First, I was going to start a thread about asparagus. When you buy it – $X.XX per pound – you right away cut off the stems before you cook it, so you’re basically throwing away around 1/4 to 1/3 of what you just paid for. Then, you have to use the asparagus within just a few days, or the tips get all mushy. Nevertheless, it’s one of the few green veggies that DH will eat.
He will also eat broccoli. And, on a good day, he will also eat green beans, if I char them a bit in a fry pan. Oh – and spinach. He likes spinach. And roasted butternut squash.
Other than that, it’s a vegetable dessert in this house. He hates brussel spouts, won’t eat turnips, not a fan of beets. So, what do you all do for variety in veggies?? I generally prefer to have mine “pure” – that is, not made with cheese or a white sauce or something that adds useless calories and hides the flavor. But I am really tired of the four green veggies DH will eat. Any clever ideas??
What about snap or sugar peas? Similar in texture to green beans, but with a sweeter, crunchier taste? Or plain green peas? (My grandkids love frozen peas straight out of the bag.)
Or snow peas?
What about other varieties of winter squash? I particularly like kobocha squash ( also called Japanese pumpkin). Drier and sweeter than butternut. Or regular pumpkin (pie pumpkins, not jack o’lanterns).
Or sweet potatoes? Similar flavor profile to butternut. Baked whole and served with a pat of miso butter in the flesh–delightful.
Have you tried snow peas? We like them just lightly sauteed. Admittedly we are most likely to get them in late spring or early summer when we can pick them in our own garden. An Asian market recently opened up near our home and it occurred me that I might want to swing by and see whether they have any in other seasons.
I grew broccoli one year and was not at all impressed by the heads that I got. Then came the tiny broccolini heads that continued for many weeks. These became the reason to grow broccoli in the garden.
On even days, you two make one of his Acceptable 5 and you prepare enough for there to be leftovers for him to eat the next day. On the odd days, you make whatever vegetable you want.
Can you make a hearty side salad and then skip the side of veggies for a starch of some kind (probably not healthy but he may eat it) - various lettuces, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, capers, broccoli, etc?
If he’ll eat broccoli, what about other cruciferous vegetables–
cauliflower (similar taste)
cabbage –plain green or savoy. I love it sautéed in olive oil or butter until meltingly soft and delicious. It’s also surprisingly good roasted quickly at a high temperature in the oven where it gets crispy edges. One of my favorite dishes is braised cabbage and duck legs.
I know your husband doesn’t like Brussel sprouts, but if you grow you own or have local farmer market..maybe you can get some that have been out in a freeze overnight before they were cut. They taste completely different. Very mild flavor. Good steamed, roasted or sautéed.
I do use zucchini, but mostly in a dish I have called “stuffed zucchini boats,” with hot sausage, onions, and the middle of the zukes chopped up, then baked in the zucchini shells. I rarely use it as a stand-alone veggie, but I could. Sugar and snap peas are not something that I’ve ever tried. I will give them a go. And the other winter squashes have always seemed to me to be just butternut but in a slightly different format. Is there really more variety??
Kobocha taste very different from butternut. It’s sweeter and has a velvety texture when cooked. To me, butternut always seems to have a blah flavor and a slightly bitter edge.
I adore artichokes. Steamed in a pressure cooker, they only take 3-4 minutes. ( of course, prepping them takes about 15 minutes because you have to cut out the fuzzy choke in the middle.
(BTW, I gardened for decades so I’ve tried a lot of different veggies. Currently I live in 100% vegetarian household.)
My kids and husband eat all vegetables, never with butter or cheese. Asparagus I buy when $1.99, roast with olive oils s/p, broccoli rabe with sausage and orecchiette, sautéed mushrooms (even my mushroom haters got on board), spinach sautéed with garlic, roasted Brussels with garlic, olive oil, s/p Parmesan and balsamic, they all love delicata squash. Simple cucumber salad in the summer with vinegar and onion, arugula salad. I love butternut squash soup, and Turkey sausage/kale/white bean soup. My kids are not used to frozen or canned vegetables, I didn’t grow up eating them. Shishito peppers or Italian long hots roasted.
I mix defrosted frozen chopped spinach that’s been squeezed dry with ricotta (or….sssshhh! cottage cheese) and bit of parmesan and use it stuff shells or as filling in calzones.
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And a hint for the asparagus–instead of cutting off the bottoms, try paring off the tough outer skin and leaving the softer pith. Then steam or sauté them. You can preserve more of the stalk that way.
I like all kinds of leafy vegetables, especially Asian vegetables, like snow pea tips, bok choy. I also like spinach, but hate kale.
I usually just stir fry them with olive oil and garlic.
Does you husband like spicy? Try calabacitas. It’s a New Mexican dish: corn kernels, sliced zucchini, chopped onions, sliced red and green bell peppers, chopped green chile–sautéed together until tender-crisp and served as side or as a filling for enchiladas or tacos. For more protein you can add some cooked black or pinto beans.
I often use 1 part balsamic vinegar to 2 parts low sodium soy sauce to put over asparagus or Brussels sprouts. You don’t need much - I do either 1 or 2 teaspoons of balsamic and 2 or 4 teaspoons of soy. If you happen to be having salmon with the asparagus, the sauce is good for that too.
