Easy Winter Crudite

I don’t have to tell you this, but sometimes the easy way is the best way. A solid third of what our family eats is minimally prepared, even in winter. Hummus with pretty vegetables is one of everyone’s favorite easy meals around here.

• Carrots need no introduction. We never peel them. The carrots in this picture were not peeled. None of the vegetables were.

• Golden beets and striped/Chioggia beets are beautiful, but they taste bitter when eaten raw. Fix this by slicing the beets, salting them lightly, then tossing them with lemon juice. After a few hours marinating in the fridge, they’ll taste great.

• The specialty daikon that shows up in our winter share boxes is ideal for this sort of thing. You can really make the colors pop by slicing the radishes first, then salting them lightly. Just don’t prep them too far in advance. After about 30 minutes or so, salted daikon begins to lose its crunch.