By Gena Hamshaw CCN on February 17, 2012
Here we are, deep in the heart of winter. As we hunker down and prepare ourselves for several more weeks of arctic chill, it’s easy to bemoan the long road to summers’ farmers markets, with their bursts of plump berries, tender young greens and crisp, delicate stalks of asparagus. Sometimes it seems as though those months will never arrive and that we’ll be eating leeks, potatoes and onions forever.
Before we start feeling too sorry for ourselves, it’s important for all local and seasonal eaters to be reminded that winter produce offerings are far more extensive and generous than we might assume. They include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, winter squash, parsnips, cauliflower, celery root, endives, radicchio, Swiss chard, kumquats, and winter citrus, depending on where you’re located. And they also include a creature that goes by a strange name: rutabaga.
Rutabaga: it sounds like an ingredient for a witch’s stew, doesn’t it? In truth, this golden root vegetable is very similar to its close cousin, the turnip. Like turnips, rutabagas are considered to be members of the cabbage family of vegetables and are also referred to as crucifers. They sport a waxy, yellow exterior, and they’re tender enough to be sliced, diced, and eaten raw. They are also naturally sweet, which means that steaming and roasting release a delicious, mildly caramelized flavor.
Rutabagas may be bland to the eye, but their health benefits are distinctive indeed. Rutabagas are an excellent source of Vitamin C, an important wintertime ally against commonplace ailments. Depending on serving size, a portion of rutabaga can provide from 17 to 45 percent of the recommended daily amount of calcium for women. They are an excellent source of fiber (which we all know and love for its ability to keep our digestive systems moving along) and potassium, a mineral that aids in proper electrolyte balance. Finally, rutabagas are rich in isothiocyanates, a family of phyochemicals which may aid in preventing cancer and fighting inflammation. Like most great vegetables, rutabagas are as kind to your god pod as they are to your palate.
My favorite means of enjoying rutabaga is in this quick and easy, delicious and high-raw vegetable soup. It’s creamy, rich and a perfect source of warmth on a cool winter’s night. If you’re following a strict raw diet, though, have no fear — you can skip the gentle steaming step and enjoy a soup that’s 100 percent raw.
Rutabaga and Rosemary Soup
Serves: 2-4
1 3/4 cups chopped rutabaga
1 1/2 cups almond milk or water (I like a half-and-half combination of the two!)
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 small clove garlic (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Gently steam the rutabaga over boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until the chunks are just tender.
Place the rutabaga in a high-speed blender with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Reheat gently if you like, or blend for a little extra time to keep the soup warm.
This soup is a little sweet, a little savory and a lot creamy. Drink it with any meal or even as a comforting and nutrient-dense midday snack. It’s also: high raw, vegan, gluten-free and soy-free.
Curious about other ways to prepare rutabaga? A simple roasting with some sea salt, pepper and coconut oil will release the vegetable’s natural sweetness and make a perfect addition to winter suppers. You can also shave and toss rutabaga into a seasonal salad of walnuts, citrus, fennel, dark leafy greens and pomegranate seeds. You’ll be delighted by the crunch!
No matter how you serve this underrated root vegetable, I guarantee you’ll be surprised by its mild flavor and versatility. Enjoy it and its many health benefits, too.
For more information on how to optimize your health, visit choosingraw.com.
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By Rip Esselstyn on December 13, 2011
When it comes to competing for stellar placement in your grocery cart, consider vegetables to be the equivalent of Olympians—in fact, they are the gold-medal winners. Packed with fiber, macro- and micronutrients, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other disease-preventing & health-enhancing qualities, they taste great and make you healthy at the same time.
1. Green leafy vegetables: Whether it’s kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, bok choy or Brussels sprouts, these powerful yet graceful vegetables are the Michael Phelps of vegetables! Men, a little secret I’ll let you in on: The more greens you eat, the harder your wood gets. Leafy greens pump up the production of nitric oxide in your blood vessels, which is a potent vasodilator. Ditch the blue pill, and fill up on leafy greens. Cut them up, and toss ‘em in at the last minute to supercharge your soup or pasta! You can steam or stir-fry leafy greens with garlic and lemon juice or with a walnut or cashew sauce.
