The Spell of Uncommon Vegetables

“Hands off my rutabaga”, he remarked, harshly.  I backed away, slowly, as to not be noticed that another piece had been taken. ... It was leftover night and there was only enough food for one of us. I would scrounge around for something else that would nourish my soul, not necessarily my body. (“Where was the ice-cream”, I thought?) He'd had a grueling day and deserved a real meal. ...This evening's menu would include chicken cutlet, mashed potato made with goat's milk and the rutabaga, cubed and ready to go. A salad with homemade dressing would accompany it. He loved rhubarb so a dressing was made using this fruit, pureed with a few other fruits, added to balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, oil and seasonings.

Rutabaga is a family favourite, in addition to brussels sprouts, spinach, bok choy, and other lesser known and popular veggies. Containing fat soluble vitamins - (A, D, K, E,) - key nutrients for optimum human health - these uncommon vegetables are nutrient rich powerhouses, enhanced by the addition of fat. (Vit. B and C are water soluble)... Fat-free is not a good strategy and the kind of fat is what matters most. Trans fat is bad. With scrambled eggs, I sometimes add a serving of brussels sprouts, steamed lightly, just enough to take the crunch away, then flavoured with a hint of butter, maybe coconut oil and a dash of nutmeg. ... Since becoming a brussel sprouts aficionado, I have improved the cooking of these health gems. ... Leaving them whole is not my answer, I have discovered. The outside becomes overcooked while waiting for the heat to reach the center of these miniature cabbages. I now cut them in half, from top to bottom and lie them face down in the pot. Cooking time has been greatly reduced.

It is amazing how an tweak here and there can vastly improve the taste of vegetables, rarely included in our diet. Some hardy vegetables are better eaten steamed rather than raw, anyway, something to do with its raw affect on the thyroid gland. (Momsey's thyroid is such a slowpoke. Momsey is not!) ... Squash, onions, sweet potatoes and garlic are also high on my list of yummy health foods. They all add incredible flavours while satisfying my appetite and boosting immunity, all around. Momsey sometimes thinks she's had dessert. Barbecuing these vegetables, using indirect heat with a dab of coconut/olive oil and/or butter adds a new dimension of flavour when all these 'foods' are thrown together. A little always goes a long way.

My love affair with vegetables began as a child, starting with pickled hot banana peppers, part of my mother's summer canning ritual. A caraway/rye bread sandwich with slices of pickled pepper, topped any dessert back then. Along with salads, they were my comfort foods, a simple, healthier version of 'dessert'. Homemade pickles, everyone's favourite food, completed another package for me. In the last few years, I have ventured into the world of zucchini, eggplant, sweet potatoes and using red cabbage more often in salads. Making the famous sweet and sour cabbage has never been so easy. Its accompaniment to schnitzel and spaetzle is a dinner-time hit. We are what we eat so it behooves us to try new vegetables and incorporate them into our diet in as many different ways as possible. Disguising them helps us to benefit from their nutritional content as well as their taste and texture.

Lately, I've begun thinking about raw garlic, a prebiotic, - a top food flavour guru and health star - in making chocolate cake. Could that ever happen? ... If carrots and zucchini can be disguised, in cakes, then maybe, there is a way to incorporate garlic, too. Coffee liquid would need to be used to help mask the garlic's pungent flavour of course. It is worth pursuing since Momsey loves mocha chocolate cakes and garlic - not necessarily at the same time.

At the bottom of my list of rarely eaten vegetables would have to be the parsnip. Once upon a time, I made something called parsnip patties, a eerily looking burger that tasted quite unique. I had forgotten about my early experience with this unusual vegetable. Recently, I have begun to pair it with popular ones like 'bay leaves', carrots, celery and onions in making chicken soup/broth. Parsnip adds a subtle character to this 'medicinal' mixture. When these pairings are missing, there is a discernible difference in overall flavour. Fresh cilantro, parsley, dill, thyme and other herbs add fresh, unblemished flavour to your meals bringing with them a cleansing feel to eating and to the body.

Experimenting with recipes opens the door to finding new and exciting ways to introduce all vegetables into our meal time preparation. When we think of comfort foods, vegetables should be right at the top of the list. Move over ice cream, apple pie and chocolate cake.  For Momsey - rutabaga, brussel sprouts, bok choy and bean sprouts are here to stay - to comfort me, too.