In recent years, many health professionals have been advising people to “eat the rainbow,” but what exactly does that phrase mean? The term “eat the rainbow” illustrates the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. By eating an array of colors on your plate, you get the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs. In particular, the variety of colored fruits and vegetables contains different nutritional and health benefits. For instance, red fruits and vegetables have potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K1, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories.
Meanwhile, green vegetables and fruits like spinach and kale have fiber, folate, magnesium, and potassium. Each of these nutrients helps your body function. Thus, it’s essential to eat a colorful pallet. Luckily, New Roots has colorful vegetables and fruits for you to eat. New Roots has a variety of vegetables of each color, including red: tomatoes and red pepper, orange: carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, summer squash, green: broccoli, green beans, green peppers, kale, blue and purple: eggplant and beets, white and brown: onions, garlic, turnip, and any other vegetables. If you want to see the complete selection of New Root products, please visit their Vegetables – New Roots Cooperative Farm website.
Ingredients 1x2x3x
- 16 oz penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz asparagus, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Dash crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice, divided
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups halved grape tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, for garnish
- Extra parmesan cheese, for garnish
- Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish
If you want to make a colorful dish, try making pasta primavera! It’s the perfect summer dish.