10 Ways to Increase Vegetable Intake

Getting a lot of vegetables into your diet is good for about 237,483 reasons (please don't make me state every one), and one of them is that it actually reduces your risk of something 14,000 Australia's are diagnosed with every single year; Bowel Cancer.  Get in on Bowel Cancer Awareness Week by checking out the official page here.  

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10 Super Easy Ways to Increase Vegetable Intake

1 - Finely diced capsicum, zucchini, carrot, eggplant or spinach will take on the flavour of whatever's around them and work amazingly in a good pasta sauce.  Grate them or puree the sauce if children are involved.

2 - Stop counting bits of iceberg lettuce as a salad.  Use spinach or rocket instead of lettuce, and experiment with julienne fresh beetroot, cubes of roasted pumpkin or sweet potato and shredded red cabbage instead of or alongside your regular tomato ritual.

3 - Try parsnip and carrot mash, or sweet potato and chilli mash, or cauliflower mash instead of potatoes.  If you love your potatoes, wash them properly, bake them whole and eat the skin.

4 - Carrot sticks bore you?  Try celery or capsicum.  Still boring?  Try broccoli and cauliflower stalks.  

5 - With a base of onion and garlic sauteed in a little olive oil, pretty much any vegetable will taste good in a soup.  For a Moroccan twist, add red lentils, a can of tomatoes, cayenne pepper, cumin and squeeze some lemon juice just before serving.  

6 - When you roast vegies, roast way too many.  Left overs are great in fritatta's the next night, tossed through pasta with a little garlic, olive oil and some herbs (parsley, basil, oregano..) or squished between the meat and cheese in your sandwich.  I love left over roast vegetables for M's work lunches on cous cous or rice with a can of tuna.  

7 - Get 2 onions and caramelise them in a tablespoon of olive oil.  Get a big green cabbage and half a red one, shred them and cook them with the onions until they are soft and clear (add water to the mixture if it gets dry).  Add a grated apple and some salt and pepper.  Yummy side dish for a week.

8 - Grill your vegetables!  Heaps of vegetables taste amazing grilled, especially when served on a bed of garlic mash and drizzled with a balsamic reduction (put balsamic vinegar in a pot and cook until it becomes syrupy).

9 - Make a dressing for your vegetables.  In salads, Greek yoghurt mixed with seeded mustard, salt, pepper and a little water tastes amazing and is super healthy.  Don't be scared to make a white sauce with olive oil, wholemeal flour and rice or almond milk for kids, too.  It still works!  I promise.  No butter required.

10 - Make pizza!  Mushrooms, capsicum, onion, eggplant and zucchini make a great vegie pizza, and if you home make the pizza tomato sauce you can get even more in!  Or try roast pumpkin, spinach and feta.  Or put some corn, roast sweet potatoes, shredded chicken and a Mexican salsa.  The possibilities are endless and seriously, pizza is good as long as the tomato & the cheese is there.

Please eat your vegies!

Stay well,

Nat x