Winter Greens

Yeaah, it's winter in Switzerland. It's cold and the kids are all excited about the news predicting snow on the weekend. With that, I love my winter veggies. White and green vegetables have a lot of fibres and secondary phytochemicals. But most importantly, they are delicious and you have plenty of opportunities to process them in your kitchen.

Here are some insights about a few of my favourites:

Kale is a local superfood and you can find it at the regional farmers market or even at the grocery store around the corner. :-)

Kale is very rich in vitamin C, B-carotene, vitamin K and also contains many minerals like iron, trace minerals and proteins. 

Get your extra dose of vitality.

My favourite dish with kale is kale chips.... freshly prepared with olive oil and salt - 10 minutes in the oven.

Chicory is rich in vitamins A, C, E and B and has as many minerals. The valuable bitter substances stimulate digestion, have a calming and analgesic effect. The antioxidants make chicory our local superfood. :0) Chicory is a winter vegetable (cruciferous) that is eaten as a salad or even as a vegetable or in a soup. Check out my Chicory recipe.

Parsnip grows like turnip and radish under the ground and is in season from October to March. In the past, the parsnip was a staple food until it was replaced by potatoes and turnips. Parsnip has many vitamins and minerals. For example, vitamins A, E and C and the minerals/trace elements niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, calcium, potassium and zinc. It also contains essential oils and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Parsnip can be eaten raw but is often used in soups. I also like it as an oven vegetable in combination with beets, brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes; olive oil and toasted sesame seeds over it, done! 

Brussels sprouts are a very nutritious and vitamin-rich winter vegetable that should be enjoyed much more often during the cold season. The tender florets protect us from colds and flu infections thanks to the high vital substance content, are a good vegetable protein supplier and protect us from carcinogenic substances. Brussels sprouts with their antioxidants can balance our hormone system such as estrogen dominance. This is not only an issue in women's health. 

I hope this gives you some inspiration to add more winter greens to your meals this winter?