Vegetable ideas

I'm not much of a lover of fruit or veg but would be very grateful of some ideas of how to disguise the taste of things, how best to cook veg and generally some ideas on how to incorporate more fruit and veg into my diet

What flavours do you like?

OK, from what you've said here and in the other thread it sounds like you could shake up your diet, but it will need a little planning and carving out some time to actually cook. By not planning your consumption you're leaving yourself open to grazing on high calorie low nutrient foods. Couple that with your low levels of activity and you're going to really struggle.

As far as veggies are concerned:

When you mention putting them on the plate with your joint, how are you cooking them? I loathe boiled vegetables, I'd rather steam them for a few minutes which leaves them crisp and generally a bit more flavourful.

Pasta sauces - onions and garlic softened in oil and balsamic vinegar for about 15 minutes. Then add courgette, which has a nice firm meaty bite to it. Let that simmer for a few minutes then add mushrooms, peppers and chopped tomato and simmer for a while. If you like a little spice then add a chilli or two. You can add tomato if you like as well, but I'm conscious you might not like the texture of segments. Serve with pasta. That way you're having a variety of textures on the plate. If you really dont like the chunks of veg then blitz the sauce with a handheld blender/

You can do a similar thing with either diced beef for a chilli and serve with rice, or pulses to make up a bean chilli. I usually use Kidney beats, Haricot beans and Borlotti beans. Again the beans or beef and rice give you the bulk of the meal but you're getting a decent volume of veg.

You could do curry sauce then use Okra or cauliflower and broccoli, although in truth the Indian style of eating those is quite firm with a dry sauce.

I know of quite a nice feta and broadbean pasta sauce, although that's quite high calorie

As above I like stir fry, it leaves the veg quite crisp as long as it's done at high heat.

With all of these you can make up a decent batch and then freeze it so that you can get it prepared quickly. I usually make up about four portions at a time.

Another option I like is a fritatta - Three eggs each with onion and potato in the pan first, then add the eggs. Same veggies as above but as the cooking is different the mouth feel and flavours are different, particularly once it's been grilled to toast off the top.

As far as lunches are concerned, I frequently make up a salad; peppery salad leaves, mushroom, celery, radish and some coleslaw with ham, chicken or oily fish over the top.

I hope that gives you some food for thought. I use a lot of spices when I'm cooking, traditional british ones but also a lot of eastern spices. It gives a lot of flexibility in terms of flavour, from delicate to blowing the top of your head off

I do the nutri bullet or if you have a plain blender =0) Try mixing spinach with like bananas and pineapple, the taste is very delicious and your getting your greens and fruit fix. Add a lil water and even some greek yogurt to the mix, you can use any type of greens you want or even adding in a few carrots with like blueberries and raspberries works and it tastes great and it's all healthy! Good luck!

I've never cooked vegetables any other way than boiled - frozen veg or tinned usually.

You poor thing! No wonder you don't "like" them!

There are already tons of great suggestions on here, I'll just add a couple of generic ideas I tend to use for steamed veggies...

I like to make "dressings" for my steamed veggies (I'm not a big "fan" of them just plain with butter and salt). These dressings will literally go on any vegetable on the planet.

Here are a couple ideas:

1. For an italian flair: Olive oil (and experiment w/different flavors of olive oil for more fun), some kind of balsamic vinegar, a little soy sauce, lemon juice, and sprinkle on garlic salt and italian seasoning (and let it sit for a moment for the spices to hydrate).

2.) For an asian flavor (my favorite): Sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce (or gyoza sauce for a little sweetness), thai garlic and chili sauce, lime juice, chopped cilantro. If you're adventurous, dash on a bit of thai fish sauce!

3.) Walnut oil, balsamic glaze, a little soy sauce, crushed rosemary, garlic salt, lemon juice, sea salt.

4.) Vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, spicy brown mustard, a *touch* of thyme and/or tarragon, orange juice, sea salt

You can also cubed up veggies, marinade them in these dressings, and then roast them. Mmmmmm! Delish!

if you like chili you can hide veggies in chili pretty easliy, just sautee them up really well then add the rest of your ingredients. I have also made my own spaghetti sauce using fresh tomatoes various cooked veggies and herbs, etc and blended it all together, kids never new there were veggies in it.

Definitely roasting or sauteeing are my new favorite ways to cook my veggies. Just today I tried a new recipe for low carb "hash brows". Sauteed Radishes! Seriously yummy. Tastes like white potato hashbrowns. The spicy bite is gone and is replaced with a super tender slightly sweet potato taste and texture. Bonus?? The whole bunch of radishes 100 grams plus the 1/2 teaspoon of oil was 42 calories for the dish. Another recipe I was given today is roasted carrot fries. I cannot wait to try them. I urge you to expand your cooking style and roast' stir fry and satuee. You won't regret it.

Here's a couple of ideas.

Date and Pistachio Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

I suggest this one, because it's a way of adding fruit and nuts to your diet. It sounds crazy, but it is very good. My father-in-law, who hates chicken and anything "weird" had seconds.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of raw, shelled pistachios (or almonds)
1/2 cup of diced, dry dates
4 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil (doesn't have to be, but I like cooking with it, because it has a higher temperature threshold)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 F

2. Mix the stuffing Ingredients - pistachios and dates

3. Make a slice in the chicken breast to create a pocket.

4. Stuff the chicken breasts with the stuffing.

5. Rub the grapeseed oil on the chicken breasts.

6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until done.


Chicken with Potato - Olive Stuffing

Again, some of the ingredients may sound odd and/or off putting to you, but this is another favourite for guests. Friends who have declared that they don't like olives, for instance, enjoyed this.

Ingredients

3-4 medium potatoes, cubed
1/4 roughly chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 chopped green olives
1/4 chopped black olives (I prefer kalamata)
2 leeks, chopped, white parts only
1/8 cup pine nuts (I've used sunflower seeds instead in the past. Pine nuts can get pricey.)
1/8 cup chopped almonds
2 large carrots chopped into small pieces
1 whole chicken
1/4 cup of chopped dried fruit (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste


1. Combine garlic and oil in a small bowl. Set aside for the flavours to meld.

2. Boil potatoes until they are halfway cooked. If you try to stick them with a fork you should get resistance.

3. Sauté leeks in 2 teaspoons of the oil/garlic mixture. I like to keep them on low and put a lid on the pan. The kitchen should fill with a really nice fragrant smell. While leeks are onions, they are very mild.

4. In a bowl combine potatoes, leeks, parsley, nuts, carrots, fruit and 3/4 of remaining oil/garlic mixture.

5. (This part is optional, but makes for great tasting, juicy chicken) Between the flesh of the chicken and the skin, you should be able to weasle your fingers in there. Open it up a bit so that you can smear the remaining olive oil/garlic mixture between the skin and breast.

6. Stuff the chicken. If you have any leftover stuffing, set it aside.

7. Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes.

8. Lower the heat to 375 F. Put any remaining stuffing into the pan around the chicken. If you want, you could add things like carrots and turnips to the pan as well, for another dose of vegetables. They'll take in the juices from not only the chicken, but the stuffing, too. Bake for another 30-40 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear when the chicken leg is pierced by a fork or knife.