Sounds easy enough right? Unfortunately, most of us have demanding schedules and busy lifestyles that make it challenging at best to get the recommended 3-6 servings of vegetables daily.
This is, no doubt, the primary reason salads gained in popularity over the years. They are one of the few ways we can get vegetables “on the go”. Yet the thought of another salad at some point becomes difficult for even the die-hard salad eater to swallow, literally.
What most people don’t realise is that vegetables are extremely versatile and highly adaptable. They are by no means limited to savoury side dishes and salads nor are they limited to raw munchies or smoothies.
Many unassuming vegetables like Swiss chard, beets, spinach, zucchini and kale can successfully add flavour, texture and colour as well as boosting the nutrient density of foods in our meals, snacks, treats and desserts.
They are often the hidden ingredients that deliver vibrant colour, moisture, texture and nutrients to all types of recipes including sweet recipes, making them easily at home with breakfast dishes, desserts and a variety of snacks and treats.
Sweet vegetable recipes are the complete treat package, delivering healthy carbohydrates and fats, quality proteins, fibre and antioxidants, along with important vitamins and minerals, all cleverly wrapped up and disguised as “dessert”.
Imagine how many people over the centuries have enjoyed sweet potato or pumpkin pie around the holidays? For many these sweet vegetable pies were the crowning jewel of the celebration. Potatoes have often been that special “hidden” ingredient that made mum’s chocolate cake super moist without adding density or changing the texture. If anything, it made the cake fluffier and more delicious!
Carrots are naturally sweet and contain more sugar than any other vegetable besides sugar beet. Because of this, they have long been a favourite “sweet substitute”. Times were tough during the Middle Ages and both World Wars and luxury sweeteners were expensive and difficult to obtain so carrots became the favoured sugar substitute providing both added moisture and sweetness where needed.
The ever-popular carrot cake that remains a family favourite to this day is said to have evolved from a pudding that was enjoyed in banquets as far back as medieval times. In the early 1900s, this healthy carrot pudding evolved into something entirely new when it was baked in loaf pans as a quick bread.
Need an ingredient as a binding agent that adds natural sweetness and moistness where needed? One that replaces eggs and fat in most recipes? Look no further than your vegetable bin. Using a combination of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and coconut products as a base you incorporate your vegetables into, you can create delicious, decadent, healthy sweets that please the pickiest eaters.
Grain substitutes like almond or coconut flour, natural sugars like dried fruits and healthy fats like coconut oil or avocados, can be easily used to create a healthy cake base that you can stir small amounts of raw grated vegetables or cooked and pureed vegetables into. Or better yet, rather than small amounts make the vegetable the star ingredient like it is in carrot, zucchini, beet or parsnip bread.
Vegetables provide much-needed nutrients in whatever form they are eaten but raw vegetables are nutrient powerhouses providing increased energy and vitality. Because they provide our bodies with higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, they help prevent disease through proper cellular regeneration. They also alkalise and balance the body’s pH and decrease fat production while helping cleanse the body of accumulated toxins and waste.
When vegetables aren’t the star role in a dish, they easily work their magic in the background, assuming a more subtle supportive role. Either way, it’s both challenging and fun to find creative ways to sneak extra vegetables into innocent-looking dishes and watch with delight as our loved ones enjoy them knowing they are getting healthier at the same time!
Carolyn Hansen is co-owner of Anytime Fitness
