The Veggie Queen

Isn't that a great title for a book? I just finished skimming through Jill Nussinow's "The Veggie Queen", and it's already one of my favorites. More than a cookbook using seasonal vegetables, Nussinow includes nuggets of nutrition information, stories about her past adventures with foods, and suggestions on hunting down the freshest, most delicious vegetables. Plus, she does it all with style and flair. This is a cookbook you can actually sit down and read.

The reality is that most of us don't eat enough veggies. Many of us state emphatically that we dislike ALL vegetables. Some of us can't correctly identify anything more exotic than a carrot.

At the same time, we all know that eating vegetables is good for us: it protects our heart, decreases risk of some types of cancers, keeps our digestive systems moving along, and provides a wide range of healthful antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. All for just about the lowest amount of calories you'll find in foods.

So why don't we jump up and demand more vegetables? Blame it on marketing, a childhood dislike of mushy vegetables, and ignorance. Nussinow is out to correct all of these problems with her book.

If you've been thinking that you'd like to eat more vegetables, but don't really know how to get started, check out "The Veggie Queen". Plus, take a look at Nussinow's website http://www.theveggiequeen.com/ for recipes, a newsletter, and even more fun tips.