Make Veggies taste great

7 Ways to Make Veggies Taste Great

Hey Beautiful, welcome back to the Glow Blog! I’m Nathalie, the Holistic Nutritionist for high energy levels, and I’m so excited to share 7 different ways to make veggies taste great.

How much easier would weight loss be if, instead of FORCING them down, you actually really looked forward to EATING veggies?

First, why should I eat veggies?

Veggies are the most nutrient-dense foods most people eat. They’re loaded in vitamins and minerals, and most even have lots of amino acids that help build up protein.

We’re constantly finding out about new phytonutrients in vegetables and fruits that help prevent or battle diseases, and vegetables should be the main source of fiber in your diet.

From increasing your energy levels from an array of natural B-vitamins to helping you hit your weight loss goals because of their fiber, vegetables are really a food to start LOVING. And in this blog post, I’ll tell you HOW to dress them up in amazing ways so you actually start a love affair with them, too.

(So stop shoving down veggies you hate – you deserve better.)

Are you ready?

1. Add A Dressing to Make Veggies Taste Great:

I love taking the time to make my own dressing, because it’s SO worth it. Store-bought dressings often contain GMO’s, which is something I want to avoid for hormonal balance especially as a woman.

Beyond the GMO’s, store-bought dressings are just a little void of nutrients. Think about it: they’re sitting on a store shelf for who knows how long… And when you can make a really great-tasting and WILDLY healthy dressing at home, why would you bother with a store-bought one?

Here’s a super-simple Greek dressing recipe that I love that can be whipped up in 5 minutes or less.

And this is an amazing Chimichurri sauce recipe that I adore on roasted veggies. It comes out tasting like a fresh, superfood crazy-healthy pesto dressing and I LOVE it. I made this sauce with herbs I prefer instead of strictly following the recipe (not a big fan of parsley, but love cilantro. Not totally sure what tarragon tastes like, but I LOVE basil + oregano, so made those swaps. Play around! The kitchen loves courage and confidence!)

2. Roast Veggies to Make Them Taste Great:

Try roasting your veggies in an awesome sauce.

Want it simpler? Try just olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss your veggies into those three, simple ingredients and bake ’em at 350 F for 45-60 minutes. Mix them around once at about 25 minutes in, just to ensure even cooking. This can take even veggies you hate to a whole new level of loooove.

(But as I tell my coaching clients all the time, don’t try to force down veggies you hate – just eat LOTS of the ones you don’t mind or even like!)

Looking for a fancier glaze? I love making something pretty close to this at Thanksgiving to pour on carrots before roasting them. They come out tangy and sweet and just perfect. (I use pure maple syrup in place of the honey).

3. Roast ‘Em and THEN Toss Them In A Dressing to Make Veggies Taste Amazing:

Last Thanksgiving I made this to-die-for Brussels Sprouts dish that made even the brussels-haters around us swoon.

I cut the Brussels sprouts in half and roasted them with salt and pepper and olive oil. While they were roasting, I grilled a diced red onion in olive oil. Then to that pan, I added dijon mustard, a little liquid smoke, and some maple syrup, salt and pepper until I had a thick, rich, salty, smokey and heated (from the dijon) sauce that was ready when the Brussels sprouts came out.

I tossed them in it, and right before serving added coconut bacon onto it. Oh my gosh. Amazing.

While I wouldn’t take the time to make this every day, or even on a weeknight, my GOODNESS was it worth making at a special occasion! 🙂

4. Throw a Cashew Cheese Sauce onto Your Veggies to Make Them Taste Great:

The question for making veggies taste better came from my awesome Facebook Group, The Glow Doers. (Want an inspiring health arena on Facebook? Join us here, I’d love to have you).

Someone asked about making steamed broccoli taste good, and I instantly thought of a cashew cheese sauce recipe. (Did anyone else always have broccoli or cauliflower with cheese sauce as a kid? I either think it was a Thanksgiving tradition or a bribe to get me to eat a vegetable – haha, well-played, parents 😉 )

I shared my favourite cashew cheese sauce recipe over here a while ago (about halfway down the page – I know the recipe is for perogies, but this cheese sauce is grand enough to stand alone).

5. Add Truffle Oil + Vegan Parmesan to Make Your Veggies Taste Delicious:

There’s an AMAZING vegan restaurant in Toronto called Planta, and the entire time we eat there whenever we go, we have our hands in the air the whole time either because we feel SO blessed, or because we can’t EVEN handle the amazing flavours they put together. (Ahem, our hand flourishes may become grander because of the vodka martini’s, to note.)

Anyway, I’m not a massive fan of broccoli, but I was SO enticed by their truffle parmesan broccoli, that I actually ordered it as part of my main last time I was there.

And it. Was. Amazing.

So, do as the magicians (ahem, magical Chefs) at Planta do, and drizzle truffle oil onto your plain veggies, and then coat them in this super-quick-to-make vegan parmesan. You’ll adore it. And you may even find yourself waving your hands in disbelief.

(Side-note: I have no idea what the magical Chefs ACTUALLY do and I suspect they order full truffle mushrooms which is so exciting I can’t even think about it – but an infused truffle oil with a cashew parm will give you a good taste bud seduction none-the-less.)

6. Eat Cauliflower in This Delicious Way:

Alright, I know this is another roasted veggie, but this turns out SO well that I had to include it in it’s own category.

It’s SUPER-simple, and it always turns out AMAZING. And while one of the main ingredients is curry, don’t let that scare you off: I don’t even like curry and this turns out amazing.

It’s crazy. I could eat the whole cauliflower head.

(Okay, I have.)

(We usually have to make double.)

The original recipe is right here, and it’s an involved – but delicious! – chickpea curry with basmati rice and a whole bunch of tasty garnishes. But, to simplify it, and because I change it a little, here’s my less-oil version of JUST the cauliflower part of the recipe:

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe:

  • 1 cauliflower, chopped into bite-size flourets
  • 1 tbsp. curry powder or vadouvan powder
  • 1.5-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Mix everything together until the cauliflower is coated, pop it all onto a pan and roast at 450 F for 30-35 minutes. Stir it once or twice during cooking to make sure it roasts evenly. Try not to eat the whole head of cauliflower.

7. Toss Your Veggies in Pesto to Make Them Taste Great:

I’m nearly certain I could make any kind of vegetable, toss pesto on it, and my Husband would ADORE it. He’s a HUGE pesto fan, and with good reason!

Who DOESN’T love basil?

Here’s a simple, dairy-free (vegan) pesto recipe to love, and to use on your next side of veggies.

Enjoy!

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