Vegetable Meal/Side Ideas for Picky Eater?

ceruleanjen

Long story short, I've always had trouble with veggies. My mom used to have to mix fruit in with them when I was a baby for me to even get them down. Do great with fruit and everything else, but I've only found a few veggies I like/can tolerate. Forcing ones down that I don't like always backfires. While I will try these hated foods if they are prepared differently or to see if I still hate them periodically, I've decided I will stick with the ones I can eat and perhaps find new meal ideas for them just to get more in my diet. If you have any ideas for recipes or new veggies I should try, I would be very appreciative. Thanks.

Can Eat:

Lettuce (Iceberg, Romaine, Green Leaf, probably any kind)
Arugula
Corn
Cooked Carrots (can't do raw)
Snow Peas (if in rice with other things)
Purple Onions (salads & sandwiches)
Broccoli (raw and with some sort of dipping sauce)
Potato/Sweet Potato
White Onions if diced very thinly
Onions in things like Onion Strings/Blooming Onion/Rings (basically fried and not all that healthy, haha)
Radish
Spinach (only had it cooked, have not tried it raw)
Celery (with dipping sauce, not a huge fan but can eat it)
Pumpkin
Baked Beans
Pinto Beans
Tomato sauces/soups but not the actual veggie/fruit
Cucumber--don't really like this but doesn't make me sick at least
Zucchini (raw)


Can Not Tolerate:

Brussel Sprouts
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Raw Carrots
Raw Onions by themselves
Cooked Broccoli
Squash
Peppers (unless in small amounts I cannot notice)
Asparagus
Artichokes
Regular/Black-Eyed Peas
Lima Beans
Okra
Shallot/Green Onion
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Mushroom

hbm616

Roasting a lot of the veggies on your "don't eat" list is a great way to make them taste better. Roasting involves coating with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and other herbs you like and cooking in the oven at 375-425 degrees. It brings out the natural sweetness in the vegetable. I love to roast brussels sprouts, asparagus, winter squash, summer squash, bell peppers etc.

Also a good way to just get them into your diet is to hide them! You can either puree carrots and celery or mince them and add to chilli and spaghetti sauce. I saw on the biggest loser that one of the kid contestant's mother pureed vegetables ad hid them in meat loaf.

I think its great that you want to improve your diet with more vegetables. Good luck!

AmyG1982

I'm a very picky eater too. For me I just keep trying anything that I just "didn't like" but not the ones that would make me gag (I learned to like carrots and raw broccoli and cauliflower but still can't handle yams or other squashes). If you think there's any way you could tolerate cauliflower I'd suggest giving that a try again, its SO versatile. I do faux mashed potatoes with them, chicken fried riced cauliflower (I haven't tried the pizza crust yet but I totally will!) and even roasting them makes them taste very different. My husband used to hate cauliflower but after having the faux potatoes and fried rice he's in love with it now.

1two3four

Your list isn't so bad, you've got a bit of variety even. And kudos for you trying new things, I always try bites of food I hate when they're prepared differently in hopes that one day they won't be so bad. I can eat rutabaga/swede now from doing that. Tip for your onions: have you tried rinsing them (while they're raw) before using them? Just thought I'd throw that out there. And roasting pretty much everything makes it delicious... just a little oil and salt (if you want) and it makes so many veggies better, including radishes.

Have you tried pumpkin or squash soup? I know you said it was a no but there are so many different kinds, not to mention winter
(acorn, butternut, etc.) and summer (yellow and zucchini).

I'm a fan of cooked cabbage and cabbage in slaw. Have you tried broccoli slaw?

I'm not much for recipes for veg... I mostly like mine simple. Steamed or roasted or raw.

Not sure if any of that is helpful but I wish you luck!

ETA: I'm all for "hiding" to a certain extent. Mostly in soups, or sauce. Just do one veg in a small amount to try it out and slowly increase the amount and texture of the puree as you go. Roast or steam before adding to your recipe. I love acorn or butternut squash in mac and cheese. Just roast or steam veg until super tender and throw in a blender or food processor. If needed add a small (a tablespoon or two at a time depending on the veg) amount of water. I also enjoy, finely grated zucchini in muffins.

