Colorful Vegetables A-K

Each vegetable color provides its own unique flavor, texture, and nutrition. Look for lots of color in your shopping bag and on your plate. When you get accustomed to a colorful plate, you will notice when it looks a little bland, and wonder what colors you want to add. Color is fun! Enjoy a rainbow of colorful vegetables. Here is a sampling.

Vitamin A beta carotene

Vitamin A beta carotene Helps form healthy teeth and bones and ward off bacterial and viral infections.

Vitamin B (folate)

Helps your brain function and supports your metabolism. Eat raw or steam to maintain the most folate.

Vitamin C

Helps you heal and protects against infections.

Vitamin E 

Protects your cells and helps you use vitamin K to repair muscle cells.

Vitamin K

Helps prevent excessive bleeding and maintain strong bones.

Vegetable Kids Cards are available from the author. Contact Nancy J. Miller. Add Colorful Vegetables Kids Will Love to every meal.

Share your favorite vegetables and how you love to eat them.

Nona’s Favorite Homemade Pasta Sauce

Blend on High speed

Blend together with seasoning (to taste) and vegetables:

3 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 med carrot cut in pieces

1 bunch spinach

Seasoning quantity will very with fresh, ground, or flakes.

Other vegetable options (be creative):

¼ bunch broccoli

Butternut squash (a friend added to the sauce and it was delicious!)

1 wedge or shredded purple cabbage, beets, or any red or purple vegetable to deepen the color of the sauce (especially helpful if cooking a shorter period of time)

Put blended ingredients in a medium to large crockpot or pot and add:

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) & ground pepper

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

2 bay leaves (optional) take out before serving

If desired add:

1 ½ lbs ground beef or turkey cooked int 2 TBS olive oil with 1 medium chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic

Cook in the crockpot for 6 hours on high or 12 hours on low.

Make your own Italian Seasoning mix

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 tablespoons dried marjoram

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon thyme

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Seasoning with a zip

3 tsp oregano flakes crushed

½ tsp powder oregano

1/2 tsp rosemary flakes crushed

½ sage

2   cloves garlic

2 tsp garlic salt

¼ ea chili powder/paprika

2 bay leaves

Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Ingredients

  • 120ml (1/2 cup) butter
  • 2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp. seasoned salt
  • 220g (8 oz.) fettuccine or angel hair pasta (cooked and drained)
  • 360ml (1 1/2 cups) broccoli floweretts (cooked tender-crisp)
  • 3 Tbsp. walnuts (chopped )
  • fresh, grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet.
  2. Add the basil, lemon juice, garlic powder and seasoned salt, blending well.
  3. Add the fettuccine, broccoli, walnuts.
  4. Blend well and toss to coat the fettuccine.
  5. After tossing, add fresh grated Parmesan cheese to top off the dish.

This article uses material from the Wikibooks article “Cookbook:Garlic Parmesan Pasta“, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Guacamole

Ingredients

  • 4 avocados
  • 2 tablespoons of pico de gallo
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 2 chopped Jalapeño OR 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper OR 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 4 teaspoons of olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • 1 minced jalapeño OR 2 minced serrano chiles OR 2 tablespoon minced of any chile pepper like (adjust for spiciness)

Procedure

  1. Pit the avocados.
  2. Score avocado without cutting through the skin.
  3. Scoop out one avocado with a large spoon and place in mixing bowl.
  4. Add the lime juice and stir to evenly coat the avocados.
  5. Stir in the Pico de Gallo, garlic, oil, jalapeño, salt, red pepper, and black pepper, mashing and tossing the avocado pieces until thoroughly mixed.
  6. Then scoop out the other avocados and gently mix and toss in the larger pieces.
  7. The guacamole is the right consistency when more large pieces than mashed parts remain.
  8. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

This article uses material from the Wikibooks article “Cookbook:Guacamole“, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potato
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 14-oz cans of nonfat and low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock
  • 1 15-oz can of pumpkin
  • 1 cup 1% milk
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

Procedure

  1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion for 3-4 minutes then add flour, curry, cumin and nutmeg and saute for 1 minute.
  2. Add sweet potato, salt, chicken broth and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered for about 20-25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked through and softened. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes to cool.
  3. Place half of the pumpkin mixture in a blender and process until smooth. Using a strainer, pour soup back into pan. Repeat with rest of soup.
  4. Raise heat to medium then stir in milk and cook for 5 minutes or until soup is heated through.
  5. Remove from heat and add lime juice.

This article uses material from the Wikibooks article “Cookbook:Spiced Pumpkin Soup“, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.