"Beginner Vegetables"

DoubleTheLove

Right now I only eat carrots, potato and turnip. These are the only vegetables that I've really grown up eating so basically they're really the only vegetables I know. I want to start adding more vegetables to my eating so I'm looking for some vegetable recipes that would appeal to a fairly picky eater. I'm not really concerned how they're prepared (baked with oils, boiled, wrapped in bacon) because however I prepare them, it's better than getting no vegetables at all. I will work around those vegetables to my diary.

tabby_123

If you like potatoes, then sweet potatoes (baked) and butternut squash (peeled, chopped into 1 inch chunks, and baked) should be palatable for you.

Rachel0778

Roasting vegetables is a quick way to make them delicious! Seriously you can cut up basically any veggie and throw it in the oven and in 30-45 minutes it will come out tasting delicious.

A good starter roaster is sliced eggplant. Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and mini pepperonis it is pretty darned good.

Kimberly_Harper

I have gotten all of the non-brussels-sprouts-eaters in my family to eat them by making them this way: 4 slices of bacon (I use "uncured") cut up into small chunks. 1 lb of Brussels sprouts. Slice off the bottom of the sprouts and slice the sprout in half. Fry the bacon, until it is halfway done, dump in the sprouts, stir, wait for them to look soft and a little burnt in places and WALA! Yummy veggies!

williams969

I will eat any veggie, but the rest of my family is not so keen. Although, they will eat pretty much any vegetable if it's stir fried with Asian sauces. Check package labeling; many are not high in calories. If Asian isn't yor thing, even using sauces or marinades meant for meat on your veggies can make them palatable and more familiar to you.

Just try one new veggie a week. Go at your own pace. You may surprise yourself on what you like (or will at least find able to eat occasionally).

schmanciepants

I buy frozen cauliflower, microwave it, and puree it. I add it to tomato sauces and my tomato soup to get the family added vegetables. Also works with roasted eggplant, peppers, and onions - roast, cool, and puree with tomato sauce.

rainbowbow

I suggest roasting with some veggies you like and new ones mixed in.

http://whatsgabycooking.com/parmesan-roasted-potatoes/

I do the above recipe except i add carrots and broccolli to the potatoes. It is seriously EXCELLENT.

I also like roasting veggies in the oven with just olive oil and garlic.

Zuchinni and Squash i recommend sauteed, i do it the southern way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaEDd3envb8

Cabbage i cook this way-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQZGpf7dQSk

I also love green beans roasted, sauteed, boiled, etc.

sheermomentum

Sugar snap peas. Closest you can get to candy in a vegetable. Roasted cauliflower is also great with just a spritz of oil or butter and salt, or dressed up with any sort of spice or even a little cheese, especially (IMO) a touch of parmesan or romano.

kshama2001

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

I have gotten all of the non-brussels-sprouts-eaters in my family to eat them by making them this way: 4 slices of bacon (I use "uncured") cut up into small chunks. 1 lb of Brussels sprouts. Slice off the bottom of the sprouts and slice the sprout in half. Fry the bacon, until it is halfway done, dump in the sprouts, stir, wait for them to look soft and a little burnt in places and WALA! Yummy veggies!

Yup, I got a non-brussels-sprouts-eater to eat them via the adding bacon method too

mjwarbeck

kshama2001 wrote: »

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

I have gotten all of the non-brussels-sprouts-eaters in my family to eat them by making them this way: 4 slices of bacon (I use "uncured") cut up into small chunks. 1 lb of Brussels sprouts. Slice off the bottom of the sprouts and slice the sprout in half. Fry the bacon, until it is halfway done, dump in the sprouts, stir, wait for them to look soft and a little burnt in places and WALA! Yummy veggies!

Yup, I got a non-brussels-sprouts-eater to eat them via the adding bacon method too

If you can find them, then you could also probably get them to eat the brussels sprout leaves in the same manner. They have a very nice subtle brussels sprout flavour and the consistency of a collard green.

dubird

For the record, roasting veggies and a lot of other ways to make veggies 'taste good' don't work on everyone. I hate most veggies, and roasting them has had no effect in making them taste better to me. (though I will confess fried cauliflower isn't half bad!)

If you're looking for other veggies to eat, you might consider adding things to a salad. I tend to prefer raw veggies over cooked, so adding spinach leaves and carrots to a salad is much better for me than trying to cook them. I will also eat sweet peas and I love corn. Both are mild enough they're good to start with and try. And, both come in single serve steam packs in the freezer section.

