Which uncommon vegetable do you enjoy most, and what's your preferred way to prepare it?

[randompersonrandom]

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

 

[FamousGoodkitty]

Chayote Squash - fantastic prepared in countless ways. I enjoy turning it into an "apple pie" - a quality apple flavoring is essential. If you cut it properly - it resembles apple slices exactly. Its flavor is gentle and it absorbs other tastes as well. It works well both uncooked and cooked.

 

[WLBLD]

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Daikon also shines in beef noodle soup!! Alternatively, pickle it for Bahn Mi

Brussel Sprouts work well halved and sautéed with a little olive oil and garlic, then finished with a dusting of fresh Parmesan

Arugula has been a frequent guest at our table lately, whether served alongside whatever else you're having or tossed with other salad greens. For lunch, I adore it with finely diced apples, romaine, a scattering of toasted chopped nuts (almonds or walnuts) & a homemade miso dressing (to bring in some beneficial probiotics)

 

[randompersonrandom]

FamousGoodkitty said:

Chayote Squash - fantastic prepared in countless ways. I enjoy turning it into an "apple pie" - a quality apple flavoring is essential. If you cut it properly - it resembles apple slices exactly. Its flavor is gentle and it absorbs other tastes as well. It works well both uncooked and cooked.

Chayote is a favorite of mine! When roasted, I think it beats zucchini (zucchini and yellow squash are the ones I usually reach for), though I hardly ever cook it now because the sap causes odd reactions on my hands.

 

[randompersonrandom]

WLBLD said:

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Daikon also shines in beef noodle soup!! Alternatively, pickle it for Bahn Mi

Brussel Sprouts work well halved and sautéed with a little olive oil and garlic, then finished with a dusting of fresh Parmesan

Arugula has been a frequent guest at our table lately, whether served alongside whatever else you're having or tossed with other salad greens. For lunch, I adore it with finely diced apples, romaine, a scattering of toasted chopped nuts (almonds or walnuts) & a homemade miso dressing (to bring in some beneficial probiotics)

Why did I start this thread so late at night when I've already finished eating for the day? Now I'm really craving an arugula salad with apples, walnuts, a bit of goat cheese, romaine, and either a sesame dressing or a lemon-avocado one.

 

[cjdilan]

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Breadfruit, or panapen, is my pick.

Since I'm Puerto Rican, it's readily available here, yet plenty of folks still only use it for tostones or frying. I went through chef training years back, and I've always been drawn to ingredients that act like a blank canvas. Breadfruit fits that—it can head in many directions based on how you handle it.

Honestly, my go-to is dead simple: roasted panapen. Cut it in half, add olive oil, garlic, salt, then roast until the exterior crisps up a bit and the interior becomes creamy. The result lands somewhere between roasted potatoes and fresh bread.

I also enjoy cutting it into thin slices and frying them like chips.

 

[randompersonrandom]

cjdilan said:

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Breadfruit, or panapen, is my pick.

Since I'm Puerto Rican, it's readily available here, yet plenty of folks still only use it for tostones or frying. I went through chef training years back, and I've always been drawn to ingredients that act like a blank canvas. Breadfruit fits that—it can head in many directions based on how you handle it.

Honestly, my go-to is dead simple: roasted panapen. Cut it in half, add olive oil, garlic, salt, then roast until the exterior crisps up a bit and the interior becomes creamy. The result lands somewhere between roasted potatoes and fresh bread.

I also enjoy cutting it into thin slices and frying them like chips.

Starting this thread backfired on me. Ten minutes ago I had never even heard of breadfruit, and now I'm frustrated that Instacart doesn't carry it—and I feel like I absolutely have to try it.

 

[CNCCurrency]

Does cauliflower count as uncommon? I could eat it nonstop

 

[randompersonrandom]

CNCCurrency said:

Does cauliflower count as uncommon? I could eat it nonstop

I had the lying machine list the top 10 most consumed vegetables in the US, and here's what it returned:

According to USDA per-capita consumption estimates, the 10 vegetables eaten most in the United States are:

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Onions

Sweet corn

Lettuce

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Carrots

Cucumbers

Green beans

Source: vegetable consumption data from the USDA Economic Research Service "food availability per capita."

How the ranking was determined: ordered by estimated pounds eaten per person each year, based on USDA ERS food availability statistics.

So I suppose cauliflower qualifies! But what's your favorite way to cook it?

 

[CNCCurrency]

Can you actually cook it? For me, I usually just have it uncooked with ranch dressing. I do prepare cauliflower rice sometimes, though it's also excellent when steamed and topped with melted butter.

 

[randompersonrandom]

CNCCurrency said:

Can you actually cook it? For me, I usually just have it uncooked with ranch dressing. I do prepare cauliflower rice sometimes, though it's also excellent when steamed and topped with melted butter.

