There is no question that vegetables in general are pretty darn good for you. Almost everyone could benefit from eating more of them. I am lucky enough to have been raised eating lots of fresh veggies straight from the garden. I've almost always liked all the ones that people typically dislike: broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts and lima beans. In fact there are few veggies which make me as happy as the ones I just listed.
However, I know there are quite a few people out there who loathe everything I just mentioned and shudder at the thought of eating anything that didn't run around on four legs. While I can't guarantee I can convince you to try them if you really really hate vegetables... I can give you ways to cook them that might be a bit more palatable.
One sure-fire way to make almost any veggie tastier is oven roasting. Roasting is basically cooking a vegetable without any liquid, save for a light coating of oil to keep the tender flesh from charring. It's super-easy and the results are undeniably delicious. You'll need a baking sheet, roasting pan or pizza pan for most recipes, and the veggies of your choice along with some type of vegetable oil.
Roasted Carrots
2-4 large carrots, peeled and trimmed but left whole or cut into 1-inch chunks*
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss carrots with olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle with a little salt. Arrange oiled carrots on a baking sheet or roasting pan (or whatever shallow flat oven safe metal pan you have). Cook the carrots in the oven for about 20 minutes and then check on them. The carrots are done when easily pierced with a fork. Don't be afraid to let the carrots brown on the edges - they can get quite sweet. Serve immediately.
*If you have very thick carrots it could take longer for them to cook. If you want to speed up the cook time, slice in half lengthwise.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 pound brussel sprouts
4-6 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Trim bottom of brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Toss brussels sprout halves in half the oil. Heat the remaining oil in cast-iron pan over medium heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Sprinkle with salt.
Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom (10-15 minutes, sometimes less) and then transfer the whole pan to the oven. Roast until sprouts start to brown and are tender when pierced with a fork (about 1/2 hour.) If you like, you can roast them a bit longer - until they are quite brown.
Remove pan from the oven, taste a sprout, and add more salt and a bit of pepper if necessary. Transfer to a glass dish and serve. They are best served warm, although they are eaten quite happily at room temperature or even chilled.
I often bring this dish to potlucks and dinners and get people who don't like brussels sprouts to try them. They are shocked to discover a salty-sweet little cabbage with a hint of bitterness. Most folks like them and wind up eating a bunch. I'm always surprised at how many people really love them when prepared this way and in many cases we run out of sprouts well before any other veggie.
If you're feeling adventurous, you can include whole peeled cloves of garlic when roasting brussels sprouts. You can also try sprinkling the roasted sprouts with balsamic vinegar.
There are tons and tons of roasted vegetable recipes out there. The most frequently roasted vegetables include potatoes, onions, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, eggplant, and sweet potatoes. Pick your favorites and look for recipes.
Roasting is fun, easy and delicious. You'll find veggies are way more flavorful and sweet than you ever thought. Enjoy!
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