Do you know someone who “hates” vegetables?
I’ve always had a sneaky suspicion that people who claim they “don’t like vegetables” simply don’t know how to properly cook them. Honestly, would you like vegetables if your veggie repertoire consisted of canned peas, overcooked broccoli, and ketchup?
But, if given my dinner from last night, I’m betting there’d be quite a few converts to the dark veggie-lover’s side!
Veg 1 is my peppers, cooked using the healthy sauté method.
For this particular batch of peppers, I cooked up a big batch the day before, ensuring lots of leftovers. Plus, anything with garlic seems to get more flavorful as time goes by. I’ve learned the hard way to not let chopped garlic sit in the fridge—even if it’s covered! Suddenly, everything in your fridge will take on the garlic-y flavor. That’s not a bad thing as far as savory foods are concerned… but who wants a chocolate-chip muffin with essence of garlic?? Eep.
Delicious veggie #2: Candy! Well, not really, but they’re so sweet and melty that they could be candy.
Roast Veggie “Candy”
- Spices (I use oregano and rosemary)
- raw veggies (I love brussels sprouts for this recipe)
- unrefined coconut oil
- optional, but highly recommended: cinnamon
Roast your veggies, with the first two spices, at 400 degrees (un-preheated) until they’re soft. For my sprouts, it takes around 30-40 minutes. I like to roast ‘em dry and put the coconut oil on right before eating them. But you can coat them in coconut oil first if you’d rather; it’s your call. Also right before eating, sprinkle with the cinnamon.
They’re good warm, but I especially like these veggies straight from the fridge; that way the coconut oil hardens around the sprouts… kinda like a truffle. Candy for dinner! (Be sure to buy unrefined coconut oil. The refined stuff doesn’t have that yummy “coconutty” taste.)
With the red peppers and candy, I also had my favorite-ever pilaf.
Buttery, grain goodness. It was the perfect winter’s-day meal. Never mind that the temperature was in the mid-80s lol. Comfort food is always in season. Oh yeah, as is candy.
So, do you know a veggie-hater?
Or maybe you were a veggie-hater as a kid?
In high school, I had a friend tell me that he could never be a vegan… because the only vegetables he liked were raw onions. He said he ate them like apples. 😕
I’m fortunate to love veggies anyway, and especially brussels sprouts. But this looks delish! Thanks!
I know a lot of people who hate veggies. Sadly, they’re all kids. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it means they grow up and change their ways and learn that veggies are FANTASTIC! 🙂
My 14 year old will not eat one single veggie or fruit and only chicken as far as meat goes. People have been telling me she’ll grow out of it since she was 2. SO frustrating, especially since I work in nutrition and advise others on what to eat every day!
That brussel sprout recipe sounds amazing – do you reckon it would work just roasting them in vegetable oil? Hope you are having a great day! 🙂
Of course you can roast them in olive oil :). The taste will be completely different, but they’ll still be super-yummy!
Your veggies look yum. I’m a big fan of getting lots of veggies in every day but I do know a few haters. I’ve tried to help them see the light but it hasn’t worked yet. Still working on it though.
I used to be like that. My mom would fry some frozen veggies and expect me to eat it. Then I discovered my dad’s cooking. He’d buy fresh green beens and roast them with olive oil, salt, and garlic… mmmmmmmmmmm!
Haha funny you shoud ask about vegetable-haters, My cousin (who’s 20) can’t stand vegetabes or fruit, apparently the texture has made her feel awful even since she was about 2. Personally I can’t fathom life without vegetables let alone fruit. I’ve tried a million and one times but no, all she’s able to do is potato.
Strange or what??
LOL I’m very much against the idea of sneaking veggies into one’s diet a la Mrs. Seinfeld. But maybe in some cases that’s the only thing you can do! 😕
Actually I do know a couple of folks who hate veggies AND fruit. They tend to take alot of dietary supplements to make up for it….But I feel that people who don’t eat vegetables tend to look….like they don’t eat veggies…. bad skin, a little chubby or more that that, looking tired or complaining of feeling tired…
And you’re right, they probably have never eaten well-prepared veggies so they kinda just stick with what they prefer. For these friends, I just hope they will somehow find a way to get in touch with their inner veggie goddess…
I have a friend who says he doesn’t need veggies because he drinks that vitamin-infused coke! 😕
i know some veggie haters and it really blows my mind. i’m just fascinated because there are 1. so many veggies to choose and 2. 1.5 billion ways and combos to prepare/eat them!
i don’t like storebought fresh veggies, they’re tasteless. That’s why last winter i almost completely abandoned them. Now i eat them more frequently, daily, from our garden.
I roast carrots in a pan with some olive oil, salt, chilli, curry. They’re tasty, quick and cheap.
I also hate salads from delivery service – tasteless! Prefer homemade ones
I love love love roasting my veggies in coconut oil but never tried adding cinnamon. Must do this soon…like tonight. Thanks Katie. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.
P.S. I’ve always thought the same about veggie haters as well – they’ve just never had them prepared properly. Green beans from a can do not = veggie goodness.
Very nice job on your website. I enjoyed reading over it. You really know how to make the veggies look and taste good. Amazing! Check out nutribuff.com too.
I just noticed the recipe for your brussel sprouts isn’t in the recipe section! I had to google to find it, you could include it under dinner or sides!
Oh yes, I definitely have to update my recipe page… it’s hard, because I keep adding new recipes. I wish the page would just update itself ;).
i have a stupid questions…what is the difference between coconut oil and coconut butter….i have coconut butter at home (although not much left – YUM).
I think for lots of us it’s a texture thing. I hate bell peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms, because of that soft-but-crunchy texture.
Is there a trick to roasting veggies? I have never, ever been able to successfully roast any vegetable (except garlic). I’ve tried carrots, brussels sprouts, and asparagus, just that I can think of off the top of my head – oh, and root veggies. They always just end up tough. What am I doing wrong?
For the brussel sprouts ‘candy’, what amounts of brussel sprouts, coconut oil, and spices do you use? Thanks for all of these great recipes!