At Ethiopian restaurants, the version I've tried picks up all the seasoning from the cooking process, and it was amazing. Roasted and then dunked in buffalo sauce is another way I've eaten it, and just remembering that makes me salivate.

 

[Grogu]

randompersonrandom said:

CNCCurrency said:

Does cauliflower count as uncommon? I could eat it nonstop

I had the lying machine list the top 10 most consumed vegetables in the US, and here's what it returned:

According to USDA per-capita consumption estimates, the 10 vegetables eaten most in the United States are:

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Onions

Sweet corn

Lettuce

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Carrots

Cucumbers

Green beans

Source: vegetable consumption data from the USDA Economic Research Service "food availability per capita."

How the ranking was determined: ordered by estimated pounds eaten per person each year, based on USDA ERS food availability statistics.

So I suppose cauliflower qualifies! But what's your favorite way to cook it?

Isn't a tomato technically a fruit?

There are 3 vegetables that aren't seen as often that I'm quite fond of

• broccoli rabe
  
• Japanese eggplant
  
• frisée

And I should add that carrot greens are something I enjoy too, though I get them seldom and only as tempura

 

[HereKittyKitty]

cjdilan said:

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Breadfruit, or panapen, is my pick.

Since I'm Puerto Rican, it's readily available here, yet plenty of folks still only use it for tostones or frying. I went through chef training years back, and I've always been drawn to ingredients that act like a blank canvas. Breadfruit fits that—it can head in many directions based on how you handle it.

Honestly, my go-to is dead simple: roasted panapen. Cut it in half, add olive oil, garlic, salt, then roast until the exterior crisps up a bit and the interior becomes creamy. The result lands somewhere between roasted potatoes and fresh bread.

I also enjoy cutting it into thin slices and frying them like chips.

My partner comes from PR, and his mother prepares roasted panapen. It's delicious! In addition, she adds pumpkin—which I believe isn't exactly the same as mainland US pumpkin—into her habichuela. Lovely and pasty. *Perfection

Spaghetti squash ranks among my favorites and goes well with almost anything. Cut it into 2 halves. Remove the seeds by scraping. Add a drizzle of olive oil plus a bit of salt and pepper. Put it in the oven to roast. It's ready once it feels soft. Use a fork to scrape it out. O Lord, so good.

Amaranth leaves... Who knew? Sounds yummy.

(Edited because I forgot about the amaranth leaves!)

 

[Grogu]

HereKittyKitty said:

cjdilan said:

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Breadfruit, or panapen, is my pick.

Since I'm Puerto Rican, it's readily available here, yet plenty of folks still only use it for tostones or frying. I went through chef training years back, and I've always been drawn to ingredients that act like a blank canvas. Breadfruit fits that—it can head in many directions based on how you handle it.

Honestly, my go-to is dead simple: roasted panapen. Cut it in half, add olive oil, garlic, salt, then roast until the exterior crisps up a bit and the interior becomes creamy. The result lands somewhere between roasted potatoes and fresh bread.

I also enjoy cutting it into thin slices and frying them like chips.

My partner comes from PR, and his mother prepares roasted panapen. It's delicious! In addition, she adds pumpkin—which I believe isn't exactly the same as mainland US pumpkin—into her habichuela. Lovely and pasty. *Perfection

Spaghetti squash ranks among my favorites and goes well with almost anything. Cut it into 2 halves. Remove the seeds by scraping. Add a drizzle of olive oil plus a bit of salt and pepper. Put it in the oven to roast. It's ready once it feels soft. Use a fork to scrape it out. O Lord, so good.

Amaranth leaves... Who knew? Sounds yummy.

(Edited because I forgot about the amaranth leaves!)

OMG! Spaghetti squash is a favorite of mine as well, and I make it in exactly the same manner. Butternut squash gets the same treatment from me too. I slice it down the middle, then add butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar for seasoning. Squash really doesn't get much simpler to fix than that.

 

[WLBLD]

CNCCurrency said:

Can you actually cook it? For me, I usually just have it uncooked with ranch dressing. I do prepare cauliflower rice sometimes, though it's also excellent when steamed and topped with melted butter.

Yeah, it works really well when you swap it in for potatoes in potato salad

 

[WLBLD]

Grogu said:

randompersonrandom said:

CNCCurrency said:

Does cauliflower count as uncommon? I could eat it nonstop

I had the lying machine list the top 10 most consumed vegetables in the US, and here's what it returned:

According to USDA per-capita consumption estimates, the 10 vegetables eaten most in the United States are:

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Onions

Sweet corn

Lettuce

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Carrots

Cucumbers

Green beans

Source: vegetable consumption data from the USDA Economic Research Service "food availability per capita."

