Veggie cooking ideas...

Jerrih45

Hi!

I have never been a veggie eater but I really feel compelled to get them added to my diet somehow. I think they are just too beneficial to ignore them completely. However...with that said, I don't know how to cook them. I'm wondering if anyone would like to share some cooking ideas so that they don't come out bland and/or mushy. I think if I can get them seasoned up then they would be tolerable. Thanks to anyone willing to share some ideas!!

Thanks!!!!

shannong311

I made a wicked pasta salad. It makes enough to have leftovers for a week. And you can eat it cold or warmed up.

First Dice 2 zucchini, and one eggplant

Combine in a pan and cook it with Olive oil (I don't use a lot because I usually put a cover on it and let the steam cook them).

Add minced garlic to the veggies and stir in (this would be of your choosing on how much)

Cook Whole wheat, or veggie pasta (whole box) in a separate spaghetti pot.

Once the Pasta is done, drain then put back into the pot.

Add two cans of diced tomatoes (I use Del Monte diced tomatoes with oregano, garlic and onion) into the pot along with the veggies. I added more Oregano, Basil, and also added crushed red peppers for an extra kick)

Cook till it's warmed up and serve...

(Optional sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on top)

Mind you, I literally just came up with this Thursday so feel free to tweak it how ever you would like. Hope that helps!

bonnibell0812

You are talking to the veggie queen!!! I am that girl who walks into a supermarket and gets way to excited about shopping for fruits and vegetables! lol.

My suggestion which is a winner and has been tested on non-veggie eaters: Cauliflower Bread Chicken Fetta Pizza

Cauliflower Bread:
-Take a head of cauliflower and use a cheese grader to slice up the cauliflower.
-After cauliflower is all sliced up and in a bowl place in microwave for ten mins.
-Add cheese and eggs along with seasonings of choice.
-Place on pan and cook in oven for about fifteen mins or so
-Add toppings of choice
(I made it with regular spaghetti sauce, chicken, cooked onions, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and fetta cheese) Soooo good!)

Good luck, and I did not used to be a veggie girl...its all about the mind games. When you eat veggies keep telling yourself how good it is and how much you love them and over time you truly do start to believe it! Promise!

Kalynx

put cheese or butter on them - that will make them taste better just work in the calories for the cheese, butter, etc.

Kalynx

also lots of veggies are great roasted with a spritz of olive oil and simple seasoning.

ixchel78

Adding veggies into food is a great way to get over the plain taste. Add a chopped up red/yellow/orange pepper to a turkey sloppy joe mix, or a cup of sliced carrots into a low fat chili (they taste amazing). Veggie based soups also are a good way to get in veggies with lots of flavor. I also found that roasting veggies in the oven is a great way to bring out a nutty, roasted taste to just about anything, broccoli, cauliflower, yellow squash, zucchini, asparagus and diced potatoes. Just preheat the oven to around 400 degrees, dice veggies to equal size and cook for 10-20 minutes checking often and turning once or twice. A dash of olive oil and a spinkle of salt and pepper go a long way when you roast veggies.

Don't forget to EXPERIMENT!! Also grab what's on sale and in season for the best flavor and just hunt around the web for recipes. If it sounds good to you, try it!

For me, frozen veggies have the least flavor and are the most boring. Any veggie is good for the diet but fresh is where the flavor is.

Good luck!

BSummers321

If you're just starting out, you can start slowly and incorporate them into your meat dishes, add a few veg to your pasta sauce (sometimes I replace half of the meat with chopped veg - cheaper and still tastes great), casseroles, chilli or your chicken/lamb curry. That way you'll get much more portions (and you can freeze them to save you cooking next time!) and you're getting your veggies too. Better yet, try making them with lentils, a nice Lentil and Veggie bolognese sauce sounds delicious!

A great way to do this is keep frozen veg in your freezer, that way when you need it. You can add a cup or two to your dish. They're great for soups too!

Or simply roast them, sprinkle on your favourite seasoning, spray oil (or drizzle some oil) in a roasting dish and roast till cooked and par boiling your potatoes cuts down the time!

making other vegetable sides - I love coleslaw, I don't add mayo to mine - just fat free yoghurt and seasoning, suppose you can add cottage cheese too it instead.

You can make sure you at least get a salad with your meals by keeping the basic ingredients in your fridge: lettuce, tomato and cucumber etc, if I'm having a meaty main, I'll make a nice big salad to go with it.

Curries, seriously. You can make curries with any veg you have at home. I'm of South Asian origin, so I eat curries on most days :laugh: .