Anyone out there not like a lot of veggies? I need ideas to

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mandakfagan
mandakfagan Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
I have grown up on cheap, not so good for you foods. I like a lot of fruit, but have never really liked the taste of veggies. For you, who are like me and don't like the taste of them very much, what do you do? Do you find better ways of preparing them or do you eat alternatives. I like broccoli with cheese, and some kinds of peas, and a little salsa, but that's about it.. any ideas?

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  • KindleBlossom
    KindleBlossom Posts: 33
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    I come from the south, where we boil our vegetables until the texture is totally different- really soft and tender- and then put a ton of butter on them- or, in my case, Smart Balance butter, so you get all the flavor, but none of the bad fats. My husband hated veggies, too, until I prepared them for him in this way. Give it a try! :) Make a world of difference. Also, veggies on the grill are amazing, especially when you brush them with barbecue sauce or said butter every now and then. Awesome!

    Oh, and starting from fresh veggies or even frozen (instead of canned) can make a huge difference in terms of taste!
  • 1smemae94
    1smemae94 Posts: 365 Member
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    Unless you have something against them, only use fresh vegetables. Experiment. Try different spices and sauces. Boil them, sautee them, grill them, eat them raw, etc. Put veggies into foods you normally wouldnt. Chopped spinach works great in spaghetti sauce. Califlower blends into mac and cheese. Just expirement.
  • shavidthekid
    shavidthekid Posts: 1
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    I thought that I liked veggies, until I started to look at what I ate and I am definitely a fruit person. I remember when my niece was younger, she would not eat her veggies or fruit (surprise, surprise), so my sister bought this recipe book that has recipes that sneak veggies purees in with regular delicious meals. I bought the book (Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld) and I am amazed at all of the options. I make cookies with spinach and carrots and they taste better and more moist than regular cookies! The entrees are also delicious with all sorts of veggies, fruits, beans, etc. pureed and added. This may be something to try. There are a bunch of recipes books like this now (I know of The Sneaky Chef). I am not trying to advertise anything, just suggesting a few recipes that might help change it up a little!
    I have all sorts of pureed veggies and fruits in the freezer and just pull them out to thaw the night before so they are ready for a recipe the next day. I love veggies when I can't taste them, but I know they are still there :)
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,630 Member
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    I actually like them, but I hate cooking them! This, as a whole ton of snap peas, beets and greens go bad in my fridge.
  • phlumpet
    phlumpet Posts: 106 Member
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    Haha ok I'm a vegan who never really used to like vegetables! Imagine the boat I was in! Here are my favorite veggie tricks:

    1. burritos (with tofu or rice and beans or whatever low fat protein you'd use) - sautee veggies (I like onion, bell pepper, corn as staples but try adding different things) in only cooking spray until soft but still a little crunchy, then season w/ salsa (low fat alternative to frying everything)

    2. stir fries - you can make these however you want. Sometimes I do rice, sometimes buckwheat noodles, sometimes without a starch and I add tofu instead. Anyway, get any bag of frozen mixed (asian style or other) veggies and sautee these w/ just cooking spray as mentioned above. You can make your own stir fry sauce out of Bragg's liquid aminos (like soy sauce only with protein), mirin (sweetened Japanese wine for cooking) and lime or any Indian/Asian sauces you can find.

    3. Mashed sweet potatoes - LOVE

    4. Asparagus, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt, then bake in oven at 400F for 5ish minutes

    5. Eat a salad every day if you can, but there are plenty of ways to mix it up. Try adding different sweet veggies like bell peppers or corn. I like adding beans or quinoa. Also, you can make very low fat salad dressings by using fruit juices. Whole Foods makes their own pomegranate vinagrette which is 30 calories for 2 Tbsp.
  • phlumpet
    phlumpet Posts: 106 Member
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    Ditto on the grilled veggies with BBQ, and avoiding the canned! blech!
  • HollyTsiaussis
    HollyTsiaussis Posts: 415 Member
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    I love vegetables, but something you could do to make salsa healthier and more nutritious is to make your own salsa. Pulse fresh tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, cilantro, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and lime juice in the food processor and serve it with some whole-grain chips. :)
  • Lift_Run_Eat
    Lift_Run_Eat Posts: 986 Member
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    Definately steaming or grilling them, and I will add dry seasonings/herbs/spices to them. Rosemary, veggie grill mix, cayenne pepper, etc.

    Today I experimented with Brussel Sprouts and Tastfully simple Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil. Not that great tasting, but the Dipping Oil did add some flavor to it. You just have to try different things to see what you do like!
  • Iceskatefanrn
    Iceskatefanrn Posts: 489 Member
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    I roast a lot of different veggies right in the oven... a very HOT oven. Cabbage, broccoli, squashes, onions and bell peppers... I've got 2 heads of cabbage in there right now! Here's what I do...


    Easy Oven-Roasted Cabbage

    1 head cabbage
    1 or 2 purple or yellow onions
    Bell Peppers of choice
    Garlic - if desired
    Olive oil

    Preheat oven to 425 or 450 degrees.

    Take 1 head of cabbage, wash the outside. DO NOT CORE. Slice in half, then slice each half into 4 wedges, so you have 8 wedges total.

    Place wedges on a cooking tray.

    If desired, prepare purple or yellow onions, also cut into "wedges" .

    If desired, cut red/yellow/orange bell peppers into large chunks.

    If desired, add whole garlic cloves, or crushed garlic to the cooking sheet.

    Drizzle all with olive oil.



    Place tray in oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the cabbage wedges and stir onions/peppers as needed, then return to the oven for another 8 mins.

    Remove from oven and let sit for a couple minutes. Then cut out the core pieces - they are very tender!

    I then stir the whole mix together - cabbage, onions, peppers - DELICIOUS!

    :drinker:

    Ice
  • shankleefranklee
    shankleefranklee Posts: 142
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    I only like zucchini, onions, tomatoes, and broccoli. I don't hate cauliflower.

    I really only like them steamed, cooked in a pan. I might like roasted? I don't really like. I usually add cheese, make them squishy.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    i hate vegtables, its easier for me to list what i do like... but this thread isn't about me!! it's about you!!!

    when i got married one of the gifts we got was a flat-bottom wok. Love it. i heat up some oil in it, toss in some minced garlic, let that brown, and then throw in the vegtables i do like with about a 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. let cook for 5-7 minutes while stirring often. when done, they are somewhere in between crunchy and soft, and with an excellent flavor.

    the other night i diced up two peppers, with some snow peas, zucchini, and broccolli. it was outstanding, and the first time i ate broccoli withouth vomiting.
  • Chandler480
    Chandler480 Posts: 5
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    To be blunt, I just steam them and even sometimes Microwave frozen mixed veggies. Whats the key? Salsa, Marinara sauce and Taco Sauce. In my opinion, they can make anything taste good including beans. Fortunately my wife is Italian so I have an abundance of the Marinara sauce lying around :laugh:

    Chicken, Veggies, Brown Rice, Marinara Sauce or Salsa....Bliss :) Engineman hit it on the head too...Soy sauce makes most things delicious as well...I'm a sucker for salt though and trying to cut back.
  • Chandler480
    Chandler480 Posts: 5
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    Not at the same time by the way....any one of them alone LOL
  • sheilamarie025
    sheilamarie025 Posts: 3
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    i used to hate them but have developed tastes for them now. If you're looking for substitutes to still get ur veggies in without cringing through your meal there are a lot of products out there to help...the first being V8. they have their tomoato juices yes, and now tomato juices that are flavored. They also have fruit juices and now even teas that give you a serving of fruit and veggies in one glass. There are also "Veggie Slices" which a vegetarian friend of mine told me about. They are cheese slices that are veggie based to get that serving in.

    Aside from that, i really had to break myself into veggies. I LOVE garlic. and i happened to find that steamfresh made a garlic flavored cauliflower which i took too just because of the seasonings on it. once i had this in place, i mixed it with broccoli and even steamed carrots and eventually developed my tastes. It was just finding those ones that i didnt cringe my way through to encourage me to branch out from. I had read in fitness magazine that even eating veggies drenched in ranch dressing was better than no veggies at all so i agree with everyone above. use your favorite sauces to help break you into the textures then the flavors. If calories are a big issue, placed like pampered chef or tastefully simple sell AMAZING season blends that you can sprinkle over your veggies for minimal to no calorie additions! :)
  • arodzwife
    arodzwife Posts: 11
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    I really dont eat veggies either, so I bought a juicer and now I juice my fruits and veggies. I just drink it really fast and get it done! To be honest it really doesn't taste bad at all. I use Kale, beet, carrots, and spinach in my fruit and its good!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Make it challenge to try one new veggie every week. Find one that's on sale, in other words in season, and give it a try. Steam it in the microwave, grill it, saute it and/or try it raw. Veggies are different in texture and taste depending on how you prepare them. You'll find some you hate and some you really like. Another thing to consider is that our taste buds change over time. Just because you hated something when you were 10 doesn't mean you'll still hate it today. :wink:
  • brianward81
    brianward81 Posts: 217 Member
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    You can throw a carrot in a fruit smoothie and not notice the taste too bad.
  • digitalsteel
    digitalsteel Posts: 374 Member
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    I eat almost all my uncooked veggies with blue cheese
  • mandakfagan
    mandakfagan Posts: 6
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    All of these suggestions sounds great! I am looking forward to trying all the different ways to try new veggies! Grilling them and putting flavoring on them sounds really nice. Maybe I will try that tomorrow :)
  • mandakfagan
    mandakfagan Posts: 6
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    that sounds awesome :)

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