For the Love of Radishes

Ok, I may have a little obsession with radishes. They are one of my favorite vegetables. All things cruciferous make me happy. My love started when my eyes were mesmerized with the beautiful hot pink/red color they are.  

Radishes are members of the Brassicaceae family. The root is related to kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and one of my favorites, horseradish.  They can grow anywhere, but California and Florida are the top producers. They grow quickly, so it's a fun veggie to have in your garden. Radishes, like other cruciferous veggies contain isothiocyanate. This is an anti -oxidant compound called sulforaphane. These have a proven role against prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers by virtue of its cancer-cell growth inhibition, and cyto-toxic effects on cancer cells in various studies. 

The best part about radishes....wait for it.....1 cup is only 16-20 calories.

They are delicious in salads and are great roasted. There a multiple varieties and different degrees of "hotness."  My next radish purchase is the Daikon. But for today, wanted to share with you one of my favorite salads with these ruby red gems. 

 

Edamame, radish, onions, fresh dill and a yogurt ranch dressing make this a great spring side dish. 

 

Get a bunch of fresh radish and chop off the greens. Save them for later because they are perfect mixed in with your lettuce leaves or sautéed with a little garlic and olive oil. Dice the radishes.  Don't worry about a few blemishes here and there, but if there is a brown or dark spot, feel free to thinly slice that off. They don't have to be perfect!

Dice a bunch of green onions, cube 1 avocado and roughly chop about 1/4 cup of fresh dill. 

Add all your greens to the bowl, including 1 bag of thawed and shelled edamame.

To make the sauce, you mix 1/2 packet of friend ranch dip, 1 small container of plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup of fresh dill. 

Mix yogurt mixture with veggies and refrigerate overnight. Taste before serving and salt and pepper it to taste. 

Radish and Edamame Salad

1 bunch of radishes, diced

1-10 ounce package of frozen, shelled edamame

1 bunch of green onions, diced 

1/2 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped and divided 

1 avocado, diced

1 5.3 ounce container of plain Greek yogurt

1/2 package of dried ranch dip mix

1/4 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste 

1. Dice radishes, green onions, avocado, and dill. Add all vegetables and 1/2 of dill to a bowl and combine. Mix in edamame

2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, ranch mix, dill, milk and lemon juice.  

3. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well. 

4. Refrigerate overnight and before serving, add salt and pepper to taste. 

I hope you enjoy the peppery and spicy flavors of my favorite spring dish!

~Crazy