Vegetables

Grill or roast all of them with just a little olive oil and garlic salt and pepper.

As a follow-up to what is a must have in the kitchen - what vegetables are a must have and how do you eat them?

I did not grow up eating vegetables and have no idea how to cook or use them or make them delicious.

So, how do you get those vegetables (and which vegetables) into your healthy meals and snacks?

This is a huge fear for me-- I ate veggies (mostly canned, which makes me gag to think about now) as a kid, but I worry I won't be able to transfer a love of produce to my child... I guess the best I can do is be a good example.

Anyway, I love artichokes. They do come canned, but they are excellent in salads and veggie lasagna. I think they'd also be good in an omlette or scrambled egg whites.

Steam, steam, steam! Steaming is a great way to prepare veggies that is fast, doesn't require any added fat or butter, and makes veggies soft and taste differently than raw. I love steamed broccoli, carrots, califlower, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans...

Salsa is a great low cal topper with veggies, as is hummus. Plain yogurt would be good, too, mixed with some seasonings maybe, as a ranch dressing substitute?

My favorite snack veggies are cucumbers, raw red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, sugar snap peas, and french green beans. I also stock up on organic and prewashed salad greens for easy lunch and side dish options.

I apologize in advance: this will be long, because I love my veggies! I can't resist talking all about them.

A few basics: Fresh > frozen > canned in terms of nutritional content. I do use canned from time to time (especially in winter months), but fresh or frozen is usually the best. [EDIT: evidence shows that frozen may be better than fresh...see a few posts below!]

Also, the more you cook vegetables, the fewer nutrients you're left with, so raw or lightly steamed veggies are usually the most nutritious.

Some of these are technically fruits , but here are my favourite types of produce to use in cooking:

LEAFY GREENS - a must-have for vitamin K and roughage. I like them in salads with a nice light dressing. Spinach works nicely with pecans, goat cheese and sliced raspberries with a raspberry vinaigrette, if you like to mix sweets with your veggies. It also goes well with sliced mushrooms, red and yellow peppers and a tomato-based vinaigrette. Finally, if you want a bit of a meatier salad, it goes well with sliced hard boiled egg, bacon bits (if you can find low-fat ones) and Italian dressing. YUM! If you aren't keen on making your own salads, the grocery stores (around here, at least) have pre-bagged ones you can buy. Generally, the darker the greens, the more nutritious, though that also means the flavours will be stronger, and many people aren't keen on the flavours. Oh, and cooked spinach is a great way to add nutrition to pastas, casseroles, stir fries...

BOK CHOY - my favourite leafy vegetable! Delicious when steamed for 2 mins, and pairs nicely with sauces made of sesame oil/soy sauce/garlic/salt/pepper. Blends in well in stir fries.

BROCCOLI - good source of calcium and nutrients. Some people like broccoli raw, but personally I only like it cooked. My favourite way to eat it is to steam it lightly (2-3 mins) until it is just barely soft, but still a bit crisp. I love the flavour of this so much (especially the stem) that I will eat it plain, but salt and pepper are also good.

CAULIFLOWER - warning: this veggie can cause gas in some people! My favourite way to eat it is to slice a head into thin slices, spray with spray-on olive oil, put salt and pepper on it and then bake it in the oven at 400F until the edges are brown. It crisps up a bit and gets this nice, baked flavour...yum!

ASPARAGUS - you'll either love it or hate it because of its strong flavour. I love it. Snap off the ends of each spear (they will have natural break points), and boil or grill for a few minutes. My mother-in-law likes to serve it with a bernaise sauce.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS - again, you'll either love them or hate them. I like to cut an "X" about 2 mm deep into the bottom of each, then boil them in water. When they're done, I mix them with a warmed sauce of mustard, a wee bit of honey, salt and pepper and let that sit for a few minutes so that the flavour absorbs into them. The mustard cuts the bitterness a bit and makes for deliciousness! YAMS - I like to cut them into cubes and bake them with olive oil/salt/pepper for yam "hashbrowns", or boil them and then mash them for mashed yams. Yum!

