You can only eat healthy when you shop healthy. Our essential veg series is all about the foods found in our shopping trolleys every week that help us eat colourful (and makes out lives easier). We’ve broken our essential veg up into snacking/salads, cooking, canned and frozen.
Remember: the more colours the better, to ensure that you’re getting a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
The essential veg. Fresh edition
These veggies are versatile, available all year round, and are generally low in price. Choose from a variety of colours to ensure you get different minerals and vitamins, and flavours to your meals.
1. Carrot
It’s back on the top of the list, but that’s because it complements any dish! Can grate it into everything! Pasta sauce, fritters, pancakes, salads. Diced into curries, stews or stocks. Steamed, stir-fried, roasted. Even baked into muffins and cakes!
Store unwashed in the fridge for about a week. Or to keep crunchy, keep in a container with some water, so they don’t dry out.
2. Zucchini
This is the perfect veggie to “hide”. Grated or diced, it is great steamed, stir-fried, grilled and roasted. You can even eat it raw with dips, or add to salads! Great in fritters, muffins, omelettes and pancakes – recipe here.
Store in fridge in plastic bag for 3 days.
3. Fresh spinach leaves
This is a base to many of our salads. Also great in soups, stews, quiches, frittatas, omelettes, pasta dishes, sandwiches and wraps.
Try – When making lasagne or Moussaka, add in a layer of wilted spinach leaves for an extra serve of veg.
4. Broccoli
(and cauliflower – I snuck in an extra there!)
Can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, pan-fried or cooked in the microwave. Try adding blanched florets to your next pizza for some colour and crunch.
Store in the fridge in a plastic bag, to keep dry, for up to 5 days.
5. Pumpkin
Roast, bake, boil, mash, or microwave, pumpkin is a great addition to any dish. Can be added to curries, soup, pizza, and to scones, cakes and bread, or made into chips. Try – adding leftover roast pumpkin to a salad.
Store in a cool dark place, with good air circulation. If whole, can last 1 month, if cut up, keep in fridge for up to a week.
What are your essential fresh veggies for cooking?
Read about our essential veg: Canned edition here , our essential veg : Freezer edition here and the essential veg : Snacking edition here
