CAULIFLOWER: THE FALL AND WINTER HEATLH VEGETABLE

Cauliflower is a vegetable that contains an impressive variety of nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and other beneficial elements. Moreover, this vegetable is incredibly versatile for cooking different hot and cold dishes, especially during the fall – winter season.

Cauliflower can be cooked using several methods. Some common methods are boiling, with no added salt, or steaming it. Cauliflower should be cooked for few minutes. If it is cooked too long, the flowers fall apart and become too mushy.

A recommended cooking technique for cauliflower is “al dente”. Cauliflower keeps most of its properties, even if, when cooked, it always tends to lose about the 50% of its nutrients.

When it is cooked it can be eaten as a side dish, alone or with some oil or some drops of lemon.

NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES OF CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower contains an impressive variety of nutrients. You can assume raw cauliflower, because it is beneficial as an excellent source of enzymes.

-       Proteins;

-       Lipids;

-       Carbohydrates;

-       Amid;

-       Soluble sugar;

-       Fibers;

-       Energy;

-       Sodium;

-       Potassium;

-       Iron;

-       Calcium;

-       Phosphorus;

-       Thiamin;

-       Riboflavin;

-       Niacine;

-       Vitamine A, C, E;

Thanks to its elevated number of nutrients, the cauliflower is considered a good antioxidant and, according to some studies, it is the best food in smart addition to low calories diets. This vegetable is in fact poor in calories and fats, fights constipation and it is also recommended as anti ageing food.

For those who don’t like its raw consumption, there are lots of recipes you can cook cauliflower: from roasted cauliflower, soups and salads, to pasta flavored with garlic, oil and chili pepper. You can also fry it, or using it mashed in timbales, and many other ways.

I like this vegetable in all its ways. Since cauliflower is a very versatile vegetable, it can be dressed up in many ways. In my opinion, I really enjoy boiled cauliflower. Deep fried cauliflower delights everybody with its great flavor and crunch, but it is better not to exaggerate with its consumption.