Vegetables: How do you make them exciting?

ejbronte

I like to do a nice, simple gazpacho in the summertime: throw some tomato, cucumber, onion, sweet bell pepper (any color) and a garlic clove into a blender and let it rip along with some olive oil, some vinegar or lemon juice, a tiny bit of salt and black pepper. Let it cool down and assimilate in the refrigerator for a while and serve it up. Variations of this include salmorejo and porra.

Also from the south of Spain is a sort of bruschetta: again, tomato, cucumber, onion and bell pepper (no garlic in this one). Cut them all teeny-tiny, and add olive oil and red wine vinegar. Let it sit for a while, then serve up. The very best part is when you get to soak up the dressing with some nice bread.

debrakgoogins

First, I don't boil them because that seems to make them tasteless. I roast a lot of vegetables with seasonings. Broccoli, cauliflower, squash, asparagus, and brussel sprouts are are great tossed with a little olive oil and herbs then roast them on a cookie sheet. I also like to add vegetables where they aren't usually used. I make a vegetable smoothy of carrots, celery, onion, peppers, and spinach then add that to ground turkey with some homemade whole wheat bread crumbs - it's a tasty meatloaf. Just find a few you like and google recipes. When you're ready, try one or two more vegetables. You might find there are some you thought you hated that you now love.

elsie6hickman

Some things I do - add fresh herbs, or even dried herbs to kick up the flavor. Try cooking them in another way - steam them (only until they are tender crisp). Roast them in the oven. Mix them into salads - last night I had some baby bok choy and I put it into a salad. Put them in eggs - in a frittata, omelet. This time of year, sliced tomatoes are great - top with a tiny amount of Italian dressing or put chopped basil on them. Slice cucumbers and douse them with some white wine vinegar and a little chopped dill. I have found recipes for stuffed zucchini, stuffed eggplant. Make vegetable soup. There are tons of recipes out there. Google!

nowine4me

Cut up the veggies you prefer (I like eggplant, zucchini, butternut and red bell peppers) and roast them until soft. Mix together and sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning. I promise, that will make you love vegetables. And it’s really pretty.

DoubleUbea

pinuplove wrote: »

Like this?

YES! That was the Three Amigos play the cucumber, broccoli and tomato did, fun and exciting.

lorrpb

Don’t boil them or over cook them.

DarianJP

I put Braggs Liquid aminos on my vegetables with some garlic powder, chili flakes and then bake at 400 degrees F for like 35-40 minutes.

cjrmack2014

I bought an air fryer and now I roast them. Califlower and Brussel Sprouts are my faves. The Califlower I roast and then put buffalo sauce on them. Brussel Sprouts I put some salt and a little Balsamic Vinegar. Delicious.

Stockholm_Andy

Well I had this ex-girlfriend who was super adventurous and.....oh sorry it's not that sort of thread.

Yesterday I used up half a head of cauliflour by roughly chopping it and stir frying it with some green beans, peas and spinach from the freezer.

I added garlic, ginger, chilli and some curry powder. As a last minute minute change of plan I saw a jar of Lime Pickle in the fridge and added a spoonful of that too.

It turned out lovely with a spicy lemony depth we really liked.

Strongfitmama100412

I only boil brocolli and corn. I add a little salt to the water

Mostly i roast the vegatables. A little salt, pepper and drizzle of olive oil

shabaity

I'm Southern so I'll boil fresh green beans or leafy greens with a ham hock (salt cured ham) till tender. Canned or steamed veggies get a little bit of butter or bacon grease really like a teaspoon will cover 2 cans or half a big bag of broccoli. Asparagus with olive oil and fresh ground salt or corn on the cob packeted with a little bit of butter and some ice cubes are amazing on a grill.

IHaveMyActTogether

Easy, pair it with meat, problem solved.

TonyB0588

khronicuk wrote: »

I'm at a plateau with boiling vegetables. I'm bored!

I don't not like vegetables but I want to know what more I could do with them.

Any foodies out there sprinkle some spice into the ratatouille?

I don't think of food as exciting or not. I just eat it.

kshama2001

Stockholm_Andy wrote: »

Well I had this ex-girlfriend who was super adventurous and.....oh sorry it's not that sort of thread.

Yesterday I used up half a head of cauliflour by roughly chopping it and stir frying it with some green beans, peas and spinach from the freezer.

I added garlic, ginger, chilli and some curry powder. As a last minute minute change of plan I saw a jar of Lime Pickle in the fridge and added a spoonful of that too.

