What are Leeks?

Sometimes I feel like I'm speaking a foreign language. When my friends or family ask me what I had for lunch, it's not uncommon to describe a dish made with quinoa, lentils, tempeh or even leeks.

Then they get quiet -- and remember I'm not a fast-food burger kind of girl.

One mysterious green vegetable that's recently wrinkled noses and turned faces quizzical is the almighty leek. It looks like a fat green onion -- long and slender with a narrow white bulb topped with greenery.

Photo by Angela Tague / Angela's Images

I adore their mildly spicy onion-esque flavor and add them to soups, salads and even roasted them for St. Patrick's Day dinner. Leeks are in the same family of veggies as onions, garlic, chives and shallots.

Awhile back I had the pleasure of chatting with Camilla V. Saulsbury, PhD for an article I wrote on the Tom's of Maine website about leeks. She's a fitness trainer with a background in sociology, health and medicine and the author of Bob’s Red Mill Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook.

Here's a few facts she mentioned about leeks:

• Leeks are a source of allicin which helps reduce cholesterol production, coronary artery disease, strokes, and has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties when eaten in moderate quantities.
• Leeks are an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C, E and K.
• Leeks also contain manganese, folate, copper, iron and calcium.
• Leeks are a source of omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber.

So, do you ever add this green vegetable to your menu? How do you like to eat leeks? Tell me in the comments below.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

PS: Bored? Visit me on Facebook! I'd love to chat!

Review: Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook by Camilla V. Saulsbury

I've followed a gluten-free diet since the end of 2011.

My last stomach-churning meal was Thanksgiving, complete with a fluffy glutinous roll, classic green bean casserole topped with crispy onions battered in wheat flour and a green salad drizzled with creamy salad dressing containing barley malt as a thickener.

After that, I decided to get serious about being healthier and allowing my digestive track to heal from the damage caused by Celiac Disease.

Since then I've tried replicating my favorite recipes with gluten-free flours. What a disaster! 

Let me save you some time if you're new to gluten-free cooking. Swapping out corn meal or rice flour for "all-purpose flour" doesn't work. There's a fine science to gluten-free cooking, and thankfully, I've learned to seek out recipes specifically created to be gluten free.

As my cookbook collection grows, I've learned these key tips about gluten-free cooking:

1. You almost always need a blend of multiple gluten-free starches for baked goods to turn out with a "normal" texture and elasticity.
2. Gluten-free flours absorb more liquid than wheat-based flours, so when you venture into modifying your favorite old recipes, increase the liquid content.
3. Gluten-free foods can be just as good, if not better, than their wheat counterparts. Ask my husband about the gluten-free chocolate chip cookies we make. He won't waste time with any other recipe now!

OK, so today on Whole Foods Living I want to introduce you to a book that's won a place on my shelf. It's called Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook from Bob's Red Mill, written by Camilla V. Saulsbury. She's a food writer, fitness trainer cooking instructor and one heck of a foodie blogger who knows how to make you drool. You can catch up with her online at power hungry.

First off, I adore cookbooks that I can sit down and read as a resource guide. It's no longer good enough just to woo cooks with colorful photos and tasty recipe titles. Like many, I want to learn about the ingredients, and in gluten-free baking and cooking, that's incredibly important for both health reasons and to avoid wasting pricey ingredients.

The first 38 pages of this book are dedicated to educating the reader about gluten-free grains and ingredients that may not be common place in the pantry. Curious about teff? Wondering how to cook quinoa? Not sure how to use milk made from almonds? Wondering if you can use maple syrup beyond breakfast? It's all in this cookbook.

So, beyond being resourceful, the recipes have to be yummy! The first thing that jumped out at me were the uncommon (to me) pairings.

• Blueberry Lime Millet Shake
• Lemony Lentil, Quinoa and Zucchini Skillet
• Scottish Leek and Steel-Cut Oats Soup

Hmmm...I simply had to try that third one. Oats in a soup?? I've never had such a thing. 

So I whipped up a batch of the simple recipe over a lunch break last week. It was fantastic. I said "was" because it's gone. I ate it for lunch the rest of the week. I made the recipe with almond milk and vegetable broth and it reheated perfectly.

If you're new to a gluten-free lifestyle, this cookbook is a great way to launch into a healthier diet. Camilla shares recipes for breakfast, soups, salads, vegetarian dinners, seafood, meat dishes, breads, snacks and desserts.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

Disclosure: Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook from Bob's Red Mill, written by Camilla V. Saulsbury, mentioned in this blog post was provided free of charge for review purposes. No monetary compensation was sought or awarded in exchange for this review. All thoughts expressed in this review on Whole Foods Living are solely my own. ~Angela

###