2. Sweet potatoes: Hearty and satiating, father of Olympic gold medal winner, Usain Bolt, attributes his son’s speed to his favorite food: the Jamaican sweet potato. His son has set two world records in the 100 and 200-meter dashes to show for it! ‘Nuff said. Wrap them up in aluminum foil, and place in the oven or toaster oven for one hour at 400 degrees. Sweet potatoes don’t need a thing; eat ‘em naked.
3. Beets: “Why so serious?” as the Joker would say. Anything that is blood red and can turn your stools a similar hue has every right to be deadly serious. Boil beets in water for 45 minutes or place in the toaster oven for 45-60 minutes. Immediately rinse them off in cold water, and feast your eyes on the beet as the brown outer layer flakes off and a glistening, silky red dermis reveals itself. Remember to cook up the beet greens as well!
4. Romaine lettuce: This robust, leafy green vegetable is a nutritional monster. Use this hearty and hefty lettuce as the foundation in salads instead of nutritionally vacant and boring iceberg lettuce. As an added bonus, Romaine lettuce will keep for several days in the chiller bin of your fridge.
5. Onions: Yeah, they may make your eyes water, but there’s nothing wrong with a few tears–even real men cry when they win a gold medal! Start any stir-fry, soup, or homemade pasta sauce with an onion. They are multi-layered and complex – just like us men.
6. Mushrooms: Technically a fungus, mushrooms are a strange breed, indeed. They come in a variety of weird shapes, sizes, and breeds–white button, shiitake, cremini, Portobello, and oyster to name a few–and all are delicious. Used as a meat substitute in any dish, mushrooms are a (wo-)man’s best friend.
7. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are a gift from the gods. Technically fruits, tomatoes are one badass, versatile food. You can use them in sandwiches, salads, casseroles, appetizers–like decathletes, they can be winners at almost everything.
8. Avocados: Ditch the saturated fat-laden and artery-clogging mayo and butter, and go for the green gold. Avocados are smooth, satisfying, and satiating, and win it all, either as a tasty condiment or a hearty side.
9. Bell Peppers: Red, gold, green, purple and orange, bell peppers make the top ten list due to their color, taste, presentation, and versatility. Whether cut up in pasta primavera sauce, stuffed, stir-fried, tossed in a salad, roasted, or even plain, bell peppers are an Engine 2 favorite and should be in every man’s quiver.
10. Asparagus: Asparagus was prized by the Romans as the vegetable of the Gods and is still valued as such today. Oddly, half of us have a gene that makes our urine stink within minutes after eating it. Ask ten people you know, and five will know what you’re talking about. But it’s a small price to pay for a wonderful veggie that can be eaten hot, cold, in salads, with grains and always makes a special addition to any meal.
Go for the gold!
For more on how to optimize your health, visit Engine2Diet.com
Photo credit: Darwin Bell
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By Kevin Archer on December 7, 2011
The freshness of the summer market lingers on my palate as we slowly transition into winter. As I reluctantly let go of sun-ripened tomatoes and delicate salad greens, I reach for winter sustenance.
Summer is a time for letting it all hang out, like a garden filled with wispily waving fennel, nasturtiums sluicing through open channels in rapids of color, and trellised vines of sugar snap peas. Winter, however, is about finding one’s grounding again, seeking the concentrated energy to be found inward.
“Grounding” and “concentrated” are words that easily apply to the abundance of root vegetables available during winter. But root vegetables aren’t the only things available: hearty greens and squash are eager to provide us with the diverse nutrients needed to maintain our health and good cheer during the winter months.
A quick look at my availability chart shows me the wonderful array of vegetables that are waiting here at winter’s doorstep: sweet potatoes, onions, cabbage, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, shallots, butternut and other squashes, potatoes, garlic, broccoli, leeks, kale, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin — winter is far from drab and gray!
