80 Delicious Ways to Eat More Vegetables

Having a great supply of veggies on hand means more will get eaten. Taking steps like filling a large container in the fridge with pre-washed and cut carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery and radishes makes grabbing them super easy. Here are 80 additional ways to keep them dominating your meals…

1. Make a delicious homemade fresh salsa by finely chopping tomatoes, peppers, garlic and cilantro. Squeeze in a little fresh lime juice and add jalapenos or red chilies if you like it hot. It’s handy for taco night or as a snack along with a few tortilla chips.
2. Top a bed of leafy greens with warm roasted vegetables such as beets, yams or acorn squash slices.
3. Sauté spinach, drizzle with sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds or make it gomae and serve chilled with a peanut-soy topping.
4. Use savoy cabbage leaves as a low carb replacement for flour tortillas in wraps.
5. Make homemade “fries” – Bake strips of fresh potato, yam or sweet potato, tossed lightly in vegetable oil with a sprinkle of sea salt.
6. Brussels sprouts are not only available at Thanksgiving. Top with crumbled toasted walnuts, a drizzle of honey and orange or grate on a little fresh Parmesan.
7. Serve lettuce wraps for dinner: Use crisp lettuce as a shell for minced vegetables and lentils, add grated carrot – flavor with a black bean, sweet chili or peanut sauce.
8. Drizzle fresh tomato wedges with olive or sesame oil and balsamic vinegar.
9. Steam broccoli and top with juicy orange slices and sunflower seeds.
10. Marinate fresh cucumber wedges in vinegar. Add a little fresh dill for a non-pickled pickle.
11. Make a salad of corn niblets, green and red peppers, diced carrots and red onion.
12. Make vegetable soup from scratch – e.g. squash, minestrone, tomato, carrot, hot and sour, red pepper, fennel, corn chowder or potato-leek soup.
13. Top celery sticks with a favourite cheese.
14. Enhance bottled tomato sauces with extra vegetables – peppers, broccoli, mushrooms or onions.
15. Make a vegetable-laden pizza topped with grilled eggplant, red peppers, leaves of spinach and fresh basil.
16. Make a salt and vinegar or barbecue flavoured baked potato.
17. Make a marinated bean salad using chickpeas, kidney beans and black beans. Add carrots, green beans and red onion for a bright and attractive boost.
18. Make an Asian-style coleslaw of red and green cabbage, green onion, roasted almonds and sesame seeds – drizzle with sesame oil and rice vinegar. Slaw is a perfect side to fish tacos.
19. When’s the last time you had squash? Bake, roast or broil spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pumpkin or any of the other varieties available. Ideas
20. Sheet pan veggies. Roast a combination of cubed potatoes, onions, peppers and/or any favorite vegetables lightly drizzled with olive oil, a little salt and herbs.
21. Make a spinach, red onion and mushroom salad.
22. Sauté julienne carrots, zucchini and peppers for an attractive texture change to cooked vegetables.
23. Bake a potato and top with chili or chopped, sautéed broccoli, tomato and onion.
24. Grill vegetable kebobs made of cherry tomatoes, pineapple chunks, zucchini, red onion, baby potatoes and/or red pepper chunks.
25. Make a salad with everything but lettuce.
26. Make a salad with nothing but 3 or 4 different types of lettuce.
27. Try mashed turnip or parsnip if it’s been a while. Definitely use these beauties in fall and winter stews.
28. Keep frozen peas, beans, corn, edamame or mixed vegetables in the freezer for a quick meal addition when in a hurry.
29. Try corn on the cob when in season topped lightly with chili or lime-flavored butter.
30. Sauté onions, add zucchini slices and top with canned, diced tomatoes.
31. Make a “tabouli-style” salad with lots of fresh parsley and a bit of chopped onion and tomato – add quinoa or couscous– sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice.
32. Make a vegetable stew of carrots, turnips, potatoes and anything else you like.
33. Make a salad of romaine lettuce, toasted almonds, green onions and fresh or canned mandarin orange wedges.
34. Make a coleslaw of chopped green cabbage, apples, green onion and raisins. An apple-cider vinegar based dressing finishes it perfectly.
