Roasted Eggplant, Ricotta & Tomato Crostini

Since reading Eating on the Wild Side, I’ve been trying to fill my grocery basket with more nutrient-rich purple vegetables and to roast them to get the most nutrition out of them. Deep purple eggplant is rich in a number of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that fight disease and even help lower bad cholesterol. I love the almost-melted texture of roasted eggplant, and here its softness complements crunchy toasted bread, a pillowy layer of cheese, and a sprinkling of sliced tomatoes and parsley.

Silky Braised Leeks from “My Berlin Kitchen”

Eat your alliums! This is one of the lasting messages of Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson, for the old mantra of “eat your veggies” just doesn’t cut it anymore. As Robinson points out, not all veggies are created equal, and alliums contain some of the most powerful nutrients and health-boosting qualities you can consume. Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, shallots — all these can be powerful antidotes to disease.

Marinated Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with Dill

Let’s talk about beets. Those sweet, earthy, garnet-red root vegetables are among the best things you can put in your grocery cart to enhance your health and fight disease, according to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side. A good source of fiber, folate, and potassium, beets are also remarkably high in antioxidants.