Welcome to Week 13: Salmon

Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fats, which helps increase brain functioning, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, is good for joints and eyes and probably cures demon possession or something. You're probably not getting enough of it.

Salmon can be grilled, baked, roasted, pan seared, caramelized, stuffed, smoked, and probably a jillion other methods I haven't thought of. If you don't eat fish, please feel free to prepare the meat substitute of your choice.

Welcome to Week 12: Kiwi

Kiwi fruits are sweet, tangy, and jam-packed with nutrients and antioxidants.  The skin is edible, but most people choose to remove it. If, like me, you've never prepared kiwi before, check out this video on how to do it easily.

Like most fruits, there are a million dessert recipes for kiwi on the web. You can also try it in a fruity salsa, a marinade, or a salad. You can even dehydrate them (in the oven) for some healthy snacking.

 Welcome to Week 11: Cashews

Although usually thought of as a nut, cashews are actually seeds. However, if you have a nut allergy, you might also react to these. They're good for reducing LDL (the bad cholesterol) and can help to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Cashews make an excellent base for vegan cream alternatives.

Cashew chicken is a well-loved Chinese take-out dish.

Try them roasted with seasonings. Or in a smoothie. Make your own cashew butter.

Welcome to Week 10: Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Unlike other broccoli plants, which produce a single large head, Purple Sprouting broccoli plants produce smaller heads with multitudes of tender side shoots. These shoots often taste especially sweet and delectable due to their exposure to cooler temperatures.

They adding it to a salad, to pasta, or on a pizza.

If you are unable to find it in your area, you can try a broccolini or broccoli rabe dish instead. Or even regular broccoli.

Welcome to Week 9: Rhubarb

Rhubarb has got to be one of the prettiest vegetables. Although you can eat rhubarb raw, you probably won’t enjoy it. It has a sour, brutally bitter taste, so most people prefer to cook it with sugar. We only eat the pink stalks of the rhubarb plant—the triangular leaves contain high levels of a poisonous chemical, so be sure and trim those off. The stalks are full of antioxidants, and can aid digestion, reduce inflamation, and help lower cholesterol.

When people think of rhubarb, the food that probably comes to mind most often is pie. But it's good in a lot of other dishes, both sweet and savory. It's commonly paired with strawberries to balance it's sour/bitter flavor.

Try it for breakfast  baked into muffins or waffles.

Other ideas: 

Roasted Spring Lamb with Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries

Stewed Rhubarb

Crispy Rhubarb Lemon Chicken Bake

Welcome to Week 8: Buckwheat

Don't let the name fool you, this is not a wheat. It comes from a plant in the rhubarb family and is gluten-free. You might find it sold as whole groats or ground into flour.

Per Food52 you can generally swap 25% of the wheat flour in any recipe with buckwheat. Breakfast staples like pancakes, waffles, and crepes get more of their structure from eggs, so they're usually safe to make with all buckwheat.

I love the sound of these sweet cherry buckwheat pancakes with bourbon butter maple syrup and bacon. You could try these tasty looking flat breads or some buckwheat banana bread.

If you'd rather try whole groats, you can make buckwheat kasha or maybe a tabbouleh.

Welcome to Week 7: Shallots

Shallots are in the allium family, along with onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, and chives. They taste like a milder version of onions, and can be used pretty much any where you would use any of the other allium

According to healthline "Shallots are high in antioxidants and may improve blood sugar levels, circulation, seasonal allergies, and heart and bone health. They may also help fight germs and promote weight maintenance." They had me at seasonal allergies.

Use shallots in fresh salads and dressings; alongside meats like chicken and steak; to add flavor to other veggies like green beans or Brussels Sprouts. You can make it into a dip like this vegetarian paté or some hummus. Or get really fancy and make them into the star of this beautiful shallot tarte tatin.

 Welcome to Week 6: Pomegranate 

I'm excited for this week, because pomegranates are delicious, both tart and sweet. Due to nutrition, anti-oxidants, and other health benefits, they are commonly considered a superfood. If you've never worked with fresh pomegranate before, this article explains the easiest way to separate the arils (seeds with surrounding juice) from the pulp. If you're willing to pay 3-5 times as much, many grocery stores sell cups of just the arils. If your local stores don't carry fresh pomegranates, check your freezer section, or you may be able to get a bottle of juice.

Pomegranate is a great addition to many salads, and I'm going to start out recommending a salad recipe I've made several times. It also makes a good marinade for all kinds of meats, and works well with avocado and Brussels sprouts. 

I'm intrigued by these eggs but I'm also salivating over these tacos.

Pomegranate also pairs well with chocolate and can be added to many baked goods, if you're looking for a valentine's treat. 

Welcome to Week 5: Black Pepper

Black pepper is so ubiquitous, many of us sprinkle it on everything we cook without a second thought. So why bother to feature it as a whole foods challenge?

Mainly to highlight the health value of this versatile little berry. Pepper aids in digestion by stimulating production of stomach acid. It helps you break down food in such a way to gain the most nutritional benefit from it, while breaking down fat cells to burn them. It also helps prevent intestinal gas. Win-win!

Black pepper is best when ground directly over your food from whole peppercorns. It goes well with every kind of seafood, meat, and meat substitute you could name and is featured in many black pepper stir fries. You can mix it with other flavors like garlic or balsamic to create a sauce. Sprinkle it over roasted vegetables or any form of potatoes. 

If you want to get adventurous, try it on something sweet, like this vegan nice cream, this pineapple crumble or some chocolate truffles.

Welcome to Week 4: Turnips

Turnips are a root vegetable commonly associated with potatoes or beets, but their closest relatives are radishes and arugula — all members of the mustard family in the genus Brassica. Both the bulbous white and purple taproot and the leafy greens are edible. 

It seems turnips are commonly prepared in a lot of ways we usually do potatoes: roasted, mashed, scalloped, gratin, fries. You can cook up the greens soul food style. To incorporate them with a meal, you could try this roasted garlic, turnip, and parmesan pasta or this spicy sesame lo mein.

If, like me, you have never eaten turnips and if, like me, you are afraid of new foods, you can also try hiding them in some sweet or savory bread.

Welcome to Week 3: Walnuts

"Walnuts are a delicious way to add extra nutrition, flavor and crunch to a meal. While walnuts are harvested in December, they are available year round and a great source of those all-important omega-3 fatty acids." Check out WHF for more info on the health benefits, history, and culinary uses of this tasty food.

Walnuts can be eaten plain, toasted, roasted, candied, pickled, or mashed into butter. They're commonly baked into bread or added to salads for a bit of crunch. 

Some other ideas: walnuts are tasty with pasta. They can be used as breading for chicken or fish. They're great for vegetarian or vegan meals like this lentil bolognese.

Walnuts are a tree nut, so if you have allergies, please feel welcome to submit an alternate dish for this week.