Vegetables: How do you make them exciting?

I can't remember the last time I boiled a vegetable. I very occasionally steam some, but that's rare and about as boring as I get.

Most are kind of stir fried, others roasted, sometimes grilled, cooked in to meals, etc etc... Usually with herbs and spices for extra flavour. Soups are good too. As are salads - often a mix of raw and cooked.

Soups, stir fries, bubble 'n' squeak. Zoodles, adding them to bolognaise chopped finely, ditto for meatloaf. Also, try out some vegan/vegetarian recipes. I'm a meat eater, but these types of recipes do beautiful things with veges. Thug kitchen is my favourite.

Stir fried with a nice garlicky Asian stir fry sauce or plain with some nutritional yeast sprinkled on at serving are two if my faves.

I also incorporate lots of veggies into casseroles-- think squash and mushroom enchiladas, veggie lasagna, ratatouille, etc.

Once a week I make a batch of roasted peppers and onions to add to sandwiches, wraps, or even to have with leftover chicken. It's really easy. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the peppers and onions into strips and today with a little Olive oil (just enough to coat but just barley) spread them on a baking sheet (I put foil on the baking sheets for easier cleanup) and pop then in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes and then give them a stir and let them go for another 20 minutes. Pull them out, sprinkle with some garlic and salt, and let them cool.

I also love doing sweet potato "fries". Oven again to 400F. Cut your sweet potato into steak fry sized pieces and try to make them all about the same size. Barley coat with olive oil. Spread on foil lined baking sheets and sprinkle with garlic, chili powder, and salt. Cook for an hour or until done (soft with almost burned edges), stirring/flipping halfway through.

Also, maybe try some new veggies. I had had sugar snap peas before and usually used them in store fry, but I started buying them again recently because they looked so good at the store. They are awesome too snack on our ad to salads. Or try a new mushroom and see if you can find an awesome new recipe to go with it. Good luck!!

For veggies that taste good in pseudo-Asian formulations, or really any mild-flavored vegetable, one of the things I like is a peanut sauce made with peanut butter powder (like PB2, but there are other brands), soy sauce, brown rice vinegar, and whatever other seasonings sound nice at the time (options: minced fresh garlic, chopped green onions, Szechuan peppers, minced fresh ginger, miso, chile sauce, a dash of sesame oil if you have the calories . . . . ).

Before adding the sauce, instead of boiling the veg, I'd either stir-fry the veg in a small amount of oil (starting with carmelizing some onions), or steam them, or stir-steam in a bit of broth.

Another option, if you like vinegar, is flavored vinegars (I start with plain vinegar and add seasonings of choice, with prepared mustard as one option to add (since one might not otherwise think of that as a seasoning)). different types of vinegar (red, balsamic, white wine, brown rice, etc.) have slightly different flavor profiles, and different ones may best complement different veggies.

In winter squash, a friend got me to try white miso: So tasty, plus a tiny bit of protein and (if you pay attention to what you're buying) some food-sourced probiotics. I like brown (hacho) miso broth on some veggies, too.

Salsa or sriracha or chile sauce are good on some veggies, if you like spice.

Chopped fresh herbs are amazing (grow your own if you have space for a garden or big pots).

Sprinkle veggies with a small amount of fresh-grated real parmesan cheese (not the fairly tasteless yellowish dry dust that comes in a shaker can). Half an ounce is a surprising physical volume, only about 55 calories, and adds 5g protein. (I buy a big hunk of parmesan, grate it all, and freeze the result. I'm sure that sacrifices a bit of flavor, but it's much, much tastier than powder, and equally convenient.)

Be aware that you need some fats in order to best absorb any fat-soluble vitamins that are in your veggies, so it's OK to be adding a weighed bit of olive oil in order to roast, peanut oil in order to stir-fry, or even cheese to add flavor.

Something like plain Greek yogurt can be seasoned and used as a quasi-creamy dressing for veggies, or a sour cream alternate. Avoid heating it, because it will separate, but it can be stirred into some things post-cooking, or certainly used as a topping.

Frozen corn; nuke for a minute or two. Dress up with finely cubed red bell pepper and a teaspoon of butter.
Frozen peas; nuke as above. Dress up with mint and slivers of almond.
Broccoli; use a steamer basket. Nuke some Cheez Whiz with a teaspoon of sriracha and pour over top.
Red onion, bell pepper, broccoli, peeled and cubed yams, and sliced carrots; cut in to same-sized pieces, put two tablespoons of olive oil in a large Ziploc container with minced garlic, Mrs. Dash and pepper. Add all the vegetables, toss like a maniac, then pour out over a cookie tray. Pour out on a 450 degree oven and watch closely, about fifteen minutes. Turnip is absolutely transformed to a different vegetable by using this roasting method. It becomes sweet.

Find a vegetable you have never tried before and google a recipe. Go wild.

You can eat them raw with dip or hummus.

You can bake or grill them which makes most veggies more tasty.

I make Greek style veggies cooked with a bit of onion, white wine, tomatoes, olive oil and a sprinkle of feta on top. I have made green beans, peppers, and eggplant this way.

The only time I would boil vegetables is if I'm making mashed potatoes, soup, or stew. They get soggy and flavorless if you boil them to eat as a single ingredient. I like them roasted, stir-fried, braised with mushrooms and potatoes, made into a sauce/spread, part of a dish like shepherd's pie, pastries, soups, stews, dumplings, pierogies...etc. I also like them raw.

Grill, Roast, Stir Fry and Raw. Only as a last resort do I eat boiled or microwaved veges. Lots of ideas on internet. If you like spice, go for it. Also great In soup, stews etc... Throw in while roasting or baking meat. One of our favorites for years has been when grilling any type of meat. Is to take vege of day, and throw on grill as well. Can do in pans they have for that, or use throw away foil pans, or put in foil. Throw on the spices, the more the merrier. Needs very little oil. I at times will marinate with a bit of flavored water I like to drink, not adding juice, but I am sure that would work too. A bit of cooking wine works as well. Really no strict rules on what you can do to veges as long as you like them.

In general, my family teases me that my cooking has too many ingredients, but broccoli is something I like relatively plain. I simmer it for 3-4 minutes in a little water, and when it's done add salt, pepper, butter, and lemon juice. I drink the cooking water.

Other than that and steamed spinach or Swiss chard, I tend to incorporate veggies into something else - stir fry, salad, casserole, smoothie.

One word: MUFFINS!

You can make great muffins with many vegetables: carrots, zucchini, broccoli, corn, spinach, onions, peppers, etc. Check online for amazing veggie muffins recipes (one of my favorites is a Western Omelette muffin).

Even if you don't want to do an all-out veggie muffin, you can puree raw veggies and substitute in any muffin or bread recipe. You can just add anywhere from 2 to 4 tablespoons of puree into most baking recipes, which will just add more moisture without affecting any other changes (experiment to see volume that works). Or you can use vegetable purees for fat substitutions: if substituting for a fat, use three-quarters to one cup of vegetable puree for each cup of fat (oil or butter). If you sub out all the fat, check about ten minutes early (they can bake faster without high-level of fats), and you may also try reducing baking temperature by 25 degrees F.

Of course, you can also add to your daily fruits by putting them in muffins!