Inspire me into some new veggies!

[jenfl]

Our family is in a veggie rut. We cycle through corn, peas, broccoli, and carrots (with occasional salads for the grown-ups or green beans for DH). I tend to leave veggies as an afterthought -- just grabbing a bag of frozen something out of the freezer and heating it up with dinner.

But I'd like to put more veggie dishes into our lives, and DD is in a receptive state for trying new things. So can you throw out some of your favorite, fairly easy recipes or ideas? The only real restrictions are that I don't like beans and DD doesn't like lettuce.

Thanks!

[Limabean1975]

Do you have a barbecue? Barbecued veggies are a whole other vegetable experience. Most veggies are yummy tossed with oil & salt and bbq'd. Sometimes a little balsamic vinegar and/or garlic.

If not barbecued, then roasted in the oven is also great. Brussel sprouts (just one example) with oil & salt , halved and roasted in the oven on a baking sheet, are AMAZING.

[BetsyS]

I find that going to a farmers' market/international market/well stocked grocery store is the most inspiring place for me to try new vegetables. All the colors and shapes and smells! So exciting and invigorating. Makes you want to try new things.

The grown-ups in my house like greens. My kids, not so much. They tolerate them on their plates, nad they lick them. LOL. I usually saute them in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes. Collards, turnips, beet greens, spinach, mixed braising greens (from the garden/farmers' market), mustard, whatever.

My kids like cooked carrots, roasted with salt and pepper. One of my children likes sweet potatoes, which are usually roasted in small cubes with salt.

Both of my boys love salad veggies. One likes lettuce; one does not. but, they both love the other raw veggies--cucumbers, small pieces of cauliflower, radishes, raw carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc. Anything you'd find on a salad bar.

[tanyalynn]

Roasted veggies are great, roasted broccoli and cauliflower are yum. Plus the usual root/tuber veggies (bet they'd be even better on a grill).

Baby bok choy is mild and yummy, one our fallback dishes is half baby bok choy, half celery, plus garlic and/or ginger, sesame oil, salt (we'd probably use soy sauce if DS wasn't intolerant of soy). Tasty, it's actually really tasty cold the next day as leftovers too.

Roasted sweet potatoes, I just cut them into rounds with the skin on, roast in a pan with coconut oil til the outside gets caramelized--you have to watch your oven and your pan to figure that out, I had to play with the temp for quite a while to get the right combo (too cool, doesn't caramelize, too warm and it blackens in a heartbeat). But when you figure out the right conditions for your oven, yum.

[Zevy]

Oh wow, I could live off veggies.

Agree...roasted or grilled is great. Often, I'll just throw a bunch in a roasting pan and stick it in the oven for half an hour with some spices at around 350. Or you can steam them or stir fry them with a bit of oil and seasonings.

Veggies I like:

eggplant
sweet peppers
onion
summer squash (yellow and green)
kale and other greens: collard, mustard, etc
mushrooms (lots of different types)
cauliflower and broccoli
asparagus
artichokes
potatoes (white, sweet, red, golden, new...)
snap peas
winter squash (acorn, butternut, delcata)
radishes
celery
turnips and rutabaga
parsnips
plantains

You can be creative...browse a farmers market or even the produce dept of the grocery store and pick something new and interesting.

[Barefoot~Baker]

Originally Posted by Limabean1975

If not barbecued, then roasted in the oven is also great.

Asparagus is my fave, steamed, sauteed, grilled, roasted, whatever, delish!!!

Another is butternut squash, mashed with butter & a little salt and maple syrup, or roasted.

[Magali]

Sweet potato fries are yummy, especially with a mayo, garlic, lemon dip .
I also like to make pita pizzas, with a spinach pesto base (great way to get spinach into my 3 yr old) and then little cherry tomatoes cut in half smothered in cheese on top. Veggie sandwiches are good too. I like cucumbers, tomatoes, onions avocado and cheese and sprouts on mine. I like to roast carrots in olive oil and dill, and when they are done I stir in some melted honey and butter.

[Magali]

I have some more ideas...
Nachos with a homemade salsa. We make chicken quesadillas here a lot with either an avocado/corn/cilantro/lime salsa, or a pineapple/red
onion/cilantro/lime salsa. Both are so, so delicious. And the same spinach pesto I mentioned earlier is great on pasta as well.

[Limabean1975]

Magali, recipes for those quesadillas and salsas?

[Magali]

Sure!

For the chicken quesadillas, I like to use boneless chicken thighs. I roast them in the oven with cumin and paprika and salt and pepper, 375 for about 35 mins. Then I layer cheddar cheese, cut up chicken and more cheese between 2 tortillas and fry in olive oil. I don't know exact measurements for the salsas cause I just throw it together, but let me link from Food Network. Avocado and corn salsa. I just noticed the recipe includes cumin, I never use it though and it tastes fantastic. And here is the Pineapple salsa. Fwiw, Michael Smith (Chef at Home) has lots of really good, healthy, easy veggies ideas...we love him around here.
My tomato salsa is just regular, delicious pico de gallo.