MagicalLeopleurodon

Long story short, I've always had trouble with veggies. My mom used to have to mix fruit in with them when I was a baby for me to even get them down. Do great with fruit and everything else, but I've only found a few veggies I like/can tolerate. Forcing ones down that I don't like always backfires. While I will try these hated foods if they are prepared differently or to see if I still hate them periodically, I've decided I will stick with the ones I can eat and perhaps find new meal ideas for them just to get more in my diet. If you have any ideas for recipes or new veggies I should try, I would be very appreciative. Thanks.

Can Eat:

Lettuce (Iceberg, Romaine, Green Leaf, probably any kind)
Arugula
Corn
Cooked Carrots (can't do raw)
Snow Peas (if in rice with other things)
Purple Onions (salads & sandwiches)
Broccoli (raw and with some sort of dipping sauce)
Potato/Sweet Potato
White Onions if diced very thinly
Onions in things like Onion Strings/Blooming Onion/Rings (basically fried and not all that healthy, haha)
Radish
Spinach (only had it cooked, have not tried it raw)
Celery (with dipping sauce, not a huge fan but can eat it)
Pumpkin
Baked Beans
Pinto Beans
Tomato sauces/soups but not the actual veggie/fruit


Can Not Tolerate:

Brussel Sprouts
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Raw Carrots
Raw Onions by themselves
Cooked Broccoli
Squash
Peppers (unless in small amounts I cannot notice)
Asparagus
Artichokes
Regular/Black-Eyed Peas
Lima Beans
Okra
Shallot/Green Onion
Tomatoes
Eggplant

Sounds like my husband! How about turnips, rhubarb, swiss chard, bok choy, radish, kale, zucchini, or beets?

nobody says you have to eat the ones you hate. Maybe try some youve never tried before! Turns out, my hubby loves raw turnips. (Yuck).

Kiyalynn

I know you put squash on your 'can't eat list' .... However, I hate it too, but my husband found a recipe that I LIKE with it. Assuming you are like me and Like Chinese food, that is.

Squash fry: (I think this is how he does it, I'm not 100% sure and he's asleep right now)
2 Medium Yellow Squash
1 Onion
1 Green Pepper
1/2 A container of fresh Mushrooms
2 Stalks Celery
1 lb Hamburger
1 Can Baby corn
1 Can bean sprouts
Stir fry Sauce
Soy Sauce
Olive oil

Dice the Green Pepper, Onion and Celery. Make sure your Mushrooms are Bite size and cut the squash into bite size pieces. Cook Hamburger in a separate pan. Then in a large frying pan; Fry the celery in a bit of olive oil, Once it is partially cooked add the Squash. When the Squash is partially done add Pepper, Onion. Once the Onion is tender Add the Mushrooms Last. Then, mix in the Hamburger, and Sir in a Generous amount of stir Fry sauce. Add soy sauce to taste (we cut down the soy sauce to lower salt).

And I know, there are several ingredients that may make you go O.o 'you really think I'll like that?' But trust me... I thought I would HATE it because I don't like some of the things in it... but its good together with the stir fry sauce. Also, it throws things that aren't on your list at you too. If you would like You can probably cut down the ingredients you don't like (like peppers by half) and see how you like that. And Maybe try it with the Purple Onions you prefer more instead of Yellow ones. (it would be very colorful with the red onions and very good). Also, I would recommend chopping all the ingredients smaller since your a picky eater, that will allow for more flavor mix per bite and more stir fry sauce.

Also, I would suggest you try other stir-Fry's. We also do a Cabbage stir fry with brown rice, that is very good. But there are tons of stir fry recipe's that have tons of different vegetables in them.

nikibean123

Just FYI, potato isn't a vegetable - it's a carb

And I wouldn't count baked beans as a 'healthy veg' because of the sauce etc.

ceruleanjen

Roasting a lot of the veggies on your "don't eat" list is a great way to make them taste better. Roasting involves coating with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and other herbs you like and cooking in the oven at 375-425 degrees. It brings out the natural sweetness in the vegetable. I love to roast brussels sprouts, asparagus, winter squash, summer squash, bell peppers etc.

