15 Ways...the final chapter!

Rethink your style…

Your cooking style that is. Adding fat isn’t the only way to pump up the taste…Try some different cooking techniques:

Blanching: This technique is common among Asian cooks & may be one of the reasons the Chinese eat so many more vegetables than Americans. This method helps keep veggies from getting overly bitter. Steam veggies 30 – 60 seconds, then remove them from the heat & drop them in cold water. This stops the strong flavors from developing. Stir-frying also preserves flavor by cooking quickly.

Broil some Brussels Sprouts: Slice thawed sprouts in half. Drizzle with lemon juice & olive oil then sprinkle with sea salt & garlic powder. Place on middle rack of oven & bake at 425 for 25 minutes (tossing them ½ way through bake time).

Slow that onion down: The onion family (which includes leeks, shallots, & garlic) is rich in compounds suspected to fight cancer. But for you onion haters, the sharp flavors & smells can be nauseating. Try slow roasting onions, which brings out the sweetness & cuts the sharpness. Also, sautéing them in a little olive oil over low heat until caramelized mellows out the flavor too.

Play with Presentation.

We eat with our eyes first! So it helps to slice & dice unappealing veggies & fruits into attractive shapes… Arranging them on a pretty plate can also pump up the palatability factor.

With kids, giving foods fun or silly names can help too! I have been known to label some favorites as: Strawberry Mountains or Broccoli Trees. Come up with your own silly labels & your kids may forget that they’re “yucky”.

Read Up on the Vegetable You Hate Most

Sometimes knowing why something is so very good for you helps you to overcome your resistance. Many times just talking about how healthy a given food is creates a level of curiosity for it. Understanding why something tastes bad (bitter, bland etc...) – combined with repeated, regular exposure – actually makes it easier to stomach. If you knew that kale could help protect you from cancer, you might be more willing to forget the taste & eat more of it, particularly if cancer runs in your family & is a concern for you.

Indulge Your Inner Sweet Tooth

Everyone knows that sweet tastes better to us than bitter. Even babies start off with a preference to sweet foods. So why not indulge in some of the sweeter veggies? Yams, squash, peas & carrots are all naturally sweet and they all pack plenty of nutritional advantages!

Splurge on Something Fried

I hate to even add this to the list but it is okay to have fried veggies on occasion… The most important thing though is that it should be occasional. Remember fried treats (French fries, battered-&-fried onions etc…) are a splurge! In some cases they can pack a day’s worth of calories… so eater be ware!!!

Do you have any additional ways you’ve found to make your veggies yummy? I’d love to hear them!!!