Heart Healthy Side Dishes From the Organic Garden

by taylorevance@gmail.com | May 7, 2016 2:39 pm

Improving and maintaining your own health are some of the first steps that should be taken towards living a sustainable lifestyle. Eating healthier is a simple way to improve overall health, maintain a healthy weight and increase energy. Simple changes, like swapping a side of mashed potatoes for a healthier alternative side dish, is a great way to start living a healthier lifestyle. And even better, you can easily grow heart healthy vegetables in an organic garden.

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Ditch the calorie ­laden, fat-­rich mashed potatoes and replace them one of these heart healthy side dishes.

Sweet Potato Mash

The orange flesh of sweet potatoes are loaded vitamin B, C and B6, all of which helps prevent heart attacks. Sweet potatoes are also rich in potassium that helps to regulate heartbeat and beta­carotene which helps fight against the effects of aging, both inside and outside the body.

Follow this easy, heart healthy recipe for sweet potato mash:

Bake sweet potatoes whole, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and add a pinch of ground cinnamon, a pinch of chili powder and enough orange juice to make the mash the desired consistency. Mash with a hand­held potato masher.

Cauliflower Mash

The white­ headed cousin of cabbage, cauliflower is rich in antioxidants that fight free radicals within the body.

Cauliflower is also a powerful anti ­inflammatory that reduces inflammation in the arteries and increases the blood flow throughout the body. This easy to grow vegetable also contains omega­3 fatty acids, fiber and vitamins.

Follow this easy, heart healthy recipe for cauliflower mash:

Steam cauliflower florets until tender, then place them in a blender. Add sautéed onions, a splash of low­fat buttermilk, salt (or salt ­substitute) and pepper to taste, then puree until smooth and creamy.

Parsnip Mash

Parsnips are fiber-­rich root vegetables that are full of fiber, vitamins K, C and folate. The fiber content of parsnips binds with fat from meals and helps the body eliminate it before it can enter the blood stream and clog arteries.

To create a satisfy, heart healthy mashed parsnip side dish the whole family will enjoy, start by roasting several organic parsnips in the oven until tender to bring put their nutty sweetness. Place hot parsnips in a blender, add a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of nutmeg, then puree until smooth.

Heart Healthy Extras

Start with the basic recipes for mashed vegetables, then add extra ingredients, like toasted almonds, raisins or fresh herbs, to increase flavor and health benefits.

The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4

These Vegan Mashed Potatoes are bold with garlic and onion flavours, and the best part is, there’s no butter or dairy!

Prep Time: 10 min / Cook Time: 20 min / Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

10-12 medium yellow potatoes
2 medium spanish onion
3 medium carrots
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp chunky sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup of reserved broth from boiled veggies

Instructions

Wash and peel potatoes, then cut into large chunks. Set aside in a large bowl of water to prevent browning.

Peel and roughly chop onions and carrots and set aside.

FIll a large pot of water, add a large pinch of salt (roughly 1 tsp), ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and then your chopped potatoes, carrots and onion and bring to a boil.

Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Reserve ½ cup of the broth and drain the remainder.

In a large mixing bowl, add in your boiled veggies, remaining garlic powder, salt, black pepper, olive oil and mash together using a potato masher while slowly adding in the reserved broth.

Finish off with an emersion blender to get the onions and carrots well blended with the potatoes. Don’t worry if it’s still a bit chunky as it adds to the rustic feel.

Serve right away hot or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator to enjoy all week long.

By Nikole Goncalves[2]

See Also: Organic Farms[3] and Organic Restaurants[4]

 

 

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