Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week

This week's tip is less of a tip and more of a challenge. When you go to the grocery store this week, pick up a vegetable you've never tried before and bring it home. Eat it raw, or hit the Internet to find an appealing way to cook it. (No frying allowed!)

There are so many things I buy regularly now that I never, in a million years, thought I would eat. Here are the top five culinary shockers that now frequent my refrigerator.

1. Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti Squash

When I first cooked an acorn squash, I was flabbergasted. Where had these things been all my life? They are sweet, juicy, easier to fix than a baked potato, and loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and a bunch of other good stuff. It is my favorite vegetable. I can sit down and eat a whole one...if no one else in my family is fighting me for it (and they usually are).

My positive experience with the acorn squash led me to try the butternut and spaghetti varieties, both of which are also fantastic. Spaghetti squash really does look like noodles after it's cooked!

2. Asparagus

When I was growing up my Mom had a prolific asparagus garden that yielded plenty of fantastic, fresh asparagus every summer. Did I eat my fill every night? No. Wouldn't touch the stuff. What was wrong with me?

As an adult I really like asparagus. My favorite way to fix it is to coat the spears in olive oil, sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper and roast it in the oven for about 12 minutes. Yum.

3. Edamame

That's ed-ah-mah-may for the uninitiated. Edamame is green soy beans in a shell, and they are my favorite food to eat mindlessly. You know, the way you usually eat chips.

Edamame is low in calories, low in fat, and has plenty of protein and calcium. And oh yeah, they also taste good. You can find them in your freezer section in a steamer bag, although I usually prepare them by boiling them for about four minutes in salty water. Squeezing the pods so the soy beans pop out is pretty fun. Then just toss the shell!

4. Collard Greens

Eat your greens! Eat your greens! I kept reading over and over again. But...but... greens? Really? That sounds so gross. I resisted for quite awhile, but then decided to jump in. I'm glad I did!

I started with this recipe from Whole Foods Market that calls for collard greens, carrots, red onions, brown rice, and feta cheese. Oh, man, that recipe is so good. I was fixing it every week for awhile. And it makes great leftovers, too!

5. Spinach

Up until about two months ago, I was really scared of spinach. I'd bought the frozen variety once or twice for a mushroom spinach manicotti that I make, but I'm embarrassed to admit I'd never bought it fresh.

So a few weeks back I took the plunge, and I'm pleased to admit that spinach is not scary! To me, it's pretty much like any other lettuce, but better for you! It's full of iron, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid. And versatile, too. I put it in omelets, on my turkey sandwich, and in a plain old salad at dinner.

So try something new this week! Maybe you'll find something that will become a regular in the veggie rotation.