Can I make these vegetables more exciting or make "salads"?

[weddinggong]

Posting for traffic.

My vegetable intake is quite limited for various reasons I don't want to go into.
With the limited range I eat I struggle to make them more exciting and less boring but I have recently been aiming to eat less carbs and more veg and protein and would be really grateful if anyone could give me any pointers to how I can Jazz the veg up a bit.

So here's the trick:
I don't eat: salads or anything raw for that matter. No tomatoes/peppers/carrots or anything like that unless they're cooked in a sauce like bolognese.
I do eat: broccoli, peas, sweet corn, wilted spinach, cauliflower, green beans, sweet potato (not sure where it lands?, carrots.

I'm fine with all sorts of lentils and pulses, beans/quinoa/couscous all good.
I'm good with fresh herbs too.

But I am rather inept at making it something I look forward to, I'd love to make some super healthy and tasty salad type bowls with maybe couscous and veg or something to have at the side of my protein but I'm really not sure how to start.
What dressings to make/use and what to do to make it all less bland and less of a chore to eat?

Any tips very welcome!

As pp have said - roasting veg brings out wonderful flavours. And you can enhance those easily. Eg a tray of roasted tomatoes with some olive oil, some garlic cloves, salt and splashes of balsamic vinegar are gorgeous with pasta or as a side. Add chilli if you like. Trays of roasted veg with just salt and chilli are amazing and we often have those with couscous as a main or side, sometimes with some feta or goats cheese. SIL does it as a salad and adds pomegranates and red or green pesto.

Tahini, plain yogurt and lemon juice make a lovely dressing for vegetables like broccoli, green beans etc. Adding some nigella or sesame seeds on top are even better. I'm not sure of quantities but I'm thinking tahini and yoghurt in about equal amounts and then lemon juice to taste? You could look up recipes - I tend to just wing it.

Jamie Oliver has a few good suggestions for cooked veg in his various books. Eg the carrots in a tin foil bag which is popular. this is a slightly different, also Jamie Oliver, recipe

Roasted cauliflower with cumin, olive oil and salt is a favourite over here. Agree re roasted broccoli with olive oil and chilli.

Do you like cheese sauce? A cauliflower and broccoli cheese (add leeks too if you like) can be a glorious thing and is everyone favourite side dish.

Sweetcorn doesn't need much more than butter and salt in my opinion but if you want to get fancy, roast it with olive oil, smoked paprika and salt (about 30 minutes) then squeeze lime juice over it. You can add sprinkled feta cheese too.

Also green beans make a great salad with pine nuts, balsamic dressing.

Roast the veg in some olive oil. The addition of onion and or garlic generally improves the taste. Peppers and onions become sweet if roasted slowly so nothing like the raw equivalent. Adding a tin of tomatoes also works well. You can then blitz to make soup adding stock. A hand blender and a jug makes this very quick.

The same mixture without the stock makes a good sauce for pasta or pizza topping, adding other bits and cheese as desired. It also makes a tasty 'cook in' sauce.

I find it's easy to put a tray of veg in the oven to roast when I'm cooking other things. It can then be stored in the fridge or frozen.

Also if you like sweet potato, I would experiment with roast pumpkin, squashes etc. Roast pumpkin with hummus, pomegranate seeds = heavenly and so easy.

You can turn almost (probably all) any veg into soup.

Fry off some onion then add any veg you want with some stock (any type you fancy) and cook until they are all soft then blend or mash until it's as smooth or chunky as you like.
You can if you want roast the veg first then blend with the stock but roast veg on its own is way too lovely on its own!
If you want to go for a specific veg then there will be recipes online.

You can add meat if you want like bacon or chicken but I don't eat meat. So I won't advise the best way to cook it but you can add cooked meat straight to the bowl just before you serve it.

You can do veg with cheese sauce. Either make a sauce to pour over roasted veg or chop everything to the same smallish size put it in a tray with high sides and pour cheese sauce over it and bake in the oven for about 20 to 30 mins it is a replacement to macaroni cheese or is good as a side to some chicken or other meat.

You can roast lettuce too like whole little gems but you would have to look up a recipy.

OP have a look at Yottam Ottolenghi recipes. If you follow him on Twitter he often posts them, lots of ideas for great veg meals and sides.

Pour over Cheese sauce.

I love veg but I have recently learned some astounding tricks!

Broccoli or cauliflower spread over a roasting tin - drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 15-18 mins.

