The gods of the food world

Last week was National Vegetarian Week, so it's a great time of year to tell you about vegetables and their god-like powers.

Now before you go, "oh gross" and click the big button with a cross on it on the top right hand corner - hear me out. I reckon by the end of this post I will have you convinced. I'll make a bet on that.

Back when I was a little toddler, I HATED vegetables. My brother was always the good one when it came to eating fruit and vegies, while I was the rebel that preferred cake & cookies. Very naughty of me. I remember the time when my brother was such a good kid, that even though he hated the taste of peas, he managed to eat every pea on his plate, by..... swallowing them! Yes that's right he would swallow one pea at a time, until all the peas were gone. I still remember the sound he would make as he swallowed each pea. Classic - what a committed child!

I'm sure most of you can relate to the horrors to having of eat your vegies when you were little. So why did our mums and dads make us eat our vegies?

Benefit 1: Versatility
One great characteristic of vegetables that chefs will tell you about is their versatility. Take potatoes for example. Mashed, baked, boiled, roasted, sauteed, cottage pied, these are just a few of a thousand and one ways to get creative with these fabulous spuds.

Benefit 2: Cost
I'll be honest and say that I often choose to eat vegetarian because it doesn't put a huge dint in my bank account. Every time I do my grocery shopping I am tempted to buy some nice cuts of meat. However when I do the cost comparison, I realise I could buy kilos of vegetables for the same price as 1 piece of meat! Fresh, frozen or canned, vegetables and legumes and very cheap in comparison to other foods.

Benefit 3: Antioxidants, Vitamins & Minerals
Not only are vegetables cheap but they are massively nutritious. Packed full of antioxidants to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity... the list goes on. Vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, C & K, folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorous. These micronutrients perform important functions in our bodies to keep us healthy and we can't go without them!

Benefit 4: Fibre
Another amazing feature of vegies is that they are packed full of fibre. Fibre is excellent for a number of reasons. Yes it helps keep you regular, but it also helps to reduce the bad cholesterol in your body and reduces your risk of colon cancer. Another benefit of fibre is that it increases satiety and makes you feel fuller for longer. A rich source of fibre in vegies is in their peel, so hot tip - for better health, don't peel your vegies!

Benefit 5: Weight Loss
Now girls (and blokes, I shouldn't discriminate), if you are looking to shed a couple of kilos, vegetables are your new best friend. Vegetables are one of the lowest calorie, lowest fat and highly nutritious foods you will ever come across. Eating plenty of vegetables every day will not make you put on weight, in fact it will help you lose it! I challenge you to fill half your plate every night with vegetables. Go crazy. Because vegies have those wonderful filling properties, you will be less likely to crave other not so good foods later in the night!

Benefit 6: Easily Accessible and Environmentally Friendly
Have you ever walked into Coles or Woolies or your local fruit shop and found they have run out of vegetables? I haven't. Vegetables are very easy to access. You don't have to travel far to get them and vegatables are also environmentally friendly. Fresh vegetables do not come with lots of packaging. Eating fresh unpackaged foods means that there is less packaging ending up in landfill or washing into our waterways and killing our wildlife. Those of you that have an interest in our carbon footprint will be pleased to know that vegetables tick all the boxes when it comes to climate change and a diet rich in vegetables is highly recommended by the experts.

So what's the healthiest way to cook vegies?

Studies have shown that steaming vegetables is the most nutritious cooking method. This is because steaming results in the least amout of vitamin and mineral depletion. When you steam your vegies, steam them until you see their colour become vibrant and you can poke a fork into them easily. Vegetables that lose their colour and break when a fork is placed into them have been cooked for too long. The longer vegetables are cooked for, the less vitamins and minerals they will contain.

Baking or stir frying is also healthy provided a good oil such as olive oil is used, and don't go over the top with the oil. A light coating of oil spray or a gentle massage of oil into your baked vegies is sufficient.

Tonight I made the most delicious salad for dinner, warm roasted pumpkin, parsnip and carrot salad with baby spinach, pine nuts, kidney beans and goats fetta, topped with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. It was to die for. There is nothing like warm roasted vegies in a crisp salad. Yumm.

Here's the recipe, I created it myself. Give it a go or try another recipe from the National Vegetarain Week collection.

Warm Roasted Pumpkin, Parsnip and Carrot Salad with Baby Spinach, Pine Nuts, Kidney Beans and Goats Fetta, topped with a Balsamic and Olive Oil Dressing.

1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup parsnip
1/2 cup carrots
1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup kidney beans
2 tbsp goats fetta

Dressing:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
pinch salt
cracked pepper

Wash the pumpkin, parsnip and carrots. Without peeling, cut up into large bite sized chunks. Massage oil into vegetables and baked in a 200 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden. In the last 10 minutes of roasting, place pine nuts on an oven tray and toast until just golden and smelling fabulous. Be careful because pine nuts can burn very easily. While roasting, prepare salad dressing: In a small jar, shake together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, place the baby spinach, kidney beans and pine nuts. Crumble the goats fetta over the salad. Add the hot roasted vegatables. Pour over the dressing and gently toss so that the dressing is evenly dispersed. Serve immediately while the vegies are hot. Buon appetito!