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Sweet Treats With Hidden Veggies

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:23:54 PST

Since veggies are bursting with nutrition, we could always stand to get more in our diets. If you're having a hard time stomaching one more bite of salad, here are some sweeter ways to enjoy your veggies, without even realizing it.

If healthy eating is one of your goals for the year, be sure to enter our Get Fit For 2012 giveaway for a chance to win a Magimix juicer and a year's worth of KIND snacks.

Under 150 Calories: Veggie-Inspired Snacks

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:03:58 PST

It's easy to grab an apple and some cheese, or a banana and a handful of nuts, but fruit isn't the only food on the snack menu. Veggies make tasty and satisfying bites as well. Need some new ideas? Besides the old carrots with hummus standby, here are some delicious veggie-inspired snacks, all for around or under 150 calories. And if you're into healthy eating, be sure to enter to win a year's supply of KIND bars and a food processor by Magimix.

One slice of whole wheat bread (100 calories), smeared with one tablespoon whipped cream cheese (35 calories), topped with four slices of cucumber (11 calories): 146 calories
Baked sweet potato fries made with one small sweet potato (112 calories) and one teaspoon olive oil (39 calories): 151 calories

Continue reading for more veggie-inspired snack ideas.

Learn to Love: Winter Fruits and Vegetables

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:53:55 PST

To stay healthy and satisfied as the temperatures dip, try incorporating these Winter fruits and vegetables that pack a heavy nutritional punch. We've rounded up 10 vitamin-rich seasonal ingredients you should be eating, plus flavor-filled recipes that make the most of their unique flavors.

In Season: Kohlrabi

Lizzie Fuhr — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:01:01 PST

It feels like Winter has officially rolled through San Francisco, and the shift in seasons brings a whole new crop of delicious produce at the farmers market. Winter may not feel like the time to be introduced to a new vegetable, but guess again: it's time to meet kohlrabi.

While it's available year-round, kohlrabi really peaks in the colder months. The freaky-looking veg gets its name from the German word for cabbage, "kohl," and the Latin word for turnip, "rapa." It comes in two different hues - one variety has a pale green bulb and the other is purple - but despite their different first impressions, the flesh inside both bulbs is creamy and white with a flavor comparable to a blend of broccoli and celery root. The leaves are also edible! They taste like kale or collard greens, but a little sweeter. Keep reading to learn how to choose and prepare kohlrabi.

Southern Side: Creamed Collard Greens

Susannah Chen — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:05:11 PST

I'm a little sick of the traditional Thanksgiving meal. That's why this year I plan on serving slightly different versions of old favorites - like a turkey roulade instead of a whole roasted turkey, for instance.

Rather than the usual green bean casserole, I'm reaching for a neo-Southern riff on the creamed spinach standby, and plan on impressing guests with creamed collard greens. Unlike creamed spinach, this vegetable side isn't swimming in heavy cream; the cream adds subtle body, while smoky bacon rounds out the collards' bitter character.

But the pièce de résistance is really the crispy, cheesy crumb topping. Be sure to make a generous amount, because the more, the better. Add a new tradition to your meal when you keep reading

Seasonal Eats: Daikon Radish

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:22:17 PDT

Daikon is a white root vegetable often seen in Japanese and Chinese cuisine that resembles a carrot. However, unlike a carrot's sweetness, daikon is spicy and tart, similar to a radish. Its pungent and sharp flavor can be enjoyed raw, pickled, or cooked. The white pigment in daikon is called anthoxanthin, which is an antioxidant that may lower cholesterol and blood pressure. In Asian cuisine, daikon is often eaten alongside meaty dishes, and is said to aid in digestion and breakdown of oil, fatty animal protein, and dairy. Cooked daikon has a similar texture and flavor to turnips. Daikon is in season during the cold weather months, so if you've picked some up recently here's a quick and simple sauté preparation.

How to Add Some Pizzazz to Your Veggies

Heather Dale — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 12:00:57 PDT

Although I try to eat a well-balanced healthy diet, I often feel a little lacking in the veggie department - do you? Bland foods bore my palate and I find some veggies a little on the dull side. If the lack of flavor is your issue, here are some easy, clever ways to spruce up your veggies for snacks or mealtime.

Keep reading to learn how.

Mediterranean Quiche Is Great Morning, Noon, or Night

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:00:09 PDT

About once a month or so, I like to make a quiche. Sometimes I'll bake my own pie crust, but other times, when I'm in a hurry, I'll use a pre-made one from the store. The thing I love about quiche is its timelessness. It can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I've even eaten a cold slice as a snack in the afternoon! It's also a great way to use up old and leftover ingredients. This Mediterranean-inspired quiche is my latest favorite recipe. It's a perfect easy meatless Monday meal, and it's so good you may end up eating half the quiche in one sitting! The filling is a combination of sautéed onions, zucchini, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes; gruyere and goat cheese provide a luxurious richness. To give it a try,

Savory Sight: Eggplant With Yogurt Sauce

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:00:48 PDT

An unexpected but beautiful combination: eggplant, yogurt, and pomegranate seeds, as seen on OnSugar blog FreshTart.

I've had my eye on this recipe ever since I acquired the lovely cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. If you're looking for mouth-watering ways to add vegetables to your life, this is your book. Not only are the recipes clever and inspired, the photography is simply stunning. Earlier this Summer, I took a cup of coffee out on the deck, into the morning sun, and decided to affix Post-it notes to the dishes I wanted to try. My husband watched me from the kitchen window for a bit, then popped his head out to say that perhaps I should mark the recipes I wasn't interested in.

Truly, I was tagging the entire book.

This rustic dish is basically a ready-to-eat spread: Melting eggplant, creamy yogurt, zippy za'atar spices, and tangy-crunchy pomegranate seeds. Nothing less than a flavor-texture explosion, it's also is a breeze to make and eat, just simply roasted eggplant drizzled with a little of this and that.

In Season: Beets

Susannah Chen — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:33:55 PDT

When the colors of Autumn beg us to return to the golden hues of root vegetables, the first in line to blossom is the beet. From the crimson-red sugar beet to the pink-and-white striped Chioggia, these root vegetables come in a range of stunning, jewel-toned hues. They add a punch of color - and a sweet, mildly buttery flavor when cooked - to just about any course and are at their most tender during the Fall months, peaking in October. To find out how to select, store, and enjoy these versatile veggies, keep reading.