how to make myself like vegetables

kimny72

nuttynanners wrote: »

Might I also add, it helps to get fresh pre-cut veggies from the produce section. Or have frozen ones on hand. For the lazy days, when you want to eat healthy but you don't have the time for washing and trimming.

This is so true. My freezer is full of bags of frozen chopped veggies!

laur357

I was never a big salad fan, but eventually grew to love it. However, you don't have to salad to get more vegetables!

Pureed vegetable soups are heavenly, and they kinda make you feel like you're eating a heavy, creamy item. I make pureed cauliflower soup with a potato or two (adds creaminess), and just a little mild and cheese. And you can pack in other vegetables - I use a lot of celery and onion in there too. I make this when I want comfort foods. So good, and it usually comes out to 150-250 calories per bowl.

Add marinara sauce (which also counts as a vegetable). Chicken and broccoli roasted and topped with marinara is great, and low cal enough to add some cheese! (I'm big on cheese.)

Add finely chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic, carrot, etc. to meatloaf or burger patties. Spinach, hot pepper, and garlic mixed in with ground chicken or beef is great, and adds some moisture if your meat is really lean. You can also 'hide' vegetables in chili, eggs/omelets, quesadillas.

angmarie28

i love cooking veggies with a little olive oil, and garlic powder, maake sure not to over cook though, and i made zoodles (zucchini noodles) last night for the first time, sososo good, i made chicken baked in italian dressing to put on top, it was great, hubby and kids liked it too

rsclause

Think of it as an acquired taste, I didn't just pour a glass of Scotch and say yum the first time but I do now. I didn't like them because they were cooked boring. Now I can't get enough. I like them roasted in a cast iron skillet or pan roasted in the oven. Roasting seems to give the flavor and texture that I prefer. Use some olive oil and add some spices or pepper. Use several instead of only one to mix it up. On a recent shopping trip my wife was picking up some things at the store and the clerk commented "you eat really healthy" looking at all the produce in the cart. What the clerk didn't know was that she had just come from the produce stand down the street and had more bags of it in the car. When we shop the cart has fresh produce ( a lot), a little meat and beer & wine.

_lyndseybrooke_

There are very few vegetables that I enjoy eating, and there are very few salads that I'll actually eat. My favorite is a spinach salad loaded up with chicken, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, feta, almond slivers, and lemon juice instead of dressing. Those flavors really overpower what little taste the spinach leaves have. It's more of a texture issue with me, so plain lettuce or lettuce loaded with more crunchy veggies just isn't going to happen. I'll also do a lightened up chicken caesar salad or taco salad from time to time, but I don't do it often because I get sick of it really quickly.

These days I stick to hiding the vegetables in other things. Yes, I'm a child, but whatever works. Spinach is the easiest - I put it on sandwiches, in casseroles/omelets, in pasta dishes, in smoothies, etc.

I also make a scramble with shredded hash browns, grated zucchini, and cauliflower rice. I add bacon or ham and season the hell out of it. It tastes way more like potatoes than zucchini or cauliflower. I put 1-2 eggs on top and let the yolk run over the potatoes, then top with cheese. It's surprisingly low calorie for the large amount of food you get.

Cauliflower and zucchini are very mild in flavor, so they're great for bulking up a lot of dishes. Even oatmeal. I've made zucchini oats (zoats) and cauliflower oats many times to get more volume for very few extra carbs. I hate mashed cauliflower, but if you do half potatoes and half pureed cauliflower, it tastes much better.

Deena_Bean

Parmesan roasted anything tastes good. Really. My kids eat anything I roast with parm.

RobD520

There have been a number of great suggestions made above. I think the key is to seek out recipes that provide the flavor you enjoy. Adding a few calories may prove well worth the better taste.

In addition, try to focus on veggies that are fresh and seasonal as much as possible. Asparagus that is seasonal at the farmer's market tastes so much better IMO.

