I don't like vegetables. - Page 2

[laohaire]

I totally hear ya on not having the space/energy for gardening, so if it doesn't work for you right now, it just doesn't work. But just as an idea to consider if you were actually interested enough to try it, you could "container" garden even just one plant. Just get a big pot and put one thing in it, a tomato plant, a bean plant, whatever (not any squash though) and put it on the porch. Probably won't even have to weed it.

[JTA Mom]

Like pp, try eating each veggie in a different way. Grilling, roasting, broiling (really quick), steaming, boiling, braising, stir-frying, baking, marinating, etc are all different ways to 'cook' different veggies.

Also, don't be afraid to put butter, olive oil, cheese, etc on them for flavoring. In fact, you want to eat your veggies with fats so that you can absorb the fat soluble vitamins in them. In fact, if you look at traditional preparations for veggies worldwide, they are eaten with some sort of 'dressing' (fat, etc), rarely raw. In fact, I HATE raw veggies. I just won't eat them. But cooked, yep.

Oh, and if you don't like a veggie one way (roasted, for example) you might like it prepared another way (like boiled, in a soup). I thought I HATED brussel sprouts. Turns out that if they are drizzled in a bit of butter (like 2tsp), sprinkled with salt & roasted in a hot oven (400* plus) or a HOT cast iron pan, until the top leaves turn dark brown, they are DELISH!!!:

As for your little one, give her well cooked veggies, plain or not. I started ds on well steamed broccoli (my fave) & broiled asparagus with olive oil & salt. As long as it's soft enough for them to gum it to a mash, it's fine. ETA: And the whole children don't like veggies is crap. As long as you don't make a big deal about it & they see you eating it like it's normal, they'll do the same.


Ami

[Poddi]

My DH was exactly like that when I met him. His family pretty much only eat peas, corn, carrots and potatoes. They don't even eat salads. I'm a veggie lover so he gradually got exposed to more variety and different ways of cooking them. I'd also say fresh makes a huge difference. He cringed when I first bought some asparagus and cooked them. Said it's gross to him. Then he tasted some and said it's not bad at all. Turned out he only had canned asparagus before, eww. Same with green beans, fresh crunchy beans lightly cooked and buttered, is nothing like canned mush he had before. Apparently his mom was very frugal and wouldn't spend money on fresh stuff, only frozen veggies and root vegetables.

Now he has tried and enjoy all sorts of different veggies. He even liked lotus root and bamboo shoots (fresh, not canned). A lot of the time I think experimenting with cooking method make a whole world of difference.

[Pookietooth]

What about soup? Would you eat a vegetable soup? What about a homemade veggie juice? Have you tried fresh veggie juice from a juice bar (they are more rare than they used to be, but there are usually a few in most cities).

[Chinese Pistache]

Didn't read all the replies, but I love roasted vegetables. Cut up into chunks whatever you want to try: carrots, hunks of onion, peppers, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, zucchini (not to small with the softer veggies). Toss them in a big bowl with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Then, spread on a baking sheet and cook until soft and golden (maybe 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees?). If you like seasoning salt, add that before cooking, too. Pretend it's a big pan of baked french fries

Make soup with vegetables. If you don't like the texture, puree the whole thing so you can't "see" them. You can do the same with marinara sauce for your spaghetti or pizza. Speaking of pizza, cut some vegetables in tiny pieces, saute in olive oil until soft and top your pizza with lots of cheese so they're kind of hidden.

[pear-shaped]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

Vegetarian cookbooks would be awesome too -- that way they're usually worked into a broader, more complex dish, not just sitting there on the side waiting to be ignored. Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone maybe (or her other books), or any of Mollie Katzen's books.

Great advice- I actually started getting interested in eating vegetables after looking at Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Growing up, vegetables were always boring, unseasoned, boiled (ick!) side dishes, and that's why I hated them.