Er, What's the Name of That Veggie?

posted May 21, 2007

by Christine Gable

http://cooking.cdkitchen.com/KiddieChow/509.html

On a quick trip to the grocery store recently—I was actually picking up some veggies for some recipe development assignments—one of those 4-digit codes on the red beets was missing. The young checkout clerk asked what they were.

“Red beets, you say? Hmmm. Can’t say I’ve ever had ‘em.”

Unbeknownst to me, that was just the beginning. Since just about every other item in my basket was a vegetable needing a code, it wasn’t long before he was asking me what a green curly-leafed bunch was.

“Kale.”

And again he perused his chart…”Does that start with a K? Oh yes, there it is.”

But hey, by then we had actually built a reportoire.

“Haven’t had this one either.”

It was Chinese cabbage. But we got lucky—that one was clearly marked with a blue and silver wire tie—and the requisite 4-digit produce number.

'Hey,' I said—'try it sometime. It’s really good sautéed in a bit of olive oil with a dash of soy sauce and sesame seeds.'

Don’t know if that sounded good to him or not—or if he was just used to the delusional ramblings of unusual middle-aged women, but as I was leaving he called over to the next cashier:

“Guess what? I just learned about all kinds of new foods that I didn’t know existed before!”

Yes, he really was excited. And that’s when I realized how much it’s up to us to help encourage and share this exciting world with our kids. Even if that’s just learning how to cook a bunch of fresh red beets.

Yep, I hope that cashier does have an opportunity to taste one of those new veggies soon. After all, who can go wrong with veggies? They certainly do the body good: low in calories, high in healthful vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

On the off chance you or your kids haven’t tried Chinese cabbage, give it a second look—it’s also called Napa cabbage. Go ahead, choose a fresh bunch the next time you dally through the produce department and try this recipe out: it’s an easy way to stir up a tasty vegetable side dish in less than 5 minutes. Better yet, get the kids to help.

Quick & Easy Chinese Cabbage Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/

Serves/Makes: 4
Ready in: < 30 minutes

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 medium head Chinese cabbage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, roasted

Pour oil into large saute pan over medium heat. Swirl to cover entire bottom of pan. Add chopped cabbage and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally so that all pieces have contact with the hot pan.

When cabbage is tender and limp, sprinkle with soy sauce and top with sunflower seeds.