7 Ways to Beat Vegetable Boredom "Only 27 percent of Americans get the recommended 3 or more servings of vegetables per day." Here are seven suggestions from Consumer Reports to help you get your daily vegetables. [Consumer Reports Health]
Post a comment
Comments:
@semanticantics: I second the farmer's market, or even better, signing up for a CSA. When I used to go to farmer's markets I would just get kind of overwhelmed by all the stuff I didn't know how to cook. But with my CSA, I'm stuck with the stuff so I have to get creative and figure out how to cook it, or feel like a jerk for letting it go to waste.
It was President Bush (#41) who became my hero when he refused to eat broccoli. Three or more servings per day? Who's kidding whom?
11. Make friends with a vegetarian.
For real, folks. I may be a low-carber now, but I know more things to do with veggies than my mom ever dreamed of.
PM me if you want some ideas.
@speedwell, avatar of snark: That's for true!
Vegans and vegetarians hold the keys to the super secret book of vegetable magic.
I've been taking a salad with me for lunch at work, instead of a sandwich. Here's how I make it tasty without loading it down with fatty dressing:
6 cups of lettuce
handful of one or more of the following: bacon bits (from real bacon), croutons, sesame sticks, chinese noodles/chow mein noodles (uncooked).
cheese - parmesean usually works, although I also like cheddar
Surprisingly tasty and low cal.
I like experimenting with weird textures & shapes. Makes the vegetables more interesting. Instead of slicing a cucumber, try grating it and mix it with some mozzarella cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, and a bit of italian dressing. Shredding zucchini is fun, too -- try making a traditional potato pancake with potato, sweet potato, and zucchini. Very good stuff.
If I drench it in butter, does it still count as a vegetable?
@semanticantics: Caprese is a personal favorite. But by time you buy *authentic* balsamic vinegar, the last of your worries is going to be saving a few cents per pound on tomatos. On the other hand, I know it's often impossible to find those wonderful heirloom varieties in most megamarts (well, and real balsamic vinegar, for that matter).
@EdWedig: I also like adding texture like from diced carrots and corn. A little bit of dried cranberry also adds a ton of flavor.
@EdWedig: I heart salads. Hard to screw them up.
I think that sound like it would be good maybe with some broccoli, baby corn, and edamame tossed in as well. Or more nutrient-dense greens like spinach or arugula.
@Covertghost: Sure, it still has vitamins. Bonus points for deep frying it first. Of course that will destroy some of the vitamins, so be sure to eat more.
I go through 2-3 pounds of vegetables a week on my own easily, and I'd do even more if they weren't usually so damn expensive. I can *always* find meat for less than the majority of the vegetables I buy, exceptions to potatoes which I generally avoid and only really consider a starch anyway.
Used to dislike many vegetables... my mom is not a great cook. trying to ease the spouse into enjoying some bit by bit. He'll do pasta sauce, tomatoes/romaine on sandwiches, basic salads, and corn but that's about it. He's an adult and it's his choice even if i'd really like that he eat better. At least he likes whole wheat pasta/bread and brown rice now.
@speedwell, avatar of snark: I don't want to know what your mom was dreaming about doing with her vegetables, please.
@speedwell, avatar of snark:
Excellent Idea! I'll be any meat-eater's friend if it means i can make them a veggie dinner!
I'd add to the list of suggestions, to try cooking international dishes. That way, even if you do use the same vegetable twice, at least the dish tastes totally different, reducing boredom.
@balthisar: I've read conflicting recipes about including balsamic in a caprese. Personally, I can see it overpowering the tomatoes, which all taste different from each other to being with. I don't use it. I wouldn't have a problem with buying it, I've got white truffle oil and I've bought fresh truffles (Oregon) before. Not shy spending my money on food.
@semanticantics: I'm not a huge fan of balsamic in a caprese myself. I opt for a very, very light oil vinaigrette or a basil pesto.
@Ratty: From my experience, kids who grow up with parents who aren't very good cooks tend to be pickier eaters, and parents who aren't good at adaptation or cooking a variety of foods tend to raise picky children.
Mr. Pi is like your spouse. He doesn't like vegetables much, doesn't like tomatoes, he's not a fan of rice, he doesn't eat much pasta or soup...I feel like all adults should eat like adults, not children. It's okay to not like tomatoes, but at least try it, you know? Mr. Pi has improved significantly. His mom is amazed ... I have neglected to tell her how much of an uphill battle it has been because of his upbringing.
