The vegetables in this glossary have earned their place as home cook staples for good reason. Their versatility, nutrients, and bold flavors make them endlessly useful ingredients.

Aubergine – Egg-shaped purple vegetable used in many dishes. Also called eggplant.

Beans – Versatile plants with edible pods and seeds, like green beans and runner beans.

Beetroot – Bright purple root veg with an earthy flavor. The leaves are also edible.

Broccoli – Green tree-like veg with tight florets, great steamed or roasted.

Brussels Sprouts – Compact, mini cabbage-like buds, often roasted.

Cabbage – Round green or red veg with densely layered leaves. Used in slaws and braises.

Capsicum – Bell peppers in green, yellow, red. Roasted, stuffed or sliced raw.

Carrot – Bright orange tapered root, eaten raw, roasted, or in soups and cakes.

Cauliflower – White version of broccoli with densely packed curds. Used in cheese sauces or rice dishes.

Celery – Long green stalks eaten raw with dips or cooked in soups and stews.

Chard – Leafy green similar to spinach as well as crisp, edible stalks.

Courgette – Green summer squash with mild flavor. Also called zucchini.

Cucumber – Long, green and cylindrical. Eaten raw in salads and sandwiches. Often pickled.

Fennel – Licorice-flavored bulb with feathery fronds. Used raw in salads or braised.

Garlic – Pungent, aromatic bulb used widely in savory dishes.

Kale – Frilly, robust leafy green enjoyed raw in salads or cooked in many cuisines.

Leeks – Taller cousin of onions with a mild, onion-garlic flavor. Braised or added to soups and stews.

Lettuce – Various leafy greens with tender leaves and crispy ribs. Found in salads and sandwiches.

Mushrooms – Meaty, earthy fungi like buttons, portobellos and shiitakes. Sauteed or grilled.

Onions – Pungent bulbs adding flavor and aroma to savory dishes. Red, white, and yellow varieties.

Parsnips – Creamy white root veg with a sweet, nutty flavor. Roasted, mashed or glazed.

Peas – Sweet green pods and seeds. Eaten raw, steamed, sauteed, or added to rice dishes.

Potatoes – Starchy, fluffy tubers. Mashe, roasted, fried, or sliced for chips.

Pumpkin – Large, orange winter squash with sweet flesh. Used in soups and pies.

Radish – Peppery red root veg eaten raw in salads or on crudité platters.

Rhubarb – Tart red stalks, sweetened and baked into desserts like pies and crumbles.

Rocket – Also called arugula. Peppery green leafy salad vegetable. Adds a spicy punch.

Shallots – Small, aromatic onion bulbs used for flavoring.

Silverbeet – Leafy green similar to spinach.

Spinach – Dark, nutrient-rich leafy green. Eaten raw or cooked.

Swede – Also called rutabaga. Yellow root veg with sweet, earthy flavor.

Sweetcorn – Sweet, golden cobs of corn eaten as a vegetable. Grilled, steamed or creamed.

Tomatoes – Plump red fruits treated as a savory veggie. Fresh in salads or cooked into sauces.

Turnip – White root veg with sharp flavor. Often mashed or baked into stews and curries.

Watercress – Peppery green leaves grown in water. Used in salads, sandwiches and garnish.

Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and lettuces add texture and freshness to salads, sandwiches, pastas, and more. Their vitamins and minerals boost any dish’s nutrition. Hearty cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts take well to roasting and lend heft to sides and mains.

Versatile alliums like onions, garlic, and shallots build flavor bases with their pungent aromas. Starchy root vegetables including potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes add comforting flavors, colors, and textures to an array of savory dishes and baked goods.

Vibrant peppers and tomatoes provide doses of vitamins, brightness, and acidity. Legumes, green beans, and peas offer protein. Zucchini, cucumbers, and summer squashes make refreshing salads and sides.

These vegetables satisfy cravings for produce year-round. Their flavors mingle wonderfully with various seasonings and ingredients. Home cooks worldwide rely on these veggie classics because of their endless usefulness in nourishing everyday meals.

Horseradish Chips Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound thinly sliced horseradish root
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup milk
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Stir in milk until mixture forms a thick batter.

3. Dip horseradish slices into batter, allowing excess to drip off. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

4. In a large saucepan or deep fryer, heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry horseradish slices in batches until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with dipping sauce of your choice.

Enjoy!
Horseradish chips are the perfect savory snack for your next party or get-together. They’re easy to make and full of flavor. Just follow the simple instructions above and you’ll have a delicious batch of chips in no time!

• 1/4 Cup of sun dried tomatoes (drained)
• 300ml Sour Cream
• 1 Clove of garlic – crushed
• 1 Tablespoon of freshly chopped oregano
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh, chopped Basil
• Cracked black pepper

Mix together all ingredients using a hand blender.

That’s it.

As promised super useful dip recipe that’s super easy to make.

Enjoy!

Once you’ve made your own avocado dip using this easy and useful recipe, you won’t be buying the sickly smooth versions of avocado dip from the supermarket ever again!

Instant and easy avocado dip that only take 5 minutes to prepare 

• Two avocados
• Lemon / lime juice
• Green chilies
• Fresh cilantro / coriander
• Spring Onions
• Tabasco sauce

Peel and roughly chop the flesh of two avocados.

