You're Not Cool Unless You Eat Your Vegetables

I must admit I was pretty proud of my city this morning when I logged onto Boston.com and saw this headline "Boston area becoming a mecca for vegetarian, vegan, and raw food restaurants". Boston? A mecca for vegetables?! Sure, we do a bang up job when it comes to corned beef and hash, the whole family of heavy cheesy pastas, and of course, bacon drenched baked beans. And I dare anyone to walk past a sausage guy cart in Copley, the Public Gardens, or after a game and not get weak in the knees, but vegetables being cool in Boston? This is news to me.

Now don't get me wrong, I am by no means a vegetarian, vegan, raw food follower, etc. I am just happy to see the people of the city of Boston provided with a plethora of alternative dining selections. I think we (myself included) are a little afraid to come out of our comfort zones when it comes those pesky vegetables. Is it a childhood thing? Maybe it's simply a matter of poor publicity. Have all the commercials where Jimmy hides his broccoli in his milk in favor of eating meat and carbs gone to our heads?

Again, I ask you to not misunderstand me, I am not proposing that people give up their cheeseburgers (lord knows I would dream of it!) I am just happy that the under appreciated vegetable is being dressed up, cool as a cucumber with a chic new image so that maybe people will give them a second chance and maybe (gasp!) even like them. I was talking to my very pregnant friend Sara the other day about how in the winter it seems harder for one to incorporate a lot of veggies into one's diet. In summer it's easy. Salads are refreshing on a smoldering summer day. But in the in the winter? It's the heavy comfort food we reach for. Now, this conversation that I was having with my friend got me thinking and I took it as a personal challenge to develop some delicious recipes that incorporate a lot of vegetables that are currently in season. This evening, I'm accepting my own mission and am headed over to her place to make up a batch of winter vegetable enchiladas. With a mix of sweet seasonal veggies balanced by a smoky and spicy chipotle sauce, I think we're in for a good meal.

Stay tuned until tomorrow when I can post tonight's recipe creation along with some pictures.

Until then, happy eating!