Veggies?

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neoatari
neoatari Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I basically hate 99% of veggies. I think it might just be a mental block. Where would you start in trying to introduce them into my diet? What veggies and how would you make them?
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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Try veggies many different ways. Raw, steam, roast, grill. You will find differing textures using different methods.
    Use different seasonings, just keep trying.

    Example: I love fresh (steamed or grilled) green beans. Frozen, cooked green beans are just okay. Canned green beans are nasty. Green beans are pretty mild, I would start there.

    Carrots are mild too. Warning - canned carrots are the most disgusting (vile) thing ever. Roast carrots - peel, cut into big slices. Toss carrots in oil, salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and bake @ 400° for 20 minutes. Root veggies get sweeter with roasting - yum!
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
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    I first tried them at a Chineese buffet. I do not recommend anyone on a diet to visit a buffet :smile:
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    What vegies do you like?
    Why don't you like other vegies?

    There are so many types of vegies, with different textures and tastes. There are many ways to prepare them which adds to the array of tastes and textures. I bet you like more than you think, or you would if you prepared them in ways other than what you're used to.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Which ones do you know you do not like and how have they been prepared? I think that a lot of veggies are pretty meh when cooked but great raw. My suggestion would be to try a few different types with a bit of dip (or ranch dressing.)
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
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    Frozen (steamer bags) of California blend veggies are really easy to add to frozen entrees (Lean Cuisines etc), or to rice or macaroni and cheese/pasta. I'm also a huge lover of condiments-once you add Sweet Baby Ray's sweet n' sour sauce to your dish you won't even be able to taste the veggies :)
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I'm not a huge fan of raw veggies, but there are lots of recipes where I can enjoy them.

    Green smoothies - blend baby spinach into your morning smoothie.

    Soups - chicken noodle with celery, carrot and onion. Broccoli cheese. Pureed tomato basil or butternut squash. Jambalaya. All delicious!

    I like roasted veggies too.

    Sneak pureed veggies into your red pasta sauces as well.
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
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    I'm not a huge veggie eater, though I've gotten better in the past couple years. I find that roasting makes almost any veggie palatable to me. Toss veggies with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet as described by TeaBea. My favorite roasted veggies are broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. I also very much enjoy steamed green beans. If I steam broccoli, I like to squeeze a bit of lemon juice over it. Raw tomato with salt, pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar is quite good too. As TeaBea said, try a variety of different cooking methods and veggie types to find things you'll like.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
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    First, how do you eat them? I have learned that I hate every vegetable when it's raw but COOKED vegetables are a horse of a different color. Roasted veggies tossed with salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and olive oil (as a base, definitely mix it up with the spices!) are great for starters. You can pack them into stews and soups too (think minestrone).
  • neoatari
    neoatari Posts: 6 Member
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    Honestly corn is about the only veggie I like. Sweet onion is okay when cooked, kinda like in Mongolian Beef. I can stand carrots and celery, but barely.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
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    neoatari wrote: »
    Honestly corn is about the only veggie I like. Sweet onion is okay when cooked, kinda like in Mongolian Beef. I can stand carrots and celery, but barely.

    Celery shouldn't even be labeled edible lol :p

    One other idea-raw veggies with low calorie dressing-I can eat an entire red or orange bell pepper if I drizzle low calorie ranch dressing, (it's a nice contrast between the sweetness of the peppers and the ranch).

    And pp mentioned green smoothies-very good way to 'sneak' in the leafy greens!
  • neoatari
    neoatari Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for the ideas guys! I'll give those a try!
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
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    ^ adding bacon makes me feel devilish, but it's a REALLY good way to eat more veg! :wink:
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    aeloine wrote: »
    ^ adding bacon makes me feel devilish, but it's a REALLY good way to eat more veg! :wink:

    Bacon-wrapped asparagus and bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers are the best things everrrr.
  • melissaulmen
    melissaulmen Posts: 123 Member
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    Baked Broccoli - Oven at 450, cut even sized broccoli (dry) coat with small amount of Olive Oil (or whatever oil you prefer) salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, stir once. The broccoli will become charred, so it is nice and crispy.
    My hubby does not like most veggies either, and I could never get him to eat broccoli until I found this recipe.
    Works for most veggies, you will just need to adjust the cooking time.
    Add shrimp (same prep) for the last 5-7 min.
    Or add the broccoli to your Mongolian beef, and have broccoli and beef.
    Adding a good sauce to most veggies will make them more appetizing.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited August 2017
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    OliveGirl128 wrote: »
    neoatari wrote: »
    Honestly corn is about the only veggie I like. Sweet onion is okay when cooked, kinda like in Mongolian Beef. I can stand carrots and celery, but barely.

    Celery shouldn't even be labeled edible lol :p

    One other idea-raw veggies with low calorie dressing-I can eat an entire red or orange bell pepper if I drizzle low calorie ranch dressing, (it's a nice contrast between the sweetness of the peppers and the ranch).

    And pp mentioned green smoothies-very good way to 'sneak' in the leafy greens!

    Awww, poor celery! Most celery is meh to blech, but a good fresh crisp celery is delicious. You've got to be able to smell it. Unless you're one of those people who hates the smell, too. Then I guess the joy of fresh celery is lost to you. :(

    Also, ponzu sauce makes a great raw veggie dip and is quite low in calories.
  • christinaostroff
    christinaostroff Posts: 5 Member
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    I'm a veggie lover, but they can get kinda boring if you don't dress them up sometimes. You mentioned kinda liking the onions in Mongolian beef. If you like chinese flavors, look into some ways to play with that at home - it will be waaay less fat, salt, and sugar than takeout. I do stirfried broccoli with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seed and some sesame oil (but go easy on that, it's a really strong flavor). It doesn't need a lot of the soy sauce to give you the flavor. The same thing would be great on fresh green beans. Once you have some favorites, play around with them in other cuisines. Like Greek style green beans with diced tomato, garlic, and dill. Or Indian style with coriander, cumin, and hot chili.
  • _NicLovin_
    _NicLovin_ Posts: 121 Member
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    I absolutely love mashed cauliflower. I use my food processor to get the cauliflower super creamy, and use dill, garlic, salt and pepper to mimic the flavors and consistency of mashed potatoes. Sometimes I mix it up by then baking the cauliflower puree in the oven with a tablespoon or two of grated parmesan. As I'm diabetic, this is a go-to veggie staple for me to reduce my carb intake.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,694 Member
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    My husband isn't a fan of veggies. He does like tomato based foods though, so I add veggies to pasta sauce and chili, soups, stews etc. Grated carrot in anything that uses ground beef is unnoticeable. Same with spinach leaves.

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