Place in a bowl and squeeze over the them the juice of one lime or 1/2 lemon.

Mash gently with a fork – don’t over work it or put in the blender. Your avocado dip should be a little chunky – texture is a good thing!

Stir in one or two seeded and finely chopped green chilies, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh coriander and three finely chopped spring onions.

Add three or four drops of Tabasco sauce. Mix it all together until it is well combined.

If you prefer the avocado dip to be a little spicy, add extra drops of Tabasco. Further taste and season with salt and ground black pepper. Do stir in a little extra of the lemon or lime juice as needed.

Spicy Avocado Dip Twist

This delicious, zesty avocado dip is perfect for your next party or get-together. It’s also incredibly easy to make, and much healthier than store-bought versions. Give it a try!

• 3 avocados
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded
• 2 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro / coriander
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Few easy dips offer such a return on time investment and versatility of serving suggestions. This yummy artichoke dip is so simple yet tastes so good – delicious served on its own with fresh sourdough bread or as a side dish to roasts or other vegetables. If you like artichokes or grow them in your garden this is a very useful dip recipe to have at hand.

Artichoke Dip

• Oven proof dish

• 1 can Artichoke Hearts (Fresh artichokes may be used but these will need to be prepared and cooked in advance.)
• 5 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 cup Grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp Garlic

1. Drain and chop the Artichoke Hearts

2. Mix all of the ingredients together – the mixture should be moist.

3. Put the mixture into a small greased oven proof dish and generously sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

4. Cook in a moderate oven for 30 minutes.

Appetizer

Vegetarian

Your creamy artichoke dip will improve if you make it ahead 12 to 24 hours (store in the fridge), allowing all of the flavors to meld and develop.

This Artichoke Dip is useful for

• Serve up warm on roasted vegetables
• Use cold from the fridge as a spread on fresh bread such as sourdough.
• Ideal for accompanying roast beef or silverside as a white sauce alternative
• Mix it up, add fresh shredded spinach for a dynamic flavor and iron boost.
• Inspiring you to grow your own? Growing artichokes for your very own fresh is easy to do. Here are their growing instructions.

Sprouting seeds to use at home has many benefits. These include the high vitamin content, ease and relative convenience of growing microgreens at home. Grow your own sprouting seeds and you’ll enjoy you very own healthy microgreen harvest in nearly no time at all.

Why should we eat sprouted seeds?

The practice of sprouting seeds has many useful cooking advantages at home. Seeds in themselves contain anything from 7-40% protein and when sprouted their vitamin and mineral content increases markedly.

For example, in sprouting oats, vitamin B6 increases 500%, folic acid 600%, inositol 100%, B1 10% and B2 1350%. Indigestible material such as alkaloids are transformed and the water content is increased, thus making sprouts more digestible. They are an invaluable source of winter greens and are also extremely economical.

Any seeds, legumes or grains can be sprouted (with one exception of potato and tomato seeds, they are poisonous) but make sure they are untreated as some seeds used in horticulture are coated in fungicides etc.

Sprouting Seeds (Microgreens) Step by Step Guide

Here’s how to grow sprouting seeds one step at a time:

• Measure seeds and pick them over for broken seeds as these tend to ferment.
• Generally add 4 cups of water to 1 cup of seeds and soak overnight.
• Drain with the exception of soy bean water, you can use the liquid for soups or beverages. It has been claimed that the addition of 1-2 teaspoons of kelp increases the available iodine and minerals in the sprouts.
• Put the seeds, after rinsing thoroughly in a sprouting container, large enough for growth and air circulation.
• Then put your seeds for sprouting in a warm dark place.

Sprouting seeds must be placed in a warm and dark place, this can be a warmed cupboard, an oven with the light only left on and the door slightly ajar or just near a light bulb. If you use the latter two alternatives be sure to wrap the container in cloth to exclude the light. Or you can purchase specialist sprouting equipment.

Some sprouts sould be harvested before the leaves are developed e.g. sunflower seeds are best when the root is as long as the seed. Wheat and other grains should have their leaves underdeveloped and the root short. However, alfalfa sprouts and other such seeds should have at least two green leaves. This is obtained by putting the sprouts into the sun for a few hoours to ‘green the off’. It is necessary to rinse the sprouts from 2-4 times a day.

How to grow sprouting seeds in a jar

One container you can use is a jar, the opening covered with a piece of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band and upended a an angle in a saucer.

Alternatively, wash an unglazed flower pot thoroughly. Cut a piece of plastic screen or two layers of nylon net to fit over the hole in the bottom and place seeds on top. You can cover the top with damp towels. Just rinse through the pot and sit to drain in a saucer. It is important to keep sprouting equipment clean so the seeds do not ferment, scrub out the pot thoroughly and place in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes to sterilize.

Sprouting seeds to grow

Alfalfa are considered the king of the sprouts being high in vitamins D, E, G, K and U. They are also high in minerals and have a high content of chlorophyll and are about 35% protein. Wheat and rye sprouts are excellent to put in bread, particularly rye as it has a yeast action on the dough. It’s always a good idea to purchase organically certified seed options.

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