Vegetable help for a picky eater

[teacherwendy]

I have just finished day 2.  I am a super picky eater and vegetables aren't something I enjoy a lot of.  I have done cauliflower rice but if I do that everyday I will get sick of it. Carrots,broccoli, sweet potatoes and spinach are the extent of what I actually like.  What are some good recipes out there that really cover the taste of vegetables so I can get more variety in my diet.  Think of your picky child and that's me   Help please  

[anaxg]

Do you like arugula? I'm not a veggies nor salads fan....  but since I tried arugula I can't stop eating eat! some olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and it really is delicious!

Grilled Zucchini is really good too.   

how about plantains?  you can make them fried or mashed.

Stuffed Bell Peppers?  stuff'em with ground meat and a tomato sauce so you won't feel the bp taste....

I put onions, spinach, peppers (really everything) on my ground meat and then make patties, that way I eat veggies without noticing

Try new veggies, you'll see there are some that aren't that bad... I buy new ones every week and make me try them, you'll find tons of recipes online, for this week I got: Spaghetti Squash, eggplants, Jicama and beets.

Ah! try the Kale chips those are good!  

look up for recipes on pinterest... the visual always helps

good luck!

[moggle]

Mushrooms: slice thinly, cook in preferred cooking fat (clarified butter is nice) on medium heat until nice and soft (about 10+ minutes) then add a big slug of balsamic vinegar at the end + salt & pepper.

 

Thinly slice mediterranean veg (zuchini, mushrooms, red pepper, aubergine etc) and layer like a lasagne, pour tinned tomatoes over the top and bake for 30-45 minutes on about 180C

 

Stir fry veggies such as beans, broccoli, snap peas, green beans, zuchini etc , add coconut milk & salt/coconut aminos/fish sauce. Some pre-cooked chunks of sweet potato or pumpkin are nice chucked in at the end. Also some baby spinach just before you serve it. 

 

But ALSO

 

try cooking veggies different ways and even try eating raw. Hubs and I hated Brussels sprouts because both our mums cooked the bejesus out of them but if they are microwaved till just tender, they are nice (well hubs at least tolerates a few and he was a definite hater before). They are also nice roasted.

 

Cauliflower has a different texture & taste when roasted. 

 

Try florence fennel. Kind of an aniseedy-onion taste - really yummy grilled/roasted till it caramelizes on the cut edges. 

 

Lots of veg are much nicer microwaved/steamed instead of being boiled to a pulp. 

[melbournegirl]

Do you like canned tomatoes? Very versatile, mix with canned tuna and olives, pour over green beans, pour onto chicken pieces nd bake in the oven

[crannaford]

We've just finished our whole30 and we love our veggies now. I think you'll find that if you persist with 3 meals a day with veggies at every meal you will start to enjoy them, in fact you'll start to look forward to them. We expect a plate of veggies with every meal now. You might like to have a look at our 30 days in pictures for some ideas  http://pinterest.com/backtomycave/our-3-meals-a-day-for-30-days/

 

Good luck

[AmyS]

Adding some thoughts to all of the suggestions above:

 

I've seen on these forums an interesting set of situations where people say that they dislike vegetables.  The first scenario is that they've tried something multiple ways, cooked well in various preparations, and they simply have to admit that they do not like a particular vegetable.  The second scenario is that they have not tried a particular vegetable and they are a little leery of trying a new food, and uncertain as to how to prepare it.  The third scenario is that they have some level of texture sensitivity and certain food textures put them off regardless of taste.

 

I mention these three scenarios because it can really help to identify whether you truly dislike a particular vegetable; or whether you have a fear of the unknown in, err, addressing it; or whether you have some overall texture issues that you need to work with regardless of what food you are preparing.

 

At the same time, keep in mind that your sense of taste will be changing over the course of your Whole30.  Small example from me: I once posted a thread here asking for help liking sweet potatoes.  When I started Whole30 I truly disliked everything about them, most especially the taste.  I tried them many times and made myself eat them, so it wasn't a situation where I couldn't stuff them down, it was just that I did not like them.  Imagine my surprise after a few months of eating Whole30/Whole30-style, to discover that my sense of taste had changed so much that I loved sweet potatoes!!  I still cannot explain how that happened.  But it certainly did.  I had some for dinner last night!

