Next up, vegetables. (Click here to see the fruits we tried.(Opens in a new window))
Jicama
Chances are you’ve eaten jicama before, but could you spot it in the market? Sometimes shaped like an oversized onion, jicama looks a lot like a strange, thick-skinned potato. The crunchy vegetable is packed with nutrients and tastes starchy and sweet. It’s excellent raw and maintains its crispiness without browning, making it ideal for crudite platters and thick dips like guacamole. To prepare, use a Y Peeler(Opens in a new window) to remove the thick skin, then slice or prepare as you wish. Spiralize(Opens in a new window) jicama for a crunchy addition to salad, julienne for a quick slaw, or use the French fry setting on the Chef’s Mandoline(Opens in a new window) for a healthy alternative.
Kohlrabi
What exactly is kohlrabi? We first came across this vegetable in our CSA boxes and were happy to discover kohlrabi is slightly spicy (think radishes) and crunchy (like broccoli stems or turnips). To prepare, use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layers, then slice on a mandoline, grate or even spiralize. Look for kohlrabi in both purple and green varieties. If yours comes with greens still attached, saute them just like Swiss chard or kale.
Colorful Cauliflower Varieties
While classic cream-colored cauliflower is the most common, other colors have popped up at the market lately, including purple, pale orange and green. The flavor is very similar across the board, but purple cauliflower gets its hue from an antioxidant called anthocyanin and orange cauliflower stems from extra beta carotene. (It also has about 25% more vitamin A than white cauliflower!) prepare these new varieties as you would regular cauliflower. They’re great for a fun pop of color. We like to roast different shades on a baking sheet(Opens in a new window) or create a colorful cauliflower rice with the Tabletop Spiralizer(Opens in a new window) or One Stop Chop.
Romanesco Broccoli
Almost too beautiful to eat, romanesco is part of the brassica family (cabbage, kale, cauliflower) and identifiable by its intricate, fractal patterning. We roast romanesco on a baking sheet(Opens in a new window) with olive oil and spices or blanch the florets and fold into salads and pastas.
Tomatillo
Often mistaken for green tomatoes, tomatillos are actually the fruit of a different plant. You can typically find tomatillos in the chilled produce case, near peppers and zucchini, where they’ll be covered in a papery husk. With their tart, fruity flavor, tomatillos are often used in salsas and sauces, most notably salsa verde. To prepare, simply peel off the papery skins and rinse off any sticky residue, then prepare according to your recipe. Typically tomatillos are roasted prior to incorporating into any sauces like salsa verde.
What vegetable varieties have you been wondering about? Let us know in the comments and we’ll cover your suggestions next!