Weight a Minute Monday! Raw Talk
Its a Weight a Minute Monday today on the Spicy Wifey Blog! We occasionally reserve Mondays to discuss health and wellness. In order to be at our SPICIEST, good health is paramount! Our topics vary, exploring healthy weight loss, fitness, eating right and establishing & maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Lets talk raw vegetables today!
In a previous post we chatted about what to do with ripe fruit. I purchase fresh produce regularly but often it goes bad before my family eats it and in effort limit the amount of money going in the trash can and not to mention the health benefits for me and my family going out with the trash as well, I posted information on how to make homemade preserves and jellies with our overly ripe fruits. I don't know why I think that's sexy...being able to take salavage fruit ready to be tossed out and make a homemade spread is so smart & savvy! I don't know, maybe its just me. Anyway, I have the same issue with vegetables. They often go bad and have to toss them.
Typically, its easier for folks to get their fruit in. Kids usually opt for fruit over veggies as well. Now my kids will eat their vegetables. They especially enjoy raw vegetables! I realize, I am fortunate in that regard. But we do have our typical "go to veggies" and tend to eat the same ones over & over. And I am OK with that, at least we are eating fresh vegetables. However, the change of seasons, ushers in new seasonal vegetables and when vegetables are in season, its the best time to enjoy them! In efforts to expand our repertoire of veggies I began taking a closer look at the fall harvest at my local grocery store. It all looked so pretty! Our local Farmers Market, well not so local Farmers Market, because its quite a distance from where I live, (However, ALWAYS worth the trip! Shout out to the Dekalb Farmers Market in Atlanta!) has an even larger, sexier selection of fresh, home grown vegetables in their produce department! (We will talk about the benefits of home grown produce in the future.)
Now as I peruse the produce department, I notice folks tapping, knocking, smelling and surveying vegetables. You've seen it too and have you wondered what are they doing exactly? What are they looking for? What exactly are they smelling? Why the tapping and knocking on vegetables. My mother used to do the same thing . So naturally, I do it too. I think I know what I am looking for, LOL!
I came across an article on this very topic on Kitchen Daily. So now, WE can select our fall produce and KNOW what we are doing and why we are doing it! Here's a list of our favorite fall veggies and how to select and store the yummiest ones!
Butternut Squash
This bell-shaped squash has a similar color, flavor and texture to pumpkin. It can be used interchangeably in recipes that call for pumpkin, including desserts like pie. Butternut squash has the best flavor when roasted.
What to look for: Smooth skin free of blemishes and gouges.
How to store it: Butternut squash and other fall/winter squash varieties can last for months in the pantry.
Kale
This ruffly green, a part of the cabbage family, is perfect sauteed for a side dish or cooked into soups or stews. Young and tender leaves are great in salads and slaws.
What to look for: Dark green leaves with no holes, yellowing or blemishes.
How to store it: If not using kale immediately, store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for no more than
a few days.
Recipes:
Squash and Kale Toasts
Southern Kale
Kale and Potato Hash
These mini cabbages don't deserve to be hated. Try sprouts roasted or grilled for a side dish. These cooking methods give them a sweet caramelized flavor. You can always toss leftover sprouts with pasta to create a quick meal.
What to look for: Tightly wrapped leaves with no yellowing. Search for sprouts sold on the stem, which are usually the freshest.
How to store it: Sprouts on their stems will last longer than sprouts sold cut off. Keep them in the refrigerator for no more than a few days.
Recipes:
Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta
Penne Rigate with Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola
Grilled Brussels Sprouts Salad with Goat Cheese
These broad leafy greens are related to beets. You can find them with stems in a rainbow of colors. Chard is very nutritious and is great sauteed for side dishes or cooked in soups and stews.
What to look for: Crisp leaves and stalks free of blemishes and holes.
How to store it: If not using chard immediately, store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for no more than a few days.
Recipes:
Braised Swiss Chard
Chicken Sausage and Swiss Chard Pie
Quick White Bean Stew with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes
Also known as celeriac, celery root is related to celery with a similar flavor. Grown for its white root, celery root is great cooked and pureed into soup or roasted for a side dish. Sliced or grated extremely thin, celery root can also be enjoyed raw.
What to look for: Roots that are firm and about medium in size (large roots tend to be too fibrous). If the stems and leaves are attached and look green and crisp, then it's a plus for freshness.
How to store it: Keep in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for no more than 2 weeks. Any stems or greens should be used within a few days.
Recipes:
Creamy Celery Root Soup
Roasted Beets and Celery Root with Goat Butter
Celery and Celery Root Salad
Wild MushroomsWild mushrooms are widely available in fall more than any other season. Look for chanterelle, oyster and porcini. Mushrooms are delicious prepared in many ways and in many dishes.
What to look for: Dry, never slimy, mushrooms free of bruises or blemishes. Whole mushrooms are preferable to sliced.
How to store it: Store in a paper bag, never plastic, in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recipes:
Wild Mushrooms with Frisee
Tagliatelle with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic and Thyme
Creamy Porcini-Barley Soup
Related to cabbages and broccoli, cauliflower typically has pristine white florets, but it also can be found in orange, green and purple -- all naturally occurring colors. Cauliflower is great steamed, sauteed, cooked in soups and stews, roasted, and eaten raw.