 

Good luck, have fun, and try out a few new things - you may surprise yourself!

[teacherwendy]

Thank you so much everyone for the replies!  I will try to be adventurous and try these veggie ideas that I've never eaten before.  Again thank you so much for helping out this newbie 

[carolinaBlue]

Appendix A in ISWF has a bunch of master recipes that you can use to plan your meals and try out new veggies. I'm still finding new combinations that keep expanding my horizons

[MrsRobinson]

"Hubs and I hated Brussels sprouts because both our mums cooked the bejesus out of them but if they are microwaved till just tender, they are nice (well hubs at least tolerates a few and he was a definite hater before). They are also nice roasted."

 

Same here...my husband used to say that brussels sprouts were the only thing he hated...until I started roasting them...now he loves them. They don't taste like sad waterlogged little cabbages when you roast them. I like to go to the farmer's market and say, hey, whatcha got...and how do I cook it? 

 

[BlueEyesBlazing]

I made zucchini noodles the other night with a julienne peeler (inexpensive at Bed, Bath & Beyond) and sauteed them in olive oil on the stove before adding cooked ground beef, onions, peppers, and marinara sauce. Delicious and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference between the zucchini and regular noodles!

[Moxamoll]

I adore roasted spaghetti squash, but the other day my meal was a bit short of fats, so I stirred some curry powder into mayo and mixed it with my squash. Heaven on a fork.

Another fav meal base around here is brussel sprouts, pan fried with bacon, onion and olives. Finding compliant bacon around here is hit or miss, but totally worth the trouble to make this up!

[ultrarunnergirl]

Spaghetti squash. Cut in half, place face down on foiled pan with a few tablespoons of water. Roast 25-35 minutes at 400-425.

I love it even more when I stir it into sizzling garlic & olive oil, then add your protein and then compliant tomato sauce, lastly throw in some spinach to wilt. YUM!

 

Shredded veggies - carrots, green cabbage make a sweet tasting slaw or addition to salad. Even better, my current obsession is shredded rutabaga (try it, I swear you will love it) and/or shredded sweet potato. Sautee in your fat, with salt and paprika and/or a bit of chili powder -- delicious breakfast hash! Top with an egg or toss in cooked protein.

 

Basically, I think roasting makes just about any veggie taste delicious. Seriously? Broccoli roasted tastes COMPLETELY different.

 

Cut 1 inch or so pieces of any of these: broccoli, beets, carrots, cauliflower, or butternut squash to name a few - and toss with melted fat and kosher salt, then roast at 425 for 10-20 minutes (make sure to turn it!) or until browned on the bottom and no longer crunchy.

 

Good luck!

[Guest]

I add canned pumpkin to frittattas, chilis,...anything that could use a little creaminess and more veggies.

 

Purees are fun.  Root veggies and squashes puree nicely.  You could start with the ones you like and the dominant flavors and add a little of something else.  I prefer to season at meal time so that it goes with the protein.  (I have used sweet potato, butternut squash, celery root, rutatbaga, parsnip, carrot...seems endless.)

 

I also sneak minced carrots and mushrooms and zucchini into ground meats.

[pjena]

Great ideas and recipes here.  My suggestion is to treat yourself as you would a child.  With my kids, I make a huge variety of vegetables (try a CSA or farmers market) in a variety of ways and they are expected to try them.  I try to make it fun and an adventure.  They don't have to like them. They just have to eat them and nicely give their opinion of what they like and don't like about the dish.  We've found some recipes that everyone likes, some that just some of us like and some that nobody likes.  We just keep trying and try not to make it a big deal.  In addition to maybe finding a new way to prepare a particular vegetable, you may learn to like them.  I HATED tomatoes, even as an adult.  To the point of gagging whenever forced to eat one.  But, after having kids, I ate them anyway.  That way, when my son said he doesn't like tomatoes, I can point to the ones on my plate and say neither do I, but I'm eating them because they're good for me.  And, guess what - over time I started to tolerate them.  And then not mind them.  And now I actually kind of like them.  Weird how that works!  My kids still say they don't like certain vegetables, but I hope that over time, they will learn to like more and more, and at the very least, I know they will politely eat them when we are out and about.  Good luck!