Vegetables-- which ones to do you eat how do you prepare the

2»

Replies

  • KimAggie04
    KimAggie04 Posts: 165 Member
    If you have a busy schedule, steaming them in the microwave is very easy and delicious. Ziploc sells steam bags, and you just chop up the vegetable (carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, zuchinni, yellow squash, asparagus, etc) and throw it in the bag and microwave for a few minutes. Add a little bit of butter and seasoning, and it's done! They taste so fresh, it's wonderful.

    Also, I love to microwave seasonal squash, such as, acorn or spaghetti squash. Just cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds. In a microwavable glass dish, place 1/4" of water and place the squash cavity side down. Microwave it on high for 8-10 minutes. Then flip the squash over, and add seasoning (I like a little butter and brown sugar) to the cavity. Microwave for another minute. I mix up the butter and the squash and erve it just like that. The squash serves as its own bowl, and my children love to eat out of it.
  • therealkittymao
    therealkittymao Posts: 194 Member
    Roasted cauliflower! Spray with olive oil, roast at 425 until it's brown and crispy, then lightly salt it and eat it with ketchup. Swear, it tastes JUST like fries.
  • pauljsolie
    pauljsolie Posts: 1,024 Member
    Kale
    Cucumber
    Broccoli
    Carrots
    Beets
    Cabbage
    Lettuce
    Spinach
    Celery

    I mostly juice my veggies with Granny Smith apples and lemons (Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead). Usually don't cook the veggies, it makes them dead. Steamed or raw when I eat them. Make a sweet mustard out of yellow mustard, balsamic vinegar and a touch of real maple syrup. This is a great tasting alternative to fat and sugar laden dips.
  • KimAggie04
    KimAggie04 Posts: 165 Member
    Another of my favorites is strawberry spinach salad. I cut up the strawberries and mash them a little with a fork. I throw them over baby spinach and sometimes add sliced almonds. The smashed strawberries act as a dressing, so it's a very heathly side or snack.
  • tathrel
    tathrel Posts: 3
    I also have learned to enjoy veggies, two things to add that are wonderful is tumeric. I get it at vitacost its an organic seasoning and I sprinkle it and garlic. little salt & pepper on my veggies before baking in the oven. Wow it gives them a wonderful flavor. It is not
    spicy but just adds a great tatste. I use alot on sliced squash yum. Also I have found lachoy orange ginger sauce. I dip my carrotts,celery etc in it and I love it. If you like ginger and oranges you will love this sauce. Also sometimes if Im craving something sweet, I drizzle YS raw cinnamon honey over veggies. I also get it at vitacost, it is organic and has alot!! more flavor than honey
    over the counter. I hope this helps you enjoy your veggies
  • shannonkk
    shannonkk Posts: 192 Member
    try blending cooked in a blender and adding them to sauces. Mashed cauliflower in mashed potatoes.
  • duchatelier
    duchatelier Posts: 1
    A good way to incorporate vegetables into your meals is salad. I 'sneak' them into salads so that I can also get my son to eat them. A good example is spinach-I chop them up the same way I do lettuce and he has no clue he's eating spinach. Good luck!
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
    I adore vegetables. So much love.
    I just ate a plate of stirfry, which was amazing. I made a huge pan of it on Monday, using 1 cup of mushrooms, 1 cup of chopped red pepper, 1 cup of chopped green pepper, 1 cup of show peas, 1/2 cup of diced onion, 1 cup of chopped napa cabbage, and 1 cup of carrot matchsticks. 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high and just keep stirring until everything is the tenderness you prefer, I like mine with a bit of crunch still. For flavor, I added in a tablespoon of thai peanut sauce and a couple teaspoons of minced ginger, and added a whole block of extra firm tofu to up the protein. I've been reheating it for lunch by just tossing some of it in a pan until it's warm again. Great way to get in veggies and tasty.

    Another great way is to make a plate of raw veggies with hummus to dip in. I prefer carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower for that.

    For sure try the oven roasted. It was the best thing that happened to my family for veggies.

    Do you have a steamer? If so, try steamed carrots. I could easily eat half a bag of baby carrots freshly steamed.