One thing I will suggest is don't get canned veggies if you can possibly avoid it! Even veggies I like I don't like canned versions of. If you can't get fresh, frozen is good too. There's also some frozen ones with seasoning if you want to try something and see if you like it.

mjwarbeck

We (especially the kids) eat tons of vegetables...hard to provide recipes without some guidance

When we are cooking Chinese (usually Sichuan) we always have one of Snow Pea shoots, Gai Lan, water spinach or Bok Choi. Will often have an edamame dish as well. Kids love it cooked in a bit of garlic and then make a sauce using a little oyster sauce, water and starch (they call it garlic sauce and love it). You could make it a Budda's feast and include a mix of veggies and mushrooms. Will also do a fish fragrant eggplant that is incredible (though lots of oil...so don't eat a ton).

Lots of green beans (again common in asian cuisines).

lemurcat12

Lots of good advice so far. Sauteed zucchini plus summer squash (in a pan with a bit of butter, although olive oil will work), with some mushrooms if you like them, all sauteed together was probably the first vegetable dish I really enjoyed as a kid. Green beans (fresh, not canned, the skinnier french ones are often a good place to start) are also delicious prepared the same way. I will sometimes add some dill and pine nuts. Frozen peas are easy to use and tasty.

Asparagus was another vegetable I fell in love with early on. It's unfortunately hard to find at its best right now (it's one that tends to be affected more by being out of season), but a good way to try it is either roasted very briefly or something like this: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/prosciutto-wrapped-asparagus-with-lemony-bread-crumbs (you can also use bacon).

Adding vegetables to other foods -- like making a soup with vegetables or a pasta sauce with some zucchini and spinach added or a stir fry is a good option too. I make a vegetable omelet almost every morning with some kind of green (spinach most commonly) plus some other vegetable -- this morning I sauteed some onions and zucchini, added spinach, and then added my eggs and feta cheese. That's another tasty way to work in some vegetables if you like omelets (I also eat them for a fast dinner sometimes).

Kimberly_Harper

mjwarbeck wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

I have gotten all of the non-brussels-sprouts-eaters in my family to eat them by making them this way: 4 slices of bacon (I use "uncured") cut up into small chunks. 1 lb of Brussels sprouts. Slice off the bottom of the sprouts and slice the sprout in half. Fry the bacon, until it is halfway done, dump in the sprouts, stir, wait for them to look soft and a little burnt in places and WALA! Yummy veggies!

Yup, I got a non-brussels-sprouts-eater to eat them via the adding bacon method too

If you can find them, then you could also probably get them to eat the brussels sprout leaves in the same manner. They have a very nice subtle brussels sprout flavour and the consistency of a collard green.

Where do you get just the leaves? Or do you mean peeling the sprouts? Hmm...now I want to try that!

kshama2001

dubird wrote: »

For the record, roasting veggies and a lot of other ways to make veggies 'taste good' don't work on everyone. I hate most veggies, and roasting them has had no effect in making them taste better to me. (though I will confess fried cauliflower isn't half bad!)

If you're looking for other veggies to eat, you might consider adding things to a salad. I tend to prefer raw veggies over cooked, so adding spinach leaves and carrots to a salad is much better for me than trying to cook them. I will also eat sweet peas and I love corn. Both are mild enough they're good to start with and try. And, both come in single serve steam packs in the freezer section.

One thing I will suggest is don't get canned veggies if you can possibly avoid it! Even veggies I like I don't like canned versions of. If you can't get fresh, frozen is good too. There's also some frozen ones with seasoning if you want to try something and see if you like it.

Another vote for avoiding canned vegetables.

TeaBea

DoubleTheLove wrote: »

Right now I only eat carrots, potato and turnip. These are the only vegetables that I've really grown up eating so basically they're really the only vegetables I know. I want to start adding more vegetables to my eating so I'm looking for some vegetable recipes that would appeal to a fairly picky eater. I'm not really concerned how they're prepared (baked with oils, boiled, wrapped in bacon) because however I prepare them, it's better than getting no vegetables at all. I will work around those vegetables to my diary.

Parsnips.....these are like white carrots (they're related). They cook faster than carrots, so yummy.

Cauliflower - prices on fresh are crazy expensive right now. Look for frozen. This is a really mild flavored veggie. Roasted is great (but not for frozen). Just steam it and add spices (butter, garlic salt and pepper). The flavor is so mild that people even mash this with potatoes.

Fresh green beans. I grew up eating canned, but fresh green beans are soooooo much better. You can choose lightly steamed for a firm texture, or fully steamed for a softer texture. Grilling is a good way to cook these too.

SoleilxStitch

I used to dislike veg, I would only have sweetcorn, potatoes and tomatoes. Anything else I could not get over that feeling of wanting to sick whenever I tried it.

