CUCUMBERS: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Wash and dry well, then refrigerate in your veggie crisper (just like spinach, paper towels will keep them dry and improve shelf life, although cucumbers aren’t nearly as sensitive to being wet as spinach)
Don’t put them in the coldest part of your fridge (where things tend to freeze) because the ideal temperature for them is actually closer to 50
Feel free to cut off half of one cucumber if you don’t need the whole thing, just make sure to cover the exposed end so the inside doesn’t dry out
Should keep for at least a week in the fridge
Nutrition (1 cup SLICES)
Calories: 16, Carbs: 4g, Protein: .3g, Fiber: .3g
Vitamins: A (4%DV), K (14%DV), C (5%DV), Numerous B vitamins (2-3%DV), others <4%DV
Minerals: Highest in Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, and Manganese
Fun fact
Cucumbers and Cantaloupe are very closely related. Their seeds, leaves, and flowers are all nearly identical, so once in a while it’s a surprise to see a melon appear amongst the cukes!
10 ways to EAT FRESH CUCUMBERS
Tzatziki (Greek Cucumber Dill Sauce- great for dipping or on gyros)
Pickling or fermenting are always great ways to preserve cucumbers and eat them some way other than fresh. This doesn’t have to be time consuming either! Refrigerator pickles and fermented pickles both only take about 10 minutes of work!
CABBAGE: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Wrap head in damp paper towel, plastic bag, or cling wrap to keep it from dehydrating
Keep in crisper. If they don’t begin to dehydrate or rot, they can last for months.
Remove loose outer leaves (if any) before eating, but they will keep the inner leaves more fresh in the refrigerator until ready to eat
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 22, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fiber: 2g
Vitamins: K(95%DV), C(61%DV), Folate(11%DV), B6(6%DV)
Minerals: Potassium(5%DV), Manganese(8%DV), Magnesium(5%), Calcium(4%DV)
Fun fact
Cabbages have been cultivated longer than almost any other vegetable on record. Over 6,000 years ago, it originated in China!
The more raw it is, the healthier it is! While this isn’t true for all vegetables, it is certainly true with cabbage as it’s main anti-cancer agents break down when cooked.
5 ways to USE FRESH CABBAGE
Kohlrabi and cabbage salad
Ferment it! Go the German route for sauerkraut, or Korean for kimchi
Tuna salad
Use slaw as a taco or burger topping
Breakfast
Add it to a pan before your eggs, then scramble them all together a few minutes later for a healthy breakfast option!
Lunch
Sauerkraut on top of a grilled brat
Tons of soup options
Try some variation of a salad, you can hardly go wrong!
Dinner
Use it in a stir fry of assorted vegetables
Make some homemade Runzas!
Turn it into a curry
Grilled cabbage wedges
Roasted with bacon
GARLIC SCAPES: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Refrigerate in plastic bag for 2-3 weeks
Put in a glass with water in the bottom, store on the countertop
Nutrition
Garlic scapes are an excellent source of selenium, manganese, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Garlic has been researched for its cardiovascular, immune, and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Fun fact
Garlic scapes are the stem and bud of hardneck garlic. They look like long, curly green beans and have a texture similar to asparagus. They are more mild than a raw garlic clove, tasting more like a green onion.
3 ways to USE FRESH GARLIC SCAPES
Make into herb butter to enjoy on toast, potatoes, or in sandwiches
Saute or roast with any other vegetables (chop and use like onions or garlic cloves)
Breakfast
Frittata with Potatoes, Shiitake, and Garlic Scapes
Lunch
Dinner
CILANTRO: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Store in a cup with 1 inch water, cover with ziplock bag, refrigerate
Unlike basil, cilantro likes cool temperatures
Nutrition
While cilantro is rich in phytonutrients, as an herb, macronutrients/calories aren’t quite as relevant. Cilantro has been researched for its cardiovascular, neurological, and anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Fun fact
Cilantro is one of the oldest and most widely used herbs around the world. The leaf from this plant is known as cilantro, while the seed is known as the spice coriander.
