Bunchland

From the un-official pro-veggie lobby

Instead of trying to find ways to hide them, make veggies shine in all their vitamin–rich splendour!

Ditch the droopy, the soggy, and the boring. Winter vegetables don’t have to suck. On the contrary, they can be exciting and versatile, whether they’re standing on their own or supplementing a main dish. Fill your kid’s plates with interesting shapes, bright colours and appealing textures and introduce them to a world of fibre-ific fun!

Broccoli

Why it’s awesome: Broccoli, “the flowering top of a cabbage”, is rich with cold-fighting vitamin C, containing more than 52 mg per half cup. It’s also a source of anti-cancer compound sulforaphane. Broc n’ Roll!

How to make it fun: Broccoli’s flower-ish heads, thick stalk and colour variations (it also comes in purple, in case you didn’t know) give it a lot of potential. As far as we’re concerned, this vegetable is begging to be played with. Make broccoli trees by cutting the top and bottom off a few fat baby carrots and tooth picking a broccoli floret on top. Root the carrot trunks down in a field of hummus or baba ganoush. Or, if steamed, mashed potatoes.

Butternut squash

Why it’s awesome: This winter squash is a great source of complex carbohydrates and an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and omega 3 fatty acids.

How to make it fun: To really bring the character out of your squash, chop into thin slices and cut shapes out with a metal cookie cutter. Squash critters! Toss with some oil, salt and pepper, and bake on a cookie sheet till tender. Decorate your squash “cookies” with fresh herbs. (Note: squash critters feel right at home among a forest of broccoli trees.)

Spinach and kale

Why they’re awesome: While these leafy greens aren’t of the same family, they go together like PB&J. They both reach peak season in November, cook similarly, and both have superfood properties. Packed with a ton of magnesium, vitamins A and K, iron and calcium, spinach and kale are the rock stars of leafy greens.

How to make them fun: Spinach can be a tough sell. (Popeye kind of pales in comparison to Thor and Iron Man these days.) Crisp it up with spinach and kale chips for a salty green treat! After washing and drying completely, toss a few handfuls of chopped kale and baby spinach leaves with a solid drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper and bake on a cookie sheet till crispy. Your kids might also get a kick out of knowing you used the dinosaur kale variation.

Parsnips

Why they’re awesome: Far from paling in comparison to their brighter cousin the carrot, parsnips actually kick their asses, nutrient-wise. A single one of these root vegetables contains more potassium than a banana, more vitamin C than a peach, and is a great source of folate (which aids in the production of healthy red blood cells).

How to make them fun: Parsnip oven fries are a crunchy and flavourful alternative to regular French fries (boring)! Peel parsnips and slice thinly, lengthwise, toss with some oil, salt and pepper (mix with some thinly sliced carrots if you want to add some colour) and roast on a cookie sheet for about 15 – 20 minutes. Serve with some Greek yogurt for dipping. If you want to impress the pants off your kids, slice them with a spiralizer to make curly fries! Or, serve them in a decorative paper lined basket or a paper box tray, fast food style.

Brussel sprouts

Why they’re awesome: Riddled with stigma, these tiny cabbages are said to be bitter, mushy, and when sliced open, they look kind of scary. This is why brussel sprouts have been the enduring rival of children since the dawn of the slow cooker. But the fact remains: brussel sprouts are loaded with protein and fibre and just one cup contains more vitamin C than an orange.

How to make them fun: Sweeten things up by tossing some halved brussel sprouts with a couple dashes of maple syrup, a lump of butter, and a handful of pecans. Bake on a cookie tray until browned and tender. Be careful to not overcook them to the point of mushiness – that’s when their villainous qualities come out. A creative way to serve these bulbous veggies is on a skewer with the dip of your choice.

Photos by Matthew Oliphant, beautifulcataya, rakka, Beth77, roboppy, justinhenry via Flickr