Veggies?

So I basically hate 99% of veggies. I think it might just be a mental block. Where would you start in trying to introduce them into my diet? What veggies and how would you make them?
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Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Try veggies many different ways. Raw, steam, roast, grill. You will find differing textures using different methods.
    Use different seasonings, just keep trying.

    Example: I love fresh (steamed or grilled) green beans. Frozen, cooked green beans are just okay. Canned green beans are nasty. Green beans are pretty mild, I would start there.

    Carrots are mild too. Warning - canned carrots are the most disgusting (vile) thing ever. Roast carrots - peel, cut into big slices. Toss carrots in oil, salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and bake @ 400° for 20 minutes. Root veggies get sweeter with roasting - yum!
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    I first tried them at a Chineese buffet. I do not recommend anyone on a diet to visit a buffet :smile:
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    What vegies do you like?
    Why don't you like other vegies?

    There are so many types of vegies, with different textures and tastes. There are many ways to prepare them which adds to the array of tastes and textures. I bet you like more than you think, or you would if you prepared them in ways other than what you're used to.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Which ones do you know you do not like and how have they been prepared? I think that a lot of veggies are pretty meh when cooked but great raw. My suggestion would be to try a few different types with a bit of dip (or ranch dressing.)
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    Frozen (steamer bags) of California blend veggies are really easy to add to frozen entrees (Lean Cuisines etc), or to rice or macaroni and cheese/pasta. I'm also a huge lover of condiments-once you add Sweet Baby Ray's sweet n' sour sauce to your dish you won't even be able to taste the veggies :)
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited August 2017
    I'm not a huge fan of raw veggies, but there are lots of recipes where I can enjoy them.

    Green smoothies - blend baby spinach into your morning smoothie.

    Soups - chicken noodle with celery, carrot and onion. Broccoli cheese. Pureed tomato basil or butternut squash. Jambalaya. All delicious!

    I like roasted veggies too.

    Sneak pureed veggies into your red pasta sauces as well.
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    I'm not a huge veggie eater, though I've gotten better in the past couple years. I find that roasting makes almost any veggie palatable to me. Toss veggies with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet as described by TeaBea. My favorite roasted veggies are broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. I also very much enjoy steamed green beans. If I steam broccoli, I like to squeeze a bit of lemon juice over it. Raw tomato with salt, pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar is quite good too. As TeaBea said, try a variety of different cooking methods and veggie types to find things you'll like.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    First, how do you eat them? I have learned that I hate every vegetable when it's raw but COOKED vegetables are a horse of a different color. Roasted veggies tossed with salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and olive oil (as a base, definitely mix it up with the spices!) are great for starters. You can pack them into stews and soups too (think minestrone).
  • neoatari
    neoatari Posts: 6 Member
    Honestly corn is about the only veggie I like. Sweet onion is okay when cooked, kinda like in Mongolian Beef. I can stand carrots and celery, but barely.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    neoatari wrote: »
    Honestly corn is about the only veggie I like. Sweet onion is okay when cooked, kinda like in Mongolian Beef. I can stand carrots and celery, but barely.

    Celery shouldn't even be labeled edible lol :p

    One other idea-raw veggies with low calorie dressing-I can eat an entire red or orange bell pepper if I drizzle low calorie ranch dressing, (it's a nice contrast between the sweetness of the peppers and the ranch).

    And pp mentioned green smoothies-very good way to 'sneak' in the leafy greens!
  • neoatari
    neoatari Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the ideas guys! I'll give those a try!
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    ^ adding bacon makes me feel devilish, but it's a REALLY good way to eat more veg! :wink:
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    aeloine wrote: »
    ^ adding bacon makes me feel devilish, but it's a REALLY good way to eat more veg! :wink:

    Bacon-wrapped asparagus and bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers are the best things everrrr.
  • melissaulmen
    melissaulmen Posts: 123 Member
    Baked Broccoli - Oven at 450, cut even sized broccoli (dry) coat with small amount of Olive Oil (or whatever oil you prefer) salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, stir once. The broccoli will become charred, so it is nice and crispy.
    My hubby does not like most veggies either, and I could never get him to eat broccoli until I found this recipe.
    Works for most veggies, you will just need to adjust the cooking time.
    Add shrimp (same prep) for the last 5-7 min.
    Or add the broccoli to your Mongolian beef, and have broccoli and beef.
    Adding a good sauce to most veggies will make them more appetizing.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited August 2017
    neoatari wrote: »
    Honestly corn is about the only veggie I like. Sweet onion is okay when cooked, kinda like in Mongolian Beef. I can stand carrots and celery, but barely.

    Celery shouldn't even be labeled edible lol :p

    One other idea-raw veggies with low calorie dressing-I can eat an entire red or orange bell pepper if I drizzle low calorie ranch dressing, (it's a nice contrast between the sweetness of the peppers and the ranch).

