Eat your fruit and veggies. Eat your fruit and veggies. On repeat since the day I was born.
“Schoolhouse Rock!” told me to on Saturday mornings growing up. My mom and grandma told me to. My teachers tried to tell me. But all they gave me was a subpar apple on my cafeteria tray, iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing or, Lord forbid, fruit cocktail out of can.
As a smart adult, I know I need to do this, this eating fruit and vegetables. Hashtag adulting. And I can’t count french fries as a veggie serving.
I was in denial for a long time, hoping that V8 and orange juice would suffice. I even bought and used a juicer for several months.
But I’m learning it’s not just about the vitamins. It’s about the textures, the fiber and what these things do to and for your gut health. Believe me: When I started slamming vegetables a few weeks ago, my tummy grumbled all night at first, in shock at its new mission to digest this new fiber.
The challenge now is how to prepare this beautiful bounty so I want to eat it and love eating it — and, most importantly, sustain this plant-forward way of life.
The following two recipes are insanely delicious and filling and have zero meat. You won’t miss it. The sweet potato fettuccine is velvety, divine, fun, super easy and fast to make. The cauliflower salad was a result of realizing how much fruit and veg I had untouched in my kitchen and then putting it to work.
Try these. The combinations might seem weird at first, but they are beautiful and so good.
Sweet potato fettuccine
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons pine nuts or nut of choice
8 ounces gorgonzola cheese or blue, goat, Parmesan
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
Cut “noodles”: Peel skin from potato. Use a mandolin slicer or large knife to cut potato into long, thin slabs. Slice each slab into fettuccine-shaped noodles (stack a few slabs to make this go faster).
Toast pine nuts: In a small saute pan, toast pine nuts over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cook “noodles”: In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat and add sweet potato noodles. Cook covered, stirring frequently, until noodles are slightly tender, 10 minutes.
Warm sauce: In a small sauce pan, heat gorgonzola and cream over medium-low heat until cheese has melted and mixture is warm. Remove from heat and stir in cranberries.
Serve: Toss everything together and serve warm.
Adapted from liveeatlearn.com
Loaded cauliflower salad
1 cup cooked farro
1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 head cauliflower
1 small zucchini
1 granny smith apple
2 celery stalks
2 radishes
1/2 head red cabbage
1 bunch flat or curly parsley
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1/2 of a grated carrot
1/2 cup feta, goat, blue, or gorgonzola cheese crumbles (optional)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or more to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon coriander
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Cook farro or grain of choice — it can be a quick-cooking variety. Put pumpkin seeds and nuts into a dry skillet and toast over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Take off the heat to cool.
While grain, nuts and seeds cool, chop cauliflower, zucchini, apple, celery, radish, and cabbage into bite-size or smaller pieces. Finely chop parsley, omitting stems. This can be done in a food processor or with a knife.
Add all ingredients thus far to a large mixing bowl. Add cranberries and chia seeds. Add cheese crumbles if using. Grate the carrot directly into the large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss carefully.
Lastly, add vinaigrette ingredients to a small jar and shake vigorously to mix. Add enough vinaigrette to coat ingredients, tossing carefully again. Cover and chill or sit at room temperature for an hour to let the flavors meld before serving. Serve as is, or topped with flaked salmon or chopped chicken.