How the ranking was determined: ordered by estimated pounds eaten per person each year, based on USDA ERS food availability statistics.

So I suppose cauliflower qualifies! But what's your favorite way to cook it?

Isn't a tomato technically a fruit?



View attachment 10149

There are 3 vegetables that aren't seen as often that I'm quite fond of

• broccoli rabe
  
• Japanese eggplant
  
• frisée

And I should add that carrot greens are something I enjoy too, though I get them seldom and only as tempura

Japanese eggplant is a favorite of mine. After steaming it, you can drizzle spicy sauce or another kind over the top

 

[WLBLD]

cjdilan said:

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

Breadfruit, or panapen, is my pick.

Since I'm Puerto Rican, it's readily available here, yet plenty of folks still only use it for tostones or frying. I went through chef training years back, and I've always been drawn to ingredients that act like a blank canvas. Breadfruit fits that—it can head in many directions based on how you handle it.

Honestly, my go-to is dead simple: roasted panapen. Cut it in half, add olive oil, garlic, salt, then roast until the exterior crisps up a bit and the interior becomes creamy. The result lands somewhere between roasted potatoes and fresh bread.

I also enjoy cutting it into thin slices and frying them like chips.

In Jamaica, it's also fried or roasted

 

[SpiralJetty]

I think okra is great, and I'm puzzled why it isn't more popular or widely used.

 

[Dos-Dox]

randompersonrandom said:

We all know potatoes, onions, corn, and tomatoes are solid choices. Yet countless other vegetables never make it into most people's carts. Tell us about the ones you discovered at some point are worth keeping around the house!

For me, it's a three-way tie:

Turnips and radishes, when roasted. Cube them to roughly half an inch, coat them with oil (a spray bottle of avocado oil gives even coverage without overdoing it), add salt and seasonings (herbes de provence and garlic are my go-to, though any root vegetable works with any seasoning), and both completely transform in flavor. Into the convection oven at about 450, and after 30 minutes give them a stir on the sheet pan, letting them go until the corners are brown and crispy. Radishes taste like "potatoes but less potatoey" (the small red ones and daikon both work great, but daikon is my pick since cubing it is less of a hassle), while turnips bring their own flavor that's somewhat sharp, like every root vegetable that isn't a potato (carrots and parsnips come to mind, but less sweet).

Amaranth leaves. In Texas, wild amaranth might be growing as a weed nearby; around here it's called "pigweed" and it's invasive. Don't forage it by the levee in dfw, it's not safe because there's too much lead in the soil. Growing it yourself is easy, though: scatter it once it's reasonably warm, water until it's established, then mostly ignore it. It gets huge and the leaves are delicious when cooked like collard greens. I love them in soup; they add better body than spinach and are milder in flavor than mustard greens. Stewing them in a crockpot with stock, a ham bone and some turkey sausage, any chopped summer squash, and seasoning, then adding some tortellini or gniocchi or chickpeas, quinoa, rice whatever, it's wonderful. Red, green and bronze is all very good, and the bugs don't usually get them too badly. I get the seeds for the wild stuff and grow from that, too, because I sure do love that variety even if I can't forage it.

I never realized this was something worth trying! That's really intriguing.

Mine isn't all that exciting, but rutabaga gets my vote. When we're trying to cut down on carbs, we swap it in for potatoes in many dishes. Compared to turnips, they have less bitterness, and they keep for a LONG time sitting out on the counter before you get around to cooking them, which makes them convenient to keep on hand.

 

[Chili777]

randompersonrandom said:

CNCCurrency said:

Does cauliflower count as uncommon? I could eat it nonstop

I had the lying machine list the top 10 most consumed vegetables in the US, and here's what it returned:

According to USDA per-capita consumption estimates, the 10 vegetables eaten most in the United States are:

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Onions

Sweet corn

Lettuce

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Carrots

Cucumbers

Green beans

Source: vegetable consumption data from the USDA Economic Research Service "food availability per capita."

How the ranking was determined: ordered by estimated pounds eaten per person each year, based on USDA ERS food availability statistics.

So I suppose cauliflower qualifies! But what's your favorite way to cook it?

When my children were small, they turned their noses up at cauliflower—right up until I cooked it the Mediterranean way. The method couldn't be easier. Separate the head into pieces and cut the bigger florets in half, then fry them in olive oil in a pan until they take on a little color. At that point, toss in 3 minced garlic cloves along with 1 Tbsp of whole cumin seed that's been toasted, give it a stir, add salt to taste, and let it finish cooking. After trying that dish, they were completely won over. I wait until the final 10 minutes to put the garlic in, so it doesn't go bitter.




Cauliflower with Cumin Seed Recipe - Food.com



Try Cauliflower with Cumin Seed from Food.com. - 48297

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