MUSHROOMS - I like them sliced on salads. You can also pop them in your mouth raw, or slice them and sautee them in a bit of olive oil. One of my favourite cooked mushroom dishes is a salad on a bed of room-temperature spinach. I slice mushrooms, cook them in balsamic vinegar in a frying pan until they're soft, then add some chopped walnuts. I toss the mixture 2-3 times and then remove from heat (so the walnuts don't get bitter) and then pour this mixture onto the spinach. The mix of hot & cold adds an interesting dynamic.

RED/YELLOW/ORANGE PEPPERS - great sources of vitamin C. Very versatile. Because they're sweet, they are great to eat on their own; I like to cut them into spears for snacks. Go well in salads, or fajitas/tacos, or in kebabs. Red peppers can be cooked and blended as a tomato sauce substitute if you're like me and can't eat much tomato sauce.

CARROTS - snack 'em raw, steam 'em, bake 'em, grill 'em. Also very versatile.

EGGPLANT - not much flavour, so definitely best paired with stronger flavours. I like to cube them and put them in stir fries or pasta dishes (goes great with tomato sauce). Also, you can cube it, roll lightly in flour and fry them to give them a bit of a browned exterior, and then use that in stir fries, for a slightly stronger taste.

ZUCCHINI - again, a bit bland, so best partnered with other flavours. I like to use these in stir fries or pasta sauces. Also great for cakes. Because it has a bit of a bitter flavour raw, most people like it cooked.

CUCUMBERS - best raw, in sandwiches or salads. Cooked = blechhhh, in my opinion. Can cause gas in some people.

TOMATOES - super versatile, but I can't eat them, so I can't really talk much in depth. Raw, stewed, cooked, blended -- tons of options.

CORN - on the cob: steam for ~10 minutes or grill. Serve with butter (optional), salt and pepper. A sweet variety is best for this, like Peaches 'n' Cream. Off the cob: I usually boil it. Can be microwaved for a quick side dish, as well, and again, pairs well with butter/salt/pepper. Off the cob corn is also great in salsas and Mexican-style dishes.

PEAS - If they're flat, you can cook the whole pod or eat them raw, with stir fries/salads. The peas themselves are great lightly boiled.

GREEN BEANS - lightly steamed or lightly fried in olive oil = yum!

ONION - chopped onion goes well with many things. I use onion in almost all my cooking. Some people have problems with the spice of it or gas, so LEEK can be used in its place (use the white & light green parts only). GREEN ONIONS/SPRING ONIONS are fantastic chopped accents for salads, Asian & Mexican cooking.

CELERY - good roughage raw, and extremely low on calories. Can be slathered with peanut butter and raisins for a treat. Cooked, I slice it and cook it lightly in stir fries or soups. It has a strong taste when cooked, so one or two stalks is usually plenty in cooking.

CABBAGE - I don't use much because it makes me gassy :P, but it's good in cole slaws, cabbage rolls or chopped in stir fries.

BUTTER SQUASH - pre-halved by my grocery store. I sprinkle the inside with salt/pepper and bake in the oven at ~400F until the inside flesh is soft. SPAGHETTI SQUASH and ACORN SQUASH are great like this, too. Pairs well with tomato sauce.

BEETS - great as a base for soups like borscht. I like to boil them, then eat the slices. EXCELLENT pickled. Watch out for the juices, as they will stain!

Phew, I think those are the ones I use regularly. I may add to this if I remember other things, haha. Hope that helps!

Bump.

I apologize in advance: this will be long, because I love my veggies! I can't resist talking all about them.

A few basics: Fresh > frozen > canned in terms of nutritional content. I do use canned from time to time (especially in winter months), but fresh or frozen is usually the best.

Actually, frozen vegetables are usually more nutritious than fresh!
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-03-05/entertainment/27058113_1_nutrient-rich-vegetables-birds-eye-fresh-veggies

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2902223.stm

Wow, that's really interesting! Thanks so much for sharing.