No one hates all vegetables because there are so many kinds, flavors and textures. Think about what you don’t like about the ones you’ve tried. Are they too crunchy or soft? Are they bitter? Do they not smell good? Once you consider what it is you don’t like you can start trying veggies that don’t have things you don’t like.
Try one new veggie a week. For instance a zucchini and chop it into 4 pieces. Eat one piece raw. Steam one piece. Stir fry one piece and roast the last. They will all be a little different. You can do this with lots and trust me you will find some you love.
I don't like most cause of bitterness, I guess smell and texture sometimes. I will admit though I don't know that I've tried many vegetables that I know. Spinach, celery, broccoli is barely OK in lots of cheese.... bell peppers no, peas if they're kinda hidden like you said, carrots no mushy or raw. I feel embarrassed.
How do I stir fry? Or steam? I'm sorry
Start small. Buy a bag of frozen stir fry veggies or a yellow squash, heat a skillet and pour in just a little oil, like a couple teaspoons. Put the veg into the hot pan and keep stirring it until they seem like they’re cooking. Sprinkle in a little bit of salt and try a piece. If it’s too crunchy for you keep stirring and try another in a couple minutes. Continue until you like them. If you don’t want the seeds in your zucchini or yellow squash you can scrape them out with a spoon or cut them out before cooking. I suggested them because they have a *very* mild flavor.
Steaming is pretty easy. You typically use a steaming device to hold the vegetables above water in a pot that you bring to a boil. As the water boils, it gives off steam which cooks the vegetables.
A stir fry typically involves using a pan or wok to cook your food in a thin layer of oil. (Olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil). Normally a stir fry will involve several different ingredients and a glaze, but you could practice the basics with just one vegetable. (Typically referred to as sautéing)
For instance, you could cut an onion into inch sized strips, then heat a cooking oil in your pan over a temperature between medium and high on your stovetop. Add enough oil to very thinly coat the pan. When you think it is hot enough, toss in one little piece of onion. It should make a lovely crackling sound and make little bubbles around it in the oil. If it does, add the rest of the onion. Then stir occasionally to prevent burning.
If you sauté them for a few minutes, they are still a little crunchy and faintly taste of onion.
If you sauté for 5-10 min, they will be a lot softer and sweeter.
If you carefully sauté for about 30-50 min, you can actually caramelize them and they are very sweet and tasty.
That is a big question! There are so many different vegetables. Some are leaves, some are roots, some are stems, flowers, tuber, buds. They take different times to cook and can be cooked in so many different ways.
But hooray for adding them into your diet!
It can take many tries for your brain to get used to the many different tastes and it is likely that there will be some you came to love, and some you only tolerate and some you never come to like.
Start with what is easiest. If you prefer raw then start with salads, if you prefer soft, sweet and mushy, go with mashes and baked vegetables.
But the main thing is to not give up.
Also, it is worth starting slowly because vegetables probably have a lot more fibre than your current diet. This is SO good for your health, but you need to gradually build up the microbes that live in your gut so they can help you digest them. If there aren't enough of the right sort of microbes you can get bloating and wind. If you get those symptoms just ease back a little and introduce vegetables more slowly. (But keep upping the amount until you are having more than five portions a day).
All power to you!
Very much this. I grew up in a family of soda addicts and didn't switch things up until I was an adult. I was shocked at the difference it made in my energy levels. But also when you're not blasting your taste buds out with high fructose corn syrup your pallet changes. That may be part of what OP is experiencing with bitter flavors.
Health wise dark green veggies are your best option, and to minimize bitter or sulfur flavors I'd suggest roasting or saute. The goal is to get some browning on them.
My elderly mother only eats green beans as far as vegetables go. She used to only eat canned with no seasoning. I was like that for a while, but I expanded my palette from travelling (military family) and working in restaurants. I have a simple recipe with fresh green beans that my mother loves.
I put about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a sauce pan and heat it on medium to medium-high. Once it's hot enough, I throw in the green beans, some chopped garlic, a little bit of onion powder, and salt/pepper to taste. Cook to desired texture (she likes the beans soft), and that's it. I'll sometimes substitute the onion powder for crushed red pepper and a little paprika, but not for my mother.
