Vegetables

Start off a cold winter day with this hearty breakfast hash! Simply seasoned with just olive oil, chili pepper and salt, this recipe allows each vegetable to shine. Sweet butternut squash is balanced by the mild flavors of cauliflower and potatoes, as well as the slightly bitter flavor of the Brussels sprouts. This blend of veggies would also go well on the side or as ingredients in another meal, but it makes for a delicious and healthy breakfast with the addition of tofu.

Nothing can warm your insides quite like a good bowl of split pea soup! The potatoes and carrots in this recipe create a hearty meal while the garlic, onion and seasonings blend with the peas for a rich and delicious flavor. You can also feel good about getting a large serving of veggies, since the peas alone have high levels of vitamins C, A and protein! 

Split Pea Soup (Vegan)

*Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:

3 cups split peas, dried

7 cups vegetable stock (or water)

2 teaspoons salt

Some non-culinary adventurous people fear the vegetables that lurk at the edge of the produce section. You know they are vegetables, and probably good for you.  But you hesitate to buy them because you don’t know how to cook them, or you fear what they might taste like once you put them on the table.

Leeks are one of those vegetables.

They are stately, upright stalks that look a bit like green onions on steroids. They are, in fact, related to the onion, belonging to the allium family of vegetables.

In a family with gluten, dairy, soy, egg, and nut intolerances, indulging in creamy anything is quite rare. My oldest son and I are big soup lovers, though, and he especially loves creamy soups, so I’ve tried my hand at several vegan recipes using coconut milk, but we just aren’t always in the mood for the subtle taste of coconut. I’ve discovered that with enough olive oil in the cooking process, and by roasting the veggies first, we can end up with a creamy soup without any dairy or dairy alternatives whatsoever – and the taste is truly superb.

The best way to eat produce is freshly picked off the vine from your garden or local farmer’s market. Unfortunately, not everyone has that luxury. For most of us, our produce comes from the nearest grocery store. We sift through the fruits and vegetables as we choose the cream of the crop. The frozen aisle is avoided because fresh is best. That's what I thought, anyway, until I decided to dig a little deeper into the freezer section.

Why settle for store-bought food when you can have fresh, seasonal produce growing on your windowsill? Here’s the best part: It’ll cost you practically nothing. After all, seeds are relatively cheap, and if you already have access to soil and pots, you're set. You can even grow some of these from scraps! Just follow these simple instructions and you'll be growing (and eating) autumn bounty in no time.

If you’re someone living in an urban setting, yet still trying to live as close to the earth as possible while doing so, then you may have considered urban gardening in the past.

My backyard is a paved-over pocket in the city that I call “the oasis.” It’s just enough room for a few reclining lawn chairs, a grill, and six potted plants. It’s not much, but it’s just enough to feel like I have a little nature right out my back door.

Living in an urban area, you have to make the most of all your spaces, especially if you have any outdoor room. A well-planned

With fall finally here, it's beneficial to know which vegetables are in their prime. After all, in-season produce is always the freshest and most nutritious. Personally, I always try to eat in-season produce, but  supermarkets don't seem to know the meaning of this (tomatoes in winter, anyone?).To really connect with the season of fall, here are five vegetables you should put on your plate this autumn. 

It’s easy to focus on those plump, crunchy parts of root vegetables, but who knew that the foliage above ground, responsible for all the goodness that grows below, is just as nutritious? I’m talking about your carrots, beets, and even those radishes that you may – hopefully – purchase with the tops flopping around awkwardly. Don’t be fooled! Those tops are a goldmine of nutrients including iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, folate, and vitamins A, B, C, E and K.

This vegetable pot pie will warm your bones on a cold fall day! It has a flaky, chewy crust and a warm, rich filling of vegetables that is guaranteed to make your mouth water. If you don’t want to prepare a full pie crust ahead of time, you could also use premade crust or some puff pastry to save some time. The filling is quick and easy to make, with just a couple basic ingredients of vegetable broth, almond milk and flour that make up the base. Onion, garlic and vegetables come together to round off the filling and give it a nice variety of flavors and textures.