How do you prepare veggies?

[indigomama]

I really want to incorporate more, lots more vegetables into our meals. My kids eat the basics: green beans, carrots, salad (no tomatoes), cauliflower, broccoli, corn.

 

I grew up on canned veggies and salad (iceberg lettuce) so while I feel I am improving things I still need help.

 

I would like to broaden our range of vegetables and ways of preparing/serving them.

 

So, tell me what you eat (especially things your kids eat) and how you make it.

 

If you love books or websites that have good ideas, that's good too!

[Alessandra]

The Joy of Cooking has a lot of veggie recipes in one place.

 

I find that we eat more veggies when they are simple for me to cook. In winter, or anytime I am using the oven, I do roasted veggies -- carrots, shallots, other root vegetables, asparagus. Just toss in oil & salt & roast till softened. Roasting tends to concentrate the sugars in the veggies, so they taste sweet -- appealing to kids.

[Shelly in IL]

stir fried in olive oil and seasoned with season salt - yummy!

[Susann]

I'd love some new ideas, too!:bigear:

[*********]

I really want to incorporate more, lots more vegetables into our meals. My kids eat the basics: green beans, carrots, salad (no tomatoes), cauliflower, broccoli, corn.

 

Well, maybe start with what they do eat. For example, if they like raw carrots, see if they like them steamed. If they eat romaine lettuce, see if they like green or red leaf lettuce. That sort of thing. That will add some variety.

 

For example, neither of my boys likes steamed carrots, but Moose likes them raw. They both don't care for raw broccoli, but they both LOVE it steamed.

 

In addition to what you listed, my boys also like peas, celery sticks, and cucumber slices.

 

Roasting brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper is *delicious*.

 

Perhaps try adding different dips for raw veggies. See if they like hummus?

[RoughCollie]

Roasted veg are good. You can look up instructions online. I have always disliked sweet potatoes, and discovered they are delicious roasted. I roast bell peppers, potatoes, onions, too -- cut-up veg are tossed in herbs and olive oil first. I put them on a cookie sheet and stick them in the oven at 400 or 450. After about 20 minutes, I flip them so the bottoms will get roasted too. I have no idea how long they are in there -- 30 minutes, maybe more. Time sort of depends on oven temp and how brown I want the veg to get, which is why I said to look it up.

 

I also like to steam green beans with dried cranberries.

 

Celery sticks filled with peanut butter and dotted with raisins (ants on a log).

 

My former stepDDs have loved artichokes since they were 3 years old. You'd have to look up a recipe for that -- I think they are prepared by snipping the points off the cone-like "leaves", and boiled for 45 minutes in water with lemon. The leaves are removed and the soft inner part is scraped off with the teeth. At least that's how they ate them (special treat); I've never tried them.

 

I bought Brussels sprouts yesterday so I can try Mollie Katzen's recipe tomorrow. These keep for 5 days in a tightly covered container in the fridge.

 

Recipes for Crispy-Edged Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Ruby Chard Decorated with Itself, and Vanilla Maple Sweet Potatoes:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16470219

 

There are some cool ideas on websites I found by looking up kids veggies. My kids aren't too old for these, right? Right!

 

http://ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/eat-your-veggies/2009/07/22/

http://archive.blisstree.com/live/back-to-school-snack-veggie-critters/

http://www.cooksaid.com/blog/kids-and-veggies1/

Edited May 14, 2012 by RoughCollie

[Mrs Mungo]

I make salad with baby spinach, red leaf lettuce, romaine, etc.

 

Have you made the broccoli salad with almonds, craisins and such? I know the several varieties of that recipe have been posted on here.

 

My kids eat cauliflower raw. I mix it salads sometimes.

 

Carrots and potatoes go in my roast.

 

I roast asparagus in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper or sautée it with the same.

 

I make caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

 

But...veggies are incorporated into so many things that I cook. I might make pasta with asparagus and peas or pizza with caramelized onions and olives or quiche with veggies in it.