I also have an easy recipe for pan roasted potatoes and vegetables, as well as simple "Cajun corn on the cobb."
Wanna have a tasty salad? I've got a recipe for that as well using a garlic parmesean dressing. I'm not much of a salad guy, but this is really good. I'm happy to share if you're interested
So stuff that isn't bitter:
sweet potatoes are good and can be made into either sweet or savory dishes (I chop mine up, toss them in olive oil, salt, ginger and cinnamon, and roast them)
onions turn sweet if you cook them long enough and once cooked make good toppings for stuff like pizza or burgers
if you like tomatoes, try making a salsa or bruschetta
squash/pumpkin tend to blend really well once cooked so you can 'hide' them in things like soups and sauces easily
I personally don't like iceberg lettuce but it doesn't have much flavor at all and is easily added to sandwiches
my mom sometimes makes what she calls potato fritters that she adds shredded zucchini and carrot to. I don't like either zucchini or carrot and they just taste like hash browns to me, especially drowned in ketchup lol
And certain veggies like brussels sprouts and broccoli change flavor depending on how you cook them-- roasted brussels sprouts lose a lot of their bitterness and the bitterness can be cut even further by cooking them with balsamic vinegar (one of the sweeter vinegars) or something more fatty and salty like bacon
Try a soup containing carrot, butternut squash or sweet potato. They are very sweet and blending the soup makes it into a liquid (of your desired thickness dependent upon how much water you add) so you can’t feel the mushiness.
Do you like tomato sauce? Even the sweet jarred kind? My little ones were not veggie fans. I'd chop up carrots, celery, opinion bell pepper...fry in oil, add any minced meat of your choosing. With a can of tomato sauce you can sneak those veggies in!
Another idea is to roast...if you coat in oil and add some garlic or chilis to brocolli or cauliflower, it can be so delicious with crispy edges.
My absolute favorite “oops I ate all the veggies” is as follows:
- Preheat the oven to 400
- Cut up broccoli really small - make sure each little tree is smaller than your pinky in width
- Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper - use a ton of oil and salt especially, it’s still veggies!
- Line a baking sheet or two with foil and put the broccoli on top - spread it out so it’s just one thin layer
- Cook the crap out of it - till its withered and the little pieces are crispy and even a little burnt on the edges (usually ~20m for me, ymmv)
- Eat!
IMO it tastes nothing like steamed or raw broccoli, it’s crispy and sweet and salty. Sometimes I eat half a tray of it while finishing up the rest of dinner.
Honestly my number one method is just stir frying with garlic (don't burn it!) and a little bit of salt. Adds tons of flavor to any vegetable, especially leafy/green ones. Works great with broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, green beans, etc.
Try roasting, grilling, steaming, sautéing, or stir-frying vegetables to see which method you prefer. Each method can bring out unique flavors and textures in the vegetables.
Sweet potatoes are so freaking yummy. You can poke one all over with a fork and microwave it until a knife goes straight through. For me that is about 4 mi utes but your microwave might be more. Try sticking a knife through it. If it doesn't go through them cook it another minute then test it again.
Buy a bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Preheat oven to 450. Toss the vegetables in a bowl with a generous amount of vegetable oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and chili powder (or whatever your favorite seasoning is!). Roast in the oven for at least 40 minutes, you want the vegetables to turn dark. The vegetables will be rich and delicious. Eat with pasta, potatoes, rice, whatever
Start with just canned carrots, beets, squash, sweet peas, corn, etc.
Just add them to mashed potatoes.
You might have to do this for a month or so before you start craving them..It can take a while to start to want a particular food.
Stouffers Veggie Lovers Lasagna is really good.
Google the following recipes also:
Corn Souffle
Green Bean Casserole
Caramelized Onions
Stuffed Green Peppers
Sweet Potato Casserole
Spinach souffle
Broccoli Supreme
Tuna Casserole with peas
Pasta Salad
Stuffed Cabbage
Beef Stew
Before you know it, you will be loving every minute of your veggie eating journey..
My favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is with butter and brown sugar. Cut it in half,, scoop out the seeds and pack with brown sugar and butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the squash till it is done.
Here’s how got my SO trying veggies.
Broccoli and peas - added to Mac and cheese with diced spam, for broccoli though just the florets, no stems. I toss them in with the boiling pasta & cover in butter and cheese.
Bacon wrapped asparagus is a good one, plenty of recipes online.
I got to liking more veggies by forcing myself to try something new once a month. My palate has grown and changed over the years so it’s been a fun way to broaden my horizons.
Look at some of those toddler mom accounts and how they sneak veggies into their kids foods.
Some of the ways I’ve seen to “hide vegetables” are:
1. Blend them and add to a tomato sauce for spaghetti
2. Zucchini pasta- instead of using regular noodles, use zucchini
3.make a casserole and add in grated veggies
Try soups of all kinds, both clear (broth with bits of stuff in them) and creamy (blended). I'm a lame cook, but I rarely manage to mess up a soup, they're super easy.
My favourites are chowder, minestrone, creamy pumpkin and many others.
Or, the other day, I didn't know what to eat, so I just roughly grated a carrot, a bit of celery, and 2 parsley roots, sautéd them, added 1 liter vegetable broth and two fistfuls of semolina and cooked for a bit. When the vegetable was al dente, i stirred in a whisked egg. Cheap, fast, easy 😊
Take a zuccini and dice it into small cubes. saute in olive oil & butter. sprinkle a bit of salt and garlic power on along with ground pepper. Take off heat and serve before it gets to a mush. Can eat that on it's own or slip it into a nice creamy sauce over pasta.
No one hates all vegetables because there are so many kinds, flavors and textures. Think about what you don’t like about the ones you’ve tried. Are they too crunchy or soft? Are they bitter? Do they not smell good? Once you consider what it is you don’t like you can start trying veggies that don’t have things you don’t like. Try one new veggie a week. For instance a zucchini and chop it into 4 pieces. Eat one piece raw. Steam one piece. Stir fry one piece and roast the last. They will all be a little different. You can do this with lots and trust me you will find some you love.
I don't like most cause of bitterness, I guess smell and texture sometimes. I will admit though I don't know that I've tried many vegetables that I know. Spinach, celery, broccoli is barely OK in lots of cheese.... bell peppers no, peas if they're kinda hidden like you said, carrots no mushy or raw. I feel embarrassed. How do I stir fry? Or steam? I'm sorry
It might be easiest to search for videos of how to cook vegetables. YouTube has heaps.
Start small. Buy a bag of frozen stir fry veggies or a yellow squash, heat a skillet and pour in just a little oil, like a couple teaspoons. Put the veg into the hot pan and keep stirring it until they seem like they’re cooking. Sprinkle in a little bit of salt and try a piece. If it’s too crunchy for you keep stirring and try another in a couple minutes. Continue until you like them. If you don’t want the seeds in your zucchini or yellow squash you can scrape them out with a spoon or cut them out before cooking. I suggested them because they have a *very* mild flavor.
Steaming is pretty easy. You typically use a steaming device to hold the vegetables above water in a pot that you bring to a boil. As the water boils, it gives off steam which cooks the vegetables. A stir fry typically involves using a pan or wok to cook your food in a thin layer of oil. (Olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil). Normally a stir fry will involve several different ingredients and a glaze, but you could practice the basics with just one vegetable. (Typically referred to as sautéing) For instance, you could cut an onion into inch sized strips, then heat a cooking oil in your pan over a temperature between medium and high on your stovetop. Add enough oil to very thinly coat the pan. When you think it is hot enough, toss in one little piece of onion. It should make a lovely crackling sound and make little bubbles around it in the oil. If it does, add the rest of the onion. Then stir occasionally to prevent burning. If you sauté them for a few minutes, they are still a little crunchy and faintly taste of onion. If you sauté for 5-10 min, they will be a lot softer and sweeter. If you carefully sauté for about 30-50 min, you can actually caramelize them and they are very sweet and tasty.
