It is impossible to imagine proper nutrition without a lot of fresh vegetables. Representatives of vegetative and fruit plants must certainly be on the table: various root crops, tubers, cabbage and onions, dessert, tomato and pumpkin. Today we propose to talk about vegetables: consider the classification, quality requirements. A nice bonus will be salad recipes!
Classification
From a botanical point of view, all vegetables are edible parts of herbaceous plants. From the point of view of cooking, it is customary to classify vegetables as fruits, which are considered fruits by science, for example, tomatoes, pumpkin and others.
The classification of vegetables depends on how much of the plant is consumed. So, plants that use stalks, roots and leaves as food are vegetative. Fruit vegetables are those in which the fruits go to food.
All vegetative vegetables can be divided into several subgroups:
- root crops - beets, rutabaga, celery, carrots, turnips, parsnips, radishes;
- tubers - yam, potatoes;
- salad spinach vegetables - sorrel, lettuce and spinach;
- onions - garlic, onions (leeks, onions, sweet potatoes);
- spicy - horseradish, dill, tarragon;
- cabbage;
- dessert - rhubarb, asparagus, artichoke.
Fruit vegetables, in turn, can be divided into:
- pumpkin - pumpkin, squash, cucumbers, zucchini;
- tomato - eggplant, tomatoes, pepper;
- legumes;
- cereals - sweet corn.
The benefits of vegetables
What are the benefits of fresh vegetables? Of course, in a rich vitamin and mineral composition. Vegetables contain fiber, organic acids, pectin. It is impossible not to say that vegetables are an indispensable part of diet food, because they lack fats.
Minerals contained in fresh vegetables provide the body with potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium. It should be noted that even during cooking, these substances are not destroyed. However, it is best to eat raw vegetables, while the most useful can be called freshly picked!
Quality requirements
There are certain requirements for the quality of fresh vegetables. Quality indicators can be divided into two main categories - specific and general. Specific indicators are ripeness or maturity of vegetables, their taste, density. The general indicators include the size, appearance of vegetables - color, shape, freshness, integrity.
Fruits are considered to be of poor quality, with signs of wilting, cuts, scratches, stains from bruises or mechanical damage. Defects are considered to be pests and fruit diseases.
Storage
We suggest talking about the storage of fresh vegetables. A number of vegetables simply cannot tolerate low temperatures, while others, on the contrary, should be stored only in a cool place. The main thing in storage is an individual approach.
Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature, but they should not be washed! Low temperatures are the main enemy of fresh tomatoes; they kill both taste and aroma.
Green onions are best stored in the refrigerator, pre-wrapped with paper towels or foil.
For storage of potatoes, cool, ventilated places are suitable. Please note: low temperatures turn starch into sugar, so when you store this tuber in the refrigerator, you risk getting sweet vegetables.
The best place to store carrots is the refrigerator. You should first put it in plastic bags - so carrots will retain moisture.
Cabbage (any) should also be stored in the refrigerator. True, it is not recommended to do this for longer than one week.
Eggplant should be stored in a cool dark place. But it is best to use them as soon as possible.
Celery can live in the refrigerator for at least seven days. True, due to the strong aroma, he will need sealed packaging.
Peppers can be stored in the refrigerator. True, there is one condition - it should never be washed, otherwise they will begin to grow moldy. And it is not recommended to pack fresh peppers in polyethylene.
Zucchini and cucumbers well retain all their properties in the refrigerator. Just store them is not worth more than one week.
Vegetable salads
Do you want to eat light, but hearty enough food? This category can be safely attributed salads with fresh vegetables. We have prepared ... recipes for the most delicious salads, which you will surely like!
Spicy salad with cucumbers and carrots
For this salad you will need:
- cucumbers - 200 g;
- fresh carrots - 500 g;
- sesame seeds - 20 g;
- soy sauce - 50 ml;
- garlic - one clove is enough;
- oil (best sesame) - 40 ml;
- Fresh ginger to taste.
Cooking this salad is quite simple. You need to peel the carrots, rub it with a long straw. Cucumber needs to be cut, add to carrots. The garlic must be finely chopped and the ginger grated on a fine grater, and then these two ingredients must be ground in a mortar. A homogeneous mass must be added to fresh vegetables, pour in soy sauce and oil. Lettuce should stand in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Before serving, this salad should be sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Kohlrabi and carrot salad
This salad is extremely healthy. Kohlrabi cabbage, which is part of it, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the liver and gall bladder, and carrots are very useful for the cardiovascular system. To cook it, you need to take the following products:
- kohlrabi - 500 grams;
- fresh carrots - 200 grams;
- apples - 300 grams;
- celery stalks - 100-150 grams;
- juice of half a lemon or lime.
- You can add olive oil, salt and pepper to your taste.
Kohlrabi need to be grated, preferably on a medium grater. Excess juice must be squeezed. On a medium grater, carrots should be grated, but for celery it is better to take a fine grater. It is recommended to cut apples into thin strips, and then season with juice. In apples, you need to add vegetables, butter and spices. Healthy fresh vegetable salad is ready!
Spinach and Pumpkin Salad
Among the most delicious and extremely healthy salads are pumpkin salad, spinach with honey and mustard dressing. You will need:
- pumpkin - 600 grams;
- spinach - one bunch;
- sesame seeds - 1-2 teaspoons;
- lemon juice - a tablespoon;
- olive oil and honey - two teaspoons each;
- pepper, salt.
The first thing to do to prepare this salad of fresh vegetables according to the recipe is to peel the pumpkin, cut it into medium sized slices and put it in a baking dish, previously oiled. Then pumpkin should be poured with oil and honey. Can be seasoned with pepper and salt. You need to bake a pumpkin at a temperature of 220 degrees until it acquires a pleasant golden hue. When the pumpkin is ready, it is recommended to sprinkle it with sesame seeds, pour over lemon juice and leave to cool.
The next step is the preparation of a fragrant dressing. For her, you need to mix a couple of tablespoons of oil (preferably olive) with a tablespoon of honey, two teaspoons of mustard. You can add about 70-100 grams of pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to the dressing.
Next, you need to prepare the spinach leaves - rinse it, dry it. Spinach must be put in a bowl, pour the dressing and mix thoroughly, then put in a beautiful plate. Top with pumpkin and pine nuts. Enjoy your meal!