Mary Ann's Blog
The Overdone Veggies of 2016
January 3, 2017
1) Cauliflower has been the snowy white, purple, green and orange darling of the year; cooked like rice, seared like a steak and pulverized into soups, It needs a rest.
2) Avocado; sure it’s a heartthrob used to make guacamole, cakes, brownies, smoothies, salads and spreads. It’s easy being green.
3) Kale: you can live without it. Shredded for salad, cooked into soups, baked to a crisp, slurped as a smoothie, it can be too much of a good thing.
4) Sweet potato; fries, fries, fries
5) Brussels sprouts: they rise to stardom as the perennial king of the holiday table, roasted to perfection, stir-fried and shredded into salad. Then they are gone.
6) Asparagus: Please! Spring, summer, winter, fall, it’s on every restaurant menu as the ubiquitous side. Go away.
7) Zucchini; it’s everywhere and in everything. There are limits, you know.
8) Green beans; I have nightmares about the green bean casserole. So yesterday.
The Undervalued Veggies of 2017
1) Parsnips; look like carrots with same dense texture but oh so sweet when roasted. Give them a try.
2) Broccoli Rabbi, also known as rape, looks like a loose head of broccoli with small florets; best sautéed with garlic, olive oil and hot red pepper flakes. Even a certain president would like it.
3) Spinach, what is old is new again as in Popeye ate it for years and he is still around (so to speak)
4) Rainbow carrots; go for diversity; they now come in purple, white and yellow.
5) Eggplant; it’s not just for Parmigiana; cube it, sauté it and toss it with pasta or marinate it for a salad with mint and olives. Stuff and roll it with everything from cheese to meat fillings.
6) Mushrooms; don’t be in the dark about these healthy fungus, rich in iron and Vitamin D. Turn them into sauces, sautés and soups; great in quiche too.
7) Onions; the workhorse ingredient of many recipes, taken for granted, they almost want to make you cry but without them, food would be flavorless.
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