We’re starting the new year in an extra healthy way with root vegetables and tubers, because even these vegetables, which are grown in open soil, can be prepared in various ways using the Big Green Egg. Big Green Egg expert Ralph de Kok shows a few of the different cooking methods available for preparing these delicious and healthy vegetables in tasty and surprising ways.
Root vegetables & tubers, a tasty surprise!
A daily serving of vegetables is part of a healthy diet. They are often served boiled, but there are many more and certainly healthier and tastier ways to prepare vegetables, such as with the Big Green Egg. Root vegetables and tubers are particularly suitable for this.
Root vegetables and tubers are a tasty surprise. They are earthy vegetables, often with a concentrated flavour, of which only the foliage is visible until the time the vegetables are harvested. In principle, the edible portion of the plant always grows under the ground, even though in some cases the foliage can also be used in dishes.
Your own vegetable garden is of course ideal, but if you have no time or space for one, organic vegetables are a great alternative. Organic products are after all always healthier and often tastier than non-organic versions.
Incredibly healthy
Root vegetables and tubers are generally lumped together, thanks to the fact that they both grow underground and (for vegetable gardeners) that both crops thrive in loose soil.
Sometimes it’s solely the root that is grown for consumption, such as carrots and black salsify, and other times it’s the thickened hidden underground part of the stem, such as kohlrabi and turnips.
Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a vegetable is a root or a stem. It doesn’t actually matter, as both are a repository for nutrients. As a result, these vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals and are not only delicious but also very healthy.
A variety of flavours and colours
When purchasing root vegetables and tubers, always choose ones that are firm and, if applicable, whose foliage looks fresh. Store them with foliage – the root or tuber can still obtain moisture from it – but always try to prepare them while they are as fresh as possible.
Experiment with different types of root vegetables and tubers and be sure to try different varieties. Partly due to the popularity of forgotten vegetables, more and more variants are becoming available. Yellow, purple and orange carrots not only provide colour on your plate, they also have subtle differences in flavour. Another good example is the use of yellow beets or purple potatoes. Combined with the many preparation options offered by the Big Green Egg, tubers and root vegetables provide a great variety of flavours and colours.
Planning on preparing winter vegetables on the Big Green Egg? Give these 3 recipes a try!