    Try sauteing up some zucchini and adding it to your next spaghetti night. Use spaghetti squash for an extra veggie kick :)

    I've always underestimated bell peppers. There is just so much you can do with a variety of bell peppers, I usually buy two dozen every two weeks and just throw them in everything.

    Try making a veggie fritatta. Pick out a variety of veggies, I like mushroom, onions, peppers, and spinach, and cook them up in a pan. When they get to the desired firmness, pour two scrambled eggs over top (more if it's a bigger batch) and let it cook on medium heat. Flip it when the top is no longer fully liquid, cook a few more minutes.

    Good luck, and sorry for writing a novel!
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    Barbecuing vegetables is a great way to caramelize them and bring out a delicious, sweet flavour which could make them more palatable for you. (Other cooking methods can do this as well, I just happened to lose vegetables on the BBQ). You don't put them on whole, but rather slice them, then put on flat sheet designed for BBQs for foods that are likely to fall easily through the rack. Onions, sweet potatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, etc are delicious like this. Though corn on the cob is not a vegetable, it too is also good on the BBQ (and healthy too!)

    I also second the idea of hiding them. I do this with my niece and nephew who both do not like vegetables. Once I made a casserole for them (not a recipe...I just invented as I went), where I used macaroni noodles, mushroom soup, and grated cheese as the main ingredients. I pureed cooked sweet potato, squash, carrot and stirred it into the mushroom soup and cheese which just gave it a beautiful orangey colour. Then I added VERY finely chopped broccoli, onions, and very finely chopped red pepper. They never would have eaten it had I told them what was in it before they ate it. Afterwards, they asked what it was and I said "hidden vegetable casserole". They had nooooo idea I had all those veggies mixed in. I suppose you could puree all of the vegetables rather than adding some finely chopped. I don't know what that would do to the colour, but I can't imagine it would affect it too much unless you use too much green. Anyway, it was really good, and for REALLY picky eaters, they loved it. You could also put chicken in it or something like that if you eat meat, but I don't cook with meat.
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    Oh, and if you have a smoothie (I make mine with mixed berries, banana, and pineapple---the colour comes out quite dark purplish) you can easily puree grated carrot or spinach leaves into it. If you use dark mixed berries, these things won't impact the colour and with the strong flavours of the fruit, they won't impact the taste either.) Don't go overboard with the spinach as I don't know what this will do to the colour, but a small handful will be fine. Of course, if colour doesn't bother you, it doesn't really matter but for me if something is really gross in colour I can't enjoy it no matter what it tastes like.
  • Skiergal2
    Skiergal2 Posts: 8 Member
    The easiest way to increase your vegetables is to add them to your favourite recipes. Cut them up small so it is easier to eat. There are great recipes in the Looney Spoons cookbook that I bought a couple of weeks ago. Most of the recipes are included in the food logs.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    Roasted asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper, bake at 425 for 15 mins or until slightly crispy. My favorite.
    Cut peppers and bake for 10 mins, you can use them instead of chips for dips etc.
    I mix a pack of lipton onion soup mix in a tub of sour cream, it makes awesome dip for raw veggies.
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
    Cauliflower can be a great substitute for mashed potatoes--cut florets and steam until tender, then mash with butter.
    Can also 'rice' raw cauliflower in the food processor, then cook in chicken broth; drain and serve. Much more nutritious than rice.
    Cut chunks of cauliflower core into 1/2 inch cubes and add to stew as sub for starchy potato.

    Use spaghetti squash in place of pasta for an extra daily veg serving.

    Roasted veg is great: cut sweet potato, butternut squash, carrot, parsnip, red onion into 1 inch chunks, toss with a dressing of 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; bake in open pan for 45 min or until tender at 400F If you like, can stir in florets of broccoli and quartered portabello mushrooms 1/2 way through cooking time.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    I seriously put minced garlic (I have this really fun garlic mincer gadget--I think I just like using it) on every veggie I cook. My son (he's 5) is SUPER picky. I mean it changes from one day to the next. But if I put some minced garlic in with the veggies while they steam, he's all over it!

    I'm a big fan of steamfresh veggies, in the freezer section. 5 minutes in the microwave and they're ready. Throw a little Ms. Dash and some minched garlic on em (no matter what it is) and they're delish!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories