I've only eaten a handful of veg: Best vegetables to try?

[foodislifewifi]

I'm 23 and the vegetables* I have tried to date are: lettuce, cucumber, spinach, tomato, carrot (not a fan), celery (really not a fan), aubergine, onion, brocolli, cauliflower(cheese), garlic, leek, pepper, sweetcorn, courgette

*I know some of these are not vegetables

What do I need to try and how do I make them? Quick and easy to serve along meals preferable, vegetarian.

I'd go for honey roasted parsnips, roast sweet potatoes and garlic roasted asparagus. Also, maybe corn on the cob seeing as you like sweetcorn.

My son is obsessed with sweet potato wedges!

Peel a sweet potato and chop it into chip-size pieces. Place on oven try and sprinkle with paprika. Drizzle with oil. Oven cook half an hour 180.

Try carrots roasted in the oven with oil & fresh chopped rosemary, heaven!
Don't be afraid of fat, if you are eating more veg your diet will improve and be more balanced.

what about a lovely roast squash or pumpkin soup? roast chunks of either, peeled, with any spices you like (cumin, cinnamon, coriander seeds, nutmeg and black pepper works well or just use curry powder), olive oil. roast say half a bulb of garlic and a couple of onions alongside. when soft, blend with veg stock and pop out the garlic and onion from their skins into the blender.

if the oven is pricey to use, you can fry the garlic (use less) and onion, add spices then the chunks of pumpkin and boil it in the stock then blend. roasting has the edge, flavour- wise but this way is very tasty too. serve with a swirl of yogurt and crusty bread 😋

All vegetables are improved by being cooked as thai green curry. Buy a jar of thai green curry paste and very small tin of coconut milk from any supermarket or if feeling rich the Spice Tailor kit (same shelf). Cooking instructions on both of them.

Sweet potato makes a good jacket potato (cooks faster than a white potato). Great with tangy feta & green salad.

Personal favourites are tenderstem broccoli (some kind of cross between kale and broccoli). Can be eaten raw, but takes 2/3 mins in boiling water to cook. Is sweet and not as chewy as kale but doesn't go all mushy like overcooked broccoli.

Sugar snap pea are awesome too, again can be eaten raw, but take 2/3 mins to boil. Sweet and crunchy.

At one time, I got the riverford boxes, which come with a mix of veg (and fruit if you wish). It was really good for springing unusual veg in that I wouldn't necessarily pick. Often came with recipe ideas for the weird arrival and if you didn't like that particular box selection, you could make up your own, or pick a different box.

I’m nuts about mushrooms must be nice and brown when cooked, love sweet corn on the cob, our green grocers sells pack of of two cooked and ready to eat I love them.

Add a stock cube!

I use and eat a lot of green beans, as well as asparagus when in season. Also fennel, raw and cooked, and I love pak Choi in stir fry.

Definitely mushrooms and mix up the salad with rocket & watercress etc.

Lots of other good suggestions here.

Lightly roasted broccoli is delicious too! Much nice than boiled.

Have you tried kale crisps? They are quite nice too.

(Vegetable crisps from the supermarket are an easy way to tick a few veg off your list to try)

Ooh, this thread is making me so hungry!

In terms of veg you might not have tried, I love fennel and chicory. You can eat fennel raw, but a nice thing to do is to stir-fry it. It's faintly aniseed-y, and sweet. Chicory you can eat raw (it is slightly bitter and crunchy). But the nicest thing is to cut each piece in half lengthwise and cook them in a cheese sauce, like cauliflower cheese (but you don't need to parboil it and it only takes about 15-20 minutes in the oven). It's really good.

For veg you've tried but maybe not liked, my favourites are:

• leeks melted very slowly with a little butter, with nutmeg grated in and fresh tarragon.
• carrots with star anise (ideally, cooked in butter, but given what you say about not wanting too much fat, you can also add it to water if you're boiling them).
• roasted carrots. Definitely try this. So much sweeter and tastier. They are good with nigella seed, cumin seed, or caraway seed.
• cabbage (something like spring green cabbage) stir-fried in butter. I like it done for about 8 minutes so it is still crunchy, but you can go a bit longer if you like. Sprinkle in some caraway seed or chopped almonds. Just as it's about to come off the heat, add some balsamic vinegar (or cider vinegar, or whatever you like).
• stuffed peppers/marrow. You hollow out the marrow/deseed the peppers and fill with a mix of raw pork/beef mince, breadcrumbs (or cooked rice, or cous cous), whatever herbs and spices you fancy, and maybe a cube of cheese in the middle.

What are your favourite meals, btw? Do you like things sweet or salty or spicy?

Sweet potato, in soups, curries, roasted, chips, mash
Mushrooms, great fried with butter as part of a cooked breakfast
Avocado, smashed on buttered toast with eggs for breakfast, on with a veggie chilli
Asparagus, drizzled with olive oil and a pinch of salt and popped in the oven or under the grill for ten minutes or so
Chard, chopped up and fried with butter
Parsnips, any other root veg and peppers, roasted with olive oil and salt
Mange tout, raw or in curries
Sugar snap peas, raw

I've steamed in a metal (not plastic!) colander or sieve over a pan, but you have to keep an eye on the water level, don't let the pan go dry. A proper steamer is better though.

Most veg taste best steamed or roasted in my view. Boiled is yucky in comparison.

What I tell DS about roasted (in oil) veg, with salt sprinkled on them: that's a lot healthier than the same amount of sausages and chips.

Also, once you have the taste for a vegetable you can try having a bit less butter/salt and see if you still like it. But much better to eat seasoned veg than nearly every other option.

You've tried most of the really good ones. I would try sweet potato and butternut squash next.

Dry Vegetable curry

Steam any veg you like in a colander over a pan.

Fry 1 small onion, 1 chilli slit length ways (optional) 2 cloves of garlic & ginger until soft. Add salt & pepper to taste plus a stock cube.

Add a big pinch of curry powder & turmeric powder & a squirt of tomato sauce or puree (optional). Cook for 10 mins. Add a bit of water if it's too dry.

Add steamed veg & cook for another 5 mins. Serve with rice & daal.

@ClientQ Yep I've tried baby corn, it's quite nice but a bit bland just plain

I hate those baby corn - taste and smell musty as hell!