How do you cook vegetables?

aprildh

My cousin and I were recently talking about eating healthy and vegetables and of course we both grew up in a home eating vegetables boiled to death from a can with butter or bacon or ham. I told him that I'm buying frozen vegetables but they do not taste good to me. For example, opening a bag of frozen green beans and boiling them. They just taste waterlogged and awful. His reply was that, "Most people do not know how to cook vegetables." He apparently adds spices and garlic and onion to a lot of his vegetables and eats little meat by the way. So I'm asking for help. I do not like barely cooked vegetables like in a stir fry but I am willing to learn how to cook vegetables that are still healthy but taste great and I am very much want to expand my vegetable menu other than canned beans or roasted root vegetables. I'm really not sure how to add vegetables to a recipe and I desperately need to figure out how to add more vegetables to my diet, for me and my family. My two year old won't touch a vegetable at all. My four year old will eat just a little.
Thanks for all your advice, help, recipies, and ideas. I'm trying to make a lifestyle change and want to succeed.

haleysman

i like to steam mine and cook to al dente, just enough crunch so your not eating mush, and keeps most of the nutrients

lazygirllosesweight

Frozen: I nuke them without adding any water.

Fresh: I toss them in a tiny bit of olive oil & pepper and roast them in the oven. 400 degrees for 10 - 20 minutes (depending upon the veggie).

vanillasugar

When I buy frozen veggies, I almost only buy the birdseye steamfresh - they are WONDERFUL. I steam mine. My absolute fave veggie is steamed brussel sprouts - though I do add a small amount of butter (1/2 TB) and a little salt. These I prefer fresh, have bought the green giant frozen in a butter sauce that are decent, but still no comparison to fresh. My second fave is steamed broccoli and cauliflower. These I sometimes spray with a little butter spray (0 cal) and sprinkle a little salt.

amboardman

I have a steamer, and I love using it to cook vegetables. I season them with the usual salt and pepper, but sometimes I'll use garlic pepper, cavender's greek seasoning, just whatever I feel like. The steamer works well with frozen veggies too. It gives them a completely different taste than cooking them in a pot of water.

sofaking6

I'm starting with roasting...so far I've done cherry tomatoes, asparagus, brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Just toss with olive oil and any spice blend (even just salt and pepper tastes great). To me they taste soooo much better than steamed, and it's so easy to do. Google vegetable roasting and you'll find lots of stuff.

amboardman

Oh yeah, and you could also throw a little grated parmesan cheese on them. Yummie!

frogmama

I usually use fresh vegetables. Add a little water, cover and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain. Spritz with spray butter if you wish.

MariSama44

Steam is quick and easy. Get a steaming basket for a pot , put the veggies in with a tiny bit of water in the bottom and let er rip. I usualy steam my food untill it's brightly colored and soft. You dont want to get past the stage where the colors are at their brigtest. Any more cooking and you'r sopping the nutrients right out of them. You can also steam in a glass bowl in the microwave with a bi t of water in the bottom, cover with saran, poke holes.

Roasting is amazing too, chop up a bunch of veggies, coat in olive oil and salt (and maybe some italian herbs) and roast like lazy girl says, for 400 degrees for a few minutes...remeber to stir. its like making french fries! I rather enjoy roasted turnip and asparagus myself. and of course red pepper. YUM.

Lady_C_the_1st

As a side dish to a lovely lamb shank or roast lamb, I love to boil some puy lentils, drain then add to the pan tinned tomatoes, chopped red pepper, give it all a stir, then add in some kale on top, pop the lid on and let it steam away. :-) Fabulous!

Kale sauteed with a little butter is wonderful with some bacon too.

100x2xLose

I HATE steamed and boiled veggies. Bland, tasteless and often overcooked!

I'm a year-round griller. Basically any fresh vegetable (and most fruits) works out on the grill. Just brush with a tiny bit of olive oil, season with fresh ground pepper and the flavour of the vegetable will really carry through.

My favourites:
- Asparagus (I didn't like asparagus until I tried it like this)
- Red peppers (I don't even buy roasted red peppers anymore... I make my own!)
- Pineapple (my favourite dessert! The sugar caramelizes on the surface.)
- Portobello mushrooms (make excellent burger replacements)
- Zucchini (cut into spears)

If I'm grilling my meats, I'll put frozen veggies in tin foil with a little olive oil and pepper and just roast that at the same time.

There's no need for vegetables to be bland and mushy or too crunchy!

sdirks

I'm also a grill-er. I have a tiny apt in Brooklyn and no room for an actual grill, so I use a panini maker, instead.

One of my favorite sandwiches is:
sourdough bread
fresh spinach leaves
grilled nectarines
gouda cheese

All you do is grill the nectarines with a little white pepper, put the sandwich together, and then toss it back on the panini maker to toast it and melt the cheese. Sweet, salty, a little crunchy... yum!