Also a good way to just get them into your diet is to hide them! You can either puree carrots and celery or mince them and add to chilli and spaghetti sauce. I saw on the biggest loser that one of the kid contestant's mother pureed vegetables ad hid them in meat loaf.

I think its great that you want to improve your diet with more vegetables. Good luck!

Thanks. I'm awful at cooking, but I will try that. Maybe I can buy a very small amount so if I don't like it, I don't feel like I've wasted my money. The spaghetti sauce sounds like a good idea. Maybe soup, too.

ceruleanjen

I'm a very picky eater too. For me I just keep trying anything that I just "didn't like" but not the ones that would make me gag (I learned to like carrots and raw broccoli and cauliflower but still can't handle yams or other squashes). If you think there's any way you could tolerate cauliflower I'd suggest giving that a try again, its SO versatile. I do faux mashed potatoes with them, chicken fried riced cauliflower (I haven't tried the pizza crust yet but I totally will!) and even roasting them makes them taste very different. My husband used to hate cauliflower but after having the faux potatoes and fried rice he's in love with it now.

Most of the ones I can't eat unfortunately make me gag, but I can try the faux potatoes. Sounds like a good idea. Thanks!

1two3four

Just FYI, potato isn't a vegetable - it's a carb

Get a dictionary, look up the word vegetable and then look up the word carbohydrate. Please, for your sake and the sake of others.

ceruleanjen

Your list isn't so bad, you've got a bit of variety even. And kudos for you trying new things, I always try bites of food I hate when they're prepared differently in hopes that one day they won't be so bad. I can eat rutabaga/swede now from doing that. Tip for your onions: have you tried rinsing them (while they're raw) before using them? Just thought I'd throw that out there. And roasting pretty much everything makes it delicious... just a little oil and salt (if you want) and it makes so many veggies better, including radishes.

Have you tried pumpkin or squash soup? I know you said it was a no but there are so many different kinds, not to mention winter
(acorn, butternut, etc.) and summer (yellow and zucchini).

I'm a fan of cooked cabbage and cabbage in slaw. Have you tried broccoli slaw?

I'm not much for recipes for veg... I mostly like mine simple. Steamed or roasted or raw.

Not sure if any of that is helpful but I wish you luck!

ETA: I'm all for "hiding" to a certain extent. Mostly in soups, or sauce. Just do one veg in a small amount to try it out and slowly increase the amount and texture of the puree as you go. Roast or steam before adding to your recipe. I love acorn or butternut squash in mac and cheese. Just roast or steam veg until super tender and throw in a blender or food processor. If needed add a small (a tablespoon or two at a time depending on the veg) amount of water. I also enjoy, finely grated zucchini in muffins.

Does rinsing them make them taste a lot different? Not sure if my fiance', who loves them, does that or not. I'll check.

I've been wanting to try butternut squash soup as it sounds interesting and looks appealing. Pumpkin soup could be an idea as I love everything pumpkin I've ever tried.

Unfortunately slaw is one thing guaranteed to make me sick. Must be the cabbage?

Thanks! No, you were helpful. I like the idea of hiding it.

ceruleanjen

Long story short, I've always had trouble with veggies. My mom used to have to mix fruit in with them when I was a baby for me to even get them down. Do great with fruit and everything else, but I've only found a few veggies I like/can tolerate. Forcing ones down that I don't like always backfires. While I will try these hated foods if they are prepared differently or to see if I still hate them periodically, I've decided I will stick with the ones I can eat and perhaps find new meal ideas for them just to get more in my diet. If you have any ideas for recipes or new veggies I should try, I would be very appreciative. Thanks.

Can Eat:

Lettuce (Iceberg, Romaine, Green Leaf, probably any kind)
Arugula
Corn
Cooked Carrots (can't do raw)
Snow Peas (if in rice with other things)
Purple Onions (salads & sandwiches)
Broccoli (raw and with some sort of dipping sauce)
Potato/Sweet Potato
White Onions if diced very thinly
Onions in things like Onion Strings/Blooming Onion/Rings (basically fried and not all that healthy, haha)
Radish
Spinach (only had it cooked, have not tried it raw)
Celery (with dipping sauce, not a huge fan but can eat it)
Pumpkin
Baked Beans
Pinto Beans
Tomato sauces/soups but not the actual veggie/fruit


Can Not Tolerate:

Brussel Sprouts
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Raw Carrots
Raw Onions by themselves
Cooked Broccoli
Squash
Peppers (unless in small amounts I cannot notice)
Asparagus
Artichokes
Regular/Black-Eyed Peas
Lima Beans
Okra
Shallot/Green Onion
Tomatoes
Eggplant

Sounds like my husband! How about turnips, rhubarb, swiss chard, bok choy, radish, kale, zucchini, or beets?

nobody says you have to eat the ones you hate. Maybe try some youve never tried before! Turns out, my hubby loves raw turnips. (Yuck).

Have not tried any of those except zucchini, which I forgot (can do that one raw). Will put them on my list. Thanks! My fiance' is more picky than I am. He likes some of the veggies I hate but won't eat corn, potatoes, carrots, pretty much anything on my list! lol.

ceruleanjen

I know you put squash on your 'can't eat list' .... However, I hate it too, but my husband found a recipe that I LIKE with it. Assuming you are like me and Like Chinese food, that is.

Squash fry: (I think this is how he does it, I'm not 100% sure and he's asleep right now)
2 Medium Yellow Squash
1 Onion
1 Green Pepper
1/2 A container of fresh Mushrooms
2 Stalks Celery
1 lb Hamburger
1 Can Baby corn
1 Can bean sprouts
Stir fry Sauce
Soy Sauce
Olive oil

Dice the Green Pepper, Onion and Celery. Make sure your Mushrooms are Bite size and cut the squash into bite size pieces. Cook Hamburger in a separate pan. Then in a large frying pan; Fry the celery in a bit of olive oil, Once it is partially cooked add the Squash. When the Squash is partially done add Pepper, Onion. Once the Onion is tender Add the Mushrooms Last. Then, mix in the Hamburger, and Sir in a Generous amount of stir Fry sauce. Add soy sauce to taste (we cut down the soy sauce to lower salt).

And I know, there are several ingredients that may make you go O.o 'you really think I'll like that?' But trust me... I thought I would HATE it because I don't like some of the things in it... but its good together with the stir fry sauce. Also, it throws things that aren't on your list at you too. If you would like You can probably cut down the ingredients you don't like (like peppers by half) and see how you like that. And Maybe try it with the Purple Onions you prefer more instead of Yellow ones. (it would be very colorful with the red onions and very good). Also, I would recommend chopping all the ingredients smaller since your a picky eater, that will allow for more flavor mix per bite and more stir fry sauce.

Also, I would suggest you try other stir-Fry's. We also do a Cabbage stir fry with brown rice, that is very good. But there are tons of stir fry recipe's that have tons of different vegetables in them.

Could try it. I'd probably leave out mushrooms for sure (another food I forgot I can't stomach) and substitute some of the others like you said. I do like Chinese. Thanks!

ceruleanjen

Just FYI, potato isn't a vegetable - it's a carb

And I wouldn't count baked beans as a 'healthy veg' because of the sauce etc.

Since when is it not a vegetable? A carb isn't a food group

I wasn't counting healthy vegetables. Just veggies in general. I listed onions if they are used in unhealthy things like fried foods. I can do unhealthy ones once in a while on my cheat days or something.

1two3four

Does rinsing them make them taste a lot different? Not sure if my fiance', who loves them, does that or not. I'll check.

I only do it to the most pungent onions, that when I open them up, take a step back and think, "Holy, cats! That's strong." It just makes it more mild.

I've been wanting to try butternut squash soup as it sounds interesting and looks appealing. Pumpkin soup could be an idea as I love everything pumpkin I've ever tried.

Pumpkin is amazing. I can find a way to eat it breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Go for the butternut squash!

Unfortunately slaw is one thing guaranteed to make me sick. Must be the cabbage?

