“Many chefs and farmers consider red beets more minerally, yellows and whites, sweet and mild, and Chioggias (rose-skinned with candy-striped interiors) sweet-tart, but flavor differences are slight. Novelist Tom Robbins calls beets the most intense vegetable but sometimes folks don’t think that’s a good thing.  Here’s the dirt on beets from the master plant breeder and beet specialist, Dr. John Navazio.  ‘Beets contain the flavor component geosmin that is also manufactured by microbes present in soil.  Geosmin levels increase with stress, making poorly stored old beets more pungent.’  So if you think beets taste like dirt, perhaps you’ve only eaten stressed-out beets.” (1)

(1) The Santa Monica Farmer’s Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman (Blenheim Press (C) 2007)

 

That’s Mayo as in clinic. Turns out, my fave is also a nutritional hero. Mushrooms are low-cal “and have virtually no fat, [no] cholesterol [veggies never do], or sodium. Putting a grilled Portobello in your hamburger bun in place of an equivalent-sized, 95% lean hamburger patty is a great way to make a meal healthier, yet still satisfying.” (1)

“In addition, mushrooms contain a surprising array of nutrients. In a dish or stir-fry containing 1 cup of chopped, white mushrooms, the mushrooms will contribute about 2.2 grams protein (All following data based on 1 cup measurement, chopped: broccoli - 2.5 grams), almost a gram of fiber (broccoli - 2.3 grams) and modest amounts of several minerals, including potassium (mushrooms – 223 micrograms, broccoli – 278 micrograms) and selenium (mushrooms – 6.5 micrograms, broccoli – 2.2 micrograms). As for vitamins, mushrooms contain fair amounts of niacin (mushrooms - 2.5 milligrams, broccoli – 0.6 milligrams) and riboflavin (mushrooms - 0.3 micrograms, broccoli - 0.1 micrograms). Laboratory studies have shown that phytochemicals and other bioactive substances in several common varieties of mushrooms may have anti-cancer properties.” (1)

Good to know but far better to eat! Check out my mushroom recipes. Veronese Mushroom Sauce  and Portobello Mushroom Palliards with Spinach and White Beans.

(1) Second Opinion – Mayo Clinic Health Letter – www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com, July 2008