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Old 11-11-2013, 03:27 PM
 
Location: Volcano
12,969 posts, read 28,350,584 times
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For someone who panics at the directions "steam," "roast," and "saute," because you don't understand what they mean, the obvious (to me at least) solution is for you to take some basic cooking classes, designed for beginners. The basics are like building blocks that more complex directions assume you already know.

The other thing that classes will give you, which you can never get from a TV show, unfortunately, is the directed engagement of all the senses... touch, smell, taste, look... as well as the opportunity to actually taste what things should taste like when they've been cooked properly. It sounds like you were not exposed to much food variety growing up, and hence your tastes have not really matured, but there's no reason to let that limit you forever!

It's also a good idea to push yourself, to keep trying new things, and keep expanding the envelope of what you'll eat. Surely you must understand that a diet as severely limited as yours almost certainly is not a healthy one, and that in time it can cost you big. The best practice for good health is to figure out what your body needs for optimum health and performance, then eat that, whether you like it or not. Then don't be surprised if you discover that the very thing you didn't like when you first tasted it gradually becomes more and more to your taste as you become accustomed to it, possibly even becoming a favorite in time. It has happened!

Find a class, find a mentor, find a neighbor who can show you things, but get in there and learn to cook... and learn what to cook... and learn what to eat. Aside from breathing and drinking water it is the most basic, most primal thing you can do for yourself, so you might as well learn to do it well!

Good luck.
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Old 11-11-2013, 04:50 PM
 
Location: Currently living in Reddit
5,652 posts, read 6,965,116 times
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Since you like sweet, I'd try to learn something fairly simple like a coconut milk based Thai dish. Here's one with veggies you DO like. It's pretty simple. Once you've got that down, you can substitute other veggies, like red peppers, zucchini, etc. for the sweet potatoes and green beans. Experiment adding those to your repertoire. What you put in, the main flavor will be fairly sweet from the coconut milk. And it doesn't need to be spicy at all.

Otherwise, I'll second roasting a bunch of root vegetables. Carrots, fennel, beets, turnips - just cut into small pieces (1"-1.5") toss in olive oil till coated, add salt and pepper, fresh rosemary is always nice or dried thyme & marjoram. Roast at 425F for 45 minutes. If you want sweeter, you can add a little balsamic vinegar (1-2 tablespoons) to the oil when you toss. You may find you even like roasted tomatoes.
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Old 11-11-2013, 04:57 PM
 
2,479 posts, read 2,204,296 times
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Default My way is good

Quote:
Originally Posted by snapdragon12 View Post
I am looking for some guidance on how to prepare vegetables for someone who doesn't like vegetables. Neither myself nor my husband likes vegetables. I can't say I hate all vegetables though. I do like green beans, but only the canned kind that have been cooked for hours in something like bullion. I also like sweet potatoes, but only if they are cooked with lots of brown sugar and cinnamon. I like yellow corn but I consider that more of a starch. I also like carrots if they are cooked with something like honey or maple syrup to make them sweet.

As for my husband, the only veggies he will eat are mashed potatoes (if those even count as a veggie, forgot to mention that I love potatoes as well), fried okra, and raw carrots (he doesn't like the carrots cooked the way I do). And if you consider Bush's baked beans a vegetable, we both like that.

I am looking to find some other vegetables that I may like and that I might be able to convince my husband to try, and suggestions on ways to prepare them so they taste good to me. My taste buds are pretty high-sensing. I don't like anything that tastes remotely bitter or that tastes like grass. I also don't like anything sour. I like foods that taste sweet, or have a bit of zest (but not very spicy). I WILL NOT eat tomatoes or onions. I have had these enough to know that I don't like them. I will also not eat mushrooms.

I should also add that I'm not much of a cooker. So if I see terms like "steamed" or "sauteed" or "roasted" I get scared because I don't know what any of those mean! Of the veggies I like, I never fix them for myself. Any time I've tried to fix green beans the way I like, but they end up tasting like grass. But when my mom fixes them, they are perfect.

The foods we always eat are beef (hamburgers or beef tips with noodles), chicken (chicken parm, bbq chicken, oven fried chicken), pasta (spagetti, lasagna) and pizza. I know we need to start eating some healthy food!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!
Heat a skillet with a little olive oil and wait until water you flick into it sizzles. Put frozen veggies, a mix is best, into the skillet and sprinkle just a little veggie or chicken broth, salt, pepper, into skillet. Cover skillet. I use a pizza tray. Wait until the veggies are thawed, uncover and flavor with some sweet/sour sauce or packets of seasoning for just about any oriental dish (I like fried rice). Stir until it smells good. That's because the sauce and veggies sugars are caramelizing. A supper could include rice, noodles or eggs. Very quick. Keeps well.
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Old 11-11-2013, 07:36 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in the universe
2,155 posts, read 4,571,271 times
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Make veggie turnovers or muffins! You can cook spinach and kale with cheese, and then bake them inside some crust/dough. Delicious!
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Old 11-11-2013, 07:38 PM
 
2,845 posts, read 6,001,331 times
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You don't like tomatoes and onions, what do you think is flavoring the sauce in your pizza? Lasagna? Spaghetti? :P

Sounds like you grew up with someone who didn't know how to cook most of these things, when you know how to cook veggies they are actually really good

Cooking veggies can be an art IMO. My friend invited me over for dinner and made eggplant chicken parmesan, OMG it was terrible, she obviously had no idea how to prepare eggplant, it was like eating RUBBER. I couldn't even bite through it.

