Discovering local vegetables

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Summer’s almost here and we finally have a wider variety of fresh, local vegetables. Here’s a short overview of what our soil will provide in the coming weeks, and how to incorporate some lesser known vegetables into our menus.

Swiss chard

This vegetable with its coloured stalks and dense foliage belongs to the beet family. Cook the stalks like asparagus (steamed or grilled) or put them raw into salads for a crunchy texture like celery. The leaves are delicious as a garnish for salad or pizza, or sautéed with a bit of oil or butter. This versatile vegetable deserves to be tasted.

White turnips (at the market, “rabiole”)

Halfway between a radish and a turnip, this small root vegetable, slightly spicy and sweet, is excellent raw (sticks or slices) or in a salad (grated). You can also add it to soups and other comforting simmered dishes. The leaves are edible, as well; cook them like spinach.

Fennel

This crunchy vegetable with its slightly liquorice flavour is delicious raw or cooked. Slice the bulb in strips and include them in a salad, or sauté them, or insert them in a wrapping (parchment or foil) with meat or fish. The fennel stalk can replace celery in most recipes. The fronds can be used as an herb, adding a touch of sweetness to sauces and salad dressings.

Bok choy (or pak choi)

This is a kind of Chinese cabbage which goes particularly well in soups or Asian stir-fries. Cut it in fine strips and incorporate it at the last minute into hot dishes. It can also be eaten raw in a salad with a sweet ‘n’ salty dressing.

Need some help in managing your diet and eating your best? Don’t hesitation to contact me via the clinic called Mouvement Optimal: 819 425-8889.

 

More from this author by clicking on her photo below.

Ariane Lavigne

 

Ariane Lavigne38 Posts

Titulaire d'un baccalauréat en nutrition de l'Université de Montréal, Ariane est nutritionniste depuis 2008. Voulant approfondir ses connaissances sur la performance athlétique, elle a obtenu un diplôme de spécialisation en nutrition sportive avec le Comité International Olympique (CIO). Elle est aujourd'hui nutritionniste du sport chez Vivaï et à la Clinique Mouvement Optimal de Mont-Tremblant. Toujours en quête de dépassement, elle combine sa profession à sa grande passion : le snowboard alpin. Elle connaît la réalité des sports élites, ayant été elle-même une athlète membre de l'Équipe Nationale de Snowboard et Olympienne des Jeux Olympiques de Sotchi en 2014. Ariane has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the University of Montreal and has been a nutritionist since 2008. Wanting to expand her knowledge of athletic performance, she obtained a diploma specialized in sports nutrition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She serves at Clinique Mouvement Optimal de Mont-Tremblant as well as Vivaï as sports nutritionist. Always in search of personal and professional advancement, she combines her profession with her greatest passion: alpine snowboarding. She understands the realities of elite sports, having been a member of the Canadian National Snowboard Team who participated in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

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