When was the last time you tossed a vegetable into your grocery cart that you have never tried
before? If you are like me, shopping at the grocery store has become quite predictive, especially
when it comes to the produce section. According to consumer purchasing research, the top four
vegetables American choose most frequently are potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, and corn.
Choosing a variety of colorful plant-‐based foods is THE cheapest way to get the vitamins,
minerals, and phytochemicals that supplement companies and "miracle berry concoctions"
sellers entice us to buy. But, if equipped with a recipe or a simple preparation technique...you
can introduce those less popular, affordable, and nutritious "super foods" foods to your kitchen.
Below are 5 plant-‐based foods that might be new to you. All the mentioned foods will be in
season in the upcoming fall months.
1. Red Lentils
What they are: Lentils are a part of the legume family and like their brothers (beans) are hearty
convenient and cheap.
Nutritional resume: Lentils are rich in potassium, iron and B vitamins and 1 cup contains 16
grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber and 230 calories. They will fill you up without filling you out!
Lentil recipe: SNOBBY JOES
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion & 1 small green pepper, diced
1 small diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 Tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz. can tomato sauce + 1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1-‐2 tablespoons yellow mustard (wet mustard)
4 to 6 whole wheat buns
Directions:
Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once
boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium
heat. Sauté the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic
and sauté a minute more. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix.
Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and
mustard and heat through. Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors
can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can't wait. I like to serve these open faced,
with a scoop of Snobby Joe on each slice of the bun.
2. Fennel
What it is: Crunchy and slightly sweet vegetable, the bulb, stalks and leaves are all edible. Fennel
is known for its licorice or anise flavor.
How to buy it: Bulbs should be clean and firm and without too many blemishes. There should be
no signs of flowering buds that will tell you the fennel is past its time.
How to store it: Store it in your refrigerated vegetable drawer. It should keep fresh for about 4
days.
Fennel recipe: Pasta with Roasted Fennel and Sun-‐Dried Tomatoes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)
Ingredient
2 large fennel bulbs (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3/4 pound uncooked pasta (tube or spiral shaped pasta)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup drained oil-‐packed sun-‐dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon rind
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
Trim tough outer leaves from fennel. Cut fennel bulbs in half crosswise; discard cores. Cut into
1/2-‐inch-‐thick pieces. Place fennel pieces in a large roasting pan. Coat fennel with cooking spray.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Bake at 425° for
20 minutes. Stir fennel; bake an additional 10 minutes or until tender.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons
pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pan. Add reserved pasta cooking water, fennel, remaining 1
tablespoon oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, feta, and remaining
ingredients; toss well.
SOURCE: Cooking Light Magazine
3. Baby Bok Choy
What it is: Bok choy is a type of cabbage with a sweet and crisp flavor.
Nutritional resume: One cooked cup of both its leaves and stem
is surprisingly high in calcium, potassium and iron....for only 20 calories.
Great way to increase calcium in your diet if you don't do the milk thing!
Recipe idea: Start simple with "Sesame Bok Choy"
Stir-‐fry 1 pound of sliced and washed baby bok choy with 1 Tbsp. of peanut
or sesame oil, 1-‐2 tsp. of minced garlic, and grated ginger. Sauté until the
leaves have slightly wilted (~3 minutes). Drizzle with a bit of low-‐sodium soy sauce . Great with a
side of brown rice and salmon!
4. Swiss Chard
What it is: Swiss chard is similar to spinach and beets. Along with kale, mustard greens and
collard greens it is one of the leafy green vegetables referred to as "greens." Its stalk can be
white, red or yellow. Both the stalks and leaves are edible.
How to buy it: Look for leaves that are bright green in color and don't display any browning or
yellowing. The leaves should not be wilted or have any holes.
How to store it: To store, place unwashed chard in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. It will keep
fresh for several days. If you have large batches of chard, you can blanch the leaves and then
freeze them.
Swiss Chard Recipe:
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
16 cups trimmed Swiss chard (about 2 pounds)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-‐high heat. Add chard; sauté 1 minute or until slightly
wilted. Stir in pepper and garlic. Cover and cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Stir in juice and salt.
5. Chickpeas
What they are: Chickpeas (or garbanzo) beans are legume superstars. You have either had them
out of can from the salad bar or pureed as the main ingredient in hummus.
Nutritional resume: One cup of chickpeas contains 270 calories, 13 grams of fiber, and 15 grams
of protein. Canned will be the easiest way to implement these into your every day diet. Look for
no salt added brands (Eden Organic is also BPA-‐free).
Chickpea Recipe:
Ingredients (Yield: Makes 4 servings)
1/4 cup extra-‐virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
4 chicken breast halves with bones
1 15-‐ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 12-‐ounce container cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°. Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture
into small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside for sauce. Place chicken on large rimmed baking
sheet. Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup
cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat. Pour bean mixture around chicken. Sprinkle
everything generously with salt and pepper.
Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro. Transfer
chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. Serve with yogurt sauce.
If you follow these guidelines your everyday foods will be much improved!
For more information regarding eating healthy and other nutrition topics, please
contact: Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
mcdanielnutrition@gmail.com