    And pp mentioned green smoothies-very good way to 'sneak' in the leafy greens!

    Awww, poor celery! Most celery is meh to blech, but a good fresh crisp celery is delicious. You've got to be able to smell it. Unless you're one of those people who hates the smell, too. Then I guess the joy of fresh celery is lost to you. :(

    Also, ponzu sauce makes a great raw veggie dip and is quite low in calories.
  • christinaostroff
    christinaostroff Posts: 5 Member
    I'm a veggie lover, but they can get kinda boring if you don't dress them up sometimes. You mentioned kinda liking the onions in Mongolian beef. If you like chinese flavors, look into some ways to play with that at home - it will be waaay less fat, salt, and sugar than takeout. I do stirfried broccoli with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seed and some sesame oil (but go easy on that, it's a really strong flavor). It doesn't need a lot of the soy sauce to give you the flavor. The same thing would be great on fresh green beans. Once you have some favorites, play around with them in other cuisines. Like Greek style green beans with diced tomato, garlic, and dill. Or Indian style with coriander, cumin, and hot chili.
  • _NicLovin_
    _NicLovin_ Posts: 121 Member
    I absolutely love mashed cauliflower. I use my food processor to get the cauliflower super creamy, and use dill, garlic, salt and pepper to mimic the flavors and consistency of mashed potatoes. Sometimes I mix it up by then baking the cauliflower puree in the oven with a tablespoon or two of grated parmesan. As I'm diabetic, this is a go-to veggie staple for me to reduce my carb intake.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,740 Member
    My husband isn't a fan of veggies. He does like tomato based foods though, so I add veggies to pasta sauce and chili, soups, stews etc. Grated carrot in anything that uses ground beef is unnoticeable. Same with spinach leaves.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    definatly green smoothies. I drink a large "one" (Its like 4 servings lol) a day and i feel great. Its good to get my greens in ...Although it makes me hyper i swear >.> My skin cleared up :p
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Roasted (or baked, as one OP called them above) are the way to go. Cut into bite sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 20-30 minutes in a hot oven (400F).

    Alternatively, grilled veggies are pretty good but you have to put aside any fear of letting them get too well done or risk missing out on all of the tasty caramelized/charred bits.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited August 2017
    Soup, pasta, stir fry. Put some in an omelet. Add some cheese.

    How have you tried them so far? Often the issue is how they are cooked.
  • Kim_S_G
    Kim_S_G Posts: 120 Member
    Here are a few of my favorite recipes that contain vegetables.

    roasted broccoli

    broccoli salad (You may want to play around with the dressing to reduce the calories.)

    roasted potatoes

    Also, soup and omlets are a good place to add vegetables.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    for your breakfast - fry some bacon -add 1-2 handfuls of spinach - cook until its wilted - add your scrambled eggs. or steam some broccoli - add to your scrambled eggs cheese is good with this. you can make a omelet with just about any veggie use your imagination. You can also use one of the green superfood powder to get the nutrition - very important. If you aren't eating vegetables you can have more organ meat - liver - heart and get a lot of the vitamins you are missing. Eastcoast Jim
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Or just drink a V8 (assuming you don't mind the sodium). If you find plain V8 gross, dress it up with some horseradish and hot sauce like a bloody mary.
  • _NicLovin_
    _NicLovin_ Posts: 121 Member
    I absolutely had to "favorite" this thread just for all the recipe ideas I've never thought of.
  • healinghearts
    healinghearts Posts: 6 Member
    My son's the same,says take those trees (broccoli) off my plate. I've vegan and love veggies. Not so keen on aubergine ,gives me the heebies.once you start you'll be fine. Try a new one every day cooked in a different way.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Yup, if you don't like 99% of them, it's a mental block because celery tastes nothing like eggplant tastes nothing like cabbage tastes nothing like beets ... Green beans cooked Southern style taste nothing like green beans cooked Chinese style. Raw broccoli salad tastes very little like broccoli-cheddar soup. ...

    You get the idea. There's a huge variety of vegetables and an enormous variety of ways you can cook them. The way to find out what you like is trial and error.

    It's all individual. I don't like radicchio, hubby loves it any way you cook it. I like broccoli and cauliflower, hubby moans like I'm trying to poison him. We both liked Brussels sprouts until we decided we didn't. I kind of liked spaghetti squash until the day I had one explode in a microwave and blow strands of damp vegetable matter all over the room. I didn't think I liked spinach until I learned to cook it with lots of other ingredients like Indian curries.

    Have fun with veggies!
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    Hide them. Let's start with peas and carrots, steam them till mushy. Puree them in a blender. Then use that instead of bread crumbs to make meatloaf.

    Use them as "topping" grilled mushrooms and onions on a steak or chicken.

    Soups. Because when you cook everything together, flavors blend leading to less "veggie" tasting vegetables.