Absolutely! Who wants to eat a monochromatic meal comprised of white meat fish, cauliflower with sautéed onions, potatoes in cashew or cream sauce, and tapioca pudding?  How about an irritatingly red meal made up of grilled salmon in tomato sauce, roasted beets with red bell peppers, with strawberries for dessert? No thank you!

Colorful benefits
Foods with different colors concentrate different nutrients. In the vegetable world, dark leafy greens usually concentrate the most calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and folic acid.  Bright orange, yellow, red, blue, and purple vegetables generally pack more beta-carotene, lutein, zeazanthin, and other health protective phyto nutrients. 

Who colored my cauliflower?
Have you ever eaten purple or orange colored cauliflower? No, not spray painted vegetables, but real food that comes in unexpected colors. Scientists have developed amazingly eye catching variants of cauliflower. They’ve change the traditional white florets to garish green, orange, and even purple. These more colorful florets are supposedly more nutritious.

What do they taste like?
I don’t think rainbow cauliflowers taste any different than the familiar white ones, but they do add a splash of color to your party platters, plates, and meals. That could make them more appealing to children and picky adults–– a good thing.

But are they safe?
Some scientists have even claimed that they are healthier for you. According to Andrew Coker, a spokesman for the plant company Syngenta, the company that is developing these plants in Europe, the colorful cauliflowers are not the result of genetic engineering. Instead, they are the result of decades of traditional selective breeding.

Are they colorfast?
These novel vegetables retain their color even after cooking (I’ve tried them). I think they look best when cut into florets and blanched (dipped in lightly salted boiling water until crisp-tender, then plunged in ice water to stop the cooking and hold the color), and served with an assortment of dips. They really stand out.

Why mess with a good thing?
According to David Derbyshire in an article in Mail On Line, "Consumers are looking for ever new experiences on their dinner plates and colour features very large in their desire for different things. In tests, the garish cauliflowers have proved a hit with shoppers.”

He goes on to say that “Until the 17th century most carrots eaten Europe were white, yellow or purple. The orange pigment was added by Dutch plant breeders looking for a way to celebrate Holland's royal family.”

Colorful cauliflowers have been available at farmers’ markets and in some natural foods stores in the U.S. for several years. They’re a new thing for Brits.

What’s in it for you?
Orange cauliflowers contain higher than normal levels of beta carotene, pro-vitamin A (some of which your body can convert into vitamin A under the right conditions). This nutrient is important for healthy skin. Orange cauliflowers grown in America have been found to contain up to 25 times more beta carotene than normal cauliflowers. Purple colored cauliflower contains high amounts of anthocyanins, which may help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting.

Don’t forget the fat
By the way, beta carotene absorption is enhanced by fat, so forget fat-free salads and meal. Serve your colorful veggies with butter, aioli (garlic-flavored mayo), vinaigrette, guacamole, hummus, tahini sauce, peanut sauce, in coconut milk, or at least add some olive oil with sea salt and pepper.

Are you ready to try something new? Go ahead, these veggies won’t bite! You’ve got the upper fork and knife.

Your colored cauliflower connection
In Phoenix, AZ, Bob McClendon is the man to see. His farm is called McClendon’s Select. He’s a certified organic grower and member of Slow Food USA & The James Beard Foundation.

You can find McClendon's produce at the new Old Town Farmers’ Market (Scottsdale) every Saturday, with the exception of the Saturdays after Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is located at First Street and Brown directly west of the old adobe mission.  Hours are 8:30 AM to 1 PM. 

You can also buy Bob's beautiful organic veggies and fruits at the Town & Country Farmers’ Market at 2021 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016, every Wednesday morning from 9 am to noon in the plaza at 20th street & Cammelback, North of Trader Joes.

Tell him Chef Rachel sent you. ~ Chef Rachel

About Chef Rachel

Watch a short cooking demo by Chef Rachel