Vegetables

Vegetables contain a ton of nutrients and fiber for very little calories so no matter how someone chooses to construct their diet, concentrating on including vegetables should be the foundation of every healthy eating plan. Vegetables are divided into two main categories, non-starchy and starchy. Non-starchy vegetables are going to provide lot of vitamins and minerals with very little sugar. Starchy vegetables are still packed with nutrients, but will contain more starchy / sugar as well. In general, including a lot of non-starchy vegetables every day and then working in a few starchy ones as well is a great idea.

Sautéing and roasting are our favorite ways to prepare vegetables, but air fryers are another great option. In general, we suggest avoiding boiling (leaches nutrients out of vegetables and into water) and microwaving (friction from spinning water molecules tend to denature nutrients) as preparation techniques.

Non-Starchy Vegetables

Artichoke

Arugula

Asparagus

Bok Choy

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celery

Chard

Collard greens

Cucumbers

Dandelion

Green beans

Garlic

Kale

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Onion

Pea pods

Peppers (colorful)

Spinach

Sprouts

Tomatoes

Turnip greens

Watercress

Zucchini

Healthy Starchy Vegetables

Acorn Squash

Amaranth

Beans

Beets

Butternut squash

Carrots

Couscous

Farro

Peas

Potatoes

Pumpkin

Spaghetti squash

Spelt

Sweet potatoes

Quinoa

Yams

How to cook / prepare vegetables

Sauté

Steaming is also a great option, but if you do not have a steamer, the sauté method will be your best friend.

1. Place a pan on the stove top and turn the heat on medium. Do not turn the temperature up higher to try and speed the cooking process.

The vegetables will almost always burn.

2. Add in some kind of fat / oil to the pan.

Best options are grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, and avocado oil.

Olive oil can be used, but only if the heat is medium to low.

3. Place vegetables in the pan and stir to coat everything in the fat / oil.

4. Cover the pan with a lid. The lid will trap in the steam and create great tasting, very tender vegetables.

5. Let the vegetables cook for 10-20 minutes, removing the lid every 5 minutes or so to stir, making sure the vegetables don't sit too long in contact with the pan. The goal is to get them soft without burning them.

6. Season with pink salt and what ever else you would like.

Roast

Roasting is a way to cook a large amount of vegetables all at once for a slightly crunchier, yet still tender consistency when compared to the sauté method. Roast any vegetables you want (our favorites: peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, mushrooms) and season with pink salt.

1. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F.

2. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.

3. Cut the vegetables into roughly 1-2 inch pieces.

4. Coat the vegetables in oil (coconut, avocado, and olive oil work well).

5. Season the vegetables (pink salt, pepper, garlic, etc).

6. Spread the vegetables our on the baking pan.

7. Place vegetables in the over and bake for 10-25 minutes.

The longer you leave the vegetables in the oven the softer they become. Some vegetables will cook quicker than others (example: zucchini will cook faster than broccoli which will cook faster than sweet potatoes).