I started eating veg by making sure it was with my meat, like i would eat them together to cover the taste and first I still disliked it.Then making alternatives for potato like cauliflower mash.

I found after gym that veg could be bought cheaply to use that day and then I would just have random veg. I found myself really like spinach and green beans and roasted vegetables are awesome, you can just add herbs on it to alter tastes.

Now I can even appreciate the taste of most vegetables or can mix them/stir fry them.

niamibunni

Zoodles are a favorite here, cooked in olive oil and garlic with a bit of crunch still left in them.

Roasted cabbage is a new one for me this week. Served with grilled chicken seasoned with a bit of olive oil and the Bragg's organic sprinkle seasoning. I threw in some garlic cloves to roast with the cabbage and it was delicious.

soulofgrace

Here's another vote for raw veggies. I like most veggies any way you cook them, roasted or grilled especially. But, I know my daughter is more willing to try a new veggie in the raw. Zucchini is very mild tasting and very versatile. I just had some in a sauteed veggie wrap with mushrooms, spinach and red peppers...with an ounce of bacon and a half ounce Sharp cheddar, haha! Hey, only 327 cal!

mjwarbeck

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

mjwarbeck wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

I have gotten all of the non-brussels-sprouts-eaters in my family to eat them by making them this way: 4 slices of bacon (I use "uncured") cut up into small chunks. 1 lb of Brussels sprouts. Slice off the bottom of the sprouts and slice the sprout in half. Fry the bacon, until it is halfway done, dump in the sprouts, stir, wait for them to look soft and a little burnt in places and WALA! Yummy veggies!

Yup, I got a non-brussels-sprouts-eater to eat them via the adding bacon method too

If you can find them, then you could also probably get them to eat the brussels sprout leaves in the same manner. They have a very nice subtle brussels sprout flavour and the consistency of a collard green.

Where do you get just the leaves? Or do you mean peeling the sprouts? Hmm...now I want to try that!

No I mean the actual leaves of the plant. You take the leaves, remove the main stem and then julienne the leaves. You can often find them at fresh markets or in the garden (we actually didn't have many actual brussels sprouts, but lots of leaves...it is great as just like kale, they survive well into the winter...will be harvesting the last plant this week (it's been minus 10C with snow).

Francl27

Steamable frozen veggies FTW.

kdogni

Try spinach, peppers, mushrooms. As someone already mentioned try a new one,once a week. I used to never eat em and now I eat all veg

shadowfax_c11

Steamed broccoli with a squeeze of lemon on it is delicious.
Cabbage is great to add to soups and stews.
Saute mushrooms peppers and onions together until they start to caramelize and enjoy on a steak or with chicken breast.

All veggies are delicious. Some just take some time to develop appreciation for.

peleroja

I'll add my voice to the chorus of avoiding canned if at all possible. The texture is almost always unpleasant in my opinion.

I love all vegetables except mushrooms (it's a texture thing) but I still love to dump hot sauce on mine, which might be an option for you if you like spicy food until you get used to the textures etc. Plus most hot sauces are super low-calorie so they're awesome unless you're watching your sodium.

I also use garlic a lot to flavour my vegetables - strong flavours that you like are generally a good way to get used to eating stuff you don't love.

I am also super into zucchini noodles made with a spiralizer lately, and you can do it to most squashes and add pasta sauce if you want.

vivmom2014

I fry cabbage (shortcut is to just buy a bag of fresh cole slaw mix) with mushrooms and nuts until they're browned (slightly caramelized), then drizzle with a little soy sauce. It's really delicious. My non-cabbage-eating husband will scarf a plate of this down in no time.

Also got him to eat roasted Brussels sprouts after a 40+ year stand-off with them. And he liked them!! Again - they were slightly charred and crispy. He had bad memories of being forced to eat watery boiled Brussels sprouts as a kid (ick!!!) and when he refused, he had to sit at the table long after everyone cleared out. Aw.

OyGeeBiv

You said you're not familiar with veggies, not that you don't LIKE them. So start out trying vegetables that aren't cooked in an "unhealthy" way. Vegetable soup is a great way to start. The vegetables you grew up with are all root vegetables, and are higher in carbs and calories than ones that grow above ground. You can eat a huge volume of some vegetables for very few calories.

A good way to try a lot of different raw vegetables is to go to a salad bar at the supermarket. Get a little of this and a little of that, without having to commit to large quantities of anything. Some of my favorites are red bell peppers, cucumbers and celery. I eat vegetables plain, but you could dip them in ranch dressing if you want. You can also pick up some cauliflower to try raw or roasted.