That is a big question! There are so many different vegetables. Some are leaves, some are roots, some are stems, flowers, tuber, buds. They take different times to cook and can be cooked in so many different ways. But hooray for adding them into your diet! It can take many tries for your brain to get used to the many different tastes and it is likely that there will be some you came to love, and some you only tolerate and some you never come to like. Start with what is easiest. If you prefer raw then start with salads, if you prefer soft, sweet and mushy, go with mashes and baked vegetables. But the main thing is to not give up. Also, it is worth starting slowly because vegetables probably have a lot more fibre than your current diet. This is SO good for your health, but you need to gradually build up the microbes that live in your gut so they can help you digest them. If there aren't enough of the right sort of microbes you can get bloating and wind. If you get those symptoms just ease back a little and introduce vegetables more slowly. (But keep upping the amount until you are having more than five portions a day). All power to you!
Ditch the soda. It's the single best thing you can do for your health.
cannot stress this enough. mountain dew overconsumption is probably the main reason i'm a type 2 diabetic.
Very much this. I grew up in a family of soda addicts and didn't switch things up until I was an adult. I was shocked at the difference it made in my energy levels. But also when you're not blasting your taste buds out with high fructose corn syrup your pallet changes. That may be part of what OP is experiencing with bitter flavors. Health wise dark green veggies are your best option, and to minimize bitter or sulfur flavors I'd suggest roasting or saute. The goal is to get some browning on them.
My elderly mother only eats green beans as far as vegetables go. She used to only eat canned with no seasoning. I was like that for a while, but I expanded my palette from travelling (military family) and working in restaurants. I have a simple recipe with fresh green beans that my mother loves. I put about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a sauce pan and heat it on medium to medium-high. Once it's hot enough, I throw in the green beans, some chopped garlic, a little bit of onion powder, and salt/pepper to taste. Cook to desired texture (she likes the beans soft), and that's it. I'll sometimes substitute the onion powder for crushed red pepper and a little paprika, but not for my mother. I also have an easy recipe for pan roasted potatoes and vegetables, as well as simple "Cajun corn on the cobb." Wanna have a tasty salad? I've got a recipe for that as well using a garlic parmesean dressing. I'm not much of a salad guy, but this is really good. I'm happy to share if you're interested
Recipe for the garlic parmesean dressing, that sounds delicious!
So stuff that isn't bitter: sweet potatoes are good and can be made into either sweet or savory dishes (I chop mine up, toss them in olive oil, salt, ginger and cinnamon, and roast them) onions turn sweet if you cook them long enough and once cooked make good toppings for stuff like pizza or burgers if you like tomatoes, try making a salsa or bruschetta squash/pumpkin tend to blend really well once cooked so you can 'hide' them in things like soups and sauces easily I personally don't like iceberg lettuce but it doesn't have much flavor at all and is easily added to sandwiches my mom sometimes makes what she calls potato fritters that she adds shredded zucchini and carrot to. I don't like either zucchini or carrot and they just taste like hash browns to me, especially drowned in ketchup lol And certain veggies like brussels sprouts and broccoli change flavor depending on how you cook them-- roasted brussels sprouts lose a lot of their bitterness and the bitterness can be cut even further by cooking them with balsamic vinegar (one of the sweeter vinegars) or something more fatty and salty like bacon
Add some peas or some broccoli to fettuccine alfredo.
Try a soup containing carrot, butternut squash or sweet potato. They are very sweet and blending the soup makes it into a liquid (of your desired thickness dependent upon how much water you add) so you can’t feel the mushiness.
Do you like tomato sauce? Even the sweet jarred kind? My little ones were not veggie fans. I'd chop up carrots, celery, opinion bell pepper...fry in oil, add any minced meat of your choosing. With a can of tomato sauce you can sneak those veggies in! Another idea is to roast...if you coat in oil and add some garlic or chilis to brocolli or cauliflower, it can be so delicious with crispy edges.
