If you’re like most people, eating vegetables feels like a chore. Or perhaps you don’t mind veggies, but you have a couple favorites that are starting to bore you. Or maybe you’re like the majority of Americans who eat about 10% less vegetables than ever before. Whatever the reason, we all could use more vegetables in our diets, but they certainly don’t have to be boring or bland! One of my favorite things to do in the summer is visit the local farmer’s market and search for unusual vegetables to offer some variety to my personal chef clients.
I wanted to share my top four favorite strange summer vegetables that are worth trying:
Romanesco Broccoli
Romanesco Broccoli is beautiful, just look at it! This work of art is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. It’s naturally an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-carcinogen. My favorite way to eat this vegetable is to cut cross sections into “cauliflower steaks,” brush with olive oil, salt and pepper and then bake on 375 F for about 10 minutes. You can also mash these like potatoes.
Fiddlehead Ferns
Okay, don’t run away just yet! This vegetable might look scary, but they are mild and really good in pasta and salads! We even put them on a steak and potato skewer for a client this week. I love the crunch they have, but make sure you don’t eat them raw, as they make people sick when eaten raw. Cook them like you would asparagus. You can steam, roast or saute them.
Purple Sweet Potato
I’m sure you’ve heard of sweet potatoes, but have you heard of purple sweet potatoes or The Okinawan sweet potato? This cousin to the sweet potato was named one of the top super foods by Dr. Oz. The reason why? These bad boys have 150 percent MORE antioxidants than blueberries!! They also help lower your cholesterol unlike regular potatoes. I like to cut them into wedges and eat them as fries. They help satisfy your craving for carbs and are perfect for someone on a paleo diet.
Garlic Scape
I’m a little obsessed with garlic scape right now. This vegetable is actually the stalk that flowers at the top of a garlic plant. It has all of the heart healthy benefits of onion and garlic and I like to chop it up and throw into creamy pasta sauces or use as garnish. You definitely need to try this one!
If you’d like to learn more about vegetables and how they can help you with certain health ailments like high blood pressure or lowering cholesterol levels , download my free A-Z Fruit and Vegetable Guide here: www.savorculinaryservices.com/foodbenefitsguide/
Here’s a sample of one of the pages:
