How to dress up vegetables (the healthy way)

jabsmckee

I hate vegetables too. I need to bump this.

yayamom3

For many people, the texture of vegetables is what bothers them--not the taste. This is something I would fix often when my picky son was younger. I would throw two bags of frozen vegetables (usually the cauliflower/broccoli/carrot blend) in a big pot with a box of vegetable or chicken broth and a package of dry onion soup mix and cook until tender. Then I'd add 1/2 bag of sharp shredded cheddar cheese. Threw it in the blender to puree it, and called it cheese soup. He loved it, and went on and on about Mom's awesome cheese soup.

rlmassman84

I like to sauté chopped up carrots with some olive oil, black pepper and cinnamon. The cinnamon really goes well with the sweetness of the carrots.

CaitlinW19

I can't say I've ever tried this or heard of anyone trying it (but I'm going to now that I've thought of it because of your post!) but laughing cow cheese wedges actually melt very well...try cooked vegetables (broccoli would be my first experiment) and a cut up wedge of whatever laughing cow cheese sounds good to you (I think they are around 35 calories a wedge). Microwave it for 30 seconds and stir, then repeat till fully melted. Would work over the stove top just fine too if you prefer. With a cup of broccoli and 1 laughing cow, that's about 65 calories of delicious cheesy goodness.

I'm going to try it myself tonight. Lol.

RavenLibra

ONE word...ratatouille...can be done in the oven or on the grill or on the stove (I will smoke the veggies once in a while)... .as a go to for steamed veggies, I sprinkle oregano on them before I put the lid on... then when they are done i toss them with some parmesan... I also keep a good supply of pesto on hand... garlic, Olive Oil and Basil... and like everyone else... a squeeze of lemon and even some lemon zest... always adds a fresh flavor to veggies.

Four_Leaf_Clover

Steam snap peas - squeeze some lemon juice on top (even a tiny sliver of butter if you have the calories) and top with toasted sliced almonds. Yum!

Roast them - slice into even chunks - toss with just a hint of olive oil (or spray with a light mist), season to taste and roast at 400.
Zucchini and asparagus are awesome this way. I want to try green beans.

Slice zucchini super thin (use a mandolin if you have one), drizzle with a touch of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and grated Parmesan.
I had this at a restaurant once and could not believe how delicious it was!

Toss cherry or grape tomatoes (sliced in half) with balsamic vinegar.

Treat them like pasta - toss steamed veggies with a little tomato sauce.

Cut into even chunks, marinate in Italian salad dressing, grill as kabobs

Grilled asparagus topped with a little balsamic vinegar is awesome!

Dalton1720

Thanks guys! I have a lot of new things to try now.
Im baking a sweet potato wrapped in foil tonight for dinner!
Lets see how this turns out… (:

ktg503

You might try roasted with balsamic vinegar as well. I do brussel sprouts that way and it's heavenly, but you can also do carrots, asparagus, broccoli, etc. Just slosh some balsamic over and add a little EVOO and black pepper if you like some spice.

abadvat

Thanks guys! I have a lot of new things to try now.
Im baking a sweet potato wrapped in foil tonight for dinner!
Lets see how this turns out… (:

Onions, peeled, little bit of the top part cut off, a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar in order to penetrate, rub the outer layer with salt and pepper, wrap in foil, oven like a baked spud - knife trial after 20 mins to check if ready (better if you have ashes!).
Artichokes, need to be cleaned of the outer leave - some olive oil on the top in order to penetrate till the heard - lemon juice salt, pepper, foil.... 40 to 45 mins depending on the size of the artichoke.

tracydr

Mint chutney. Pesto.
When you use large quantities of leafy herbs you're getting a truly nutritious treat. You can play around with the seasonings, decrease the oil, nuts and cheese in the pesto and add some chicken stock in place of oil.
Mint chutney is super fast, lasts in the fridge at least a week and has no fat, no cheese, no nuts. You can eat mint chutney on crackers, pita, naan, and even chicken ,fish or hamburger!
Pesto, try it for a topping on other veggies. Top a baked potato or spaghetti squash! You can also make pesto out of different herbs or greens like arugula or kale.

tl_dr

Okay... I'm about to blow your mind. Are you ready?!

When you make bacon, filter and save the grease in a mason jar. Then, next time you steam/grill/boil veggies, just add a spoon full of that instead of butter or olive oil. It makes all of your vegetables taste like bacon...

I usually don't use as much bacon fat as I would butter, so it doesn't cost you any more calories. Much MUCH MUCH more flavorful though. So far I've tried it with squash, zucchini, and spinach/mustard greens, but I bet it would be good on a lot of other stuff, too.

It's also super easy. I eat veggies all the time now. :laugh:

kikityme

Do they have this where you are? Seriously, this is the best. I put that *kitten* on everything.

msbunnie68

Steamed veges get a really nice flavour boost if you chop up some fresh herbs like parsley and garlic chives and mix them thru once the veges are cooked with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.


A yummy potato side dish - thinly slice some potatoes with skin on (about 5-6 medium potatoes). Place in a bowl, add a packet of old el paso taco seasoning mix and mix well. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated cheese and bake in oven until potatoes are cooked.

Serve with a small dollop of light sour cream or natural greek yogurt and chopped green onions (spring onions).

Calories per serve totally depends on the amount of potatoes used and cheese.

EDIT: you can also do this with dicing the potatoes into 1-2cm cubes instead of slices....and I have used this as a nachos base instead of corn chips so my children eat more veges on my slack cooking Fridays.,