The most hated vegetable...

Like most children I was genetically engineered to hate green vegetables, broccoli was my only exception. I spent most of my childhood and teenage years avoiding those gross green things and finding ways to make them disappear when they did end up on my dinner plate. I would never imagine that those vegetables I hated so much would later become some of my favorite foods, especially the most hated green of all...brussel sprouts.

When I started working at the Copper Onion I soon found out we had brussel sprouts on the menu, and everybody was saying they were so good. I was deeply concerned about the mental status of my fellow coworkers. I was determined that no matter what I would never eat one. I am the artful dodger of avoiding eating foods I don't like. I have spent at least 20 years perfecting the skill. I was on my A game to avoid brussel sprouts at work.

Yet depsite my opinion that everybody hated brussel sprouts, they seemed to fly out of the kitchen. Everybody must be crazy I decided. My avoidance continued for a few weeks until the smell of the sprouts tantalized my taste buds to a craving. After refusing this craving for a few days I finally gave in and tried the vegetable I had hated for so long.

To my surpise they were amazing. I apparently was the the one the with altered mental status, not the rest of the world. I can't believe that for almost 22 years I have avoided eating such a delicious food. Brussel Sprouts have since filled my life. I have ate them many times at work, gone to special grocery stores to purchase them and have successful got my mom hooked on them as well.

These "mini cabbages" are super healthy for you containing amounts of Vitamins A and C, folic acid, and dietary fiber. It's also been suggested they protect aganist colon cancer. These facts only added to my desire to eat more brussel sprouts.

Many people hate brussel sprouts because they are often overcooked. When brussel sprouts are overcooked they get mushy and sulfuric acid is released giving them an awful smell not the one I enjoy so much. When they lose the vibrant green color they are overcooked. You can cook them a variety of ways though I always cook them like how we cook them at the restaurant. I cut them super thin (juliene) and then saute them with some garlic, salt and pepper and then finish them with a bit of lemon juice. Just don't let them overcook!

I say to everyone if you think you don't like brussel sprouts (as we were genetically engineered not to) try again. They may turn out to be your new favorite food. They now belong at the top of my list.

Salt

One of my favorite things in life are fairy tales. I love it when guy meets girl and then the next thing you know they live happily ever. Many many years ago (and I really do mean many!) one of the first love stories ever told was that of Sodium and Chloride. These two minerals were sad and lonely, if only they could find their true love. One day, by mere coincidence I'm sure, they ran into each other and it was instant chemistry. They were quick to fall in love and have remain in love longer than most of us can imagine.

This happy couple is what we most often call salt. Salt has been used for centuries from ancient Egyptians to early Chinese. Salt water surrounds us in our oceans and I live in state that's capital city is Salt Lake, which is named after it's very large and rather salty lake. We spread salt on our icy roads and oddly enough we use it to prevent our ice from melting while making while making ice cream.

Salt is essential to our daily life and most living creatures require it for survival. Although too much salt we have been warned it bad for our health. It can cause high blood pressure, edema and in some extreme cases death. Yet, with the risks it is one of the most basic tastes and one of the simplest and most common seasoning for food.

I love salt. I never knew the power of salt until I attended culinary school. Salt is one of the most amazing seasonings. It can take something so bland such as a potato or tomato and make it tasty. It grabs our tastes buds and they beg us to give them more. We often indulge in this feeling and feed our taste buds salt to their heart's content.

There are many examples of our weakness to give into our taste buds wishes. We place salt shakers full of salt on our dinner tables. At work when making soup, fries, a salad, ok anything my first thought is to salt it, taste it and most often salt it more. If anybody is like me after eating something salty such as potato chips I often lick my fingers for that finally salty taste.

Indeed salt is something that is used often and spared little. As such, I offer but a few tips to lower ones sodium intake each day to prevent health problems and help us to enjoy this terrific seasoning.

1. Use unsalted butter. I can hear the groans coming. Before they begin let me finish, you can always add salt but taking it away is impossible. Use unsalted butter and then add salt if you need. It might be a adjustment at first but after a while you won't be able to remember what salted butter tasted like. Go Mom for at least cooking with unsalted butter!!

2. Use sea salt, kosher salts or a salt that is not iodnized. While iodine is an essential nutrient, there are other ways to get it than in salt. Iodized salt contains more sodium per teaspoon than other forms of salt such as sea salt.

These few tips may not help you today or tomorrow but they will help you in the long run!

I have no doubt we will continue to use large amounts of salt everywhere we go whether in the kitchen or out of it.

If you find yourself stuck with a food that is bland, try some salt....it'll be amazing what it will do.