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storage tips
If you're going to overeat something, make it nonstarchy vegetables. They're low in calories, usually about 25 calories per 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw. They're low in carbs, if you're counting carbs (about 5 per serving). They're low on the glycemic index (under 20), if you're following glycemic guidlines. They're low in fat, if you're counting fat grams (trace). They're vegetarian, if you're one of the growing group of people occasionally eating vegetarian foods. They're loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that keep making the news for their disease fighting abilities.
1. Stir-fry them in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add a protein, serve over a bed of whole grains and you've got a delicious meal. By putting the veggies in the main dish, you can't help but eat a balanced meal.
2. Add sauce. "Cheese" sauce, tomato sauce, salsa or gravy will add another layer of flavor and texture. Tomato sauce and salsa count as vegetables too.
3. Crudité and salad. Dip raw or blanched veggies in creamy Italian or dill dressing or any of your favorite salad dressings.
4. Eat baby veggies. They're sweeter and more tender. Baby beets, grape tomatoes, baby spinach, baby bok choy, baby artichokes and more. Baby carrots are the ones with the tops on. (You can eat the tops; they taste like carrots.) The little ones in bags are regular carrots that are chopped up.
5. Blanch them. Quickly dropping bitter greens into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then dropping them in ice water to stop the cooking will remove some of the bitter flavor.
6. Roast or grill them. Roasting and grilling concatenates the flavors, adds a crispy texture and caramelizes some of the sugars creating a sweeter taste. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
7. Cook cabbage and Brussels sprouts quickly. The objectionable smells come from compounds created after 5 min. of cooking. Shred or slice the cabbage very fine so it will get tender quickly. Cut larger Brussels sprouts in halves or quarters.
8. Eat the sweet ones. Sweet onions (Vidalia, Texas 1015, Maui), red onions, parsnips, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, red peppers, butternut squash are all sweet.
9. Store them properly. At the very least, store them away from the fruits. Many fruits give off ethylene gas which makes some veggies turn bitter, limp or off-color.
10. Use frozen veggies (and out-of-season fruits). They're very convenient and they have more nutrients and flavor than fresh veggies that have been hanging around too long.
11. Try heirloom veggies. What they lack in looks, they more than make up in flavor.
12. Go to a farmer's market. Fresh and in season are always better.
13. Add herbs and spices. Start with a good all-purpose seasoned salt or salt-free vegetable seasoning.
14. Keep trying new recipes. You might find a delicious way to eat a veggie you thought you hated.
15. Hide them. Add shredded carrots and onions to hashbrowns; mashed parsnips to mashed potatoes, shredded or finely diced veggies to veggie burgers. Get creative.
16. Try different varieties and hybrids. More and more exotic veggies (and fruits) are showing up in supermarkets. There may be a book in the produce section where you can learn about veggies you're unfamiliar with. Or buy whatever looks good then look up recipes on the internet when you get home.
17. Make soup. Slowly simmering soup mellows out the flavors and blends them together. A good way to use up all kinds of things that "need to be eaten" as my mother says.
18. Pick the right eggplant. Look for an oval blossom end if you're buying a larger eggplant. They have fewer seeds and less bitterness. The baby eggplants are never bitter.
19. Learn about the health benefits. You may be more willing to eat a veggie if you know why it's good for you. The more you eat it, the more likely you'll learn to like the taste.
20. Try different textures. If you object to a texture, try a different one—raw, chunks, puree, soft, tender crisp. Even juice is an option, though you lose the fiber in the processing.
21. Buy them prewashed. More and more veggies (and fruits) can be purchased prewashed and precut. Try salad blends, spinach, cole slaw mix, mushrooms, baby carrots, celery sticks.
22. Get nutty. A few crushed peanuts, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, etc. add another layer of flavor and texture.
23. Don't forget dessert. Carrot cake, zucchini cake, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie. Yum.
24. Go organic. Organic produce is often the best quality these days. And it's not genetically modified as some non-organic produce is. Think organic is too expensive? Try adding up all you spend on eating out, vending machine snacks, coffee and frozen entreés to put the cost of organic in perspective.
25. Canned is sometimes OK. Canned tomatoes, jarred spaghetti sauce and salsa are a pantry staples. If fresh artichokes are too intimidating, try the marinated ones in jars. Roasted red peppers in jars are tasty and convenient.
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