Also, when I consider the easy access I have to dried beans and grains, as well as cultured foods like tempeh, I realize just how abundant and vibrant my winter will be.
In some ways, cooking in the winter is much simpler than in the summer. Baking a sweet potato is about the easiest thing one can do. As the sweet potato finishes, I simmer a bit of quinoa. Above the simmering quinoa, I place my bamboo steamer, into which I’ve tossed a handful of chopped kale. When I plate this tasty trio, I supercharge their highly nutritious state by drizzling on a little flax oil and some nutritional yeast. A meal could hardly be more simple, satisfying, or whole.
The following recipes were developed around produce that is available fresh during the winter, as well as dried beans and grains. They are quite simple to prepare, and being simple, they are also flexible. If the recipe calls for carrots, feel free to use parsnips. Don’t want mashed potatoes on the Shepherd’s Pie? No problem, use sweet potatoes.
Sometimes we rely too much on heavy foods during the winter, simply because they feel so good and warming. Don’t forget, however, to include hearty helpings of leafy greens. The Winter Greens Salad is a perfect way to balance a meal.
Recipes
Mushroom and Barley Soup
8 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup barley
1/2 cup lentils
1 teaspoon sea salt
Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms until they give up their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add carrots, garlic, herbs and black pepper, and sauté until carrots are soft.
Add vegetable stock and barley. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower flame and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add lentils and simmer for another 20 minutes, or until lentils are done.
Add sea salt and remove from heat.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Fennel
6 servings
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 fennel bulb
4 shallots, quartered
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove outer layer of leaves. Slice in half through the base and place in mixing bowl.
Trim end of fennel bulb, and remove outer layers if blemished. Cut 1/4-inch thick slices, perpendicular to the root, up to the green stalks. Place in bowl with Brussels sprouts.
Add shallots, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Toss well.
Place in 2-quart casserole dish. Roast uncovered at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Toss, cover and roast for 25 minutes more.
Winter Greens Salad
4 servings
4 collard leaves, chopped
4 lacinato kale leaves, chopped
8 red kale leaves, chopped
4 Napa cabbage leaves, chiffonade
3/4 cup carrot, shredded
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/2 cup raisins
In wok or skillet over high heat, wilt the collard and kale in a small amount of water. Do not cook completely.
Mix cooked greens with Napa cabbage, carrot, pumpkin seeds and raisins.
Toss with Pomegranate Vinaigrette (recipe below) and serve.
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
4 servings
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar (optional)
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
Place garlic, shallot, pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, agave nectar and sea salt in blender. Blend until fully homogenized.
Add olive oil and blend until emulsified.
Shepherd’s Pie
4 servings
3/4 pound potatoes
1 small onion, whole and unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided use)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (divided use)
1 teaspoon black pepper (divided use)
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1/4 pound parsnip or carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon tarragon (dried)
1/2 teaspoon marjoram (dried)
1/2 teaspoon sage (dried)
1 teaspoon thyme (dried)
1/2 pound tempeh, crumbled
2 cups vegetable stock (divided use)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (can also use any gluten-free flour)
Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place whole, unpeeled potatoes and whole onion on a baking sheet. Put in oven and roast until potatoes are soft.
Peel and dice onion, and place in large bowl with the potatoes.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, non-dairy milk, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mash potatoes thoroughly and set aside. (If smoother, whipped potatoes are desired, use electric mixer.)
Lower oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Warm a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms give up their liquid, about 10 minutes.
Add onion, parsnip or carrot, garlic, herbs and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Sauté until onions are soft.
Add tempeh and sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Simmer over low heat until stock is evaporated.
Add flour and mix well. Pour in remaining stock and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until gravy forms.
