THE PRODUCE SECTION:
From A to Z
With an Emphasis on
Vegetables and Culinary Herbs
©2003 Sara Ducey
Plant Name |
Serving Suggestions |
Artichoke |
Boiled until tender (30-45
minutes) in water flavored with lemon wedges, garlic and olive oil.
Serve warm with melted butter. |
Arugula = Rocket Cress |
Steamed with a drizzle of
olive oil and Balsamic vinegar; marvelous
as a fresh salad with almost any vinaigrette. |
Asparagus |
Broiled or sauteed, with sea
salt and Balsamic vinegar; can just nibble on raw stalks |
Avocado |
Sliced in a salad, or mashed
for Guacamole dip |
Basil |
Fresh basil is delightful
cut coarsely and mixed into your salad;
great minced on top of soups; and wonderful with appetizers |
Beet Greens |
Steamed, like spinach.
Use the young, tender greens |
Beets |
Buy a bunch of smallish
beets. Scrub them, cut the
greens off close to the beet top. Wrap
tightly in aluminum foil. Bake
at 400 degrees F for 1 hour. Cool.
Use with watercress to make a salad, or use as a hot vegetable. |
Bok Choy |
Can be chopped like regular
cabbage for a more delicate cole slaw. |
Broccoli |
Eat steamed broccoli for
breakfast. I'm not kidding!
The more the better; the sprouts are particularly nutritious
(rinse thoroughly) |
Brussel's Sprouts |
These can be quite sharp in
flavor. Buy just a few to
try. Keep experimenting;
they are great for you |
Cabbage |
Add some chopped cabbage to
your dinner salad |
Carrots |
Keep a few fresh carrot
sticks in a zip lock in the fridge -- eat them in the car; shredded
carrots power boost a salad. |
Cauliflower |
Eat raw cauliflower in front
of the TV; if you dip it in ground spices like cumin, corniander,
paprika or cayenne you get extra nutrition |
Celery |
Wash celery ribs and stuff
with blue cheese. Cut into
bit-sized nibbles |
Chard, Swiss chard |
Steam and serve with real
butter |
Chicory |
Use in mixed salads |
Chives |
Mince and serve sprinked on
salads, soups or appetizers |
Cilantro or Coriander
(Chinese Parsley) |
Mince and serve atop Mexican
foods, soups and salads. |
Collard Greens |
These are the toughest of
the greens. They require
longer cooking, but the nutrition they pack is worth the time cooking
and chewing! |
Dandelion Greens |
These are funny!
They are exactly what grows in your yard, but without the yard
chemicals. Serve just like
spinach. Great sauteed with
some oil and vinegar. |
Eggplant |
Try as eggplant parmesan or
in a cold eggplant dip. |
Endive |
This is a bitter green that
is pale green. It is an
acquired taste. Try a small
salad of endive with toasted walnuts and grated Gruyere Cheese. |
Garlic |
This is very healing;
add it to everything you can think of |
Jicama |
Scrub the jicama, peel it
and cut into dipping sized pieces. Use
instead of chips with a spicy or savory dip |
Kale |
Kale is the wonderfood!
Try it sauteed or as Colcannon (mashed potatoes, leeks and kale) |
Kohlrabi |
These are very silly
looking. Wash, and slice into
bite-sized pieces. Great
nibble food in front of the TV |
Lettuces - Romaine, Red Leaf, and Green Leaf |
Eat less iceberg and move
into the world of darker, more colorful lettuces.
Romaine is the most powerful with regard to nutrients.
|
Marjoram |
Another culinary herb that
adds nutrition and flavor -- use
herbs as often as you can |
Mushrooms |
These are often dismissed,
but they are tremendously rich in nutrients and phytochemicals.
Try making mushroom soup from scratch (with real cream).
Order your pizzas with mushrooms. |
Mustard Greens |
Similar to beet greens and
chard. Try 'em! |
Onions |
Great nutrition -- add raw
to salads, use slice onion in sandwiches |
Parsley |
The large, flat leaf parsley
works beautifully. Chop it
coarsely and add to green salad; mince it up and sprinkle it on
everything! Hummus,
vegetables, potatoes, soups, stews, etc.
Every bit helps! |
Peas -- sugar snap peapods
or snow pea pods |
Rinse and eat raw!
Also great in stirfrys. |
Peppers -- red, yellow,
green |
Peppers are great as nibble
foods (in lunch box, or in front of the computer); blend beautifully in
salads and other vegetable dishes. |
Radicchio |
This is the wrinkly purple
"lettuce'' you see at the grocery.
Very good added to salads; more expensive than other vegetables,
but you don't need much to add variety, nutrition and flavor. |
Radishes |
Zippy flavor that packs some
interesting phytochemicals. Wash
thoroughly, trim tops and eat these as nibble food |
Rosemary |
Marvelous to flavor meats,
poultry and root vegetables. Great
for your hormones |
Scallions = green onions |
Chop and add to soups and
salads |
Shallots |
Look like a cross between
purple onions and garlic. Fabulous
in salad dressing. Great
fried and sprinkled on tops of salads, soups and entrees. |
Tarragon |
Wonderful mixed in with
chicken salad or soups |
Tomatoes |
Add a bit of olive oil or
meat drippings to tomato sauces to ensure absorption of lycopene. |
Thyme |
Use with meats, poultry and
soups |
Turnips |
Add a nice flavor to roasts,
soups and stews. |
Spinach |
Spinach salad with mandarin
orange segments and purple onion; steamed
spinach with melted butter. |
Squashes -- acorn, winter,
hubbard |
Roast acorn squash in the
oven with cinnamon sprinkled on top. |
Watercress |
Add to your regular salad,
or mix with beets and blue cheese as its own salad.
Also great to just nibble on! |
Zucchini |
Sauteed with colorful pepper
slices, garlic and olive oil. |