MissMonicaC4

endlessfall16 wrote: »

One word: tempura

Ohhh yes plzzzzz.

MynameisChester

Well for taco Tuesday (or any other taco night), you can substitute the tortillas for lettuce wraps. Bibb lettuce and romaine is fantastic for this!

On burger night, you can substitute burger buns for lettuce buns! Just cut an iceberg lettuce like you would a loaf of bread.

Also I saute zucchini, carrot, and bell pepper until soft, and blend in ablender. Add it into a tomato meat sauce. Serve over spaghett and no one will know you're serving them veggies!

Afura

Find different ways to cook things. There are some veggies I won't eat unless they're cooked right, and as much as I love my mother, there are many veggies I turn my face up at because she cooked them poorly or in ways I find gross (lima beans). Fresh mushrooms I hate and will do the bite of them with another food I like, canned I can eat them with spaghetti sauce. Try frozen and fresh and see which you like better.

alipie420

MynameisChester wrote: »

Well for taco Tuesday (or any other taco night), you can substitute the tortillas for lettuce wraps. Bibb lettuce and romaine is fantastic for this!

On burger night, you can substitute burger buns for lettuce buns! Just cut an iceberg lettuce like you would a loaf of bread.

Also I saute zucchini, carrot, and bell pepper until soft, and blend in ablender. Add it into a tomato meat sauce. Serve over spaghett and no one will know you're serving them veggies!

Love these ideas! Now i need to find some more recipes to sneak in veggies, lol.

timmmmmyyy

The most delicious way to eat them, I've found, is baking them. My favorite is with sweet potatoes. Cut them up kinda like French fries, and let them "marinade" in a little oil, rosemary, and seasonings for about a half hour. After that place them in the oven at 425 for about 35 mins or pull them right when they're turning browner(ish).

moto450

Deep fry them. that makes anything taste better! ;-)

akamran1

lml852014 wrote: »

See mine is a texture problem. I find most veggies especially lettuce I have a texture issue with.

Vegetable soups (especially if you run them through the blender) might be the way to deal with texture issues. I make a Green Soup that is sauteed onions and garlic, tons of whatever greens I have on hand, broth, and a potato. Simmer until everything is soft, and then blend. (Immersion stick blenders make this a breeze.)

stealthq

lml852014 wrote: »

See mine is a texture problem. I find most veggies especially lettuce I have a texture issue with.

This is where you have to get more creative, and pay attention to the textures you object to.

I'd imagine you have an issue with spinach, too, since it's similar. But, you might not have a problem with palak paneer, because the spinach is pureed and perfectly smooth. Same with some of the 'cauliflower substitute' recipes. Cauliflower rice or pizza crust is texturally not at all like cauliflower.

There's always recipes like that out there to try. But, you don't have to make yourself like everything, either. It's good to find a balance.

LindsayLHayes

I was not a fan of veggies at all. The secret for me turned out to be Thai food. A lot of American food flavors veggies (food in general) with fat and salt. But there are many wonderful spices out there! Now I will toss bell peppers, onion, asparagus, potatoes, etc with a tad of olive oil and a spice mix and grill or broil. Find a local spice shop or just a good grocery store and try the spice mixes. My Thai food go to is still chicken or tofu with basil veggies. It's delicious and full of good stuff!

cross2bear

I too absolutely love any roasted vegetable- asparagus on the grill is divine!! Try grating the veg and incorporating them into meatloaf or meatballs, just like you would with kids - broc and carrots are good for this - and maybe mix some cauliflower mash in with your potato mash - but just roasted cauliflower with salt and chili spice is marvelous too!

Steamed anything is just gross to me - both a taste AND a texture thing!!

SeptemberFeyre

I second the adding butter. Try it on sweeter veggies such as sweet peas and sweet corn. Corn is technically a grain, but eh..close enough. Also try cooked broccoli with cheese sauce for a start. Velveeta now makes pre-made cheese sauce in little packets.