The other thing I do is fajita salad:
flank steak, grilled with adobo, black papper, garlic powder and worchestire sauce
red, yellow or orange pepper
sweet onion

I put the spices on the raw veggies, too. I toss some thawed frozen corn in with salsa, then put everything on a bed of lettuce with some cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Comes to about 650 calories, depending on cheese and sour cream. Really filling as a dinner.

Hope this helps!

TropicalKitty

Increasing vegetable intake is difficult for many people, so you are not alone.

First, boiling veggies leaches out the goodness they contain. If you aren't into the more crunchy veggies, try steaming. Generally, you can tell when they are done by the color. They'll turn vibrant! I'll take green beans and dash on a little pepper, onion, and some garlic powder. Or with zuccini and yelloq squash, the onion, garlic, and a couple dashes of paprika. I love plain broccoli - you can tell if you over cooked it because it will turn from bright green to a dulled brown-green.

I love asparagus! Wash the stalks and break the end (it's very fibrous and will snap at a natural spot for it). Toss them in a little bit of olive oil. Few cracks of pepper, couple dashes of garlic powder. Then, I'll roast it in the oven @ 350F for about 10minutes. I'm trying to limit salt, but you could use garlic salt as well.

As I've gotten used to vegetables, I've been able to do a lot more. I really prefer the less cooked veggies as they have more flavor and aren't destroyed by the cooking. From what you said about being used to boiled veggies, it'll probably take you a bit to get used to properly cooked ones.

For recipes, you can google them.

rjadams

for the steamfressh green beans and the brussel sprouts I spray them with the Wishbone Basalmic Breeze salad spritzer. Adds some flavor and only 10 calories.

balance9

we both grew up in a home eating vegetables boiled to death from a can with butter or bacon or ham.

I think I grew up next door to you:sad: I'm a reformed veggie-hater, and it took a lot of work. Over the course of the past couple of years I have figured out ways to learn to love them, in kid-friendly recipes. I now even eat broccoli ...raw...which my family still finds amazing. Here's how I started:
* Marinara sauce. You can hide a lot of stuff in here. I saute onions, garlic, and dump a baby food jar of sweet potatoes in it. If the kids don't like it chunky, put it in the blender for a minute. As long as you keep the pasta amount about the size of your fist, you're fine. Barilla makes a great multi-grain omega-3 that is white and fools the kids. The best news is that tomato sauce is a better source of lycopene than raw tomatoes. Good stuff, good for you.
* Raw carrots, celery, etc. as dippers. Start with ranch if you have to; move up to something healthier like a hummus.
*Sauteed spinach works in just about anything. Add a handful to a frying pan, sprinkle on a few drops of water, and sautee for a few mins. It will look like basil when you add it to pasta sauces, omelettes, etc. And the few minutes in the pan removes any bitter bite. Grab a bunch and slice thin with kitchen scissors, removing the stems.
*Broccoli slaw. Buy it pre-bagged in the grocery store. Add it to green salads, or add your favorite low-calorie dressing.
*Sweet potato fries. Some people really like these. You can make them home-made, or them pre-sliced and ready to bake in the frozen foods section.
*Add frozen spinach, squeezed dry with paper towels, to the cheese in a lasagna recipe. Let em think it's basil.
*Carrot sticks julienned instead of fries on the side.
*Chopped salads. For some reason, most veggie-haters and kids alike will eat a salad if it doesn't look like a plate of leaves. Chop romaine into smaller pieces, add some mixed greens, kitchen-sheared julienned spinach, etc. Look on the 'net for some fun chopped salad recipes.
*Try to avoid canned veggies (BPA is an issue here). Fresh is great (and tastes so much better), if you can prepare them within a couple of days. Frozen are often the best nutrient-wise, as they have been flash-frozen within minutes of harvesting, preserving the nutrients.

Start with trying to get at least one red and one green veggie a day. Of course, more is better, but most people don't even do this.

It's so great to hear when someone is trying to include more nutrition in their diet, not just counting calories. From a reformed low-fat-sugar-free-junk-foodie, trust me on this...eating food that makes you stronger will make ALL the difference.

RedneckWmn

Bumpin for the ideas! Fantastic thread!

leavinglasvegas

I also grew up on canned veggies. Usually just corn (which is actually a grain) and green beans. When I found fresh green beans, I refused to ever eat any plant food from a can! I love to boil them for a few minutes then toss with evoo and garlic salt. A little goes a long way. I also like them raw! Dipped in hummus or homemade veggie dip, YUMMO!

