In my first article on this subject, entitled: Taste the Rainbow: Your Colourful Guide to Optimum Nutrition, we highlighted the benefits of eating a variety of foods from each colour contained within the rainbow. In subsequent articles, we will discuss specific colours more in-depth and you can enjoy a variety of easy recipes to boost your nutritional value at home!
Taste the Rainbow...
In my first article on this subject, entitled: Taste the Rainbow: Your Colourful Guide to Optimum Nutrition, we highlighted the benefits of eating a variety of foods from each colour contained within the rainbow. In subsequent articles, we will discuss specific colours more in-depth and you can enjoy a variety of easy recipes to boost your nutritional value at home!
Yellow and Orange
Let’s talk about beta-carotene, one of almost 50 carotenoids found in food. Beta-carotene is the only carotene that can be converted into vitamin A by the body. For this reason, it’s usually the only carotene found in multivitamin supplements. Vitamin A plays a crucial role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, and cell division. It also helps maintain skin and mucous membranes that defend against bacteria and viruses.
One medium-sized carrot contains about 10,000IU (International Units) of beta-carotene! Interestingly, carrot juice offers more beta-carotene than a raw carrot. When you eat a raw carrot, much of the beta-carotene is removed from the body along with the carrot’s fiber content. When you juice a carrot, the fiber is removed and more of the nutrients are left to be absorbed by the body.
Finally, if you’re not a fan of the orange variety, beta-carotene can also be found in green foods. That’s right and as a general rule, the darker the green, the higher the amount of beta-carotene! We’ll get more into the nutritional benefits of green veggies shortly. In the meantime, check out these awesome recipes to increase your consumption of yellow and orange vegetables…
Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes
“The spicy goodness of a samosa, without the trouble of making dough”
Credits:Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Serve this stuffed baked potato recipe with any Indian lentil, bean or vegetable dishes.
Top potato with 5 Minute Mango Chutney (recipes follows), and you’ve got yourself a meal!
Total Prep & Cook Time: 40 minutes, once potatoes are baked
Yields: 8 Potato Halves; 8 Servings
240g Serving: 213kcal, 6g fat, 38g carb, 5g protein, 5g fiber, 178mg sodium; 3g sugars; good source of Vitamin A, B6, C & Potassium. Estimated glycemic load: 16. Gluten Free.
Ingredients:
4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked and cooled.
¼ cup unsweetened soy milk or vegetable broth or water
3Tbsp peanut oil
1tsp yellow mustard seeds (or whatever kind you’ve got)
1tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 small yellow onion, diced into small pieces (about 1 cup)
1 medium sized carrot, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
½ cup frozen peas, rinsed
Juice of ½ lemon
Extra oil for brushing or spraying the potatoes
Baked Potato Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Poke potato with fork about 8 times
3. Wrap in aluminum foil; bake 1 hour until easily pierced with a fork
4. When done, unwrap and let cool
5. Slice the cooled baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving about ¼ inch of potato in the skin
6. The easiest way to do this is to hold the potato in the palm of your non-writing hand and use a teaspoon to scoop the potato into a bowl
7. Go slowly and carefully so as not to break the potato, but don’t be a perfectionist about it!
8. Mash the potatoes up with the soy milk and set aside the skins
Samosa Potato Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
3. Add the mustard and crushed coriander seeds
4. The mustard seeds should begin to pop; if they don’t pop in a minute or two, turn the heat up
5. Let the seeds pop for about a minute (put a lid on them so you don’t get splattered), add the onions and carrots and sauté for 7-10 minutes, until the onions begin to brown
6. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute more
7. Add the cumin, turmeric, and salt with a splash of water, stir well, then add the potatoes, mixing everything well
8. Add a little extra water if it looks too dry
9. Cook until the potatoes are heated through, then add the peas and cook until those are heated through
10. Add the lemon juice to taste and stir to incorporate
11. Brush the inside of the potato skins with a little bit of oil
12. Then scoop the filling into the skin, pressing gently to hold the filling in place
13. Arrange the potato halves on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes
14. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro if you are so inclined and serve!
5 Minute Mango Chutney
Totally inauthentic, but so what? It’s really yummy!
Credit: Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Serve with any Indian meal, on a curry, or on Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes.
Total Prep And Cook Time: 15 minutes, plus chill time
Yield: 2 cups or 8 Servings
48g Serving: 50 kcal, 1g fat, 10g carb, 0g protein, 1g fiber, 1mg sodium, 9g sugars, good source of Vitamin A & C. Estimated glycemic load 4. Gluten Free
Ingredients:
2tsp peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large mango, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces (a little under 2 cups of fruit)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp asafetida
Directions:
1. Preheat a small saucepan over medium-low heat
2. Put the oil, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in the pan and sauté for about 1 minute
3. Add the mango, sugar and water
4. Turn heat up to medium, cover, and cook for 3 minutes, until it’s boiling
5. Add the red wine vinegar and asafetida, and cook for another minute, uncovered
6. Chill until ready to use.
Citrus Honey Glazed Vegetables
Credit: www.theshiksa.com
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 large yams (orange sweet potatoes) - about 2 lbs total
3 large yellow beets (about 1 1/2 lbs total)
1 lb carrots
1 lb parsnips
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp orange blossom water or 1 tbsp orange juice
2 tsp grated orange zest
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Place racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil. Cut the vegetables into 1 1/2-inch chunks.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, olive oil, orange blossom water or orange juice, and grated orange zest. Place the cut vegetables into a large mixing bowl and toss them with the honey mixture till evenly coated.
Spread the vegetables out evenly across the two cookie sheets, making sure to leave space between the vegetables. Don't overcrowd the pans. Sprinkle the vegetables lightly with salt and black pepper. Cover both sheets with another layer of foil. Place the sheets into the oven. Let the vegetables cook for 35 minutes. Halfway through cooking, uncover and stir the vegetables, recover, then switch the baking sheets on their racks.
After 35 minutes, uncover the baking sheets and stir the vegetables again gently. Allow the vegetables to roast another 10-15 minutes till they are glazed and caramelized.
Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm. These vegetables can be made ahead early in the day, then reheated in the oven or microwave just before serving.
Célène Guspie, Registered Dietician, BSc (Nutrition) is a Dietitian who embraces the Holistic approach to nutrition and health. She has been working for Optimum Health Vitamins since 2010 and obtained her degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Alberta in 2004.
During the past several years Celene has had the opportunity to work with community members in the areas of weight loss, chronic pain management, vitamin supplementation and developing individualized food plans. More recently, she completed her internship to become a Registered Dietitian, where her areas of focus included nutrition for heart and kidney disease, diabetes and intestinal concerns. She has always been very interested in the field of Nutriceuticals and Holistic Nutrition.
She is currently working on Rosemary Gladstar’s ‘Art and Science of Herbalism,’ along with many fellow co-workers, and her goal is to become a Nutritional Consultant Practitioner so that she may help people achieve and maintain balanced health through nutrition and appropriate supplementation.
In her personal time, Celene enjoys being creative in the kitchen, spending time in the mountains, and all things outdoors.
Through Optimum Health Vitamins, Celene offers individual and group nutrition consultations as well as individualized menu planning.
“To book an appointment with Celene – call 780-432-5464”
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your physician.
