5. Try a Different Technique Lots of people only like vegetables when they’re prepared a specific way. You may hate fresh spinach but love when it’s wilted (or vice versa), or you might prefer cooked broccoli over raw. Maybe you’ve had boiled green beans and they weren’t your thing, but you like green bean casserole or the sauteed green bean dish at your favorite Asian restaurant. Different cooking techniques bring out different flavors, even in vegetables. Roasting or grilling oftenmakes the food taste slightly sweeter, while steaming keeps a more neutral flavor. The point is, even if you are convinced you don’t like a specific vegetable, try a different way of cooking it, and you may be surprised. Remember those boiled brussels sprouts your parents forced you to eat as a child? Try cutting off the stem and slicing them into halves (or even smaller shredded pieces), then drizzling with olive oil and seasonings (garlic powder and onion powder work well). Sautée them in a cast iron skillet or roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. Eat them as is or mix in a bowl with a combination of honey and sriracha or some balsamic vinegar.
6. Make it Cute or Appealing You’ve likely heard of “ants on a log,” which is simply celery stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins, or some other combination of ingredients that create the same effect. The result is an enticing food that kids think is fun. Even when we’re grown up, we can still have fun with our food, and it might be just the thing to motivate healthy munching. For the holidays, hit up Pinterest to find platters loaded with fresh veggies shaped like turkeys, scarecrows, or wreaths. At celebratory events, the tray can
look like a baby carriage, graduation cap, or even a childlike toy train.
7. Take the New Food Challenge Are you familiar with rutabaga, kohlrabi, sunchokes, nopales, and romanesco? Withmodern innovations, foods from around the world are readily available inmost areas, so instead of pushing past foods in the vegetable aisle you don’t recognize, pick a few up and head to the internet for preparation ideas. Select one or two new veggies eachmonth and use the tips above to blend them into your diet.
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