Color of the Day: GREEN (and roasted balsamic soaked salsa)
Green foods make the world go round.
World go round. World go round…
Ok, no songs, but seriously, GREEN is the magic color in the food kingdom. I believe this green is what makes for some damn good food.
It’s always a surprise fascination to me when someone says they don’t like vegetables. Really?! I always wonder what happened in the early stages of childhood eating that turned them against broccoli and spinach and squash and such.
Alright, I admit, I used to hate tomatoes. Loath tomatoes. I’m not even sure why. I can tell you though, that to this day, amidst my tomato-LOVING tastebuds, I still cannot do tomato juice. No V-8 juice, no freshly juiced tomatoes, and certainly NO Bloody Mary’s. I’ve tried and I cannot. So I will cut these veggie-“haters” some slack.
I think you just haven’t had the right veggie, cooked the right way. Maybe that’s where I come in.
Besides *ahem* hiding *ahem* some greens in smoothies, sauteing them to perfection or even tenderly roasting that squash to crisp perfection, some still might not be swayed.
But…
I’ll make a believer out of you.
Roasted Balsamic Soaked Salsa
[easy, clean-out-the-fridge recipe. gluten free and paleo]
- 1 large eggplant, diced into small cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 english cucumber, cut inito fourths and diced
- 1 can beans (I used 1/2 can chickpeas, 1/2 can black beans)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup each frozen corn and frozen artichoke hearts
- 1/4 cup thinly diced red onion
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp (or a handful) golden raisins
- 3+ tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used cilantro-garlic infused vinegar)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup feta or crumbled goat cheese
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place cubed eggplant in a glass baking dish and toss with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until soft.
Meanwhile, place all ingredients into a large bowl, except the feta/goat cheese. Toss to combine, making sure the vinegar coats all vegetables. When eggplant is soft, remove from oven and toss into the balsamic vinegar mixture. Add the cheese last and gently fold into mixture.
Serve over a bed of chopped kale leaves. Alternately, this is wonderful with chicken, sweet potatoes, lettuce greens, or even served with tortilla chips.
If you’re still not convinced, here are some seriously tasty green recipes for you to try out.. or for fooling a veggie-hater not-so-mucher:
Rich & Creamy Tahini Kale Salad
My favorite Green Smoothie
The Perfect Pestacado for stuffing any green
Banana Zucchini Muffins or Zucchini Drop Cookies (both equally delicious and LOW added sweetener)
The Shaken Sweet Potato Smoothie, perhaps?
Carrot Cake Oats, anyone…?