Didukh

Lately I've really begun to enjoy the natural taste of vegetables and grains. Growing up eating a very rich, saucy and spicy cuisine was wonderful, however, I rarely tasted what flavour each element of a dish would have on its own. This also continued to be the case in first and second year of university when I was still learning about how I can balance my studies and my personal life effectively - essentially, cooking never really happened and if it did, it consisted of something saucy (because it is quick way to add flavour) and some sort of grain or vegetable (which was also drowning in sauce).

Now that I use cooking as a sort of break from schoolwork, work-work, and all the other stuff in between, I'm beginning to truly notice the taste of all those fruits, vegetables and grains. I no longer cook with sauces unless I make them from scratch and all the flavours in my food tend to be from a natural source (less spices!). I love the nutty taste that some of the grains have and how simple salad dressings (example: mixing balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper) can just bring out the flavour of bronchoccini cheeses and hot house tomatoes.

We have so many unique and interesting tastes at our disposal that it's shame that our society focuses around processed foods. I understand this is a function of our busy lives and perhaps our financial situation however, if one wanted to eat well, one could. Healthy doesn't mean tasteless either as I am discovering. So put away those bottled sauces! Your taste buds & heart will thank you!

Adding on to the heathy-does-not-equal-gross-tasting point, I would like to point out the yummyness of Kashi's cherry dark chocolate chewy granola bars . I recently tried them because they were on sale (usually, I can't afford them - starving student, remember?) but holy teapot, they are SO good. Soft, chewy, with chunks of cherry (like serious chunks, not just little bits) and dark chocolate chips. So amazingly good in taste and for you, they contain 7 whole grains and sesame. Fantastic!

So next time you're in the grocery store, go back to the basics and find out what asparagus really tastes like when it's not covered in butter...

(photo credit: Trish Mayo )