TIP OF THE DAY: Fun Ways To Use Healthy Foods

February 19, 2014 at 8:20 am · Filed under Cooking, Healthier Options, Recipes, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

kale-sweet-potato-spring-rolls-naturebox-230

Mmmm…a fun way to eat more veggies.
Photo courtesy Nature Box.

Trying to turn over a new leaf, eating more kale and other good-for-you veggies, without giving up flavor and fun?

One of the major paths to better eating is to eat less meat and more vegetables. Yet many of us are veg-averse. Even if we like them, there’s always something we’d rather have (think pasta, pizza or a burger and fries, where the only veggies might be slices of tomato and onion and a piece of lettuce).

The secret is to serve recipes where the veggies can be “disguised” (see our favorite ideas below). Bright colors also work. What doesn’t seem to work with many people today is Mom’s approach: putting a protein on the plate with a side of string beans and a side of broccoli. So get creative on how to serve the beans and broccoli.

We picked up this idea from NatureBox.com, an e-tailer that delivers wholesome snacks and blogs on tasty, better-for-you foods. The fun and tasty spring rolls were developed by Lori Yates, a Detroit-area recipe developer, food writer and cooking instructor. She contributes healthier recipes with lots of visual appeal to the NatureBox blog, such as Thai Tofu Pizza and Salmon & Crispy Chickpea Salad and on her own blog, Foxes Love Lemons.

These spring rolls are a better-for-you snack or first course. Crunchy veggies are rolled in rice paper wrappers and served with a spicy creamy dipping sauce. The sweet potatoes are raw and sliced thin, for a texture like jicama but with more flavor and nutrients. Prep time is 25 minutes.

RECIPE: KALE & SWEET POTATO SPRING ROLLS

Ingredients For 6 Servings (18 Rolls)

For The Spring Rolls

18 rice paper wrappers

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces

1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

Kernels from 2 ears of corn (about 3/4 cup)

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

For The Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup light sour scream or plain Greek yogurt

1-1/2 tablespoons hot sauce

Preparation

1. MAKE the dipping sauce: Stir together sour cream or yogurt and hot sauce. Set aside.

2. WORKING one at a time, wet wrappers for 15 seconds and transfer to damp towel. Place kale in center of each wrapper and top with some beans, corn, sweet potato and onion.

3. BRING the bottom edge of the wrapper tightly over the filling, rolling from bottom to top until the top of the sheet is reached, being careful not to tear the wrapper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Serve immediately.

MORE WAYS TO EAT BETTER: FAMILY CONTEST

Get everyone into the act, thinking about how to “healthify” family favorites. Provide “healthy cookbooks” for reference: Cooking Light, Giada’s Feel-Good Food and the Eating Well Healthy In A Hurry Cookbook. Give a monthly prize to the best idea.

Another better-for-you dish: chili that’s heavy on the veggies. Photo courtesy Swanson.

Some of our most popular switches:

Chili that is more veggie than beef or beans. Here’s a tasty recipe from Swanson that “disguises” the veggies among the bean.

Mashed cauliflower with olive oil and Greek yogurt instead of mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream. Many people just assume the mashed cauliflower is potatoes.

Pasta primavera, with at least 50% veggies (aim for whole wheat pasta).

“Salad pizza,” piled high with six or more of your favorite veggies (and a whole wheat crust!).

Stir frys—check out the Everything Stir Fry Cookbook with 300 recipes!

Also see:

Sneak More Veggies Into The Pasta

5 Ways To Sneak More Veggies Into Your Diet

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