Once you know what you like, it's less expensive to buy whole veggies rather than pre-cut at the salad bar.

markrgeary1

I had to introduce my wife to veggies. One thing I learned was since she loves cheese is to sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on roasted Brussels sprouts, Asparagus.

We also roast veggies, I'll take whatever root veggies beets, carrots, sweet potato, onion, garlic, parsnip, turnip. .. coat in olive oil and roast at 350-400 F. Beets take longer than the rest.

Bok Choy is amazing with olive oil, lemon and salt on the grill. Like to get the leaves a little burnt and crunchy.

Endemamie is great too, some come with a little salt. It's all they need.

Change the preparation too. Stir fry can be a great change for many veggies.

mjwarbeck

There are many other ways to introduce a vegetable.

Soups are an easy one. Risotto is another. One of our favourites is portobello, arugula and pistachio, another winner is roasted butternut squash. Now if you don't want cheese then maybe a shrimp risotto with fresh peas (you can find in Jamie Oliver cookbook). Of course you can then play on themes...I made a fresh pea risotto mashing the peas first to get a bright green risotto that went brilliantly with the broiled salmon.

Our kids love mashed sweet potato with a bit of butter and cinnamon as a side for grilled foods. You can also create fun mashes with carrots, swede, turnip...take some and mix with mashed potatoes...

For us, travelling is always a source of inspiration. When we were in Yangshou, China a dish we had almost every day was a braised pumpkin in garlic: http://blog.yangshuomountainretreat.com/blog/braised-pumpkin/
You could easily use squash. This was where we first started eating Luffa as a vegetable. Kids love it.

niniundlapin

mjwarbeck wrote: »

We (especially the kids) eat tons of vegetables...hard to provide recipes without some guidance

When we are cooking Chinese (usually Sichuan) we always have one of Snow Pea shoots, Gai Lan, water spinach or Bok Choi. Will often have an edamame dish as well. Kids love it cooked in a bit of garlic and then make a sauce using a little oyster sauce, water and starch (they call it garlic sauce and love it). You could make it a Budda's feast and include a mix of veggies and mushrooms. Will also do a fish fragrant eggplant that is incredible (though lots of oil...so don't eat a ton).

Lots of green beans (again common in asian cuisines).

Yay to Asian veggie dish!

Snow pea shoot (dou miao) is our favorite! Napa cabbage is another one that can be found in non-Asian grocery stores that we usually cook. Here are some simple ways I manage those leafy veggie:

If the leaves are grass-green and pretty soft, like spinach, bean shoot/ sprout, or even ice berg lettuce and Napa cabbage, I usually just rinse them really well, chop them into smaller pieces (if those are too long), heat up the pan, add some cooking oil (1 Tbsp is usually more than enough for a dish that serves 2-3 people), put sliced/diced garlic, put the veggie when you smell the garlic, stir-fried until leaves become soft/ watery, add salt, and serve (so the basic materials are veggie, garlic, oil, and salt).

For something more sturdy like Gai Lan, asparagus, or broccoli, you can even steam them (but not too long) and add whatever sauce you like. I highly recommend oyster sauce and Soba tsuyu. These are my go-tos and you can probably find them in every Asian grocery stores.

These are the most common way I prepare my veggie, but once a while I'll add something else to make them taste better for my pickier family. I use cooking alcohol (about 1 Tbsp) at the end of stir-fry phase if the veggie has some sort of grassy smell. It evaporates pretty quick so (I believe) kids can have them, since I have those since childhood. I sometimes add a little bit sugar (really little, like 1/4-1/3 tsp) to enhance the flavor. Mirin (a Japanese cooking sauce for sweetening purpose) is a good helper in terms of enhancing the flavor as well, but be aware of the kcal per serving... you don't want to trick yourself end up consuming more sugar. I sometimes add oyster sauce too (so I don't add salt afterwards) but this is a little bit too heavy for my personal taste.

Linzon

An idea for leafy greens like lettuce and spinach - try them shredded! I hate the 'leafy' texture of large pieces of lettuce, but shredded in a salad mixed with a bunch of other yummy things? No problem! I actually eat a large number of my meals on a bed of shredded leafy greens now.

vegwrangler

I would highly suggest blending the crap out of some greens and adding it to a proper protein shake. Guzzle those veggies.

When you see fruits (fresh or frozen) at a reasonable price, buy them. Freeze them. Blend them with baby greens (kale, arugula, lettuce, spinach, parsley, whatever) and add your favorite bits. You'll get 3x more greens in you than you would have trying to stomach them otherwise.