Winter often changes our attitude towards food; instead of a light salad, we start preferring warm, hearty dishes such as soups, stews, curries, and pasta. However, during this period, vegetables can take a backseat, exacerbating nutritional problems.
According to data from the South African National Nutrition Week, adults consume an average of about 230 grams of fruits and vegetables per day, which is only 58% of the recommended international norm of 400 grams. Therefore, to maintain healthy eating, it is necessary to integrate greens into favorite comfort foods.
On cold mornings, it is difficult to spend much time preparing a complex breakfast. Quick options like toast or cereal are convenient, but you can prepare in advance. For example, on Sunday, you can prepare a vegetable omelet or frittata, divide it into portions, and store it in the refrigerator. On Monday, you just need to reheat a portion.
For this, you can use whisked eggs, adding broccoli, cheese, and other favorite vegetables. Tenderstem is excellent for this because it can be used whole, including florets and stems, which minimizes chopping and hassle.
Winter is the time for curries, soups, and stews. Instead of preparing a separate vegetable dish, you can add quickly cooked green vegetables to dishes already on the stove. Broccoli can be added to curry in the last minutes of cooking, added to soup, or placed next to a casserole in the oven for the last few minutes. Even in cheese toast, you can discreetly hide several green stems.
The main idea is not to create extra work, but to make vegetables part of what you are already cooking. The key to success is to make the healthy choice as simple as possible.
When a person is tired and hungry after a long day, convenience wins. The answer to consuming more vegetables in winter may not lie in willpower, but in simplifying the process of preparation and adding vegetables to daily meals. Tenderstem cooks in just three to five minutes and can be used whole. A 80g portion counts as one of the five recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day, providing Vitamin C and folate, which are important for normal immune function, as well as fiber, potassium, and Vitamin B6.
Chef and nutritionist, a representative of the Tenderstem brand in South Africa, Alice Ruddell, noted: 'People do not stop caring about nutrition in winter. They choose food that feels warm, satisfying, and manageable.'
She added that 'the easiest way to keep vegetables on the menu is to incorporate them into familiar dishes, rather than viewing them as a separate side dish.'
Thus, you don't have to give up creamy soup, hearty curry, or cozy cheese toast; you just need to find a way to make room for something green. Winter can be a season of comfort food, but that doesn't mean broccoli has to hibernate.
If winter brings comfort food, vegetables can join in. These three recipes demonstrate that increasing vegetable intake does not require giving up the dishes that make winter enjoyable.
This dish, which is simultaneously creamy, cozy, and uniquely South African, gives a green accent to classic samp. Tenderstem broccoli is quickly sautéed and served over rich herb samp with a little chakalaka for extra flavor.
To prepare, boil the samp, then sauté onions, peppers, and garlic. Add the sautéed vegetables, thyme, and parsley to the cooked samp, then pour in cream and mix with sour cream. After that, the dish is simmered until thickened. Separately, tenderstem broccoli is sautéed until tender and served over the creamy samp.
When winter calls for soup, you should choose something warming, creamy, and rich in greens. Curry spices and coconut milk give this soup character, while pieces of Tenderstem broccoli add texture.
For the soup, first sauté the onion, then add garlic and ginger. Next, add Tenderstem broccoli and vegetable broth, bring to a boil, and let it simmer. Then add spices (curry, paste, coriander, turmeric, cumin). After cooking, the soup is pureed with an immersion blender, leaving some pieces for texture, and coconut milk is added at the end.
Another option is a potato, mushroom, and Tenderstem broccoli casserole. Potatoes are pre-boiled, then mixed with garlic butter, mushrooms, and broccoli. All of this is placed on a baking tray and baked until golden brown.
The conclusion is simple: winter food can be hearty, comforting, and green, and you don't have to choose between your favorite dishes and increasing your vegetable intake.
Amidst the harsh winter in Mzansi and rising meat prices, home cooks are seeking affordable and nutritious alternatives. The answer lies in local fields and gardens, as cabbage has long been a staple of South Africa's agricultural communities. This vegetable tolerates frost well, is readily available, and provides significant nutritional value at a much lower cost compared to commercial meat. Three local culinary approaches demonstrate how they prepare this winter crop.
Chef Nonkhlanhla Moroenyane, a cookbook author, nutrition activist, and founder of Noni’s Home Dish based in Kensington, Johannesburg, prefers cooking cabbage over an open fire. She states: 'I am a girl who smokes purple cabbage imphepo on the grill.' Moroenyane advises cooks to always keep traditional imphepo (African sage) nearby during the red cabbage season, as well as having a braai, firewood, and charcoal ready.
Her method lends the vegetable a cultural and aromatic touch. Moroenyane creates a dry marinade by mixing Cajun spices, garlic powder, and barbecue seasoning in a bowl with flavored coconut oil. After cutting a whole purple or green cabbage into large pieces, she thoroughly coats each piece with this mixture. She recommends 'slow roasting, not flaming, for about five minutes. Smoke it along with it.' The goal of this process is to achieve a deep, charred flavor while maintaining a crisp texture inside. Moroenyane suggests serving these smoky pieces alongside other grilled vegetables or pairing them with a warm curry dip.
In Cape Flats, Chef Marshall Buysen, founder of Marshall’s Kitchen in Manenberg, holds a deep respect for cabbage inherited from his grandmother's cooking. He explains that 'cabbage stew was a comforting dish loved by farming families in the Western Cape countryside for a long time.' In cold months, the main crops gathered in family gardens and local farms were fresh cabbage, potatoes, onions, and carrots, as they were inexpensive, nutritious, and easily accessible. Farmers traditionally cooked this hearty stew in one cast iron pot over an open fire or wood stove. Cooking everything together saved time and fuel, allowing earthy aromas to slowly develop while families worked in the fields. Although meat such as beef, lamb, or chicken was added when available, Buysen notes that scarcity never stopped the preparation of this dish. 'On days when meat was scarce or too expensive, beans or lentils were used instead, creating a complete vegetarian dish that did not lose the comforting taste of the stew.'
Working out of Parktown in Johannesburg, Chef Mbasa Brook tackles current financial difficulties with the motto: 'No meat, no problem.' Mbasa shares his step-by-step recipe for a thick, comforting winter cabbage stew that will warm your body and soul this winter. The recipe includes cabbage, carrots, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, as well as various spices, including paprika and curry powder. His golden rule is: 'Do not stir the pot too much.' This can cause the vegetables to break down, resulting in a puree instead of a stew. Whether the cabbage is smoked over slow coals in Gauteng or simmered over an open fire in a rural community in the Western Cape, cabbage remains a reliable and budget-friendly option for the winter season and subsequent periods.
