Proper Produce Prep

Are you reaping the most benefits from your veggies? CNN's health page recently published a really awesome article about how you should be preparing your vegetables to get the most out of them.

My favorite tip was the one about the preparation of garlic. I'm Italian, we use a lot of it and of course any one would want to get as much out of their garlic clove as possible. Garlic is amazing, it is packed with nutrients, can lower blood pressure and even take on the common cold. Turns out something so strong needs to "rest". After chopping garlic just let it sit for about 10 minutes. By crushing your garlic, an enzyme is released that boosts its health-promoting compounds that would otherwise remain trapped.

Also, the article suggests chopping your carrots up before you cook them. Cooking carrots allows them to release more nutrients then when they are consumed raw. By chopping them first you allow more surface area of carrot to be heated by the boiling water or steam allowing more nutrients to be released.

For a more in depth description for how to to prepare your produce check out the original article. It also has a list of some "ugly" but trendy veggies to give a try, and how to prepare them. http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/06/health/produce-storage-tips/index.html

My favorite of the ugly trendy veggies was the broccoflower. It has got such a unique look (pictured below) and jam packed with good stuff! The broccoflower contains a ton of folic acid, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium and more. The CNN article describes the taste as being "lighter" and "sweeter" then cauliflower and broccoli which are crossed to create this veggie. It is also fat, cholesterol and sodium free.

Since I checked out a few ways to prepare broccoflower I wanted to also share this recipe with you guys for broccoflower curry. It also contains garlic so don't forget to set your timer for ten minute after you mince it.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of broccoflower cut into small florets
• 1/4 cup (Gluten Free) breadcrumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced    (10 Minutes!)
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease.
3. Combine dry ingredients into a shallow bowl.
4. Combine egg and milk in a small bowl and whisk together.
5. Dip florets first into the egg mixture, coating well and then into the breadcrumb mixture in batches.
6. Spread out on baking sheet.
7. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing once.