 

An easy, accessible resource? The Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine. If you subscribe, then it is very inexpensive. Each issue features a vegetable that is in season and gives several ideas of how to serve and prepare it. By the end of the year you would have a ton of new ideas.

[Crimson Wife]

My kids are skinny, so I put a lot of olive oil or Earth Balance on their veggies. I used to use butter, ranch dressing, or cheese before we had to take my little one off dairy. The nutrients in veggies are actually better absorbed when consumed with a bit of fat.

[LucyStoner]

We do a lot of roasted, grilled and stir fried veggies. Also a lot of main dishes I make are vegetable based.

 

A books that really have great vegetable recipes are:

 

Grub

 

The Accidental Vegan

 

I am so not a vegan (love meat and fish) but both of these vegan books really helped me up my game on cooking veggies.

[LAS in LA]

At the organic farm where I worked one year they always told people "Just saute it in a little olive oil with garlic". A simple preparation that let's you get to know the flavor of the vegetable.

[my2boysteacher]

My kids are obsessed with kale chips. They literally fight over them. :lol:

We spread them out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast until crispy.

 

My favorite is diced carrots and leeks sautéed in olive oil with a little salt. I could eat it at every meal!

[Annie]

My kids are obsessed with kale chips. They literally fight over them. :lol:

We spread them out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast until crispy.

 

Yes! My 2 yo would eat kale chips all day long!

 

How about breakfast smoothies with greens blended in? I always feel better when my LO is being picky if I know he got in a good bit of spinach with breakfast.

 

I love roasted beets and brussel sprouts. I like to add some balsamic vinegar to the brussel sprouts before I roast them.

[LillyMama]

I find that we eat more veggies when they are simple for me to cook. In winter, or anytime I am using the oven, I do roasted veggies -- carrots, shallots, other root vegetables, asparagus. Just toss in oil & salt & roast till softened. Roasting tends to concentrate the sugars in the veggies, so they taste sweet -- appealing to kids.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I do this, but not until they're softened, we prefer them crunchy in our house. I guess we technically broil them. My son LOVES edamame, my daughter asks for sweet potatoes. These tend to be our go-to's, although I don't think either of those are the healthiest choices of veggies so I try to limit them for once or twice a week.

 

We also have a weekly lunch with my mom at Sweet Tomatoes (Souplantation)- it's a salad bar type of restaurant. I have found it easier to have my kids try new veggies there, so I can see what they'll like. Since my husband refuses to eat veggies, (which makes this battle even harder) and I only have two young kids, it's not economical for me to, say, buy an eggplant that no one ends up eating. So free lunch from Grandma becomes our practice ground. I've found that we've added about 10 veggies to our rotation this year by just working up an interest.

 

I think my most successful trick is to put them in soup. I make a large stock of chicken noodle soup every weekend and then each lunch I add a different veggie. My kids don't love it but we get them eaten. It helps that I put "eat a vegetable" and "eat a fruit" every day on their chore charts. At the end of the week, any sticker missing causes them to lost 50 cents from their allowance. So, you know, they started motivated by that and now they've realized veggies aren't so bad and they just suffer through them. ;)

[Element]

I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing. We also had corn on the cob and fresh guacamole w/chips. I quit buying cookbooks because there are so many amazing vegetable ideas online. My favorite veggie prep method still has to be grilling, though! :) Yum....

 

Our favorites:

blanched or grilled asparagus

soak corn (husk and all) in water, then bake the whole thing in the oven for 20-30 minutes, shuck and enjoy

steamed or broiled broccoli

grill or broil shish kabobs with red onion, green pepper, and mushrooms

sauteed corn in butter (shhh. I know it's awful, but the family loves it.)

I like cauliflower cooked the same as the broccoli, but everyone else hates it so I rarely buy it. Also, the three of them will eat carrots any which way but I'm not a big fan however they are prepared.

