how they are growing your food.
Less pesticides and toxins: most local, small farmers don't use massive amounts of pesticides, insecticides, and other chemicals. This is where getting to know your local farmer is a big benefit. They'll tell you what they're not doing and explain why. Most often it's because they're growing your food in a way that nourishes the soil and that is more beneficial for the plants. Sure it may not look as consistent or "pretty" as what you see at the grocery store but it smells and tastes far better and has more nutrients.

Defining the seasons

At my last class I got a question that I've gotten a couple of times before and I wanted to address it because I think it's an issue that tends to get a little confusing for folks sometimes. It's about the seasonality of food. I live in Texas. We have a very different growing season here compared to most of the rest of the country. We essentially have the equivalent of two spring-like seasons, one very hot season sandwiched in between them, followed by a cold, often rainy season. Learning to grow food here has proven to be a bit of a challenge. It's nowhere near as easy or intuitive as what I'm used to having grown up in the Northeast. Luckily I have several local CSAs and Farmer's Markets that help supplement our supply of seasonal foods with their expert skills.

One question that comes up a lot is about what constitutes a season. The answer? Well, it depends on where you are living. I think the first, most important place to start is to understand the concept of seasonal eating and decide if this is something that you want to follow. We try to do so in our house for most things because we then get the ripest, best tasting produce by waiting for the season. It also means that we more fully appreciate our food by having to wait for it. I'm going to be honest and put in a disclaimer here to say that there are certain foods that we do not eat seasonally because we use them too much (such as onions, garlic, carrots, and celery) but in general we eat berries in the spring and summer, squashes in the winter and so on.

Resources

In addition to learning to appreciate the seasonality of your food, you need to learn what exactly your seasons are. If you're not sure of what's really in season in your area here are some websites that can help:

If you're looking to find a farmer's market and get fresh, seasonal, local product a great resource for the United States is Local Harvest.

Of course, once you've gotten all this fabulous seasonal produce you'll need to know what to do with it. Here are a few cookbooks to help with that.

Cooking in Season: 100 Recipes for Eating Fresh

GATHER: 100 Seasonal Recipes that Bring People Together

Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables

Dishing Up the Dirt: Simple Recipes for Cooking Through the Seasons (Farm-to-Table Cookbooks

The High Density Orchard

by Mirafruit, garden, herbs and spices, vegetables

Indus Valley Sustainable Living Institute

Recently I visited the Indus Valley Sustainable Living Institute run by my friend Priyanka. It was wonderful to see all the amazing things that they do there and learn about recycling and reusing on a bigger scale. One of their tag lines is “eco-logical design.” I love it. What a perfect phrase and concept for living sustainably and in harmony with our environment.

While I was there I was able to see the high density orchard. It's amazing to see all the different fruit trees that are planted in a very small space. They can be grown closer together in part because there is no need to plant them wide enough for commercial machinery to get through for harvesting. There's also no need to prune/thin to maximize production. The trees will be shaped to make getting through the orchard and around the trees easier, but they will produce enough to be sustainable.

I was very happy to see the way the orchard was laid out. Priyanka shared that they have 6 citrus, 3 figs, 3 persimmons, an avocado, 2 apples, 4 bananas, an olive, two pomegranates a loquat, black berries, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, and “a few more growing around here.” Their combined orchard and vegetable garden is all in within a 1/6 acre piece of the 1.25 acres that encompass the property.

It made me realize that what we are doing with our little 1/4 acre property is just right, at least for us. It also made me realize that yes I can have an avocado if I simply move the butterfly ginger just a pinch to the right. Another interesting concept was that in the orchard squashes were growing in between the trees. Priyanka told me that many times vines are encouraged to grow up the tree trunks as a means of support. I think that's great and plan to figure out how I can protect baby squash from the ravages of my little terrier-mix puppy and try to put some in there.

Having your own vegetables and fruit is a great way to connect with your food. On a very basic level there is just something fabulous about picking tomatoes and basil from your own garden to toss into the pan and make a meal.

I have been using Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening for years. It's been great and allows me to grow a large number of vegetables in a relatively small space. For those who don't have a yard, container gardening can be the way to go. There is quite a lot that can actually be grown in containers and a well done container garden is very attractive. From Container to Kitchen, The Vegetables Gardener's Container Bible, and Bountiful Container are all good choices to help you get started with container food and herb gardening.

Another good book is Rosalind Creasy's Edible Landscaping. With a lot of great information about incorporating food plants into the garden in an aesthetic and pleasing way it's a good resource and has a lot of useful ideas for those of us (okay mostly me) who aren't good at landscape design.

While there isn't a similar book that is specifically focussed on growing fruit trees and bushes there are a number of books related to small scale homesteading. These include The Backyard Homestead, Mini Farming, and The Practical Homestead. I'm going to check them out and see if there is information there that I can pass along.

In the meantime if you garden, in the yard, in a container, on your windowsill, I'd love to hear about it.