You may have heard the saying “eat five to seven servings a day of colorful fruits and vegetables” to prevent cancer, heart disease, dementia, obesity, and type II Diabetes. But who is doing that? I find that people eat an average of around three servings a day. And guess what? Some of these “vegetables” are potatoes and corn with very little nutritive value. It’s challenging to get in your “5-7” servings a day, and we often get in a rut by eating the same foods over and over. | |
Let’s Get Out of Our Rut! As we head into springtime the vegetable selection is starting to expand. During the winter months, there are some great selections from the cruciferous family like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and Kale. Along with those we have acorn squash, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and turnips! Ok, I admit, I’m not a big fan of turnips 🙂 Let me help you out with some new vegetable recipes to start your springtime fresh and amp up those veggies! | |
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Grilled Vegetables with Cilantro Dressing It’s time to uncover that grill! I like to use a grill basket and use a mix of vegetables drizzled with olive oil. Zucchini, yellow squash, onions, red pepper, eggplant, or any other vegetable that holds up well on the grill. Cilantro Dressing • 1 shallot, minced • 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink salt • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard • 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar • 1/3 cup of Organic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil • 2 Tablespoons minced cilantro Grill vegetables until crisp and tender. Mix dressing ingredients together and drizzle over grilled vegetables. | |
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Honey Roasted Carrots Carrots are not on our menu’s very often and yet they are cheap, loaded with fiber and nutrients and taste great! Ingredients • 1 pound of organic baby carrots • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp orange juice • 1 tbsp honey • 2 garlic cloves, minced • ¾ tsp salt • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves • freshly ground black pepper to taste Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 3. In a bowl place the olive oil, orange juice, garlic, salt, and honey and mix to combine. 4. Place the carrots on the prepared baking sheet and toss with the honey-orange mixture. 5. Spread into a single layer and roast for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Roast longer for more caramelization. 6. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and freshly ground black pepper and serve. | |
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Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Aioli and Walnut Piccata Nothing says spring like Asparagus! Ingredients: • 1 lb asparagus • 1 cup grated or chopped walnuts Directions: 1. Place asparagus in a medium pan on the stove over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sauté for 7-10 minutes until asparagus blister. Plate asparagus and add lemon aioli and walnut topping. | |
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Lemon Aioli If you don’t use all of this, save and top any steamed veggie with this delicious sauce! • 1 cup Primal Kitchen mayonnaise or Avocado mayonnaise • 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed) • 1 tbsp grated lemon zest • 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt • 1/4 tsp pepper • 2 cloves garlic Directions: 1. Add garlic to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until minced, then add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. If you don’t want to mess with a blender, “press” the garlic in a garlic press and then add in the other ingredients and mix well. | |
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Green Gulch Salad Citrus is still in season and watercress has been available at our grocery store. Watercress is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It provides significant amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, and potassium! • 1 bunch of watercress, rinsed and leaves removed from thick stems • 1 small head of red leaf lettuce, washed and broken into small leaves • 1 small head of butter lettuce, washed and broken into small leaves • 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces • 1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds • 6 oz. of Goat Cheese, crumbled Dressing • 2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar • 1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil • 2 teaspoons shallot, minced • 6 Tablespoons fresh orange juice (or frozen reconstituted) Toss watercress, red lettuce, and butter lettuce in a salad bowl with dressing (may not need all of it, save extra for later use). Top with orange slices, slivered almonds and Feta Cheese. | |
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I hope you enjoy some new recipes and get those servings of veggies up! In health, Chris Mckee Certified Nutritionist at Achieve Integrative Health |
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