 

My dd is picky so I often have to tweak things for her. She won't eat leafy stuff. I still require her to try it once in a while but I don't push it. Mostly I just separate the vegetables for her and cook them plain so she will eat them. For example, the rest of us like a lemon/garlic/evoo combo on nearly everything, but dd just likes things steamed plain with a little salt. So that's what I do for her portion of whatever I'm cooking.

 

Here is an inspiring cookbook that I check out from my library a couple of times each year: Almost Vegetarian.

[indigomama]

Wow! Great ideas!!

 

We roast our cauliflower, but for some reason haven't tried too many others roasted. So, I will be doing that.

 

I will check out the books and magazines suggested too. Thanks.

 

They do love hummus, maybe I need to think of more things for them to dip.

 

Loved to hear any more:)

[OrganicAnn]

I like for my DD to try most veggies - raw, cooked with butter s/p or roasted. We grow a lot of different kinds of veggies, so when you are out in the garden, picking and eating a green bean raw is nothing unusual. I don't mind elaborate recipes, but you really know if you like something if it is simply cooked with a little butter and salt and pepper. Or if it is salad type veggies with a simple vinaigrette.

[kalanamak]

The Joy of Cooking has a lot of veggie recipes in one place.

 

Her ratatouille is delicious, too.

 

Salads are vegetables, too.

[missmoe]

Often times I make a pureed soup. I cook a veggie (broccoli is our favorite) in a little bit of stock. Then I puree the veggie with the stock and add a bit of dairy---milk, yogurt, or cheese. I serve it before our meal or in a little bowl with our meal.

[Guest Kendrick]

Hi Indigomama,

I love boiled veggies with grilled fish and chicken breast. I am on diet and trying to lose weight so having healthy/balanced diet plans to lose weight. Besides diet plans I am exercising regularly to burn fat, boost immune system and to lose weight quickly.

[Riverland]

I like to steam veggies, especially broccoli, cauliflower, sliced sweet potatoes, asparagus, & sometimes brussel sprouts.

 

Then each person can add seasoning to their portion. Usually we eat the broccoli & cauliflower plain, slices of sweet potatoes with ketchup, asparagus plain, and brussel sprouts with butter & salt.

[Laura Corin]

Leaves of many kinds (cabbages, chinese cabbage, spinach, etc.) stir fried with garlic and sometimes fresh ginger.

Root veg and things like broccoli: steamed and dressed with butter/oil salt and pepper

Root veg roasted with oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic.

 

Laura

[KungFuPanda]

I like them prepared every way mentioned. One thing I didn't see was "pureed in soups." I love thick, creamy soups and you don't need fat to get this texture. I make a mulligatawny soup that is pureed lentils, onions, and potatoes with loads of spices. Also, the best broccoli soup has only broccoli, water, and salt. Get great broccoli, cook with a little ater and salt until tender, then puree in your blender adding the cooking water until you get your preferred consistency. You won't believe how creamy it gets and the color and flavor are amazing. You can top with cheese if you'd like, or add a swirl of yogurt or cream to make it fancy.

[Lily_Grace]

Dh does most of the cooking around here, but he's come up with some wonderful ideas! Our family hates candied yams, but he makes an amazing twice baked sweet potato that's mixed with taleggio cheese, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary on top before baking the second time.

 

Green beans are french cut and steamed, then tossed in a light vinaigrette/topped with toasted almonds.

We replace lettuce with baby spinach for extra nutrients in tacos, burgers, and salads. (and it's great in stuffed chicken!)

Oh, he also does a pear, pecchorino, and arugula salad - but I forget if there's a dressing on it.

Um...hmm..for the most part as long as the veggies are prepared well our kids will eat them. I'm a little pickier. I don't eat peas, but if we use pea pods I'll eat that instead. None of us eat broccoli. The rest just takes some time to figure out the best prep method for us to enjoy it.