Are you narrow minded when it comes to food?

When I say green cabbage what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it corned beef or coleslaw? If I said sweet potatoes, would you think casserole or Thanksgiving? If those were your answers than you are narrow minded when it comes to food; you tend to see, and eat, food in the same familiar way.

Sweet potatoes are full of vitamin A, C, iron, calcium and fiber; do not limit this wonderful food when it is available all year. Get rid of the stereotype and try sweet potato salad, or mashed sweet potatoes, or roasted sweet potatoes, or baked sweet potatoes. It would be a fun change to take a sweet potato salad to your Fourth of July picnic. Try mashed sweet potatoes with corn on the cob and barbecued chicken.

Cabbage is full of vitamin C and K, it has a lot of fiber, and it is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables; that family fights cancer. Cabbage is always inexpensive and available. If the only way you have eaten this vegetable is with corned beef or as coleslaw, I can understand why you would want to avoid it.

I encourage you to treat your palette to new taste sensations. Think about these: cooked cabbage with oil and garlic, raw cabbage with oil and salt, sweet cabbage salad with apples, coleslaw with grapes and walnuts, cabbage in beef stew. All you have to do is try one mouthful, if you do not like it you do not have to eat it.

Let’s Cook Tonight® teaches a common sense approach to cooking and eating for maximum health, flavor and enjoyment. It makes sense to eat nutrient dense foods consistently. Open your thinking and try foods in non-traditional ways. Your tongue and body will be happy.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Drain the cooked potatoes, and then put them back in the hot pot to mash them. You will have one less pot to wash.