3 ways to USE FRESH CILANTRO
Top any Mexican or Indian dish with fresh cilantro before serving (tacos, enchiladas, burritos, curries, dal, etc)
Chop and add to salad (some great recipes below)
Make fresh guacamole with chopped cilantro
Breakfast
Loaded Breakfast Burrito with Cilantro
Lunch
Watermelon, Feta, and Cilantro Salad
Black Bean Salsa with Cilantro
Dinner
Cilantro Lime Rice - great in a burrito bowl or with tacos
Dal Tadka - “coriander leaves” in this recipe is referring to cilantro
BASIL: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
DO NOT REFRIGERATE! Basil is very cold sensitive.
Store in a cup with water, treat like cut flowers.
Nutrition (1/2 cup raw)
Calories: 70, Carbs: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fiber: 2g
Vitamins: A(10%DV), C(30%DV)
Minerals: Calcium(2%DV), Iron(6%DV)
Fun fact
Paired well with tomato dishes, basil is the easiest-to-use herb in my opinion! It’s also regularly used in perfumes and medicines.
5 ways to USE FRESH Basil
Top any Italian dish with fresh basil before serving (pizza, pasta, etc.)
Bruschetta: if you’ve never tried it, you have to ASAP- it makes a great snack/app
Pesto: good as a pasta sauce, over baked potatoes, or on flatbread
Homemade Basil Hummus
Breakfast
Tomato, Mushroom, Basil Frittata
Lunch
Basil Vinaigrette- makes a great salad dressing
Dinner
Lime Basil Bundt Cake (curious to see how this turns out)
Thai Basil Fried Rice - add some cabbage too
Honestly, just look up your favorite meals and find a recipe that includes basil or make one of your own!
MINT: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Loosely wrap in a dampened paper towel and place in an unsealed plastic bag.
Trim the ends and place in a glass filled with an inch or so of water.
Try preserving it! Drying and freezing are great options:
Dry: oven dry on low heat for 2-4 hours or hang dry upside down in paper bags for about two weeks.
Freeze: pick off leaves, chop up, and put 1-2 teaspoons per icecube in a tray. Bag up the frozen cubes and add to your favorite beverage/dish whenever you want!
NutritionAL BENEFITS
While mint is rich in phytonutrients, as an herb, macronutrients/calories aren’t quite as relevant. But holy moly there are so many health benefits of mint!
Mint has many soothing properties, and can help fix an upset stomach or indigestion. It can also calm allergy symptoms and treat cold symptoms.
Fun fact
45% of mint oil in the US is used for chewing gum, another 45% is used to flavor “good breath” things like toothpaste and mouthwash, and the remaining 10% is used as flavoring for the confectionery, pharmaceutical, liquor, and aroma industries.
4 ways to USE FRESH MINT
Add leaves to greek yogurt
Boil leaves for a tasty mint tea that soothes the stomach and aids digestion
Add some to your smoothie for a nice flavor addition
Add to limeade or lemonade, or try one of these cocktails
Breakfast
Brew some fresh mint tea, it’s a breakfast game changer!
Lunch
Chop up a few leaves and add to your salad greens for another layer of flavor
Radish Salad with Mint and Pistachios
Pop a couple of “mint ice cubes” into your iced tea
Make some pesto for sauce, dressing, dips or spreads
Dinner
Pan-roasted Chicken with Mint Sauce
For a fun dessert, try dipping in chocolate and letting it chill on wax paper in the fridge until hardened
Try making your own tincture: mix some chopped mint with vodka in a mason jar then shake daily for at least 4 weeks before straining- use it as a mint mixer or a home medicine
SUGAR SNAP PEAS: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Keep bagged up in the refrigerator
Best flavor/nutrition/tenderness if eaten sooner
Should keep for about a week
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 60, Carbs: 10.5g, Protein: 3g, Fiber: 3g
Vitamins: A (4%DV), C (60%DV), K (20%DV)
Minerals: Calcium (4%DV), Iron (8%DV), Potassium (4%DV)
Fun fact
If your peas are older/tougher (whether they get harvested late or set in the fridge too long) they can be salvaged by cooking them up (adding to a stir fry is my favorite!)
4 ways to eat SUGAR SNAP PEAS FRESH
Snap pea challenge: eat them (pod and all) before they even make it to your refrigerator. They are so darn tasty fresh! Just don’t eat the stems!
Toss them into your salad this week for a nice addition of crunchy and sweet.
Pair up with your favorite dip for a healthy snack. Hummus, guacamole, and sour cream and onion are my favorite!
