This weeks edition of the 2 veggies you should eat has do do with one veggie that I admittedly do not cook with often and one that I do eat often. Both are on the fringes of what is normally prepared for our daily menus but are great substitutes for what we already consume. This week we are going to buy and prepare Turnips and Tomatillos!
Turnips are a root vegetable that can be substituted for potatoes although they have a slightly more acidic flavor if cooked alone. Unlike other starchy root veggies, the turnip contains a huge list of beneficial vitamins and minerals. An entire spectrum of B vitamins as well as Vitamin C, niacin and folate is just some of the great nutrients in the root veggie.
Finding Turnips is not hard, its just that they are usually tucked in the side vegetable section with things like Collard Greens and Okra. With that being said, Turnips are usually sold with their tops still attached. The greens on the top of the turnip can also be used in soups, sauces, sautéed alone and give you lots of vitamins as well.
Here are a few prep ideas;
-In soups, let em stew. Just like a potato they will absorb liquid and become soft. They will also absorb flavor which will add depth to the meal.
- Mashed. Boil and strain like potato. Add Onion, oil, thyme, garlic and a little rosemary for a side dish that can stand alone!
-Roasted. Just like other root veggies, oil and salt them and place them on a bake sheet until soft and top with other herbs for a awesome flavor.
Next is the Tomatillo. I swear my wife is the only one that cooks with Tomatillos on Kauai and yet I'm so thankful that the grocery store orders them . So if we can get them on Kauai, you can for sure get them wherever you are. Tomatillos are like little green tomatoes that come wrapped in a papery husk. Once the husk is peeled away, the hesitation with cooking Tomatillos is gone really fast.
Tomatillos are #1 full of fiber. Not that regular tomatos dont have fiber but the color and density denotes a more concentrated amount of both. Tomatillos are less likely to be GMO so your quantities of Vitamin C, Potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and selenium. Overall the Tomatillo is an all around healthy round veggie. Plus it has many uses.
Traditionally the Tomatillo is used in Mexican and South American Cooking. We normally see it as green salsa. The tomatillos are roasted, blended with spices and served as a topping on all kinds of food. But the cooking potential is there for sure;
-roasting. To roast is to bring out flavors in many veggies including the tomatillo. Simple salt and oil will do fine.
-Raw. Diced up small and placed on salads or for a ceviche would be perfect.
- Boiled. You can cube and boil the tomatillo to soften before you blend or roast it.
-Simmer. Putting it in sauces and soups will allow it to cook down and soften. Add flavors and have at it.
So There is this weeks challenge. I hope you are working to make little changes like these, breaking from the ordinary and routine. To expand you must try new things and it is easy when you are doing it in the kitchen . Try these couple veggies in a host of different ways and find a way that you like. I promise you will be stoked in the end. Keep striving and exploring. 2017 is the year of optimal health, follow me and Ill get you there!
Baseline:
500m Row
18-15-12
Med Ball Up and Overs (SPLIT REPS BETWEEN LEGS)
Berry Pickers
Elbow To Instep Lunges
250m Row (fast)
Barbell Prep:
10X
-Romanian deadlift
-sumo deadlift
-upright Row
-bent over row
-Press
-push Press
Deadlift
In 5 sets build to 80% of deadlift max,
Perform 5X5 @80%. Rest :90 between
WOD:
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Push Press
75/55, 95/65, 115/75, 135/95
*Practice changing weights on the fly, work fast!
