Exploring Veggies: Watermelon

I know what you’re thinking, “this bitch is crazy, she thinks watermelon is a vegetable”. Well, I’m pleased to announce that while I yes, I can be a little…off, I’m not crazy, and watermelon is, in fact, a vegetable!

So yesterday, despite my meal planning, it was so hot that I had zero interest in cooking.

I took a look in my fridge to see what I was going to make, and low and behold, there was my giant container of watermelon.
“What on earth could she possibly make for dinner with watermelon?”

Well I’m glad you asked. I have been dying to make a gazpacho, and what better time to do it than on a hot day. I checked out a recipe for watermelon gazpacho, then compared to the ingredients I had on hand. Within 20 minutes, dinner was served.

I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes, red onion or dill on hand, so I substituted for no sodium canned diced tomatoes, sweet onion and basil, respectively. It turned out awesome.

That’s what I love about cooking. You discover new flavours and if you don’t have a certain ingredient, you can usually find an awesome substitute and create something totally different but equally delicious.

So once again I forgot to take pictures of the process, but, for such an easy recipe, I had to laugh at the state of my kitchen once I was done.

Needless to say, Gordon Ramsay would not be impressed with my cleanliness in a restaurant kitchen, but that’s what you get when you’re cooking while trying to entertain a 13 month old.

Despite my messy kitchen, the gazpacho was delicious, and it was even better the next day. It was so refreshing and hydrating, and my son loved it. My next cold soup will be an almond cauliflower soup.

So some fun facts about watermelon!

1. Not only does it quench your thirst, it can also quench inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.
2. Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide.
3. Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn’t contain any fat or cholesterol, is high in fiber and vitamins A & C and is a good source of potassium.
4. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals.
5. Watermelon is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
6. Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.
7. Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide.
8. In China and Japan watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.
9. In Israel and Egypt, the sweet taste of watermelon is often paired with the salty taste of feta cheese.
10. Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds. (Be careful with seedless watermelons because, while convenient, it is GM)

So next time you’re lounging on a hot day, refusing to cook, consider making a nice, delicious, refreshing gazpacho!

Happy cooking! (Or not)

Exploring Veggies – Butternut Squash

Happy Monday everyone!

I am so excited to share with you today’s veggie – Butternut Squash. There are lots of squashes out there, and they often have similar characteristics and nutrition qualities, but we will focus specifically on the delicious Butternut Squash.

Butternut Squash – What is it?

Butternut Squash

– a winter squash that is available year-round

– similar in taste to pumpkin

Why do I want it?

– good source of Beta-carotene, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Vitamin A and C

– very versatile

– great for one of baby’s first foods

-can be used in sweet or savoury dishes

– very low in calories

– seeds can be roasted and eaten as a snack, or garnish on salads

 

Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheeze

So, this recipe, taken from ohsheglows.com, turned out to be delicious. I made a little mistake with this though. I increased the amount of pasta used, without increasing the cheeze sauce. Also, mine was slightly less vegan because I did add some shredded marble cheese for an added stringiness. It was so yummy!

Butternut Mac n’ Cheeze

Even though mine turned out a little dry, it was still awesome. I added spinach and some breadcrumbs to mine. While my dad did not approve, my hubby, my mother in law, my mom and my son all enjoyed it, so I’ll call this one a win :). This was all that was left of it…again, I forgot to take pictures of the whole process, but I also don’t want to take away from Angela’s amazing work, so I highly recommend you check out the recipe on her site. Truly amazing.

 

Butternut squash is also amazing in smoothies (add some pumpkin spice, vanilla, almond milk and you’ve got yourself an awesome fall smoothie).

 

So go out there and enjoy some squash! What are some of your favourite squash recipes?

 

 

Exploring Veggies – Eggplant and Zucchini

Hello Friends!

As I learn more about the plant world, I thought I would share my knowledge with you. Basically I’ll share some fruit/veggie knowledge along with a delicious recipe that you can share with your family! My goal is to make getting to know fruits and veggies super easy, with only the relevant info you need. However, I’m not going to get into specifics about calories or macronutrients because I don’t believe that the number of calories is the most important way to pick your foods.

First veggies on the list: Eggplant and Zucchini

image obtained from http://ccpalate.blogspot.ca/2011/09/eggplant-curry.html

Eggplant  

• Species of nightshade
• Low in calories, fat, carbs, protein
• Not particularly high in any one nutrient, however has a good broad variety
• contains powerful antioxidant phenols, including the anthocyanin phytonutrient nasunin, which is important for neutralizing damaging free radicals in your body
• Should be eaten in moderation as it contains 4 types of alkaloids, which can cause adverse reactions in individuals. Alkaloids are reduced when cooking (I will describe alkaloids in more detail on another post, but you can check here in the meantime).
• Fun fact: Mediterranean people reportedly nicknamed it “mad apple,” believing that eating eggplant every day for a month would cause insanity…everything in moderation right? (found this here, interesting resource for food info)

image obtained from http://www.chrissfruitmarket.com/product.php?productid=191

Zucchini

• low in calories and contains useful amounts of folate, potassium and vitamin A
• high in carotenoids (antioxidants)
• is a source of oxalates (so limit consumption if you have kidney or gallbladder issues)
• Fun fact: Zucchinis contain more potassium than a banana

 

One of my absolutely favorite websites is ohsheglows. Angela Liddon is just awesome, she has fantastic vegan recipes that taste delicious, and she’s hilarious. I was originally going to make eggplant pizzas, but after deciding it was too time consuming, I decided to use this recipe. Oh my goodness guys, it was delicious!

Since I’m still new in the blogging world, I completely forgot to take pictures while I was making it. But, check out the link to Angela’s recipe and it pretty much looked like that the entire time I was making it. It was so easy to make, although I will forewarn you, the creamy bean filling was very difficult to spread over the eggplant. The upside is that as long as you pretty much glob on even amounts throughout the layers, it “melts” so that it covers the whole area, so it’s pretty foolproof.

lunch

 

So that’s pretty much all that was left of it. I did add some Daiya Cheese on the top, and I used an organic Garlic Marinara sauce. My hubby and my 13 month old LOVED it. So, I’d say it’s a hit!

Try this recipe with your family and get out there and explore some veggies!