Category Archives: Vegetable

Roasted Veggies

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One of my go-to recipes during winter Supersized Sundays is roasted veggies. Turning the oven on warms up the house and the aroma of the spices fills the air. 
I LOVE LOVE roasted veggies as a side for any meal and a quick snack that I can leave on the counter and munch on throughout the day. 

The basics are easy:
1. Gather your veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, squash. parsnip…to name a few).  Cauliflower is one of my favorites as roasting brings out a sweetness in it!
2. Slice them to relatively even pieces.
3. Drizzle with Grapeseed oil or coconut oil (a healthy oil that cooks well at high heat)
4. Sprinkle spice over top.  I often use rosemary (fresh or dried) and dried thyme.  I also use a premixed seasoning that has various spices already mixed in.  You can play around with the amount and flavor. 
5. Mix with hands so all veggies are covered with oil and seasoning.
6. Cook at 425F for about 45min or until a fork can easily go through veggies. 
Enjoy!

Until next time…
Look good, feel good, do good
Sara B.

Turtle Farm CSA Pickup #2

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Another week means another pickup from Turtle Farms CSA! If you missed pickup #1, check it out here.
So what wonderful produce did my box hold for me this week….
Garlic Scapes


The garlic scape is the stem from which the seed head of the garlic bulb is formed. As the bulb begins to grow and mature, the garlic stalks lengthen. As it grows, the garlic scape begins to curve. The scape has a great deal of flavor, although the stalk never reaches the same level of pungency as the bulb. Young garlic scapes are very tender. As the plant continues to mature, the garlic scape gradually begins to straighten, creating more support for the bulb. At this juncture, the garlic scape is much tougher and less appealing.

Pac Choy aka Bok Choy


It has dark green leaves and white celery-like stalks that have a mild, slightly peppery flavor. Both the greens and the stalks are popular in salads and the stalks are often used in stir-fry recipes. When selecting, look for a firm compact head with fresh leaves.
Nutrition
A good source of vitamin C and anti-oxidants, pak choy also provides some iron, folate and dietary fiber

Buying & storing
Choose pak choy with bright leaves and crisp, pale stems. Store in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for three days.
Preparation
All parts of baby pak choy are edible. Wash, then slice as desired.
Cooking tips
Stir-fry with broccoli, chestnuts and soy sauce. Serve with steamed fish.
Stir through Asian noodle soups at the end of cooking.
Kohlrabi

A tasty vegetable that you can eat either raw or cooked.

Nutrition

It’s loaded with antioxidants, it’s a good source of fiber, and its high vitamin C content helps protect cells from free radicals that can damage the body and cause disease. Kohlrabi is also rich in essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.
A half-cup of kohlrabi offers 245 grams of potassium, 25 I.U. of vitamin A, 43.4 milligrams of vitamin C, 11.3 micrograms of folic acid, 16.8 mg of calcium and about 10 mg of choline. It’s a low-fat vegetable with only 19 calories in a half-cup serving that provides a healthy 23 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 1.5 grams of protein.
Kohlrabi tastes mildly like broccoli with just a hint of cabbage.
How to Prepare Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi stores well and can be refrigerated for up to a month. If using it raw in a salad, you can chop both the orb and the leaves and add to lettuce or other greens for a nutritious cold dish.
You can steam kohlrabi in a small amount of water, then lightly salt it to bring out its delicate flavor. Even the leaves can be steamed like spinach.
Diced or chopped kohlrabi makes a flavorful addition to any stir-fry. Lightly cooked, it will retain its crisp texture. Read more: Kohlrabi Nutrition Information eHow.com
Strawberries: Northeaster and Jewel

Aspargus
Radish: Cherry Belle and Pink Beauty


Edible Pansies
Endive
Lettuce: New Red Fire and Deer Tongue

So what did I do with my garlic scapes and bok choy….made stir fry!


Be sure to check out Tallgrass Grocery and help start the Coop here in West Des Moines! A great way to purchase organic and local foods!
Until next time…

look good, feel good, do good

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

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Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
from Clean Eating Magazine
Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers:
2 ORGANIC bell peppers (any color), halved and seeded, stems intact
1/2 C uncooked quinoa
1/2 C chicken broth (I think I used about a cup)
7 oz diced tomatoes (you may notice I have no red in mine…I did not have canned tomatoes on hand)
5 oz spinach or kale (I used kaled and of course, I used more than this…probably a cup or two shredded)
1 T pine nuts
Pesto:
I cheated and used store bought, but if you choose to make your own…
2 cups basil or spinach
1/2 clove garlic
1 1/2 T Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
1 T pine nuts
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
Instructions:
Prepare peppers: preheat broiled to high. Place bell peppers, skin side up on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil until bell peppers start to soften, about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye so you don’t burn!
Meanwhile, combine quinoa, broth, and tomatoes in medium pot. Bring to boil on high heat,then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Add handfuls of spinach to quinoa mixture and stir to combine. Fill bell pepper halves with quinoa-spinach mixture, divide evenly. (before filling, I combined the pesto and quinoa so it was dispersed evenly…you can choose to do this or serve pesto on side)
Prepare pesto:
Add basil, garlic, cheese, pine nuts, oil, salt, and pepper to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add 2-3T water as needed to thin pesto. Top stuffed peppers with pesto (again, see thoughts above).
Nutrients for 2 peppers:
388calories, 18gfat, 43gcarbs, 9gfiber, 14gprotein