Maybe. Maybe it's the dressing. I LOVE oil and vinegar based coleslaw over the creamy type. Try broccoli slaw. Let it sit at least overnight before trying it. Which reminds me that picked veg is fantastic, too. I love pickled beets and peppers as well as asparagus and green beans.

ceruleanjen

Does rinsing them make them taste a lot different? Not sure if my fiance', who loves them, does that or not. I'll check.

I only do it to the most pungent onions, that when I open them up, take a step back and think, "Holy, cats! That's strong." It just makes it more mild.

I've been wanting to try butternut squash soup as it sounds interesting and looks appealing. Pumpkin soup could be an idea as I love everything pumpkin I've ever tried.

Pumpkin is amazing. I can find a way to eat it breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Go for the butternut squash!

Unfortunately slaw is one thing guaranteed to make me sick. Must be the cabbage?

Maybe. Maybe it's the dressing. I LOVE oil and vinegar based coleslaw over the creamy type. Try broccoli slaw. Let it sit at least overnight before trying it. Which reminds me that picked veg is fantastic, too. I love pickled beets and peppers as well as asparagus and green beans.

That's interesting. Learned something new today.

Next cold day I crave soup, I will try the butternut squash! I had a sweet potato bisque last month that was pretty amazing. Maybe I could learn to make it and use pumpkin instead.

My mom loves slaw. I suppose if I hate it, I can give the rest to her.

Haven't tried anything pickled but if given the opportunity, I will try it. Thanks!

grdad

There are some excellent recipes in It's All Good (Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook). Some that you might like to try are:

Baked Beans (so much better than canned)
Korean Grilled Corn
Carrots with Sesame & Ginger
Beet Fennel & Apple Soup (trust me, it's good and a pretty pink colour)

ElizabethIrish

I was once a VERY picky eater. Could barely eat any fruits, vegetables or seafood. I think this is quite common in people who are overweight - we like the good stuff, probably ate too much junk, sugar and salt growing up so our tastes for healthier foods did not develop. I grew up basically eating sugar cereals, hot dogs and Campbell's chicken noodle soup.

I don't have recipes for you but I'll tell you how I overcame being picky. As hard as it seems, it really is mind over matter. I remember gagging and throwing up food I found disgusting, it was that severe. Being so picky is very embarrassing, and lets face it, childish.

I would pick one food, the one I thought was perhaps the "least disgusting" and focus on that one until I could tolerate it. Started with "deciding" or "choosing" to like that food. Would tell myself over and over "I like green beans. I eat green beans, etc" Kept eating it until I liked it trying different ways to fix them. Would start with hiding the taste by adding to other dishes, sauces. Pepper and hot sauce are great way to hide taste. I remember when I was "conquering" shrimp (which I found unbelievably revolting) the ONLY way I could eat it was blackened so I couldn't taste the shrimp at all. Next I would drown it in cocktail sauce. Slowly got used to the texture, talking my way though it, "I eat shrimp. I like shrimp. See its not bad right you are an adult and you eat seafood"

This is going on a long time but what I'm trying to tell you is instead of preparing the few foods you like - overcome your pickiness. You can do it. I now love just about every vegetable and fruit there is and my favorite food on earth is crab legs. Now that is a miracle. I no longer force it, that is temporary and you get over it quickly.

Being picky is like love - in the end its not the feeling to love but the decision to love that matters.

Here's wishing you well!

ceruleanjen

There are some excellent recipes in It's All Good (Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook). Some that you might like to try are:

Baked Beans (so much better than canned)
Korean Grilled Corn
Carrots with Sesame & Ginger
Beet Fennel & Apple Soup (trust me, it's good and a pretty pink colour)

Those sound good. I'll give that a go. Thank you!

lynn_glenmont

It's great that you're willing to try new things, and the list you already eat is pretty good -- you've got most of the bases covered (cruciferous, legumes, alliums, leafy green, orange/yellow, red, white). You can certainly make a variety of salads, pasta salads or hot pasta veggie toppings, stir-fries, soups, and veggie-heavy stews, chilis, and curries with that list.