Cauliflower tossed in oil/salt/pepper - add curry powder/spice you like - add panko breadcrumbs - roast 15-18 mins.

Make warm salads - rocket and a selection of leaves - roast butternut squash/peppers/tomatoes - even carrot etc toss together with dressing or olive oil/balsamic/honey - add feta or goats cheese or roast salmon and sprinkle with toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

couscous is easy - fry in butter onion/leek/spring onion - what ever you have - with garlic - add other veg such as courgette then add couscous and fry off for a min or two. Add peas and a stock cube. Add the water - take off the heat, cover with a lid and it's done in 6 mins. Serve with fish/steak - whatever. Cook extra and have as a salad next day.

Courgette cut up into thick chunks - into a hot pan - no oil - it chars beautifully and keeps more texture. Use as a side/toss into a salad.

Cauliflower rice? Never had it myself yet, but I bet it's lovely.

Dhall.

I now want to cook - I love talking about food!!

Charcoal grilling. AND GARLIC
always garlic. Soy sauce. Honey. Spices.

Lots of great ideas.

This is good on salads and hot or cold roasted veggies:
3tbs olive oil
1tbs lemon juice
Add garlic, salt, pepper
Good as is or Add other spices or Dijon mustard to your own

Google clean dressings and make a few that keep a week so you have them on hand. Good dressing can really make the difference for me.

@DollyDoneMore

Roast it all. Cauliflower, aubergine, sweet potato, carrots, green beans and many more are all transformed in the oven or on a BBQ. Add spices and garlic. No more boring cold salad.

Look at Hugh Fearnlet-Whittingstall’s Veg book for ideas.

This

I have started doing this and eat way more veg than I used to. It tastes so much better!

Toss broccoli florets in some olive oil and thinly sliced garlic (or just use garlic oil), season well with salt and pepper and roast at 220c for 15 minutes.

I cook sliced leeks and courgettes together in garlic oil and butter, then add pesto if I feel like it, or some mushrooms if I don't.

Roast veg, let cool slightly, then toss through cous cous with lots of chopped herbs, some olive oil and a spritz of lemon juice, and some chopped feta.

Nigella Lawson's merguez with halloumi and peppers is great and quick. She uses peppers from a jar - I slice up red and yellow peppers and roast them with the sausages and halloumi.

I like steamed french beans which are then spritzed with either white or ordinary balsamic vinegar. You can buy sprays of both.

I make a chicken curry and stick spinach or chard in to wilt.

My favourite leek recipe is Sophie Grigson leeks with orange. I don't do the milk bit, just a little flour to take up any excess orange juice, and then creme fraiche goes in. Great with cumberland chipolatas
nickbirch.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/creamed-leek-with-orange-sophie-grigson/

I made this www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/recipes/chicken-rarebits/] last night, so tomatoes, and did it with roast broccoli as the oven was on, and steamed some sugarsnaps. Followed with fruit, so 5/5.

Have a look at the Good Food website or the Nigella Lawson one. The Hairy Biker diet books have lots of ideas as well.

Some ideas for good flavour combinations:
Brocolli steamed, with toasted flaked almonds.
Cauliflower, drizzled with olive oil and roasted with coriander and cumin seeds
Carrot, grated and steamed, then mixed with spoonful of natural yoghurt A little cumin powder and fresh chopped mint leaves
Any veg, tossed in olive oil seasoned with fajita seasoning and roasted. Add crumbled feta or cubes of grilled haloumi and olives once cooked.

What you need are spices, herb and more spices and herbs.
Make sure your spice drawer is stocked with good selection and you can make anything more exciting.
Get few different vinegars, some nice oils and pomegranate molases.

Get spiraliser. That way you can add courgette or other veggies to your noodle dishes in a nice way.

My fave cauliflower is harissa roasted cauliflower with tahini-yogurt, pomegranate molases and rostaed almond flakes on top. Fucking delicious!
Cut cauli into pieces, mix harissa with lemon juice and toss the cauli in it. Roast. Mix tahini, yogurt and lemon juice to taste. Put roasted cauli on a plate (ha).
Drizzle the tahini-yogurt over it, drizzle pomegranate molases (or add fresh pomegranate) and sprinkle with roasted almond flakes.

Roast them in the oven with oil or fry light and use herbs and spices

Cumin, salt, pepper, thyme

Cajun spice, salt, pepper, oregano

Onion and garlic power, pepper, rosemary and paprika

Ad infinitum

Then add in lentils or grains stir together with lemon juice

Ooh, thanks for these!