The Leek

The leek is a vegetable that is a part of the onion and garlic family. In fact, it's one of the more subtle tasting versions of the onion. It looks like a wide light green stem which is actually a cylinder shaped bundle of leaf sheaths. It can be steamed, sauteed and even eaten fresh. However, its most commonly used to make broth. The season is between October and May

from galleryhip.com             

Nutritionally, leeks are low in calories and rich with polyphenols which are potent anti-oxidants that help protect against oxidative damage. Leeks are an excellent source of vitamin K (the vitamin that is involved with blood clotting) and a very good source of folate, B6, copper, manganese and iron. Moreover, leeks are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, magnesium and calcium. All these micronutrients help keep a healthy immune system as well as help with multiple metabolic processes that relate also to physical performance. Since leeks taste sweeter than onions, many people once they try it, prefer leeks over onions. Leeks are typically cut into rounds (see picture above). White areas and light green areas are the ones that are typically eaten, however, you can eat the dark green areas as well. The dark green areas are just thicker and might require slightly more cooking.

Here are some ideas of what to do with leeks:

• Leek and potato soup
  Ingredients:
  1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
  3 leeks sliced into rings
  5 medium sized red potatoes peeled and diced
  5-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
  1 tsp thyme (or 0.5 tsp dried)
  1 tsp marjoram (or 0.5 tsp dried)
  Salt and pepper per taste
  1-2 bay leafs
  
  Instruction:
  1. In pot put oil or butter and melt on low heat. Add leeks and stir for about 8-10 minutes or until soft
  2. Add diced potatoes and all seasonings and continue to stir for about 10 minutes
  3. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover partially and let cook on low heat for about 30 minutes
  4. You can serve as is or puree in a food processor/blender
  5. Feel free to garnish with creme fresh, heavy cream, basil, dill or scallions
• Sauteed leek and green beans
  Ingredients:
  1 Tbsp olive oil
  2 leeks sliced into rings
  1 tsp of minced garlic
  3 cups of fresh or frozen green beans
  Salt and pepper to your liking
  1 tsp of dried Italian seasoning
  
  Instructions:
  1. In a deep pan heat oil on medium heat and add leeks. Stir for 5-10 minutes or until leeks are soft and almost translucent
  2. Add garlic and stir for 3-4 minutes
  3. Add green beans and seasonings. Saute until green beans are soft and ready to eat
  4. Serve warm
• Here are some interesting recipes that are not just leek soup
• You can add leeks to your omelette, grits or hash browns in the morning 
• Leeks can also be put on pizza and in a quiche. Here is a simple & healthy quiche recipe

Hope this gives you great ideas to just pick up a leek from the grocery store. Its fairly cheap and located next to the refrigerated root vegetables and herbs. Happy cooking and let me know below how it goes.

Pic from www.health.com