Until next time…
look good, feel good, do good

Leek, Potato, Parsnip and Cauliflower Soup

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Leek, Potato, Parsnip and Cauliflower Soup
modified from Clean Eating Cookbook

Ingredients:
4 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled, coarsely chopped
4 leeks, trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise, coarsely chopped and well rinsed
2 parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 C cauliflower florets
5 medium Yukon gold organic potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and passed through a garlic press (or chopped really fine)
1 tsp sea salt
8 C chicken broth
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high flame. Add onions, leeks, parsnips and cauliflower and cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until veggies begin to soften. You may have to add a little more olive oil.
Add cubed potatoes, sea salt, garlic, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 40 minutes or until all veggies are uniformly tender. Using a hand blender, puree soup (or puree in batches in blender or food processor). Adjust flavor by adding sea salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrients for 2 Cups: 227 calories, 8g protein, 36g carbs, 5g fat

Until next time…
look good, feel good, do good
https://davissportsnutrition.com/

Celery & Pear Bisque

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You know how I get about soups this time of year….I just can’t get enough. So here is another scrumptious soup to add to your recipe rolodex.

Let’s get to know the pear a bit so we can appreciate the health benefits it is providing us as we slurp down this soup.
Protection from Free Radicals
Pears are a good source of vitamin C and copper. Both of these nutrients can be thought of as antioxidant nutrients that help protect cells in the body from oxygen-related damage due to free radicals. Vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, directly kills many bacteria and viruses.
Pears Promote Cardiovascular and Colon Health
Pear’s fiber does a lot more than help prevent constipation and ensure regularity. Fiber has been shown in a number of studies to lower high cholesterol levels, good news to people at risk for atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Fiber also binds to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon, preventing them from damaging colon cells. This may be one reason why diets high in fiber-rich foods, such as pears, are associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
from WHFoods.com

Celery & Pear Bisque
from Bon Apetite
Prep: 30 min, total: 50 min
6 servings, calories 178
Ingredients:
4 1/2 T butter (I used Land o Lake tub butter)
6 C thinly sliced celery with leaves – celery has no protective skin, which makes it almost impossible to wash off the chemicals that are used on conventional crops so choose organic if it can be found.
18 oz unpeeled ripe Bartlett pears, cored, diced (generous 3 cups) plus 1/2 C finely diced for garnish – again these are on the dirty dozen so choose organic
1 1/2 C chopped dark green leek tops
reserve one leek stalk (white part) and chop into soup
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 T whole wheat flour
3 C or more of Watkins chicken broth
Instructions:
Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat. Add sliced celery, generous 3 cups diced pears, leak tops and one chopped stalk, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover; cook until celery softens, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Toss in flour. Stir in 3 cups broth; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until celery is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves from soup. Puree soup with hand blender or in batches with blender. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Thin with more broth if desired although mine was perfect. Rewarm before serving. Garnish with diced pears and any reserved celery leaves.

Until next time…
look good, feel good, do good

The 10 Best Greens for You

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Since everything seems to be red and green these days….today I thought I would highlight
The 10 Best Greens for You
From: The South Beach Diet
Research shows that eating dark greens may help maintain good health
by reducing your risk of heart disease, some cancers, and several
other illnesses. They’re also rich in beta-carotene, folate, and
vitamins C, E, and K, which help protect against free radicals
(unstable oxygen molecules that can damage cells). Eating dark
greens regularly may also lower blood pressure and cholesterol,
promote normal eyesight, and improve gastrointestinal function.

Include these 10 nutritional powerhouses in your diet:
Beet greens
Bok choy


Brussels sprouts
Collard greens

Kale (check out my kale chip recipe)


Mustard greens
Romaine and red-leaf lettuce
Spinach
Swiss chard

Turnip greens
How Much Is Enough?
The most recent dietary guidelines published by the US Department of
Health and Human Services recommend consuming at least 3 cups of
dark-green vegetables per week, but if you’re like most Americans,
you don’t get enough.
The good news: All vegetables contribute to a healthy eating plan. So
eat a wide variety — both green and otherwise — throughout the week,
and you’ll take a big step toward providing your body with the nutrients
it needs.

Until next time…eat your greens &
look good, feel good, do good