It turned out lovely with a spicy lemony depth we really liked.

I've never heard of lime pickle before. Like this?

https://smile.amazon.com/Pataks-Pickled-Lime-Mild-10/dp/B00531ZCX6/



I may have had it at Indian buffets; never noticed it in a jar.

HereToLose50

Mostly roasted or some raw. Spicy with garlic or cayenne or both with salt and pepper.

motivatedmartha

I eat them raw, steamed or roasted ( adding tomatoes to roasted veg during cooking gives a sweeter sharper taste). Current favourite is thin carrot batons and asparagus spears cooked on the grill til showing a little bit of black grill marks. After they're cooked I toss them in a mix of cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper and paprika. Sometimes I put that on top of a green salad and add roasted chickpeas and orange segments. Nowt boring there 😁 Roasted butternut squash mmm...Roasted sprouts ..yum. Grilled sweet corn salad . Grated cooked beetroot with a dash of vinegar and a little butter lovely with beef.. I guess it's obvious I love my veggies.

aokoye

The only time the vegetables that I cook touch boiling water is either in the context of potatoes or if I'm blanching them. In the case of blanching it's, boil water, put in vegetables, cook for a few minutes (depending on what it is), and take the vegetables out of the boiling water and put them in a bowl of ice water. I did this with some green beans that I had picked earlier this week and used in a salad today.

Most of the time when I cook vegetables I roast them with the only seasoning being salt and pepper. I don't find they need much else, and this is from someone who uses a lot of herbs and spices. The opposite is true, in terms of the amount of seasonings I'll use, if I'm making something like a stir fry or using vegetables in stews.

At some point, this week I'm also going to make braised cabbage. I've also been on a bit of a mushroom kick this summer - I will sauté them with garlic, herbs and add a bit of white white and then eat them with pasta.

feisty_bucket

I eat my veggies in a bowl with meat.
Got four different kinds of frozen veggies (doesn't matter what; that's just a good amount). Put .5 cup each in a bowl while your meat's starting in a pan on the stove. Put the bowl in the microwave, cook for two minutes.
That's to defrost them. Then you dump the veggies in with the meat to finish cooking.
Add sauce (siracha, and brown sauce (HP or Heinz 57)) and seasoning (lite salt, MSG, "cajun", whatever).
At this point I add in a couple eggs and stir it all up. It'll be done in 2-3 minutes after that.

Put all this mess back in your bowl and eat it. Looks ridiculous, tastes great, mega nutritious. In downtown NYC, they call it a "power bowl" and it costs $15+.

AmyC2288

Lots of great options already! I don't personally do this, but if you like smoothies you can easily add in some greens and it won't affect the taste too much at all!

hesn92

bacon

losergood2011

I really don't like boiled either - I like my veg al dente - roasted really brings out flavor - garlic and basil really change the taste - basil is surprisingly sweet - you can buy a tube at the store and just squirt a bit into your onion/pepper/potato dish for a change of taste.

midlomel1971

Boiled veggies?!

Oh honey, you need a roasting pan, some olive oil, a 425 degree oven, salt and pepper and a little balsamic drizzle. Roasted vegetables = manna of the gods!

kmeyer6979

khronicuk wrote: »

I'm at a plateau with boiling vegetables. I'm bored!

I don't not like vegetables but I want to know what more I could do with them.

Any foodies out there sprinkle some spice into the ratatouille?

Raw is good... or I consistently mix them with all my meals. And if you like spice that can really add to the flavor

IHaveMyActTogether

slather it in cheese, problem solved.

IHaveMyActTogether

put hem in brownies, with...herbs. Problem solved.

IHaveMyActTogether

put a salad on top of a rack of ribs. you have to eat the lettuce to get to the ribs. problem solved.

IHaveMyActTogether

put a celery stalk in your ice cream bowl. problem solved.

mbaker566

i prefer raw or steamed.
i add a bit of salad dressing or seasoning salt or mrs dash etc

pinuplove

So, OP - are you still boiling your vegetables or have you tried some of the recommendations here and if so, were they suitably exciting? Inquiring minds want to know!

Mom2ATM

Roasted with olive oil and salt especially root veggies! I pan cook summer squash with a tiny pat of butter olive oil and salt and pepper, zoodles go great in eggs or Mac and cheese or alone with marinara sauce, spaghetti squash is delicious oven cooked with marinara and ricotta, I don't do lot of broccoli or cauliflower but I like them raw with hummus or blue cheese