One way that I got my husband who "hated" veggies to start eating more was to put it into things he liked already.

He actually liked spaghetti too, so I started chopping up and sauteeing zucchini, and putting it in the sauce and he loved it. Then I'd make lasagna and stuff it with veggies too. I also make meatloaf and in a food processor I'd grate up a whole zucchini, onions (though he always loved onions), a large tomato, and so on on, he says I make the best meatloaf

He also likes mac and cheese, so I started adding peas to it, etc.

Now he actually enjoys a lot more veggies and is more willing to try new things.
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Old 11-11-2013, 09:32 PM
 
18,074 posts, read 25,173,988 times
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Try Vietnamese vermicelli salad bowl (noodles with lots of vegetables and some meat)
I'm addicted to it.

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Old 11-11-2013, 09:45 PM
 
Location: NC
679 posts, read 808,887 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beera View Post
You don't like tomatoes and onions, what do you think is flavoring the sauce in your pizza? Lasagna? Spaghetti? :P

Sounds like you grew up with someone who didn't know how to cook most of these things, when you know how to cook veggies they are actually really good
I don't mind the flavoring of onion or tomato, I just don't like "visible" tomatoes or onions. If I can't see the onion, great. If I can see it, I won't eat it.

My mom cooked green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, regular potatoes, peas, lima beans, fried squash, fried zucchini, carrots, butternut squash. I never liked the peas or limas so refused to keep trying them. But those other veggies she cooked, I enjoyed. I am just looking for some different ways of cooking veggies, and perhaps some other veggies that I might could try which I've never had. I had never heard of roasting vegetables. My mom always cooked veggies in a pot on the stove. And I never took an interest in learning much about how to prepare them the way she does. She would always try to show me, but cooking just wasn't my thing. And any time I've tried to cook veggies the way she does, I never like them.

And now that I'm married to to someone who refuses to eat anything that tastes like a vegetable or any vegetable that smells bad, I have less of an inclination to cook them. We know when we have kids that we can't raise them on our current diet, and if we want them to eat veggies, then we have to set an example and eat them as well. So I need to start experimenting with different veggies and different ways of cooking them to find something we both may like. Although I've pretty much given up hope on even getting my hubby to taste anything.
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Old 11-11-2013, 11:03 PM
 
2,845 posts, read 6,001,331 times
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I used to ABHOR peas when I was little, now I love them. Try them again, try them in different ways, etc. I've heard it can take at least 5 times to properly get your pallet acclimated to new tastes. You might find things you didn't used to like you love now.

I also think my mom used to over-cook them, which was a problem.

Roasted veggies are DELICIOUS and SUPER easy. On the stove or in the oven.

On the stove you take some oil (I use coconut for high heat- no you don't taste coconut), throw in some chopped garlic and brown it, then add in your chopped veggies, sprinkle on salt and pepper (you can also add some onion seasoning if you don't like onion chunks), then mix it around to get the veggies coated, and let it cook at medium heat until the veggies start to brown. You can also, just before it's done, sprinkle some lemon over it all, it's so good I like doing this with cauliflower YUM!

Also look up the best ways to cook veggies, cooking to death is what causes some veggies to taste bitter.
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Old 11-11-2013, 11:58 PM
 
2,964 posts, read 5,439,400 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick View Post
You can do the same thing with whatever veggies you prefer - the vegetables will give the meat/fish/chicken extra flavor, and the oils and juices from the meat/fish/chicken will flavor the veggies. Potato, bell peppers, carrots, celery, all do-able, and a colorful and tasty accompaniment to your entree. Best thing is, you're tossing the whole thing into a single pot or baking dish, so there's less to clean up when supper's finished.
Yeah, stews are the best way to introduce vegetables into your meals, especially if you're already used to heavily cooked veg, like canned green beans. What's wrong with sandwiches or burgers? With lettuce and pickles, at least. You may not like tomatoes, but will you just pass your aversion along? I understand it's hard, but that's what's good about sandwiches. You can put any combination you want.
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Old 11-12-2013, 04:47 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,433,328 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mistermobile View Post
Heat a skillet with a little olive oil and wait until water you flick into it sizzles. Put frozen veggies, a mix is best, into the skillet and sprinkle just a little veggie or chicken broth, salt, pepper, into skillet. Cover skillet. I use a pizza tray. Wait until the veggies are thawed, uncover and flavor with some sweet/sour sauce or packets of seasoning for just about any oriental dish (I like fried rice). Stir until it smells good. That's because the sauce and veggies sugars are caramelizing. A supper could include rice, noodles or eggs. Very quick. Keeps well.
your idea sounds tasty but without meat, for someone just learning to eat veggies probably wouldn't work to well. She can develop a taste for veggies, eat healthier and still enjoy meat. Then, eventually she can decide if she wants to try and ween herself away from so much meat, especially red meat.
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