Eat Kiwi. And Kale. And Kumquats. And other colorful fruits and veggies.
Try one (or more!) of the fruits and veggies from each color below...Daily! Hope all of that yellow, orange, red, green and purple brightens up your day, or at least your plate!
The Yellow Team
Spaghetti Squash
*Nutritional Highlights: Low in calories (42 per cooked cup), good source of fiber and vitamin C (Note: Not as dense in vitamins as other winter squash, such as butternut and sweet potatoes).
*Try: Bake the squash at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then scoop the stringy pulp from the squash and toss with sauteed cherry tomatoes, basil, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Endive
*Nutritional Highlights: Fiber.
*Try: Braise the endive and serve as an hors d' oeuvre with a sweet eggplant dip like Babaganoush.
Bananas
*Nutritional Highlights: Potassium and vitamin A.
*Try: Slice the banana and enjoy in a challah sandwich with creamy peanut butter.
Pineapple
*Nutritional Highlights: Vitamins A and C.
*Try: Dice some fresh pineapple and mix with chopped tomato, onion, green bell pepper and Jalapeno for a homemade salsa. Serve with toasted pita crackers.
Corn
*Nutritional Highlights: High in carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A and C.
*Try: Simply steamed with umeboshi (or butter) and salt.
The Orange Team
Mango *Nutritional Highlights: Vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, high in fiber.
*Try: Buy frozen mango and blend it with low-fat yogurt and honey for a refreshing smoothie or dessert.
Apricots
*Nutritional Highlights: Iron and calcium.
*Try: Instead of raisins, chop up some dried apricots and mix them into your bowl of cereal in the morning.
Kabocha Squash
*Nutritional Highlights: Iron, vitamin C and potassium. Note: If the squash is organic, feel free to eat the skin— It's rich in beta carotene and tastes delicious roasted.
*Try: Halve a kabocha squash and then simply roast it in the oven with olive oil and sea salt.
The Red Team
Pomegranate
*Nutritional Highlights: Potassium and vitamin C.
*Try: Mix in some pomegranate seeds with vanilla frozen yogurt. With the pomegranate juice, make a quick syrup by combing some sugar in the raw, a touch of lemon juice and the pomegranate juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Let the syrup cool and poor over your frozen yogurt.
Red Bell Pepper
*Nutritional Highlights: Vitamin A.
*Try: Serve crudites with spicy hummus and sliced Queso Blanco cheese.
Raspberries
*Nutritional Highlights: High in calcium and magnesium, Vitamins A and C, helps stop excess bleeding, helps prevent infections, leaf rich in iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. The raspberry leaf has been found to cause a relaxant effect on the uterus.
*Try: Puree fresh raspberries with olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar for a homemade salad dressing.
The Green Team
Avocado
*Nutritional Highlights: Good source of protein, vitamins E, B and K, high in good fat, lowers bad cholesterol.
*Try: Spread some avocado on a slice of whole wheat toast with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for breakfast.
Collards
*Nutritional Highlights: Low in calories (30 per cup), folic acid, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc.
*Try: Make a collard roll up with sliced avocado, fresh lime juice, julienned carrots, crushed peanuts and grilled tofu. Brussels Sprouts
*Nutritional Highlights: Vitamins A, C, E, beta carotene, iron, magnesium, potassium and fiber.
*Try: Roast brussels sprouts in the oven with fresh garlic, sweet Vidalia onions, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Chayote (also known as a vegetable pear)
*Nutritional Highlights: Low in calories (40 per cup), potassium, good source of fiber, low in sodium.
*Try: For a change, use chayote in place of zucchini in salads, soups and casseroles.
Mustard Greens
*Nutritional Highlights: Vitamins A, C, calcium, potassium.
*Try: Mix in mustard greens with your garden salad for a sharp boost of zesty flavor or in place of iceberg lettuce on your turkey sandwich.
The Purple Team
Beets
*Nutritional Highlights: Iron.
*Try: Slice beets and serve as an appetizer with goat cheese, candied pecans and raspberry vinaigrette.
Eggplant
*Nutritional Highlights: Fiber, potassium and folic acid.
*Try: Pan fry some sliced eggplant with olive oil, panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Then, bake in a casserole dish with a good quality tomato sauce, low-fat ricotta cheese and sliced mozzarella cheese.
Comments
February 14, 2011
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