We are veggie fantatics. A bad cook can make any ingredient taste awful, and a good cook can make (just about) any ingredient taste great. We are mostly vegetarian, but an invitation to our home for dinner is a hot ticket simply because I work hard to make things taste great. Here are some ideas to increase your consumption:
To shake things up and get your out of a standard green salad rut -- look into marinated salads that include beans, peppers, seasonal vegetables, grains and cheeses. We are lucky to be living in an age where the internet is full of food bloggers and recipe sites that will lead you to some great recipes.
Add one vegetable to your plate at each meal, even if you just open a can of something. After a while it will become a habit.
If it's been a while since you've tried a vegetable, try it again. Think about what you didn't like about it cooked the way it was when you disliked it, and go the opposite direction. Roasting is a simply way to make just about any vegetable taste great.
Invest in some spices (I like Penzey's or the Spice House for great quality spices at amazing prices), kosher salt and a pepper mill. You can't make anything that tastes good if you don't buy a few staples to help you.
When you're using your oven, throw in a couple of washed and foil wrapped sweet potatoes to bake. They are great on their own with butter salt and pepper (and some brown sugar if you like), or used in soups or caseroles.
BUY vegetables and USE them! Wash them and cut them up if you can, so that they are easy to use in recipes or eat raw. I'm not much of a fruit eater, but if I buy fruit and wash it or cut it up so that it's easy to grab and eat, I find that I eat far more of it.
For you financially frugal types, think about eating well the same way you think about credit card debt and living beyond your means. If you eat a diet high in fats and meat products and processed foods, and low in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, you're buying things your body can't afford merely because you WANT them. Eventually the bill becomes due. Instead, save up for what you want by eating reasonably most days, and splurging on a luxury meal on special occasions (or once a week). Just like spending sensibly, eating sensibly becomes a habit if you put it into practice. I do treat myself to a pair of awesome shoes or a very nice restaurant meal every now and then -- I can afford to because I'm careful with my money and my diet and I deserve a luxry now and then. Though, honestly, most times when we leave a restaurant, my husband says, "I think your version of that dish is better." So for me, the luxury is that I didn't have to make the meal, rather than the meal itself.
@pecan 3.14159265: Yep, I was an extremely picky eater growing up. the list of foods i thought i hated because of my mom's cooking would baffle many people. But since I'm the household cook, i've had a lot more practice making things the way i enjoy them now and i am always eager for a heap of vegetables.
My mom was so bad she managed to get me to hate fried chicken, meat roasts of any kind, marinara-type sauces, pancakes, macaroni and cheese, homemade pizzas, burritos, homemade burgers... yeah.
Most kiddy junk type food was viewed as great because it beat the alternative of my mom's cooking. I got food poisoning so many times. She still cuts raw meat on a WOODEN CUTTING BOARD. Oh and guess what? She teaches food classes now at my old high school. :(
@Ratty: I want to burst into tears now! Your poor thing! At least my mom knew better than to even try! She just took me out to eat so I could have decent Mac n'Cheese that didn't come from a box!
I'll give Mr. Pi's mom credit though - she's a great cook at what she makes. But she doesn't have a lot of variety or adaptation, and that's her limit. I will tackle any kind of food, and I will go as far as to replace most ingredients in a recipe to adapt it for our tastes and our budget. I'll also mash up two or three different recipes to combine the ingredients I like with the cooking style I like (I can make succulent beef stew on the stove top just as well as others can in the oven, and in less time).
One of the new issues of Cooks Illustrated demonstrated how to steam vegetables on a stove top without the use of a steamer or an oven or anything of the kind. I thought it was bizarre of CI to demonstrate something I've been doing for years and thought was perfectly logical and reasonable, but here's what I do (and they did) with broccoli:
Cut broccoli, place in small pot (or one that is an appropriate size for your amount), and add a teaspoon (or increase depending on amount) of water. Add one teaspoon of butter and a pinch of salt. Simmer on low heat and let the water steam the vegetables. The salt and butter should be enough to flavor the broccoli. It takes about 10 minutes total.
@The Porkchop Express: I know, how do you eff them up? She did. her fried chicken was just raw chicken in breading, cooked in a pan at 325 in 1/2 inch of corn oil and turned a lot, and the insides were usually questionably cooked through. it was greaselogged and flavorless.
And the meat roasts were always near flavorless and overdone. And incredibly cheap cuts.
oh, and she made me hate porkchops and steaks too... she used pork shoulder blade in a chop cut as porkchops and overcooked the crap out of them.
