by Elizabeth
(Healthy Eating Made Easy)
While they're cooking, cook 150g red lentils. Cover with water, bring to a fast boil and cook for 10 mins. Turn the heat down and simmer until done, drain well.
When the roast veg are tender, add the cooked lentils, spreading them over the veg. Put slices of halloumi cheese (use halloumi light if you prefer) over the top and melt the cheese under a hot grill.
We ate this with chapatis and a lettuce/avocado/tomato salad.
Answer
I'm afraid I don't have any surveys that I can give you, but I suggest you give the children some information about serving recommendations for fruit/vegetables (5 a day, here in the UK), and get them to keep a record for a period of time to see how many servings they are actually eating (for most, it will probably not be enough!). Then they could do the same things when you have grown some of your own vegetables.
You'll find information to help you on these pages:
Five a Day
Fruit and Vegetable Servings
Good luck with your project - it sounds like an excellent idea. If you'd like to share your results in due course, we'd love to hear about them - you can post them to the site here:
Healthy Eating Forums.
Health Benefits from Vegetables
The human body requires a balance of nutrients to keep it going at a normal pace – and vegetables can do just that. Here are some of the vegetables you can practically see around the common market and what it can do for you.
1. Cauliflower. This tasty vegetable is quite common in most Chinese cuisines, and is served because of its high nutritional value not to mention the added flavor it gives to the recipe. For starters, cauliflower contains minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and sodium; as well as vitamins A, C and B6. It is known to fight cancer and regulate the hormones to a normal level and a health food for those who suffer from high sugar content or diabetes.
2. Squash. Whether the winter or summer variety, the squash is well known around the world for being rich in Vitamin A; which is very good for your eyesight – though the summer variety contains more of it than its winter counterpart. Turning this into a soup would be quite delectable.
3. Carrots. The carrot is well known for containing Beta Carotene, another variation of Vitamin A known to fight and limit the growth of cancer cells in our bodies. This tasty food is quite delicious served raw with a tasty dip, boiled, juiced, or even grated in a veggie salad.
4. Green Pepper. Often served on our choices of pizza for garnishing, we usually set it aside due to its bittersweet taste. This vegetable is rich in Vitamin C and is a great antioxidant that protects our cells from free by-products that can affect our body’s metabolism.
5. Mushroom. Practically the only vegetable that can give you the much-needed Vitamin D. Mushroom helps our body absorb more calcium and magnesium for healthy teeth and stronger bones. Usually we get Vitamin D from sunlight, but if you don’t want to get sunburned by staying outside too long, try eating mushrooms instead.
6. Spinach. Popeye, a cartoon sailor is often seen munching on a can of this before clobbering the bad guys; spinach is rich in Vitamin K, same as with other dark-leafy vegetables. Vitamin K plays an integral role in blood clotting, as well as regulating the blood calcium levels to keep your bones at peak condition.
7. Lima Beans. These are a good source of Vitamin B9 or commonly known as folic acid. Folic acid is usually synthesized with diet supplements, and is required by your body to produce red blood cells, as well as improving your nervous system. This is very advisable among pregnant women due to its capabilities of increasing cell growth production and improves the development of the embryo. Best paired with vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli; best sautéed.
Preparation
Since vegetables are 100% natural, complete with vitamins and minerals for a healthy diet, they should be eaten fresh if you don’t want to lose all those precious nutrients. Fresh from the market, you should take some care in washing them clean in running water – not too much or you might get them soggy in the process.
Some vegetables can be eaten raw like carrots or asparagus, and would taste even better with a dip. Some require you to boil or even sauté with other veggies with some spices to bring out the flavor. Here is one recipe that should set your taste buds drooling:
Creamy Squash Soup
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sliced leeks
3 cups cubed squash
2 medium size potatoes, cubed
3 cups of chicken broth
1 cups water
1 250ml. NESTLÉ All Purpose Cream (or any cream that will suit your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Melt butter and sauté leeks until they are nice and limp. Add the squash and potatoes and cook for around 2 minutes to let the flavor seep in
2. Pour the chicken broth and the water and bring to boil until the vegetables are tender. Then remove from heat then let it cool.
3. When cool enough to handle, transfer it over to the blender and puree until the consistency is smooth
4. Strain the mixture to remove any lumps, and simmer again in a soup pan. Add the cream and cook for a minute or two.
But I also fell in love with the farmers market because, during our early courtship, everything was so new. Kale, collard greens, kohlrabi, lambsquarter, Brussels sprouts still on the stalk – my first couple of greenmarket years, I took home something new and strange almost every weekend. I hit the internet and hit the books, and almost every time I added a new and delicious veggie to my repertoire.
I still love the greenmarket, lo these many years later, but things have become a little... predictable. A few extra bucks in my wallet this summer are opening a few new doors – berries, grapes (that actually taste like something!), and endless varieties of stone fruits – but the veggies are all familiar territory. As each veggie comes back into season, sure, there's a weekend or two of excitement, but true vegetal strangers are few and far between.
So I hope you'll allow me a digression from the agricultural bounty of the greater New York area (love you, Pennsylvania peppers!), as I allowed myself when I met an international temptation too strange and exciting to ignore.
Fresh garbanzo beans.
The bin of fuzzy green pods was nestled between portabellos and quail eggs in the Whole Foods produce aisle, and I could not resist. At $4/lb I thought my few experimental handfuls would cost me a buck or so. These beans are so light, though, that my bag rang up at a mere twenty-nine cents. Score one for the beans.
I hit the internet, and hit the kitchen, and here is what I learned:
Fresh garbanzo beans can be eaten raw. Popped out of the pods they look just like their canned and dried cousins, just green. They have a fresh, not particularly strong taste, like starchier edamame.The internet will tell you that they should be steamed in salt water in their pods. This works, but the pods are so roomy that they become little saline capsules, which then burst in your mouth or in your hands. The beans are still tasty, but they get lost in the saltwater, and it doesn't really work. So, fresh garbanzos edamame-style: technically works, but not so awesome.If you use the same method, though, but shell the beans first, well bingo, there you go. A quick boil in salted water gives you bright, salty, tasty little beans. The internet is full of more elaborate preparations, but I like to get to know a new veggie simply, at first. (Okay, I often end up sticking with those most basic preparations – salt, and sometimes oil, usually make veggies taste like their best versions of themselves.)
Next time – if I even see them again, because their appearance was sudden and they may vanish as quickly and with as little fanfare - I may try some sort of pan-frying, with cumin and other chickpea-friendly spices. I bet the green flavors of the fresh beans would play nicely with that. But for now, for my new friend the fresh garbanzo, simple and quick is the way to go.
~~~
If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy:
Fresh Garbanzo Beans
Serves 2
1) Shell the garbanzo beans. They usually pop out easily, but scissors can be helpful.
2) In a sauce pan or small soup pan, bring a couple of inches of salted water to a boil.
3) Add the garbanzos. Boil, covered, for about a minute.
4) Drain, and eat warm or cooled.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Cost Per Serving
134.5 calories, 2.1g fat, 6.3g fiber, 7.3g protein, $0.26
Calculations
1 cup fresh garbanzo beans: 269 calories, 4.2g fat, 12.5g fiber, 14.5g protein, $0.50
1 T salt: 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.02
TOTAL: 269 calories, 4.2g fat, 12.5g fiber, 14.5g protein, $0.52
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 134.5 calories, 2.1g fat, 6.3g fiber, 7.3g protein, $0.26 
Fresh fruit and vegetables are the cornerstone of a healthy diet.More and more research shows that fruit and veg contain essential nutrients to protect your health.
What are the health benefits of fresh fruit and veg? The vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetables can help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
People whose diet is rich in fresh produce have more energy and are less likely to gain weight. And fruit and veg also help reduce the effects of ageing. Choose organic fruit and organic vegetables when you can.
OK, it's convincing. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the biz. But how much is enough? The good news is, that even a small extra amount can make a difference.Cancer Research UK has reported that 'just one apple or orange a day' could cut your risk of dying early from cancer or other diseases by 20%.
But because fresh fruit and vegetables have such a huge range of long-term health benefits, both the UK and USA governments advise people to eat a minimum of five servings or portions a day. It's important to give five portions a day to kids, too.
People are sometimes confused about the size of a fruit and vegetable serving. It's not always that large, and often you can combine two or more portions in a salad, or sandwich filling. Whatever you choose, it's best to go for seasonal fruit and vegetables if you can.
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It’s me, Kris. Hi!
This Sunday, I’m marrying this guy I like, hurricane permitting. And for a few weeks after that, we’re gonna drive around Italy, searching for duomos and large plates of spaghetti. (And wine. Always wine.)
During that time, and Leigh (of Veggie Might fame) will be running CHG. The schedule will stay the same. There’ll just be a slightly different voice behind it – namely, a vegetarian one with cute hair and much better cooking skills.
I really enjoy keeping this blog, and will miss our discussions while I'm away. In the meantime, hope y’all have wonderful Septembers, and I'll speak to you soon!
P.S. Oh, yeah! The results of last week’s Ask the Internet are as follows:
36 votes: Tomatoes
26 votes: Onions
19 votes: Leafy greens (Kale, lettuce, collards, etc.)
17 votes: Bell peppers
16 votes: Asparagus, Broccoli
15 votes: Corn, Peas (all kinds), Sweet Potatoes
12 votes: Spinach
11 votes: Carrots, Garlic, Potatoes
10 votes: Mushrooms
9 votes: Cucumbers
8 votes: Brussels sprouts
7 votes: Avocado
6 votes: Zucchini
5 votes: Beets, Eggplant
4 votes: Artichokes, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Winter Squash (Butternut, Kabocha, etc.)
3 votes: Garlic and onions (whole Allium family), Hot peppers, Parsnips
2 votes: Cabbage, Leeks, Lima Beans, Pumpkin
1 vote: Broccoli Rabe, Celery, Edamame, Fennel, Lentils, Okra, Red Cabbage, Romanesco Broccoli, Yellow Squash
Tomatoes, for the win.