Place vegetable mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
Photo credit: matupplevelser
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By Jennifer Reilly RD LD on October 17, 2011
Healthy food fast is easy if you have the right ingredients in your arsenal and don’t let stress or time gum up your nutrition as a top priority. Here are 10 essential ingredients that will maximize your chances of success in today’s busy world. Having the right quick ingredients on hand will help you continue cloud surfing your way through health euphoria even on extra rushed and wild days. Always have on hand:
1. Organic Salad Greens. Salad doesn’t have to take hours of prep or your life savings to enjoy. Get a bunch of tasty, dark, salad greens, and enjoy them daily with nothing but low-fat dressing, or a tad of brown rice vinegar, olive oil, and sea salt. The greens can be pre-washed, but know that they often spoil faster.
2. Low-Fat Salad Dressing, or Olive Oil + Brown Rice Vinegar in a 2:1 ratio. Even the cutest of tushes need salad dressing on their greens. One of my favorite bottled dressings is Trader Joe’s Light Champagne Vinaigrette. But when it’s out of stock in my fridge, the olive oil/brown rice vinegar/sea salt combo or the following tahini dressing are perfect for dolling up the lettuce mountain.
Tahini Dressing for Veggies
Makes 1 cup (16 Tablespoons)
Prep time 3 minutes
1/3 cup tahini?(sesame seed butter)
1/3 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1 Blend ingredients together until smooth. Add additional water, 1 Tbsp at a time, for a thinner dressing.
2 Store dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days. Stir or re-blend if dressing separates.
NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per Tbsp: 35 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 115.5 mg sodium, 1.5 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 1 g protein, 0% vitamin A, 3% vitamin C, 2.5% calcium, 3% iron
Note: Alternatively, use unsalted almond butter in place of tahini for an equally delicious dressing.
Recipe from: Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook: Skinny Dish! by Jennifer K. Reilly, RD.
3. Dried Beans or Lentils: On a slow Sunday, cook up a heap of dried beans (pinto and black are favorites) or lentils (which only take about 20 minutes) and then freeze them in 1-cup portions for quick access anytime. Just drain and toss them on a salad, into a stir-fry, burrito, or stirred into soup. Or blend cooked beans or lentils with 1 cup salsa for a fast bean dip or sandwich spread. To do a “quick soak” for beans, cover them with water in a large cooking pot and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour. Drain water. Add new water. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 1 more hour.
4. Quinoa: (“keen-wah”). When you’re rushed for dinner, brown rice–or even white rice for that matter–takes way too long to cook. Quinoa is not only a great rice substitute rich in fiber and protein (and a gluten-free food), but it only takes 15 minutes to cook. Get pre-rinsed quinoa if you can, or rinse the seeds vigorously in water before cooking to remove the saponins. Quinoa is a seed that’s eaten like a whole grain, and can even be mixed with fruit, nuts, cinnamon, and non-dairy milk for a fast breakfast the next morning.
5. Berries: Fresh or frozen. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are so full of life-extending compounds while also being rich in fiber and low in calories, that you’re better off opting FOR these sweet little miracle makers at meal or snack time. Toss them into breakfast cereals or smoothies, atop salads, or eat them by the handful. Sure feels better than the sugar crash of a vending machine candy bar!
6. Non-Dairy Milk: Fortified almond, coconut, hemp, oat, or soy milk have all the calcium and vitamin D of dairy milk, less sugar, better taste, fewer calories, and don’t cause mucous production, inflammation, and weight gain the way dairy milk does. Enjoy unsweetened almond milk with 45 calories & 0 grams of sugar per cup or original coconut milk beverage–include it in smoothies, pour it onto a bowl of high-fiber breakfast cereal, or add it to tea. Mmm!
7. Broccoli: The florets are so full of antioxidants, cancer-fighters, and hormone regulators, and they’re not a particular threat to pests. So, conventionally grown broccoli isn’t riddled with pesticides, which means it’s OK if you can’t buy organic. Steam, roast, stir-fry, or curry it (cook with curry powder and light coconut milk, see below), or dip the florets in bean dip for a satisfying snack.
8. Canned Coconut Milk: Canned light or full-fat coconut milk (1/2 cup or more) and curry powder (2 tsp) can turn any veggie or veggie combo into a gourmet curry dish. Add beans for protein and serve over quinoa.