What to Look for: Uniformly colored heads with few blemishes. The leaves around the base of the head should be fresh and green, not yellow or wilted.
How to store it: Keep cauliflower wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for no more than a week. Do not wash until ready to use.
Recipes:
Madras Cauliflower
Cauliflower Soup
Penne with Cauliflower
Also very similar in flavor to pumpkin, acorn squash is recognizable by its green and orange skin and round acorn shape. Once cut open, the squash halves form the perfect bowls for stuffing and roasting. Squash slices can also be grilled or roasted.
What to look for: Smooth, blemish-free skin.
How to store it: All squashes that are fall/winter varieties can last in the pantry for a couple of months.
Recipes:
Grilled Acorn Squash with Cilantro Mojo
Spicy Red Currant Glazed Acorn Squash
Stuffed Maple Acorn Squash with Sausage and Shiitakes
The parsnip is a white root vegetable resembling a carrot. Its aromatic quality makes it great in soups and stews. Parsnip can also be boiled and mashed or roasted.
What to look for: Firm parsnips free of blemishes.
How to store it: Store in the vegetable drawer for up to 3 weeks.
Recipes:
Celery Root and Parsnip Puree
Parsnip Bacon
Potato-Parsnip Mash
Cabbage is so versatile. You have the option of choosing red, green or savoy. Think slaws, braises and sautes -- cabbage makes a great side with such preparations. Cabbage can easily turn into a main dish when the leaves are used to wrap a meat filling, like in the dish stuffed cabbage. You can also add cabbage to soups or stews.
What to look for: Tightly wrapped leaves with no yellowing or wilting.
How to store it: Wrap in plastic and keep in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer for no more than a week. Do not wash until ready to use.
Recipes:
Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon
Baked Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Country Potato-and-Cabbage Soup
Fall wouldn't be complete without this gourd-like squash.
Pumpkins come in all sizes, from small eating varieties to monstrous ones grown for prize competitions. Pumpkin is delicious steamed, roasted or grilled. It can also be grated and baked into breads. And of course don't forget pumpkin pie.
What to look for: Smooth, blemish-free skin. Sugar pumpkin, Cinderella, Blue Hokkaido and Red Kuri are the best varieties for eating. Jack-o-Lanterns are fine too.
How to store it: Pumpkins can last for a few months in the pantry.
Recipes:
Pumpkin Mousse Tart
Cheesy Pumpkin Biscuits
Pumpkin-Grape Relish
This yellow oval squash has a surprise inside. After roasting, the inside of a spaghetti squash can be scraped with a fork to create long spaghetti-like strands. Toss the squash with a number of different ingredients and enjoy as a main meal or side dish.
What to look for: Smooth, blemish-free skin.
How to store it: All squashes that are fall/winter varieties can last in the pantry for a couple of months.
Recipes:
Spaghetti Squash with Zucchini, Mushrooms and Onion
Curried Spaghetti Squash and Chickpea Toasts
Spaghetti Squash Salad with Pine Nuts and Tarragon
Sweet PotatoesTan-colored on the outside and ranging in color from yellow to orange on the inside, sweet potatoes are sometimes erroneously called yams. The naturally sweet flavor of sweet potatoes makes them enjoyable in both sweet and savory recipes. Try sweet potatoes boiled and mashed, roasted or even fried.
What to look for: Uniformly colored sweet potatoes that are firm. Avoid ones that are soft and have holes, cuts or bruises.
How to store it: Keep in the pantry. At room temperature they will last a week; at cool temperature, for about a month. Do not refrigerate.
Recipes:
Sweet Potato Gratin
Crispy Sweet Potato Ribbons
Sweet Potato Meringue Pie
Closely related turnips and rutabagas are both a part of the cabbage family. The white-fleshed roots can be prepared in many ways, from boiling to roasting. Turnip greens can be sauteed. Interestingly, the custom of carving jack-o-lanterns began in Ireland with turnips and rutabagas, not pumpkins.
What to look for: Firm roots that are relatively free of blemishes. Turnips sold with their leafy tops should have green, unwilted leaves.
How to store it: Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 2 weeks. Turnip tops should be used within a few days.
Recipes:
Squash and Kale Toasts
Southern Kale
Kale and Potato Hash
Please share yoru Veggie Tales with us! To leave your comment, select "add comment" and scroll down to the bottom of the page to reveal the text box.
Quin, Spicy Wifey Creator
Lynn makes this comment
Monday, 26 September 2011
Some of the recipes sound good.
Alex makes this comment
Monday, 26 September 2011
K, Woods makes this comment
Monday, 26 September 2011
My husband does cook too and thats really sexy!
Confession, I never knew how to really pick good vegetables. No one teaches you that stuff, so how are you suppose to know? And when you are an adult, you feel like its something you are suppose to know. So who do you ask? Eating right is important to us and we are trying to better. This is a great post. Do one for picking fruit too, please.
Thank you!