Cooked vegetables are usually served as side dishes, but the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) suggests that there are other more novel and interesting ways to incorporate vegetables into a meal.  The Institute offers advice, tips and easy-to-make recipes that turn pur�ed vegetables into low-fat, low-calorie dips, sandwich spreads, or sauces that complement meats, whole grains, or even other vegetables. 

�Some people think of pur�ed vegetables as baby food,� says Melanie Polk, AICR�s Director of Nutrition Education, �but dishes like mashed potatoes and whipped sweet potatoes are popular adult comfort foods.�  The creamy, silky-smooth texture of these pur�es can also be achieved with other vegetables, which can add extra color, variety and  �mouth-feel� to a meal.  

�Trying new ways to serve vegetables is a smart health strategy,� Polk adds.  �Americans get far less than the recommended number of daily servings of vegetables, so introducing new ways to serve them can help achieve important health goals.�

Vegetables:  Low on America�s Dietary Totem Pole, but High in Health Protection

A 1999 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that the potato � whether fresh, French fried, or turned into chips � was America�s most widely eaten vegetable, with iceberg lettuce in second place, followed by tomatoes, carrots and onions.  The deeply-colored green and yellow vegetables rich in disease-fighting substances represented only 0.4 percent of Americans� daily servings.

Polk says, �Most Americans are missing out on many vegetables unique in the health-protective substances they offer.  Ideally, we need to eat five to nine servings of a wide variety of vegetables and fruits for optimum health and lowered risk of cancer.� 

�When it comes to preventing cancer, eating more vegetables is second only to quitting smoking in its importance as a protective measure,� says Dr. John D. Potter, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.   Dr. Potter headed an AICR expert panel of scientists who reviewed more than 4,500 studies on the connection between diet and cancer.  They found convincing evidence that diets high in vegetables and/or fruits protect against many different types of cancers.

Pur�ed Vegetables Offer New Ways to Create Flavor and Texture

�Vegetables are easily pur�ed in a blender once they have been cooked until tender,� says Polk.  Those rich in fiber, like sweet potatoes and carrots, make a rather thick pur�e that then needs to be thinned, usually with a little oil, broth, milk, or cream.  How much thinning, and therefore liquid, is needed depends on the end product.   A sauce or coulis (an almost-liquid pur�e used as a flavoring, sauce, or garnish) may require more liquid, while a dip for chips or raw vegetables, or a sandwich spread, needs very little. 

�Depending on how thick or thin they are, pur�ed vegetables can be used in many different ways,� Polk points out.  In addition to sauces, dips, cracker spreads and sandwich fillings, they can be used as toppings for pasta or pizza as well as entr�es and vegetable side dishes.  Vegetable pur�es also work as the base for an �instant� soup when heated with broth or milk.

�Some vegetables benefit from a liquid that will boost richness and flavor,� observes Polk.  Broccoli, spinach and turnips profit from the addition of extra virgin olive oil, milk, or cream.  Substituting evaporated skim milk and de-fatted dairy cream (called �non-fat cream�) for full-fat dairy products will help keep the fat and calorie count low.   

Other vegetables, like sweet potatoes, carrots and beets, have an inherently rich, sweet taste.  A light broth or stock, preferably de-fatted, will provide the thinning needed without masking the natural flavors of these vegetables. 

Even those who don�t count broccoli as a favorite food will enjoy the vegetable in this combination with cannellini (white kidney) beans.  Although originally created as a dip for raw vegetables and chips, the addition of slightly more olive oil � sometimes as little as a few drops � will turn it into a sandwich spread or filling for a tortilla roll-up.

Pur�ed Broccoli with Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine garlic, 1 tsp. oil and crushed red pepper in small foil packet, sealing well.  Bake until garlic is tender, about 35 minutes.  Cool slightly.

Meanwhile steam broccoli florets in microwave until very tender, about 2 minutes.  Rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.  Drain.  Transfer to blender or food processor.

Add cannellini, lemon juice, chives, garlic mixture and remaining olive oil and pur�e until smooth.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

For appetizers, pur�e can be used as a dip for spears or sticks of raw vegetables like bell pepper, celery and zucchini, or can be spread on crackers.  To serve as part of a light meal, spread pur�e on pita bread or tortillas to make roll-ups.  (Slightly more olive oil may be needed to make the pur�e more �spreadable.�) 

Pur�e can be stored in covered container in refrigerator up to three days.  Bring refrigerated pur�e to room temperature before serving. Makes 1 1/2 cups pur�e. Per quarter-cup serving:  63 calories, 3 g. fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 8 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 98 mg. sodium.

Their natural rich sweetness and complementary colors make squash and carrots an appealing combination.  A variety of spices and flavorings enhances the vegetables� inherent rich taste in the following pur�e. 

Butternut Squash and Carrot Pur�e          

Roast quartered yellow peppers, skin sides down, in preheated broiler (about 2 inches from heat) or in 500 degree oven, placing them skin-side down on rack set on a baking sheet.  (Spray rack with cooking oil spray before using.  Roasting can also be done on gas burner over open flame, using long-handled tongs.

Roast until tender and skin is wrinkled and darkened or charred.

Transfer peppers to large bowl, cover tightly with foil and let vegetables steam 10 minutes to help loosen skins.  Reserve any juice accumulated in bottom of bowl during the steaming.  Rub off skins of peppers with hands or a paper towel.  (It is not necessary to remove every speck of skin.)

Transfer peppers and reserved juice to blender or food processor and pur�e with chili powder.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Add red and orange pepper strips and saut�, stirring frequently, until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While pepper strips are saut�ing, reheat roasted pepper pur�e over low heat until hot. 

Serve pur�ed and saut�ed pepper strips mixed together as an accompaniment for an entr�e or as a topping for pizza or focaccias, or over a cooked starchy vegetable like pasta, rice, or couscous. The peppers can also be used as a topping for steamed vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts.  The pur�e can be used as a sauce for meat, fish or poultry entr�es, with the pepper strips as garnish.

Makes 1 cup pur�e and 2 1/2 cups saut�ed pepper strips.

Per quarter-cup serving:  112 calories, 2 g. fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 24 g. carbohydrate, 4 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 8 mg. sodium

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the nation's third largest cancer charity, focusing exclusively on the link between diet and cancer.  The Institute provides a wide range of education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk.  AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S.  The Institute has provided over $62 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR's Web address is www.aicr.org . AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.