Vegetables: How do you make them exciting?

Options
13

Replies

  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 791 Member
    Options
    I'm Southern so I'll boil fresh green beans or leafy greens with a ham hock (salt cured ham) till tender. Canned or steamed veggies get a little bit of butter or bacon grease really like a teaspoon will cover 2 cans or half a big bag of broccoli. Asparagus with olive oil and fresh ground salt or corn on the cob packeted with a little bit of butter and some ice cubes are amazing on a grill.
  • IHaveMyActTogether
    IHaveMyActTogether Posts: 945 Member
    Options
    Easy, pair it with meat, problem solved.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Options
    khronicuk wrote: »
    I'm at a plateau with boiling vegetables. I'm bored!

    I don't not like vegetables but I want to know what more I could do with them.

    Any foodies out there sprinkle some spice into the ratatouille?

    I don't think of food as exciting or not. I just eat it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    edited August 2018
    Options
    Stockholm_Andy wrote: »
    Well I had this ex-girlfriend who was super adventurous and.....oh sorry it's not that sort of thread.

    Yesterday I used up half a head of cauliflour by roughly chopping it and stir frying it with some green beans, peas and spinach from the freezer.

    I added garlic, ginger, chilli and some curry powder. As a last minute minute change of plan I saw a jar of Lime Pickle in the fridge and added a spoonful of that too.

    It turned out lovely with a spicy lemony depth we really liked.

    I've never heard of lime pickle before. Like this?

    https://smile.amazon.com/Pataks-Pickled-Lime-Mild-10/dp/B00531ZCX6/

    91khSXylrpL._SY679_.jpg

    I may have had it at Indian buffets; never noticed it in a jar.
  • HereToLose50
    HereToLose50 Posts: 154 Member
    Options
    Mostly roasted or some raw. Spicy with garlic or cayenne or both with salt and pepper.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    Options
    I eat them raw, steamed or roasted ( adding tomatoes to roasted veg during cooking gives a sweeter sharper taste). Current favourite is thin carrot batons and asparagus spears cooked on the grill til showing a little bit of black grill marks. After they're cooked I toss them in a mix of cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper and paprika. Sometimes I put that on top of a green salad and add roasted chickpeas and orange segments. Nowt boring there 😁 Roasted butternut squash mmm...Roasted sprouts ..yum. Grilled sweet corn salad :) . Grated cooked beetroot with a dash of vinegar and a little butter lovely with beef.. I guess it's obvious I love my veggies.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Options
    The only time the vegetables that I cook touch boiling water is either in the context of potatoes or if I'm blanching them. In the case of blanching it's, boil water, put in vegetables, cook for a few minutes (depending on what it is), and take the vegetables out of the boiling water and put them in a bowl of ice water. I did this with some green beans that I had picked earlier this week and used in a salad today.

    Most of the time when I cook vegetables I roast them with the only seasoning being salt and pepper. I don't find they need much else, and this is from someone who uses a lot of herbs and spices. The opposite is true, in terms of the amount of seasonings I'll use, if I'm making something like a stir fry or using vegetables in stews.

    At some point, this week I'm also going to make braised cabbage. I've also been on a bit of a mushroom kick this summer - I will sauté them with garlic, herbs and add a bit of white white and then eat them with pasta.
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    edited August 2018
    Options
    I eat my veggies in a bowl with meat.
    Got four different kinds of frozen veggies (doesn't matter what; that's just a good amount). Put .5 cup each in a bowl while your meat's starting in a pan on the stove. Put the bowl in the microwave, cook for two minutes.
    That's to defrost them. Then you dump the veggies in with the meat to finish cooking.
    Add sauce (siracha, and brown sauce (HP or Heinz 57)) and seasoning (lite salt, MSG, "cajun", whatever).
    At this point I add in a couple eggs and stir it all up. It'll be done in 2-3 minutes after that.

    Put all this mess back in your bowl and eat it. Looks ridiculous, tastes great, mega nutritious. In downtown NYC, they call it a "power bowl" and it costs $15+.
  • AmyC2288
    AmyC2288 Posts: 386 Member
    Options
    Lots of great options already! I don't personally do this, but if you like smoothies you can easily add in some greens and it won't affect the taste too much at all!
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    Options
    bacon
  • losergood2011
    losergood2011 Posts: 172 Member
    Options
    I really don't like boiled either - I like my veg al dente - roasted really brings out flavor - garlic and basil really change the taste - basil is surprisingly sweet - you can buy a tube at the store and just squirt a bit into your onion/pepper/potato dish for a change of taste.
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    Options
    Boiled veggies?!

    Oh honey, you need a roasting pan, some olive oil, a 425 degree oven, salt and pepper and a little balsamic drizzle. Roasted vegetables = manna of the gods!
  • kmeyer6979
    kmeyer6979 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    khronicuk wrote: »
    I'm at a plateau with boiling vegetables. I'm bored!

    I don't not like vegetables but I want to know what more I could do with them.

    Any foodies out there sprinkle some spice into the ratatouille?

    Raw is good... or I consistently mix them with all my meals. And if you like spice that can really add to the flavor
  • IHaveMyActTogether
    IHaveMyActTogether Posts: 945 Member
    Options
    slather it in cheese, problem solved.
  • IHaveMyActTogether
    IHaveMyActTogether Posts: 945 Member
    Options
    put hem in brownies, with...herbs. Problem solved.
  • IHaveMyActTogether
    IHaveMyActTogether Posts: 945 Member
    Options
    put a salad on top of a rack of ribs. you have to eat the lettuce to get to the ribs. problem solved.
  • IHaveMyActTogether
    IHaveMyActTogether Posts: 945 Member
    Options
    put a celery stalk in your ice cream bowl. problem solved.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    Options
    i prefer raw or steamed.
    i add a bit of salad dressing or seasoning salt or mrs dash etc
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    Options
    So, OP - are you still boiling your vegetables or have you tried some of the recommendations here and if so, were they suitably exciting? Inquiring minds want to know!
  • Mom2ATM
    Mom2ATM Posts: 147 Member
    Options
    Roasted with olive oil and salt especially root veggies! I pan cook summer squash with a tiny pat of butter olive oil and salt and pepper, zoodles go great in eggs or Mac and cheese or alone with marinara sauce, spaghetti squash is delicious oven cooked with marinara and ricotta, I don't do lot of broccoli or cauliflower but I like them raw with hummus or blue cheese

Categories