If you’re tired of serving the veggies as sides to every meal you eat, maybe it’s time to try something new. Check out this list of five great vegetables you haven’t heard of yet.
Yucca
Yucca is a white, starchy and tropical root that’s native to South America. It’s a very versatile vegetable that tastes great boiled, baked, roasted, sauteed, pan fried, or even deep fried (yucca chips are to die for). The nice thing about yucca is that it’s loaded with vitamin C and is high in carbohydrates. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber and low in calories.
Arracacha
Arracacha, a starchy root vegetable that hails from South America, is another great vegetable you probably haven’t heard of. Straight out of the ground, arracacha looks like a spearhead. It’s quite fat at the top and narrows to a point — no wonder it earned the nickname “white carrot.” Boil arracacha root and use it as you would a potato, but expect a distinctive taste and aroma. Think celery, chestnuts and roasted cabbage. Arracacha is loaded with vitamins and nutrients: iron, calcium and vitamin A. It’s also low in calories and a great source of starch.
Fiddleheads
The fiddlehead is an unusual-looking vegetable. It is actually the coiled tip of an immature fern. When harvested early in the season (and cleaned and cooked properly), fiddleheads are a vibrant little green parcel that stand up as well as a main dish as they do a side dish. Not only are fiddleheads tasty, they’re also loaded with vitamins and nutrients such as vitamins A and C and fiber.
Daikon
Daikon is quite popular in Japanese cooking; if you eat Japanese noodle dishes or salads regularly, you’ve likely had this root before. The most common variety of daikon in North America looks like a large white carrot. The root is excellent boiled, stir-fried or served raw. Simply peel, slice (and soak in water if not using immediately to prevent oxidization) and prepare.
Daikon has a fresh, crisp taste — not unlike an Asian pear — but less sweet. It’s very low in calories and quite high in vitamin C. For the health conscious, daikon is excellent for digestion. The root is said to cleanse the blood, promote circulation and increase metabolic rate.
Kohlrabi
You’ve probably seen kohlrabi before in the produce section of the supermarket. It has a large, bulbous root end that’s about the size of a small orange and a series of long stems and leaves shooting out of one end. The bulb’s flesh is sweet and crunchy, tasting a bit like radish or cabbage. Health-wise, it’s a winner: It’s high in vitamin C and potassium, with added vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, and copper.