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A few ideas from you guys, plus a few of our own…
We’re championing the fresh green variety rather than the car on this occasion but joking aside a liberal scattering of these herbs – think basil, parsley, coriander, chives and mint – on your meal not only ups it in the taste stakes but packs an impressive nutrient punch too. Many of them are antiseptic, antibacterial and digestive aids as well as providing beta carotene, vitamin C, folate, B vitamins, vitamin E, copper, magnesium, potassium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, calcium and zinc. Say yes to herbs.
Before you wrinkle your nose up, hear us out… when used for stir frying veg it makes them taste great, dare we say even a little exotic, plus gives a hit of healthy fats to boot. Standby for a mind blowing fact – our bodies metabolize coconut oil differently to other fats (wait for it…) that means we don’t store it as fat, and in fact coconut oil can increase energy expenditure to help us burn fat. We’re sold!
This is our way to keep meal times interesting, even the most ardent health freak (mentioning no names) can only eat so much broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. We’ve just restarted our veg box delivery to get some of the more adventurous stuff in but next time you’re in the supermarket bung some kohl rabi, chicory, celeriac, chard or for the more adventurous, black salsify in your trolley. Eat the rainbow as they say to get the most out of your veg. Who are ‘they’ anyway?
New is exciting. Eating the same thing day in, day out is all right for cows but man (and woman) needs more! Finding a different and maybe unusual way to pair, prepare or cook an ingredient can reawaken taste for a food – ever tried roasting cauliflower with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of paprika or cumin seeds? Don’t mock it ‘til you try it.
It’s official, a plate of veg can be boringly bland so we pump up the flavour of the standard steamed veg medley with a knob of butter (definitely not margarine or vegetable spread… controversial) or a teaspoon of coconut oil and a sprinkling of chilli flakes. We also make leafy greens more palatable by sautéing them in olive oil, crushed garlic and anchovies – well does anyone really like the taste of iron?
A chance for alchemy in the kitchen never goes amiss and concocting your own salad dressings is fast once you know the basic formula. They’re far tastier than anything shop bought plus won’t contain sneaky sugar calories, pesky preservatives and rancid vegetable oils …or cost you a pretty penny for the privilege.
For a vinaigrette, put 3 parts olive oil to 1 part apple cider vinegar in an empty jam jar, add a crushed clove of garlic (or a minced shallot), salt and pepper, shake well and pour. Try adding mustard and herbs like tarragon to mix it up a bit. Better if you’re wearing a feather boa at the time.
Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t prefer a chunk of chocolate over a raw carrot – but what’s the tipping point that makes us choose the carrot? Nothing on earth you might be thinking but wait, someone not a million miles away used to avoid eating broccoli – a veg they knew ‘should’ be a regular feature of their five a day – until that is they discovered its potent protective powers against the big ‘C’. No one was more surprised than they to suddenly develop quite an enthusiasm for eating it and to even learn to ‘quite like it’. No pain, no gain.
We do keep banging on about the old veg don’t we but that’s only because we believe they’re so good. Give it a go, we’ve found there’s nothing quite like the smug satisfaction of sitting back and watching those first fresh green shoots grow into lush veggies that taste so great. Watch out for snails.
We think that adding a bit of crunch to a meal peps it up nicely and in our experience also cuts down on the post dinner crispy cravings. Adding a few cashew nuts to a stir fry, chopped Brazil nuts to porridge, almonds to fruit and yogurt or walnuts to a salad all propel a previously OK meal into a sensory satisfier. As an added bonus you’ll get a dose of good fats and an injection of minerals that can improve skin, nails and hair. We’re nuts about nuts.
This one’s a bit different but to us there’s nothing quite so fascinating as seeing and feeling a difference in our health, skin, mood and body to keep us interested in eating healthily. Noticing the changes is the greatest motivator of all to arouse curiosity to step it up a gear and find out what’s possible. And now for a carefully controlled experiment…
Do let us know in the comments box if you have any other cunning tricks up your sleeves.
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