In the next couple weeks (when you’re tired of them fresh, if that’s even possible), try preserving them by blanching and freezing in quart bags for up to a year.
Breakfast
Saute them with bacon and onions, then add to your scrambled eggs topped with parmesan
Lunch
Snap peas go well in soups and noodles, especially Asian-inspired dishes like ramen, lo mein, and pho
Dinner
Roast or saute them for a delicious side dish to your main course (how to cook sugar snap peas)
Stir fry them in an asian dish (pair with broccoli, steak, chicken, shrimp, etc.)
Go crazy with pasta: creamy snap pea and ham pasta, bacon and sugar snap pea pasta, the sky is honestly the limit!
CAULIFLOWER: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
Storage
Wrap loosely in damp paper towels and refrigerate.
You can also refrigerate in a plastic bag, but wait to wash until right before using
Will store for up to a week, use sooner than later!
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 27, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 2.1g, Fiber: 2.1g
Vitamins: C (85%DV), B6 (10%DV), Folate (15%DV), K (14%DV)
Fun fact
Cauliflower means “cabbage flower” because it is a flower that has not fully developed.
5 ways to eat CAULIFLOWER
Raw with hummus, ranch, or your favorite dip!
Shredded as “cauliflower rice”. Steam or saute and use in place of rice in any dish!
Roasted with olive oil and salt (my favorite way to enjoy it)!
Steamed and mashed. Enjoy with butter, cream, garlic, and fresh herbs for an awesome alternative to mashed potatoes!
Steam, cool, and blend in a smoothie for extra creaminess (you don’t taste it)!
Breakfast
Great in breakfast casserole or quiches
Cinnamon Bun Cauliflower Smoothie
Lunch
Steamed with other mixed veggies makes for a great, light side dish over the noon hour
Steamed cauliflower with parmesan cheese and garlic salt
Dinner
Roasted (so simple but so good)
Sauteed in butter/olive oil and garlic salt
Curried Cauliflower (an extra nutrient boost from turmeric)
BROCCOLI: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
Storage
Wrap loosely in damp paper towels and refrigerate.
You can also refrigerate in a plastic bag, but wait to wash until right before using
Will store for up to a week, use sooner than later!
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 31, Carbs: 6g, Protein: 2.5g, Fiber: 3g
Vitamins: A (12%DV), C (135%DV), Folate (14%DV)
Minerals: Potassium (8%DV), Phosphorous (6%DV), Magnesium (5%DV)
Fun factS
This is Ben’s favorite vegetable to eat! Big fan of its taste, it’s awesome fresh and cooked, and it’s one of the most nutritious veggies!
3 ways to eat BROCCOLI fresh
Because I know how good it is for me, my favorite way to eat it is raw with every other bite of my main course. This is an easy way to cut out ranch dressing, but ranch is also a tasty option!
Broccoli salad! Bacon, cheese, cranberries/rasins, and sunflower seeds make up one of my favorite (and easiest) salads.
Breakfast
Great in breakfast casserole or quiches
Lunch
Steamed with other mixed veggies makes for a great, light side dish over the noon hour
Steamed broccoli with cheese- my favorite overall way to eat it!
Dinner
Creamy Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Roasted (the best broccoli of your life)
Pasta with Broccoli, Feta, and Sausage
Sauteed in butter/olive oil and garlic salt
MICROGREENS: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
Storage
Refrigerate in a resealable plastic bag or container with a lid
If dry, they should stay fresh for up to 7 days before spoiling
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
16% protein, high in phyonutrients and antioxidants
Vitamins: high in A, C, and B vitamins lysine, thiamine, niacin, folate
Minerals: good source of calcium, potassium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper
Fun factS
Microgreens are “nutritionally concentrated” greens. They have up to 40% more phytonutrients than their full-grown counterparts!
5 ways to eat MICROGREENS fresh
Add them to salads, just as you would with larger greens!
Add a few to the top of your soup, bowl, or eggs.
Swap for greens in a wrap or sandwich.
Blend into pesto, a green goddess dressing, or a smoothie.
Top your toast!
Breakfast
Add a small handful to your eggs!
Like I mentioned, they would go well on your toast!
Lunch
One of the fresh options above would probably be best!
Dinner
MIx in to your stir-fry
Add as a topping on whatever dish you are enjoying!