Top 5 Tricks to Love your Veggies

 

What do veggies have to do with my art? Besides the occasional vegetable collage, photo op, and edible sculpture, I want lots of energy so I can make lots of art for a long time. One of the things that helped me heal and have a million times more energy than before, was learning to love veggies. Besides dipping them in chocolate ;) if you're not a veggie lover what can be done?

1. Enzymes- I didn't like veggies because I wasn't able to digest them. Have you ever had a burning, sour feeling in the throat or tummy distress after eating them?  Perhaps you have the same problem. Talk to your health care provider about improving your digestion. Enzymes can be bought at the Pharmacy or your health food store.

2. Freshly squeezed juice- One of my favorite recipes: Juice cilantro, green apple and celery for a refreshing, low sugar juice that feels like pure energy. The fruit helps cover an initial distaste for veggies, and helps with enzyme issues too. After juicing regularly, (bottled juice doesn't work) I started craving more veg, especially greens. This coming from an ex hard core sugar junkie...

3. Smoothies- Sneaking vegetables into smoothies is easy and the results taste like pudding.  *Bonus*- Smoothies and Fresh Juices are loved by kids and picky eaters. After eating a green smoothie every morning, my PH went from highly acidic to perfect. A much better state for healing and preventing disease. It would have taken hours of crunching salads to get there.

4. Pay attention to textures- What many people hate when it comes to vegetables is the texture.

    A) Creamy soups, hold the cream. Vegetable soups can be thickened with a potato or cauliflower and in some cases an avocado and blended until creamy. Some favorites: Potato Leek soup, and Squash and Parsnip.

    B) The way that you chop affects the finished taste. A good knife is all you need to get some interesting shapes for your salad. 

                  * Want to save time? Use your food processor and do up enough veggies for a     few days. Kale, red pepper, purple cabbage, carrot, turnip etc. are all great. Kale in huge chunks is not as good at all.

                   * Want a gormet look? a mandoline is a lot of fun for cutting interesting shapes. Sprouts can give an exotic look too, especially dark burgundy quinoa. You can grow your own easily if you can't find it in the store.

5. Watch Wallace and Gromit's "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" They make veg look sexy ;) Part of the problem is all the seductive photos for cheesecake, chocolate and other eye-candy. If you're a sensual, visual person and have ever been seduced by appearances, then you'll enjoy this cartoon and the kids will love it too.