Vegetable Challenge

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Knobbly. Wrinkled. Colourful. Variety. Peculiar. Unknown. Adventurous. New. Radical. Traditional. Natural. Real.

 

This post is about stepping out of your comfort zone, moving from the norm and trying new vegetables. They may not generally be a new type of vegetable but rather a variety that you have not tried before. Forget the boiled carrots, peas and broccoli it is time to dig deep, explore and serve up some new goodies.

 

For those that follow the Barefoot Coconut page on facebook you may have seen some new produce in pictures. For those that have not seen these pictures get yourselves over to the page and like me. You know you should. Join the BC revolution. Plus I like getting new likes. The closer I get to 1000 likes there will be a prize giveaway so it is time to start spreading the love. Share to your friends, family and any other soul on the internet.

 

Back to the veggie loving post. As you all know I am a big food advocate of fresh local produce. Every week I buy my produce from the local butchers that produces grassfed and pasture raised meats and the farmshop nursery that grows a lot of plant produce in season. Plus they have the chickens and ducks hatching delicious eggs! Every time I visit the farmshop I am truly excited and return home with A LOT of fresh food. At the moment they are growing amazing lettuce, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions, broccoli, beetroot, courgettes and a million other things. The taste is much better than supermarket stuff shipped from overseas, plus I find a lot of it is cheaper. Due to the season there are a lot of new vegetables and fruits popping up so each week I have been eyeing up different produce and getting something new. This keeps the fun in food and adds variety to meals…plus lots of pictures being posted on the facebook page. Another big advantage to this is adding in a variety of nutrients to the body. By mixing up the nutrients your body will reap the rewards rather than getting accustomed to the same thing day in day out.

 

From my vegetable adventures here are two to tantalise.

 

Salsify

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also known as the oyster root. The edible salsify root resembles a type of carrot. The flesh is cream coloured beneath its dark skin, often compared to oysters, asparagus and artichokes.

 

Nutrition:

  • High in fibre
  • Rich in potassium
  • Riboflavin
  • Manganese
  • Good source of Vitamin C and B6
  • Full of antioxidants
  • Complex carbohydrate

 

 

Health benefits:

 

  • Promotes hair health due to the presence of iron, copper and Vitamin C. Vitamin C which is needed for the synthesis of collagen helps keep hair healthy by promoting healthy blood vessels in the scalp and by strengthening hair follicles. Additionally, vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron from foods.
  • Inulin in black salsify stimulates the growth of bifidobacteria.
  • Thiamine offers additional health benefits for the digestive tract.
  • Strong bones and muscles. The potassium rich salsify promotes a stronger body.

 

Recipe:

 

These are ideas rather than an actual recipe.

 

  1. Roast it – peel the skin, slice the flesh, roast with olive oil, salt and pepper with a mix of other vegetables. Don’t cut them too small as they shrivel in the oven.
  2. Add to stews or soups.
  3. Simmer until soft then sauté in a little coconut oil.

 

 

Purple Spring Onion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switch from the traditional white version to this brightly coloured gem. They have many properties similar to the onion being from the same family.

 

 

Nutrition:

 

  • Vitamin C
  • Fibre
  • Manganese
  • Vitamin B6
  • Potassium
  • Copper

 

Health benefits:

 

  • Lower blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol. The sulphur compounds in onions can help to improve cell membrane function in red blood cells.
  • Anti-inflammatory. Its hallmark antioxidant quercetin helps to promote anti-inflammatory benefits. These antioxidants help prevent the oxidation of fatty acids in our body. When we have lower levels of oxidized fatty acids, our body produces fewer pro-inflammatory messaging molecules, and our level of inflammation is kept in check.
  • Cancer protection. It offers a host of nutrients that are ready to combat and keep the body healthy. Eat LOTS of onions!!

 

Recipe:

 

Purple Peach Salsa

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0

Servings: 2

 

Ingredients

  • 2 peaches, ripe, chopped
  • 1 purple spring onion, sliced (use the green stems too)
  • ½ juice of a lemon (or lime)
  • Fresh coriander, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ – 1 fresh red chilli, chopped

 

Method

  1. Add all ingredients to a bowl.
  2. Mix.
  3. If not eating straight away put in the fridge or serve with preferred meat. This was delicious with sage pan fried pork chops.

 

This week I have purchased yellow courgettes with the flowers, a baby harlequin squash and oxheart tomatoes. FYI the courgette flowers and tomatoes are delicious in a big Amazonian salad.

 

So my challenge to you is this…

 

This next week have a vegetable challenge! When you next do the food shop have a look around for a vegetable you have not had before or not had in a long time. If you can’t find one then choose a usual vegetable but cook or serve it in a different method. It is time to add some fun to the kitchen and excite your palate. Get the food love and take an adventure. Please share your success and post the food picture to the facebook page.

 

Be a veggie loving hippie.