I have a friend who has been leaning into a plant-based diet for the past couple of months.  She recently told me, “I realized how much we’re all creatures of habit.  We go to the same grocery stores, park in the same parking spots, go to the same sections, and pick up the same products again and again.  All of that time, I didn’t notice the great assortment of things that I wasn’t purchasing.”  And it’s true.  It’s easy to get the same foods and make the same dinners and the same lunches and the same snacks, night after night, week after week.  (As I’ve written in the past, that’s why many people feel they have more variety, not less, after moving to a plant-based diet.  Their diets expand to include a whole variety of plant foods they didn’t even notice before.)

Even after one has moved to a diet based in plant foods, it can be easy to pick up the same kinds of greens and the same kinds of beans and so on and so on.  So that’s why I think it’s fun to grab something new every now and again.  Even if I don’t have a particular recipe in mind, I enjoy picking up a new fruit, vegetable, or bean, and working out how I’ll use it when I get home.  Some of those trials become new favorites, while some of them have become only occasional buys.

One green that has recently become a favorite is watercress.  I’ve noticed watercress for a long time with its bright, light leaves and roots still attached.  However, with spinach, kale, and collard greens always hopping stem-first into my grocery cart, I never made room for watercress.  What a shame.  Watercress is one of the oldest leafy vegetables eaten by humans, and it’s a fount of nutrition. It has lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to ward off macular degeneration.  It’s good for the liver and kidneys and it is brimming with vitamins A, C, K, (someone tell Cathy!), beta carotene, calcium, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and iodine.  (Since I grind sea salt instead of using iodized salt, having a plant-based source of iodine in my diet is a welcome addition.)

If you’re interested in trying out watercress for yourself, look in the produce section for its bright green leaves.  (Avoid those with signs of yellowing or wilting.)  In terms of storage, it can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about 3 days or with the stems in water and a plastic bag placed loosely over the leaves.   When it’s time to eat it, cut or rip the watercress from its roots, rinse and shake dry.  (Like other greens, it’s best not to wash it before storing because the delicate greens will go bad faster.)

For my first watercress attempts, I used it in four different ways.  First, salad.   I just ripped the portion of watercress that I planned on using from their roots and left the rest.  Since I’d read it had a strong, spicy taste, I mixed the watercress with other more mild greens.  The watercress has a radish-like aftertaste.  Amongst the other greens, the flavor doesn’t overwhelm.  It’s just a nice pop of radish flavor.

Next, I used it in a green smoothie.  In addition to watercress, I included kale, ground flax seed, a banana, and a few pulp cubes.  This was probably my least favorite of the uses.  In a sweet smoothie, the watercress stood out in flavor more than the other greens.  It added a spicy kick that overpowered in a way that kale doesn’t.

With some of the watercress, I juiced it with cucumber, celery, carrots, romaine, and pear.  Against more mild vegetables, watercress gave a pop of pungency.  It’s also good with a squeeze of lemon to cut any bitterness.

Lentils with pistachios and caramelized onions, roasted cauliflower and carrots, and sauteed spinach and watercress with a slice of lemon.

Finally, I sautéed a bunch of watercress with fresh spinach and chopped garlic.  The watercress and spinach only need a few moments on the pan until they are just wilted.  Remember, spinach and watercress greatly shrink under heat, and so you’ll need to throw in more than you think to make a sizeable side.  The watercress beautifully picked up the flavors of the garlic and was ready in moments.  This is a great option when steaming hardier greens like kale or collards sounds like too much work.

After discovering this age-old green, it’s one that now finds its way into my cart week after week.  I wonder what fruit or vegetable I’ll find next that has been at the grocery store the whole time…

Have you discovered any new-to-you fruits, vegetables, or beans lately?  If so, how did you use them?