For the most part, I steam my veggies. I don't steam long enough to lose the crunch though. I love the crunch. I also love to grill veggies. Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, onions.... great on the grill!

I keep a stock of frozen veggies in the freezer. I buy them when they are on sale. But I don't use them more than once or twice per week. Nothing beats the flavor, crunch, and nutrition of fresh veggies!

toots99

Good ideas...I'm going to save this to refer back to.

acakeforawife

we both grew up in a home eating vegetables boiled to death from a can with butter or bacon or ham.

I think I grew up next door to you:sad: I'm a reformed veggie-hater, and it took a lot of work. Over the course of the past couple of years I have figured out ways to learn to love them, in kid-friendly recipes. I now even eat broccoli ...raw...which my family still finds amazing. Here's how I started:
* Marinara sauce. You can hide a lot of stuff in here. I saute onions, garlic, and dump a baby food jar of sweet potatoes in it. If the kids don't like it chunky, put it in the blender for a minute. As long as you keep the pasta amount about the size of your fist, you're fine. Barilla makes a great multi-grain omega-3 that is white and fools the kids. The best news is that tomato sauce is a better source of lycopene than raw tomatoes. Good stuff, good for you.
* Raw carrots, celery, etc. as dippers. Start with ranch if you have to; move up to something healthier like a hummus.
*Sauteed spinach works in just about anything. Add a handful to a frying pan, sprinkle on a few drops of water, and sautee for a few mins. It will look like basil when you add it to pasta sauces, omelettes, etc. And the few minutes in the pan removes any bitter bite. Grab a bunch and slice thin with kitchen scissors, removing the stems.
*Broccoli slaw. Buy it pre-bagged in the grocery store. Add it to green salads, or add your favorite low-calorie dressing.
*Sweet potato fries. Some people really like these. You can make them home-made, or them pre-sliced and ready to bake in the frozen foods section.
*Add frozen spinach, squeezed dry with paper towels, to the cheese in a lasagna recipe. Let em think it's basil.
*Carrot sticks julienned instead of fries on the side.
*Chopped salads. For some reason, most veggie-haters and kids alike will eat a salad if it doesn't look like a plate of leaves. Chop romaine into smaller pieces, add some mixed greens, kitchen-sheared julienned spinach, etc. Look on the 'net for some fun chopped salad recipes.
*Try to avoid canned veggies (BPA is an issue here). Frozen are the best, as they have been flash-frozen within minutes of harvesting, preserving the nutrients.

Start with trying to get at least one red and one green veggie a day. Of course, more is better, but most people don't even do this.

It's so great to hear when someone is trying to include more nutrition in their diet, not just counting calories. From a reformed low-fat-sugar-free-junk-foodie, trust me on this...eating food that makes you stronger will make ALL the difference.

Yes to all of this! Great advice! I always sneak my veggies in -- yes, I'm 30, but sometimes you still gotta eat like a toddler! :bigsmile:

Spinach is great for this, as mentioned, you can steam it and add to anything! It's great in pasta dishes, curries, stir-fries, etc. I also like shredded zucchini for the same thing -- it's great mixed up in egg or tuna salad, you can really cut back on the fat that way too because the zucchini adds moisture.

I also second all the suggestions to try grilling or roasting. WAY better than boiling or steaming. Add a little olive oil and spices, and you'll be surprised. Roasted broccoli? With a little olive oil, garlic powder, and sugar? HELLO LOVER.

LittleSpy

For everyone who thinks steamed veggies are "bland and tasteless" -- do you have some specific aversion to SPICES? :laugh: Most things are bland before you spice 'em up a little. Also note, there's a lot of flavor to be added without using salt.

To the OP -- like many others here, I'm a steam or roast kind of girl. Steaming I normally do with frozen veggies in the microwave for convenience. When they come out, I add spices -- whatever I'm in the mood for. Browse the no-salt spice/flavor options in your grocer's spice aisle. Try several. Adding a little salt is okay, too. When I roast, I chop the veggies however is appropriate and toss in a *very small amount* of olive oil (sometimes I use the spray olive oil, too -- it doesn't have "0 calories" by the way, no matter what that nutrition label says -- it's still olive oil & it still has the same nutrition as olive oil I know nutrition labels can be sneaky, so sometimes you have to use your brain.). I add spices & then roast as directed by posters above. This is the same way you make roasted potatoes, or baked french fries.

Mellie13

I use frozen veggies and steam them with very little water either on the stove or sometimes in the microwave either in the bag or in my pyrex bowl with the vented lid. I've become a recent fan of Mrs. Dash. That is the only thing I put on my veggies. I may add some dehydrated onions, but no salt and no butter. I grew up like you and thought veggies had to come from a can and had to have salt and butter. My husband is a salt aholic and he eats my veggies all the time with no complaints.