Ten Unusual And Healthy Vegetables You Need To Try

When I worked in Japan, I developed something of an ice cream addiction. More specifically, I got into the habit of ordering Okinawan purple sweet potato ice cream at every opportunity, so often that I had to go on a bitter melon and fish balls (which are boiled balls of minced fish) soup kick to lose the extra weight.

All over the world there are interesting, and delicious, plant foods that add variety to your daily fare. For far less than you would spend on an exotic protein or a fancy dessert, these vegetables provide interest, taste, and color for your mealtime enjoyment.

1. Kohlrabi

The term kohlrabi is German for "cabbage-turnip." This round, green or purple above-ground "turnip" grows edible green stems in every direction, looking something like the vehicle in which extraterrestrials landed in  a 1980's or 1990's science fiction movie.  If you pick up this odd vegetable at the farmer's market, you can prepare it by:

• Serving the round central stem (but not the tough smaller stems attached to it) raw as crudite or in salads.
• Adding the pureed, boiled vegetable to creamy soups.
• Roasting it, to caramelize its sugars, along with potatoes as a side dish.,
• Steaming it and serving instead of cabbage.
• Making kohlrabi fritters, with the same recipe you would use for hashed brown potatoes.

In Kashmir, kohlrabi is an important vegetable eaten nearly every day, served with a spicy gravy over the round central stem and the leaves after they have been boiled until they are tender.

2. Mizuna

Although kohlrabi looks as if it should be grown in outer space, mizuna actually has been grown in outer space, at the International Space Station. Mizuna is a beautiful green and/or purple Japanese salad green with a peppery taste. Use it instead of arugula, or boil or steam it the same way you prepare spinach. Like spinach, mizuna loses a lot of its volume when it is cooked, so you have to start with a large amount of mizuna to make even a small serving of the cooked vegetable. Use mizuna and avocado to accompany grilled fish, especially tuna steaks.

3. Yuca

Yuca (not to be confused with yucca) is a root vegetable popular throughout most of Latin America but especially in Cuba. In North America, yuca is also known as cassava. Yuca roots are rich in starch, which releases sugar into the bloodstream slowly when the vegetable is digested, giving the plant a lower glycemic index. They are also an unusually good source of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin C. Yuca is available in the form of tapioca pearls, useful as a thickening agent or for making puddings. Larger pieces of yuca root can be used in the same ways as potatoes, for stews, for making "fries," and for making 'bread." If you buy untreated yuca in the market, however, be sure to ask how you need to prepare it. "Sweet" yuca can be eaten with minimal preparation, but "bitter" yuca requires extensive preparation to remove naturally occurring toxins, including cyanide. Untreated bitter yuca won't kill you, but it can make you sick.

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4. Squash (and zucchini) blossoms.

Squash and zucchini grow from long, yellow blossoms. These can be harvested (before they have a chance to set fruit), stuffed with meat, rice, and/or cheese, and fried. The blossoms have a delicate "squashy" flavor and hold up well to frying, blending their flavors well with the fillings inside.

Six More Unusual Vegetables You Should Try

5. Rhubarb

Millions of Americans who listen to public radio are familiar with Garrison Keillor's ode to rhubarb pie, "One little thing can revive a guy, and that is a piece of rhubarb pie / Serve it up, nice and hot / Maybe things aren't as bad as you thought. Momma's little baby loves rhubarb rhubarb, Be-Bop-A-Re-Bop Rhubarb Pie" to the tune of "Shortnin' Bread." The versatile rhubarb plant, which requires cold winters, is a source of laxatives (the root), poison (the leaves), and dessert (the stems). It's important never to eat the roots or leaves due to their unpleasant toxic effects. Rhubarb stems, however, are stewed with sugar to make desserts, or they can be used as a side dish without sugar or to make pickles. Don't eat rhubarb from your own garden if it has been severely damaged by cold, and avoid the plant if you have kidney stones.

6. Garlic scapes

Garlic scapes are the green stems that grow above the garlic bulb. You probably won't ever see them unless you harvest garlic from your own garden or shop at an Asian market. The green shoots don't have the same intense "garlicky" flavor as the bulb itself, and can be eaten as a green vegetable or added to soups and casseroles. Use them in stir-fry, or to make pesto.

7. Jerusalem artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes are a commonly misunderstood vegetable. They aren't really artichokes at all. They are the underground stems of a species of sunflower. And their principal carbohydrate is inulin, not as some suggest, insulin. Inulin feeds the probiotic bacteria that grow in your colon. A small amount of peeled Jerusalem artichoke shaved into your salad adds crunch and a slightly sweet flavor to a salad. A large serving of Jerusalem artichoke will usually give you gas.

8. Romanesco cauliflower

The green, yellow, or purple Romanesco cauliflower (also known as Romanesco broccoli, actually a variety of cabbage) is denser than cauliflower but not quite as sulfur-smelling as broccoli. The vegetable is usually prepared by steaming, although it can also be roasted with fingerling potatoes and served as a side dish. Romanesco cauliflower is more difficult to prepare as 'cauliflower mashed potatoes" than regular cauliflower because it is harder to get all the little green bits that mar the "potato" flavor of the dish.

9. Dandelion 

Dandelion greens are rich in calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. They are a highly nutritious addition to a spring salad. Just don't use dandelion greens that have been sprayed with herbicide.

Dandelion roots can be used to make a spring tonic or "dandelion wine," but avoid this elixir if you have gallbladder disease. Dandelion root can stimulate the production of bile that places pressure on gallstones.

10. Okinawan purple sweet potatoes

My personal favorite, of course, is the Okinawan purple sweet potato, a round underground tuber with a purple flesh. Some "purple" sweet potatoes actually have white flesh, but both varieties are delicious as a side dish or even as the basis of a dessert, such as ice cream. Purple sweet potatoes have a unique, nutty flavor, and are a terrific source of folate, potassium, and anthocyanins.

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Still looking for a unique vegetable? Try one of the favorite foods of Eastern Asia, the bitter melon. In small servings, this aptly named bitter vegetable, served steamed or in stir fries, helps lower blood sugar and blood pressure--but don't eat it every day.