Tips to Spice Up Fruits & Vegetables

Incorporating fruits and vegetables into daily meals is important to establishing and maintaining good health. However, even the freshest, highest-quality produce can be challenging to present in new and interesting ways that incorporate new tastes and textures. This is accomplished through adding herbs, spices and other extras to dishes.

Pepping Up Fruit

Sprinkle cinnamon on apples and pears to give them a new flavor and bring out their natural sweetness. Serve apples, pear and banana slices with a peanut butter dip to add texture and protein to snacks. For variety, mix a bit of honey and some chopped nuts or raisins into the dipping sauce. When making a fruit salad, add a whole cinnamon stick to the bowl before refrigerating to lightly spice the fruit as it marries in its juices; remove the stick before serving. Make any sliced or chunked fruit more exciting by serving it with a side of plain or flavored yogurt mixed with sunflower seeds or granola for dipping. Mix halved or sliced fresh strawberries with a small amount of red wine vinegar and let them sit at room temperature for an hour or so. This intensifies the innate sweetness of the fruit without adding sugar. You can also use balsamic vinegar, but it discolors the strawberries and makes their texture break down more quickly. Transform cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon balls into sweet treats by mixing them with chopped crystallized ginger in syrup. Bake fresh apples or pears and top them with roasted walnuts, raisins or dried plums.

Vegetable Flavor Enhancers

Many herbs pep up the taste of vegetables. Dill livens up tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, green beans and cauliflower. Oregano adds zip to raw and cooked spinach, bean salads, zucchini and tomato-based dishes. Spike the flavors of green beans, potatoes and carrots with parsley. Crush some rosemary leaves and mix them into lima beans, green beans, peas and mashed or roasted potatoes. A dash of ground ginger livens up the natural flavors of cooked sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots. A splash of fresh lemon juice enhances the taste of most green vegetables.

Tasty Combinations

Sprinkling sautéed mushrooms with a small amount of thyme gives them a complex, appealing taste. Thyme also adds zest to steamed, roasted or sautéed asparagus. Dress up jarred or canned tomato pasta sauce with sautéed onions, garlic and bell peppers and add 1 tsp. basil or oregano. To add a flavor layer to a vegetable pita sandwich, mix 1/2 tsp. of your favorite curry powder into 1 cup plain yogurt to make a healthy alternative to mayonnaise.

General Flavoring Tips

Dried herbs are much more potent than fresh ones. Use about 1/3 the amount of dried herbs as you would fresh ones. To get the most flavor from dried herbs, crush them between your fingers or pulverize them in a mortar and pestle before adding them to dishes. Lightly roast nuts in the oven or on a stovetop to release their natural oils and aromas. Add nuts and raisins to dishes right before serving to prevent them from becoming soggy.

References

• Fruits and Veggies More Matters: Spice Up Your Fruits & Veggies
• Life Family Education: Tips for Eating More Fruits and Vegetables
• Mississippi Department of Human Services: ECCD Provider's Tips