We get it: Purple isn’t your favorite color – or, maybe it is!
For those interested in the culinary arts, purple fruits and vegetables could be hidden gems still to be discovered. In addition to their nutritional benefits, they also provide a dash of colorful flare that allows your dishes to stand out from the conventional green plant-based plates others make.
Here’s a rundown on some of the most popular purple preferences of fruit and veggie enthusiasts:
Salad and side-dish galore
On first glance, purple may not seem like it applies to many food options. But, take a look at some of the fresh and tasty offerings the Earth has to offer:
Fruits
- Grapes.
- Prunes.
- Elderberries.
- Blue/blackberries.
- Plums.
- Raisins.
Vegetables
- Red cabbage (it’s really purple!).
- Eggplant.
- Radish.
- Purple-sprouting broccoli.
- Beets.
- Red lettuce/onions (also purple!).
- Edible violets.
- Purple okra.
- Purple artichokes.
With so much to choose from, whipping up a clean meal in just moments is super easy.
Think fruit salads, with purple fruits and veggies perfectly complementing well-known green leaf, romaine or spinach mixes.
Including a handful (half cup to one cup) of berries of your choice – most have relatively similar flavor profiles – provides just enough zest and sweet tartness that you may not even need to use a traditional dressing. Additionally, sprinkling in red lettuce, chopped or diced onions and raisins really rounds out the salad bowl, providing enough variety and volume to satisfy consumers without them becoming bored with just the “same ol’ salad.”
You don’t always need fruits and veggies to comprise the main entree or the appetizer; a well-prepared side dish provides the necessary tastes and tones to supplement a meat-based dish as well.
Purple cauliflower, potatoes, broccoli and bell peppers are exactly the types of foods that help a larger meal stand out. Cooking in light oil and finishing off with a quick broil creates the slightly charred exterior that goes well with a touch of lemon juice. Stuffing the insides of potatoes and peppers specifically enables you to add even more flavor to your veggies!
Stews, soups and stir fries
The best part of meal preparation is mixing and matching new ingredients – even ones you may not be familiar with. And there are few food options that provide new culinary students with the flexibility and variety to dream big than shapeless stews, soups or stir fries. That’s because you can put nearly anything in these concoctions and add additional components as you go.
Maximizing your eggplant and turnip potential, Food.com swears by their quick 50-minute Green Bean, Turnip and Eggplant stew. Throw in onions, carrots and a few spices and you’re halfway there!
Last but not least, the much-appreciated stir fry is great for including anything and everything. Choose a proper base – steak, chicken, tofu, shrimp, etc. – add in rice, your favorite purple foods and some seasoning, and voila!
