Some of us don’t need to be convinced that veggies actually taste good. We already know. We love and crave many delicious veggies and can’t figure out what’s wrong with all the people who turn up their noses at green, orange, and red food that grows out of the ground.
For many of us, liking vegetables has come with age as our tastes change. It also helps when we actually try a new vegetable every once in a while. (I’m talking to all of you who say, “I don’t like that” before you’ve even actually tried it. You know who you are.)
Even with changing taste buds and willingness to try new veggies once in a while, I don’t know one person who likes every single vegetable on the planet. I love many different kinds, but I still really struggle with artichokes and beets. You?
But here’s what I’ve found to make a big difference in the world of vegetables. It’s the trick that can make a person turn around and actually like a vegetable he or she may not have liked before. It’s this:
Add a delicious, healthy fat to your veggie.
Not only does fat add flavor to the veggie and bring out its natural goodness, it adds necessary nutrients to fuel our bodies for energy and to feed our brains. I find it to be so very lovely when my brain actually works. You?
My favorite ways to add fat to veggies to create amazing flavor:
1. Butter
When I steam peas, broccoli, or carrots, I love to stir in some butter and sea salt. Oh my happy, happy veggies.
2. Bacon Grease
You guys. Cook your bacon, eat your bacon, then keep the grease it created and put it in a jar in your fridge. Stir a couple teaspoons into your steamed green beans along with some sea salt and see if your family doesn’t go back for seconds. Get over thinking that “bacon grease will give you a heart attack.” It’s good, natural fat. Don’t want a heart attack? Stop eating cookies and drinking pop. Love ya.
3. Stir Fry them in Olive Oil
Last week we had a few college students over for a meal. I stir fried yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli to go with our Hawaiian Chicken and Rice. Upon cleaning her plate, one of the college girls stood up and said, “I’m getting more veggies. Those were really good. Hmm. I’ve never said that before.”
It made my day and it proves my point. Add good fat to the veggies. Enjoy them with non-processed sea salt (full of needed minerals).
And what about raw veggies?
Well, eat them plain if you enjoy them that way. But if dipping them in something delicious helps you get them down, go for it with healthy dips like Homemade Ranch Dip or this Easy Veggie Dip.
Tell me how you cook your veggies! What are your favorite fats to add? Have you found that healthy fats make veggies taste awesome?
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Be on the look-out! Our Simple Meals program is about to launch and you’re going to love it! In the meantime, here are our latest new Simple Recipes that go with the Simple Veggies talked about above:
These ideas sound delicious—and are in our family’s near future. Thank you so much!!
P.S.—I’ll take your beets, but not the artichokes–unless they’re IN something and are nearly invisible. : )
I wholeheartedly agree! I’m cooking some brussel sprouts in bacon right now! Yum!!
Cheese sauce!
These are all wonderful suggestions! Everyone likes veggies better with a little butter and salt added :) I also like roasting veggies in olive oil – especially cauliflower and brussels sprouts ;)
Roasted veggies are our families favorite! Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans… delicious with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Easy and almost effortless!
Herbs and spices! A little dried shallot over those buttered potatoes…some fresh chopped basil with those tomatoes…some dill sprinkled over cucumber slices…some curry powder stirred into buttery squash…thyme crushed over sauteed mushrooms. Yum!
Plus other add-ins. Carrots drizzled with warm honey and butter! Peanut butter spread on raw celery (bonus if you squish raisins in it). Mayonnaisse spread on corn on the cob (a Latin treat!). Tomato sauce over spaghetti squash. Toasted almonds sprinkled over sauteed zucchini! MMM!
You forgot about roasting them! Brush with olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder. I have talked many of my son’s friends into trying them and they all love them! One even asked me to give his mom the recipe!! Broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, they’re all delicious!!
My son’s friend was over for dinner last night. I gave him roasted broccoli. He said he doesn’t usually like broccoli, but gobbled a plate full up and said it was really good! I was thrilled!
I love this idea and am trying to put this into practice all the time now! But I have a question – is there a way to know I am buying “high quality grass fed” butter – like, is it enough if the wrapper says “grass fed?” Is that a standard or can it be just a marketing phrase? Also for sea salt… Seems like a lot of brands say Sea Salt now but some seem to be fairly processed so again, I’m wondering if there’s a way to tell other than knowing individual brands (which is fine as long as they’re available)… If you have any thoughts I’d love to hear them (or point me to where you’ve probably already said them : ) – thanks!
It’s best if it says 100% grass fed so that you know they weren’t just a little bit grass fed, but completely grass fed. However, I admit that I go through so much butter that I rarely buy the best quality of butter. I’m thankful that it is still real butter and a good fat, though it would be amazing to eat exclusively grass fed!
My go to table salts are Pink Himalayan Salt, and Redmond’s Real Salt. For a courser salt, I like grey Celtic Sea salt.
Roasted veggies have the best taste to me. So good!!