Today is Eat Your Vegetables Day. Sure, we could use this occasion to list the many benefits of different vegetables,or explain why we should eat more of them. However that is very, very boring. Instead we’ve decided to promote our favourite untrue diet fact. Joining such gems as ‘cutting food up and spearing it on tiny sticks makes it healthy’, ‘free food is calorie free’,’eating standing up makes you lose weight’ and ‘salad contains negative calories’. We introduce our very favourite; ‘if it’s vegetable based it MUST be healthy’. So here is our list of the most delicious, indulgent foods which are undeniably vegetable based and hence undeniably healthy and possibly even calorie free!*
*Note: According to ‘science’ and ‘facts’ this is 100% not true, so please don’t sue us for faulty diet advice
1. Sweet Potato Chips
We’re not sure when these started to become mainstream but they’re suddenly popping up everywhere and we love it! They are more flavourful than regular chips and have the added bonus of all those vitamins and whatnot that are bound to be lurking inside that delicious crispy casing.
Where to get them
Chur Burger’s (48 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW – ChurBurger.com.au) chips are extra chunky, expertly seasoned with lime and garlic and served with a creamy aioli.
Grill’d (Various outlets across Australia) does much thinner and crunchier fries, simply seasoned with salt. They also have an optional chilli mayo dip for an extra kick.
2. Taro Chips
Taro chips provide you with a unique opportunity to actually eat vegetables for dessert!This starchy tuber lends itself excellently to deep frying and goes perfectly with coconut for a sweet vegetable snack.
Where to get them
Caysorn (1/8 Quay St, Haymarket NSW – Caysorn.com.au) serves up long fried sticks of taro, battered with coconut and sesame which are barely recognisable as a vegetable at all.
Kaysone Sweets (59/53-61 Park Rd, Cabramatta NSW) is one of the stops on our famous Cabramatta Tour. They have taro fritters, covered in a rich coconut cream batter, for just 70c each.
3. Onion Rings
These are probably only about 50% onion, but we still maintain that this counts as a ‘vegetable’. An absurdly delicious accompaniment to any meal, onion rings are probably the best way to disguise vegetables to the point where they are almost indistinguishable from pure oil.
Where to get them
Outback Steakhouse’s (Various outlets across Australia – OutbackSteakhouse.com.au) ‘Bloomin’ Onion’ is officially the most unhealthy vegetable incarnation on the list, but quite possibly the most delicious.
Batch Burger (3A Broughton St, Kirribilli NSW – BatchBurger.com) have thick juicy onion rings with a hearty beer batter.
Jazz City Milk Bar’s (Republic 2 Building Courtyard, Palmer Street, Darlinghurst NSW – jazzcitydiner.com/milkbar) onion rings are thin, very lightly battered and extremely crispy.
4. Deep Fried Mushrooms
Mushrooms are one of those vegetables that are simply begging to be drenched in butter, oil and seasonings. It doesn’t take much to make them delicious, but an expert battering and deep frying is probably the best way of doing so.
Where to get them:
The Oyster mushroom fritters at Zen Oasis Vegetarian Restaurant are one of the many exceptionally delicious dishes at this all-you-can-eat vegetarian restaurant. (230 Medway Road, Berrima NSW – ZenOasis.com.au)
Apart from being perfectly fried, the mushrooms at Hot Star Chicken were expertly flavoured with Asian seasonings, making them our all time favourite fried mushrooms. (96 Liverpool St, Sydney NSW – HotStarChicken.com.au)
5. Veggie Crisps
These bad boys are arguably more delicious than regular potato crisps and they also look much more exciting. God only knows how many antioxidants and vitamins are contained in a handful of these crunchy salty beauties.
Where to get them:
Yulli’s (417 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW) has an awesome mixed chips plate which contains sweet potato, beetroot, lotus root, onion and taro.
Wagaya (230 1/78 Harbour St, Haymarket NSW – wagaya.com.au) has fried renkon (lotus root) chips, served with a soy and chilli caramelised sauce.
Ajitas Vege Crisps (Available at Coles and Woolworths) are a delicious alternative to a packet of potato crisps, with much more colour and flavour. They come in a delicious rosemary and garlic flavour as well as traditional or salt and vinegar.
6. Veggie Burgers
Obviously these aren’t as tasty as their meaty counterparts, but they certainly do give the impression that you’re eating unquantifiable amounts of assorted vegetables. Veggie burgers allow you to have all the satisfaction of a burger with all the smug health points of a salad.
Where to get them:
Grill’d (Various outlets across Australia) has three vegetarian burgers on their menu, each as delicious as the last. The garden goodness veggie patty is a great way of sneaking all kinds of vegetables into your burger-based lunch.
Charlie and Co’s (86-100 Market Street, Westfield Sydney) Producers Burger has a juicy portobello mushroom instead of a patty, along with haloumi, sundried tomato and pesto.