@pecan 3.14159265: My mom is a decent baker but that's about it.
@ZoeSchizzel: I'm trying to lose weight and have been cutting portions and eating more brown rice, beans and vegetables. I like to buy the frozen stir fry packages (hard to find without broccoli; I love broccoli but it makes my tummy hurt) and it's easy to just throw them in a pan with a bit of olive oil and cook 'em up. I've been eating way more veggies since I went to frozen. I can just grab a handful and saute or nuke them. I don't have time to cut stuff up usually. I do it with onions and peppers and freeze them and that's about it.
I was bad this weekend; made a thing of Kraft mac n cheese and ate a ton of it. Bad HogwartsAlum!!! *slaps own little hand*
@pecan 3.14159265: I do that with carrots. Put a metal colander over the pot, put the carrots in and put the pot lid over them.
My brother-in-law put lemon juice on carrots at one family dinner and they were DELISH.
@HogwartsAlum: I've been managing a bit more vegetables thanks to those Steamer packs. Just microwave for like five minutes and you have steamed veggies. They even have some mixed with rice now, granted it's not brown rice, but still, there are veggies!
But frozen veg FTW!
Put grated carrots on your salad instead of lettuce. Put your sandwiches in hot dog buns to hold the carrots in. Veggie shakes and romaine + mashed potatoes sound vile. Make colcannon instead of potato/romaine wraps.
I mean, put grated carrots on your sandwiches, not on your salads. I don't like salads, but love cooked vegetables of all kinds.
@Ratty: @pecan 3.14159265: My mom too. In her defense, I went vegetarian at the age of 5, in a house of meat eaters, so she was sort of at a loss, and this was loooong before the internet, or readily available tofu. So it was a struggle for mom, but at the same time, I'm not sure how adaptable she is. So I grew into a young adult vegetarian who wouldn't eat an onion, mushroom, olive, or tomato. And Italian, to top it all off!
BF and I love to cook, and so now, I can't put an actual tomato in my mouth, but that's about the only limitation (other than peaches, which apparently trigger dry heaves in me). I can do tomato sauce pretty well (no chunks, it's a texture thing). But it has been an uphill battle, and BF has actively worked to get me into some of these foods. Now I couldn't live without olives!
@HogwartsAlum: One of our favorite quick & easy meals to make that is super healthy and would fit your need is a clean out your cabinet sort of thing.
Take any grain (rice, orzo, couscous, Israeli couscous, quinoa, etc). cook some.
Take some beans. Open the can or cook some.
Chop up onion, garlic, and whatever veggies you have in the house. We use celery, carrots, bell peppers, squash, etc., but anything will do. throw in some fresh spices if you have them, it's lovely. saute the onion & garlic in a tiny bit of oil, add the veggies that would be better sauteed.
As the grains finish, add the beans and the veggies and cook until everything is warmed through. Salt to taste. Top with some lemon juice (and quality olive oil if you like).
You've got all you need in your meal, and you can load it with veggies. yum!
@EdWedig: @EdWedig: I'm sorry, but bacon, croutons, sesame sticks and chinese noodles are neither low cal nor healthy for you. Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar make an incredibly delicious and healthy salad dressing. And of course nothing wrong with throwing some vegetables, olives, nuts, etc. on a salad.
@ChuckECheese: Ohh you know what makes an excellent addition to sammiches? Roasted squash. I used up a good chunk of our CSA pattypan and other summer squashes by slicing, roasting then refrigerating them for quick sandwiches later. A little oily, sure, but mmmmmmghghffhbbhghgmmm so tasty.
Sliced cucumbers with a little apple cider vinegar, water, salt, sugar and sliced sweet onion. In a mason jar. Yum.
Zucchini sliced lengthwise and grilled with the burgers. Sometimes we use a little olive oil and romano, sometimes soy sauce. You can also cut them up more to make "fries," and roast them in the oven.
My new favorite: brussels sprouts, halved, tossed in olive oil and salt, and roasted in the oven. Easy as heck, and so tasty.
This summer we were inundated with spinach from the garden. Bags full! Had to get creative. I learned to like it more than I used to. Mixed in pasta sauce, baked in a fritatta, wilted for a warm salad... We even used it to wrap around stir fried pork.
Go to your Farmers Market. They will have what is in season, super fresh, and cheaper than the supermarket. If you don't know what something is or how to prepare it, ask.
I made a caprese salad last week with 6 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, check it out:
[www.flickr.com]