My mom used to put radishes in our dinner salad every night, and I would pick them out!

So when I saw them in my CSA box this week I was not thrilled.   It seems that my farmer is also not a huge fan but recommended a feta and herb dressing/pesto,  that I tried but of course added my own touches…

As always, my inquiring mind had to find out about this crunchy,  peppery veggie that I was forcing myself to eat! 
Radishes are a  widely used root vegetable belongs to the family of Brassica. In Chinese culture, radish along with cabbage and soybean curd (tofu) has been believed as healthful and sustenance food. A popular Chinese proverb goes like this, “eating pungent radish and drinking hot tea, let the starved doctors beg on their knees.”

The vegetable is thought to have originated in the mainland China centuries ago.  

• Radish, like other cruciferous and Brassica family vegetables, contains an anti-oxidant compound called sulforaphane. Studies suggest that sulforaphane has proven role against prostate, breast, colon and ovarian cancers by virtue of its cancer-cell growth inhibition, and cyto-toxic effects on cancer cells.
• The USDA  the data 0g fat, 4g carbohydrate, 2g fiber and 1g protein.  It offers 17 mg of vitamin C (about 25% of the DRI),  8 IU vitamin A, 29 mcg of folate, 29 mg calcium, and 23 mg of phosphorus.  

Not too shabby … but back to the dressing.  In a food processor  I mixed 1/2 lb of feta cheese with some fresh mint, any other herbs you like (I added some parsley and chives also), lemon zest, lemon juice, evoo, a little crushed red pepper and some black pepper.  Process till smooth, and adjust the taste to your liking.  Put sparingly on top of the radishes, add some delicious fresh baby greens and some almonds.  You don’t need a lot it goes a long way.  I still don’t really like radishes but because I love the dressing, have been tolerating them! I have been using that dressing for everything, yum!   Try it, if you like feta you will love it too.