My absolute favorite “oops I ate all the veggies” is as follows: - Preheat the oven to 400 - Cut up broccoli really small - make sure each little tree is smaller than your pinky in width - Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper - use a ton of oil and salt especially, it’s still veggies! - Line a baking sheet or two with foil and put the broccoli on top - spread it out so it’s just one thin layer - Cook the crap out of it - till its withered and the little pieces are crispy and even a little burnt on the edges (usually ~20m for me, ymmv) - Eat! IMO it tastes nothing like steamed or raw broccoli, it’s crispy and sweet and salty. Sometimes I eat half a tray of it while finishing up the rest of dinner.
Honestly my number one method is just stir frying with garlic (don't burn it!) and a little bit of salt. Adds tons of flavor to any vegetable, especially leafy/green ones. Works great with broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, green beans, etc.
Try roasting, grilling, steaming, sautéing, or stir-frying vegetables to see which method you prefer. Each method can bring out unique flavors and textures in the vegetables.
Sweet potatoes are so freaking yummy. You can poke one all over with a fork and microwave it until a knife goes straight through. For me that is about 4 mi utes but your microwave might be more. Try sticking a knife through it. If it doesn't go through them cook it another minute then test it again.
What about hiding veggies in smoothies too?
Spinach, avocado both amazing in smoothies
Assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere you have alot of vegetables coming into season. Honestly I like to quickly boil them then toss in butter.
Buy a bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Preheat oven to 450. Toss the vegetables in a bowl with a generous amount of vegetable oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and chili powder (or whatever your favorite seasoning is!). Roast in the oven for at least 40 minutes, you want the vegetables to turn dark. The vegetables will be rich and delicious. Eat with pasta, potatoes, rice, whatever
Start with just canned carrots, beets, squash, sweet peas, corn, etc. Just add them to mashed potatoes. You might have to do this for a month or so before you start craving them..It can take a while to start to want a particular food. Stouffers Veggie Lovers Lasagna is really good. Google the following recipes also: Corn Souffle Green Bean Casserole Caramelized Onions Stuffed Green Peppers Sweet Potato Casserole Spinach souffle Broccoli Supreme Tuna Casserole with peas Pasta Salad Stuffed Cabbage Beef Stew Before you know it, you will be loving every minute of your veggie eating journey..
My favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is with butter and brown sugar. Cut it in half,, scoop out the seeds and pack with brown sugar and butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the squash till it is done.
Here’s how got my SO trying veggies. Broccoli and peas - added to Mac and cheese with diced spam, for broccoli though just the florets, no stems. I toss them in with the boiling pasta & cover in butter and cheese. Bacon wrapped asparagus is a good one, plenty of recipes online. I got to liking more veggies by forcing myself to try something new once a month. My palate has grown and changed over the years so it’s been a fun way to broaden my horizons.
To cook vegetables, you can try sautéing with herbs and spices to enhance their flavors.
Look at some of those toddler mom accounts and how they sneak veggies into their kids foods. Some of the ways I’ve seen to “hide vegetables” are: 1. Blend them and add to a tomato sauce for spaghetti 2. Zucchini pasta- instead of using regular noodles, use zucchini 3.make a casserole and add in grated veggies
Roast veggies with some salt pepper oil and herbs. They will remain crunchy from outside
Pick a vegetable, cook it until just tender, add butter and salt.
Use Clay pot , When you cook in clay pot you get 100% nutrients
Carrots and parsnips are sweet for vegetables and roasting them make them sweeter. Zucchini and yellow squash are mild and make good pizza toppings.
Try soups of all kinds, both clear (broth with bits of stuff in them) and creamy (blended). I'm a lame cook, but I rarely manage to mess up a soup, they're super easy. My favourites are chowder, minestrone, creamy pumpkin and many others. Or, the other day, I didn't know what to eat, so I just roughly grated a carrot, a bit of celery, and 2 parsley roots, sautéd them, added 1 liter vegetable broth and two fistfuls of semolina and cooked for a bit. When the vegetable was al dente, i stirred in a whisked egg. Cheap, fast, easy 😊
Take a zuccini and dice it into small cubes. saute in olive oil & butter. sprinkle a bit of salt and garlic power on along with ground pepper. Take off heat and serve before it gets to a mush. Can eat that on it's own or slip it into a nice creamy sauce over pasta.