What You Can Do With Winter Veggies

When winter falls upon our Phoenix, AZ apartment community, we get excited about all the fruits and veggies that come into season. All the colorful produce is such a welcome change that brings new flavors and recipe ideas to the dinner table. If you're looking for the best way to utilize winter vegetables, we've got some great ideas.

Make Soup

Soup is the quintessential winter-weather food, and it provides a channel through which you can enjoy many of this season's fresh vegetables all in one place. Consider making a vegetarian kale soup or imbibe on some creamy carrot soup alongside a grilled cheese sandwich. The following winter veggies work great in soups and stews:

• Parsnips
• Collard greens
• Radishes
• Red cabbage
• Rutabagas

If you're looking for a boost of protein, look for recipes that incorporate meat, beans or lentils into the mix.

Make Sassy Side Dishes

Forget boring, bland side dishes. This season's vegetables are ripe for a little creativity in the kitchen. Brussels sprouts, for example, love being served with panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. If you want to put potatoes to use in a way that'll blow standard spuds out of the water, try your hand at making homemade latkes. Roasted beets pair well with feta cheese and make for a great complement to meaty main dishes.

Try Something New

Have you ever heard of celeriac? It's a greenish-white root vegetable that's not known for its looks, but it makes up for its appearance by offering a healthy dose of daily fiber, vitamin C and phosphorus. You can make it in many of the same ways you'd make potatoes and other root veggies. Have you been turning up your nose at turnips? Perhaps this will be the season in which you step out of your comfort zone and sprinkle a little cheese on these winter vegetables.

Get Gourmet With Your Salads

Leave boring lettuce and dressing for another day. This time of year, embrace cabbage, winter squash and carrots in new and exciting ways.

Are you searching for a Phoenix apartment that features the kind of kitchen you'll want to spend time in? Our Element Deer Valley community features designer kitchens that are a dream for any amateur chef. Stop by so we can show you around today!