9. Kale: Rich in blood pressure busting chlorophyll, immune-boosting antioxidants, and calcium that is absorbed twice as well as dairy calcium, kale is a true powerhouse. Juice it, toss it into smoothies, stir-fries, or bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with a touch of olive oil and salt (stir after 15 minutes and return to the oven) for a crunchy veggie side dish even kids will crave.
10: Dark Chocolate: A few squares will powerfully satisfy your sweet tooth and are loaded with antioxidants. Work from a large bar—a small piece at a time—so you aren’t tempted by other sweet foods in the office or at home.
For more quick and easy plant-powered recipes including a whole host of 8-minute meals, check out Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook: Skinny Dish! by Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D., with foreword by Kris Carr which launches today!
Photo credit: Ula Nice
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By Guest Blogger on October 10, 2011
As a mother of four, one of my biggest pleasures in life is feeding my kids nutritious meals. Unfortunately, it’s not always as easy as I hope it will be! I tend to romanticize while making my evening meals, thinking to myself, “My family will all love dinner tonight! They will wipe their mouths, clear their dishes and give me a hug to say thanks for your efforts, Mom!
And then I’m reeled back into reality when I hear, “No way I am eating that! It’s green!”
So for all you masterful mommies out there trying to feed your children nutritious meals, here are some helpful hints to get these nutrient-packed foods into your weewellness-warriors:
Smoothies. This is one of the easiest ways to get some greens into your kids’ diets. A handful of spinach is hardly detectable, and the flavor can easily be masked by fruit (use darker fruit like mixed berries to mask the color, too). A children’s cup with a lid is also an easy solution for those stubborn eyes! Try starting with a 3-to-1 ratio (3 fruits to 1 green) Be creative; who said you can’t put a little zucchini in a smoothie?
Start small. Younger children might be a little pickier, and you may need to do a little “sneaking” for these ones. Chopped kale can be thrown into just about any dinner meal without so much as a second glance from the youngsters. An entire bunch can be finely chopped and put into soups, fajitas, pot pies, pizzas or pasta dishes like lasagna and spaghetti. The key is to chop it small enough so that it cannot be easily picked out. If you’re not already, get familiar with kale. Even a little of this dark leafy green packs a powerful punch for our kiddos.
Set the stage. “Children have never been great at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” If you want your kids to eat their greens, then you need to do the same. We can’t fall into the old adage, “Do what I say, not what I do”. Want to make an impression? Walk around the house munching on a whole cucumber – if they don’t notice, their friends definitely will!
Solicit support. Get your kids involved. Children’s minds are like sponges that are anxiously waiting to be filled. Teach them why we want to eat broccoli, spinach, celery and lettuce. Excite them by teaching them about the powerful pac-man qualities of veggies. Let them choose the vegetable in their lunch or dinner. Have them help with a garden or the grocery shopping. It’s often easier to do things ourselves, but our children will benefit from being involved (especially when they sense approval from Mom). And of course, don’t forget to invite Dad to jump on board. Healthy kids are a team effort,
Stock for success. Let’s be honest. If you want your kids to eat their greens, then you need to actually stock your kitchen with them! Find the ones that you know your kids will eat, and make sure to have them on hand as well as a few others for them to keep on trying. Their little tastebuds will eventually “hatch”, and someday they’ll thank you for it. You mommies are busy women, so take some time each week to clean and chop veggies that can be kept in the crisping drawer in the fridge. When snack time comes around, your kids can reach for the fridge instead of the pantry. (Keep some tissue on hand for that day when you shed a little tear for your success!)
Following these 5 simple hints you can jumpstart your family’s health today! Your meal times will have less resistance, you will feel like ya done good. And … you never know … green might become your children’s favorite color!
Charity Lighten is a wife, mother, business owner, Food for Life Instructor, and a lover of food! She has a passion for nutrition and the power of food – especially as it pertains to disease prevention. She has a love for life and finds great joy in inspiring others to recommit to great health!
Photo credit: Maigh
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