When you say that you can't tolerate squash, do you mean summer squash (e.g., zucchini, yellow crookneck, courgettes)? It would seem odd if you mean winter squash, since they're very similar in texture and flavor to pumpkin and sweet potatoes, which you can tolerate (in fact, pumpkin is a squash). So if you haven't tried other winter squash (acorn, butternut, etc.), you might give them a chance. (If you only eat your pumpkin from a can, I think roasting and mashing would give you closest to the same texture when starting with whole squash -- they'll be more watery if you boil them. But you also may be able to find frozen squash.)

When you say that you can't tolerate cabbage, is that just the large round heads of white/green/purple cabbage? (Have you tried them stir-fried?) Have you tried Savoy cabbage (the ruffled kind), Chinese cabbage, Napa, bok choi?

Just a few veggies I don't see on either your don't-eat or do-eat lists: avocado, beets, edamame, black beans, chick peas, white kidney beans, lentils, leeks, garlic, turnips, parsnips, tomatillos, mushrooms, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, escarole, endive, kale (try these last three both raw and cooked, since you might like them one way and not the other).


Here's a corn chowder recipe that uses a couple of veggies on your good-to-go list (I can't remember where I adapted it from; it was originally a slow cooker recipe). These are the ingredients and exact amounts I used. Most of the amounts don't need to be that exact (I just did it to get the exact counts for calories and other nutrients). You obviously can use any brand/style of bacon you prefer (from your names for veggies, I'm guessing you're from the U.S., but if not, what I used is "belly" bacon; I'm not sure how less fatty varieties would work. You could sub purple onions if you can tolerate them cooked, or try pureeing them after you cook them. You could skip the bell peppers, or try using roasted ones and puree them along with the onions after cooking. Might as well puree the celery too if you're going that route. I like this with hot sauce (tabasco or similar) added when serving.

Coleman Natural - Uncured Hickory Smoked Bacon, 2 slices
Potatoes - Russet, flesh and skin, baked, 440.0 g
Onion - Red or Yellow Onion, Raw , 1 cup
Generic - Sweet Corn, One Medium Ear, 6 Med. Ear, 6.75-7.5" long, 90g
Vegetable - Red Bell Pepper (Raw), 0.88 cup, chopped (149g)
Celery - Raw, 56.0 g (2 oz.)
Spices - Pepper, black, 0.5 tsp
Nature's Promise - Organic 1% Milk, 16 oz
Butter - Unsalted, 1 tbsp
Per one-cup Serving (makes about 8, depending on how much liquid you use): 174 cal., 5 g. fiber, 4 g. fat, 7 g. protein, 33 g carb, 540 mg potassium

You're going to want about a quart of stock made from boiling corn cobs. This is better suited to the early fall when you can still get fresh corn, but you could use frozen. Save the water you cook the corn in, and after you cut the corn off the ears, return the ears to the pot (along with inner leaves of husk, if you have them) and cook another 20 to 30 minutes. (If you want, you can continue boiling the stock to reduce it to about a quart, or just use a quart and save any remainder for another purpose. Strain it.)

Peel, chop, and cook the potatoes (you could cook them in the corn stock, if you've got that ready ahead of time, but water is fine). Chop onions, peppers, and celery (chop fine or at least very small if you're not going to puree, otherwise a small to medium dice should be OK). Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven, or other heavy-bottomed, large pot (doesn't need to be oven-safe). Remove slices, drain, and reserve. Drain most of the fat from pot (or leave it, but realize you're adding some fat and calories), but not the little cooked bits of bacon stuck to it. Add butter, and saute onions, pepper, and celery over low to medium heat. When done (onions are translucent, or you could even go beyond that to where the edges are starting to brown, but I don't care for that in this recipe), remove the veggies with slotted spoon if you're going to puree them in an appliance with a base. If you have an immersion blender (aka stick blender), leave veggies in the pan. Deglaze pan with a small amount of the corn stock (i.e., add a half-cup of stock and turn up heat to medium or medium high while scraping cooked on bits off bottom of pot. Add the rest of the stock. If you're pureeing with an immersion blender, do so at this point. Add milk and potatoes, and heat through. Dice the bacon (small dice) and return to pot (or alternatively add a small amount to top of each bowl, if you're going to serve it all).

grdad

...and as a reward for eating all your veggies, try the "candy bars."