Vegetables are the workhorses of the nutrition world. They usually are
inexpensive, available year round, store well, and are packed full of
nutritients. Make sure to check out the resources listed at the bottom of this page.
VEGETABLES H-Z
JICAMA Jicama is a fresh, crisp root
or tuber with a sweet apple-y flavor that is delicious sliced raw in salads.
Choose heavy tubers with no soft spots. Wash, peel, and slice to serve. It is
sliced and served with lime and chili powder in Mexico. Patriotic
Salad
KOHLRABI Kohlrabi is a very
nutritious, delicious root vegetable. Choose kohlrabi that is smaller than 3"
in diameter. Wash and peel before slicing. It can be served raw in salads, or
cooked by steaming or boiling.
MUSHROOMS Fresh mushrooms are
wonderful in salads, especially pasta salads. There is something about the
tender, soft texture with a bit of crunch that is delectable. Choose mushrooms
that are firm and creamy white, with no brown spots. Only buy mushrooms from
reputable sources, and if you hunt your own, make sure you know what you're
doing! Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Rinse quickly to wash.
Don't soak the mushrooms in water, or they will absorb lots of liquid and be
watery. Cut off the ends of the stems, then slice or chop. The thin membrane
under the cap that encloses the gills is called the veil. Mushrooms are still
fine if the veil is open, revealing the gills. Open veil mushrooms won't last
as long, but have a richer flavor. Wonderful exotic mushrooms varieties like
portobella, crimini, morels, and oyster mushrooms are now available to add a
rich, smoky flavor to your recipes. Grilled
Garlic Steak Salad
ONIONS AND LEEKS Buy firm, solid
onions and leeks with no wet spots. Leeks should have crisp, dark green leaves
and feel heavy for their size. Don't store onions in the refrigerator, or they
will soften. Peeling onions under water is really the only way to avoid tears.
When you cut an onion, you release sulfur compounds that irritate your eyes.
Holding a match or piece of bread in your mouth just doesn't work. Make sure
you rinse leeks very well, as they are grown in sand and the sand really can
hide in between the leaves. Oniony
Meaty Spaghetti Sauce
PEPPERS Bell peppers are sweet and
smoky, while peppers like jalapenos and habaneros are very spicy and hot.
Choose firm, brightly colored peppers and store them covered in the
refrigerator for 2-3 days. Wash them, cut in half, and remove seeds before
slicing or chopping. Roasting peppers, then placing them in a paper bag and
removing the skin makes the peppers smoky, soft and sweet. The seeds and
membranes in hot peppers store most of the capsacin, so remove them for less
heat. Be very careful when preparing hot peppers to not touch your eyes, nose
or mouth or your skin will burn. By the way, drinking milk or eating bread is
the best way to reduce the heat taste of hot peppers on your tongue. Wild
Rice Salad
POTATOES Potatoes store very well, so
buy them in bulk! Make sure to store them away from onions, however, as they
each release a gas that shortens the other's shelf life. Don't store potatoes
in the refrigerator, as the starch will convert to sugar and the taste will be
unacceptably sweet. Potatoes should be firm, heavy, and smooth with no soft
spots or bruises. I almost never peel them before adding them to a recipe, but
you certainly can peel if you prefer. Potatoes
Grand Mere
SPINACH Fresh spinach is a wonderful
addition to salads. It is soft and sweet with a wonderful nutty flavor. Cooked
spinach has more available nutrients, however. I prefer using frozen cut leaf
spinach when a recipe calls for cooked, but cooking fresh spinach is very
easy. Purchase spinach with crisp, deep green leaves with no bruises or soft
spots. Wash thoroughly because it tends to be sandy. Steam the spinach with
just the water that clings to its leaves for moisture, until it wilts and
turns very deep green. Seven
Layer Salad
SQUASH Winter squashes are hard
skinned, heavy fruits (yes, fruits!) that should be firm, with a dry, attached
stem. Winter squash is almost always baked. Pumpkins, butternut squash,
delicata, Hubbard, acorn and spaghetti squash are common varieties. Summer
squashes are more like cucumbers, with tender, soft skin and delicate flesh.
Choose firm, small summer squashes with no brown spots. Peel if you like,
wash, and slice. Summer squashes are wonderful cooked in a little butter, with
salt and pepper. Varieties include zucchini, yellow summer squash, crookneck
and scalloppini. Marinated
Vegetable Salad
TOMATOES If you are lucky enough to
grow fresh tomatoes yourself, you know how wonderful they are right off the
vine. During the fall, spring and winter months, I prefer buying plum, cherry,
or grape tomatoes rather than the large woody varieties that are bred for
shipping sturdiness. Tomatoes should be firm, but give gently when pressed. If
you can buy them from a farmer's market or roadside stand, so much the better!
To seed tomatoes, cut in half and gently squeeze to remove the seeds and
tomato jelly. To peel tomatoes, dip briefly in boiling water until the skin
begins to split. Cool by plunging into ice water, and the skin will slip right
off. Mango
Tomato Salad
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