Disguising “unfavorable” vegetables

auroraboriaustralis

I love vegetables but my little sister (8th grade) is picky so I have started to try disguising some of her less favorable foods. I like cooking for my parents and sister but I don't want to give up on my veggies (for myself or my sister).

Here are some things I have done, please comment with any suggestions (things that worked or didn't work) for tackling this particular problem:

Smoothies: a good serving of leafy greens can be moderately forgotten if blended with sweet fruits. I typically pair with yellow flesh fruits (frozen is cheaper and less work) like mango, pineapple, orange (juice ).
Beats pair well with mixed berries and cherry (or cranberry) juice

Ground meat recipes: [taco meat, meat sauce, meatballs, whatever you like] My sister has a (mental) issue with carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc. But I tried mincing these vegetables before browning the meat and not only does she not notice but it also adds a sweetness to the meal I never expected to love so much.

Mushrooms (not sure if people count as veggie) can also be minced and hidden within ground meat or rice/grains.

Bread/cake. A moderate serving of carrot (or sweet potato, pumpkin, zucchini) bread can be a more nutritious dessert option for getting some of those veggies in. (Zucchini isnt my favorite so in the summer when zucchini is grown locally this is how I use the squash)

Cauliflower mash is a good one too but I recommend roasting rather than steaming so it doesn’t come out watery. And some cream or butter and garlic make this a great substitute for mashed potatoes.

I personally enjoy butternut squash noodles, with butter or olive oil, to replace pasta (or to top it)

Just tried a golden Hubbard pumpkin recently. It was so sweet and delicious. I made a creamy pumpkin soup from the roasted flesh and a pumpkin bread with the de-seeded guts. The bread ended up being a bit to sweet for my taste, as I just used a recipe for sugar pumpkin and not Hubbard, so next time I will reduce the added sugar.

lorrpb

I put chunked up squash (zucchini or yellow summer squash) in chili and marinara sauce. Adds bulk but doesn’t affect the flavor.

IAmTheGlue

Cauliflower is good in smoothies. Something else you can do to make a meal a little more healthy is to use 1/2 TVP to your ground meat like hamburger, ground turkey or whatever. I don't even use ground meat but I use TVP anywhere I would use it.

Actually one day my teenage son said he didn't want to eat dinner because he was going to be a vegetarian from then on.Surprise! It's soy chicken. I almost never serve meat lol

My toddler loves rice so I mince up his carrots super tiny and mix them in. He loves green veggies but orange/yellow ones not so much.

There is also a cook book written by Jerry Seinfeld's wife I believe that is just about hiding veggies from kids.

debrakgoogins

I use a blender or nutribullet to blend up vegetables and add them to meatloaves and meatballs. Carrots, celery, spinach, onion and peppers are good options. It adds flavor and because it is blended, there are no "pieces" to be discovered.

IkicaPlanina

I hate veggies, I have hard time eating any tbh. I slice up some when I'm watching a good show or movie, I munch on them mindlessly while watching, instead of high calorie snacks. They're are good for me and I don't even notice them. Doesn't work if they taste too bad 🤭

kshama2001

Per my OH's request, I had never served him cauliflower. Then one time we had Buffalo Cauliflower Bites at an event. I found this recipe: https://www.franksredhot.com/recipes/buffalo-cauliflower-bites and they have been in the rotation during the cold months ever since.

Many people here have said they didn't like veggies as a kid but do like them now if they are roasted.

puffbrat

I know you said it isn't your favorite but I will add chopped or shredded zucchini to nearly anything - waffles, pancakes, muffins, sauces, soups, stews, black bean burgers, beef burgers, etc. For sweeter tastes zucchini goes extremely well with blueberries, lemon, and cinnamon.

Most veggies taste good covered in cheese or ranch dressing.

To @kshama2001's suggestion of roasting - using not just olive oil, salt and pepper, but also garlic (fresh or powder), chili powder, cayenne, rosemary, an thyme all add really good flavor.