35. Roast an artichoke heart or make a lightened up artichoke or spinach dip.
36. Toss together a marinated vegetable salad – marinate in a vinaigrette.
37. Make a potato-vegetable curry.
38. Try a mango, strawberry and cucumber salad. Mango, blueberry and cabbage is delicious too.
39. Make a vegetable-bean chili.
40. Top baked acorn squash chunks with apples and dried cranberries.
41. Mix frozen peas with chives or baby pearl onions.
42. Make a lightened up Caesar salad.
43. Try plain, but delicious, grilled asparagus.
44. How about good old mashed potatoes? Love potatoes, find 75 amazing potato recipes here.
45. Grill eggplant and top with fresh herbs.
46. Mix snow peas with yellow pepper and fresh mushroom slices.
47. Sauté red cabbage. Drizzle with tangy vinegar.
48. Make vegetable and herb-stuffed mushroom caps.
49. Toss together a quick Greek salad.
50. Sauté tomato, broccoli and/or leftover veggies with an egg for a quick breakfast scramble.
51. Saute string beans with diced canned tomatoes.
52. Brighten up cauliflower with chopped celery, green onions, parsley and black olives.
53. Make a Cobb salad of cubed tomatoes, avocado, green onion, chicken and even a little bacon and egg.
54. Make potato salad with potatoes, radishes, celery and onion – easy on the mayonnaise or go with a vinaigrette dressing instead.
55. Try good old raw vegetables and dip. Make the dip something tasty and high quality. Don’t limit yourself to carrots and celery. Serve snap peas, pepper strips, lightly steamed and cooled asparagus or green beans, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Hummus is an easy dip to make at home.
56. Grill polenta and top with tomato sauce, steamed veggies, and grated Parmesan.
57. Add a tomato slice to your breakfast sandwich or make it a toasted BLT.
58. Bake spaghetti squash “pasta” with vegetable tomato sauce and melted mozzarella for a much lower calorie or gluten-free “noodle” than regular spaghetti. Thinly cut strips of zucchini also work as a noodle replacement.
59. Top a dark green salad with grilled tofu, marinated in an orange-ginger dressing.
60. Make a grilled vegetable sandwich, using as many colours of vegetables as possible or grate vegetables like beets or carrots to add to sandwiches in place of or along with lettuce.
61. Make vegetable tofu kebobs (marinate tofu with teriyaki sauce first, then thread & grill: baste kebobs with marinade during cooking).
62. Make a frittata (potato and vegetable omelette) with a side salad topped with a sprinkle of cheese.
63. Puree cooked squash, carrots, cauliflower or other veggies and tuck them into pasta sauces or even baked goods like muffins.
64. Grate fresh carrots or beets on to just about any grain or veggie dish for a colourful, crunchy boost.
65. Make cauliflower, potato or yam “steaks’ on the barbecue by slicing into thick pieces, drizzling with a little oil and grilling.
66. Make a commitment to try a veggie you haven’t had for a long while at least once a month. Visiting an attractive vegetable market can be very inspiring on this front. Celeriac? Fennel? Okra? Jicama? A new type of squash perhaps?
67. Use lightly cooked sliced yam in the toaster instead of bread.
68. Use mashed avocado or pureed cooked vegetables like carrots as a sandwich spread.
69. Make an abundant mushroom saute using at least 2 or 3 different mushrooms.
70. Turn leftover mashed potatoes into breakfast fritters by mixing with eggs, minced veggies and green onion and then pan frying.
71. Google and try a good ratatouille or minestrone recipe.
72. For a cold, crunchy treat, wash and cut the ends off a bunch or two of radishes. Leave them in a bowl in the fridge right at eye level for the kids or grownups. They’ll get eaten very quickly.
73. Make homemade less greasy baked onion rings.
74. Add ruby red radicchio to a green salad to instantly ramp it up a notch.
75. Create your own house masterpiece of a tomato sauce. Make it uniquely yours with custom vegetable additions whether button mushrooms, fresh herbs, grated carrot or pureed cooked cauliflower, for example. Season with basil and oregano or spicy cayenne or jalapeno peppers.
76. Let the kids make a different salad to accompany dinner each night, if not at least once a week. Or, set up a mini salad bar like pictured above and let them assemble their own unique salad creations.
77. Ask for mostly vegetables on your plate when eating out (half the plate). Even at the sushi place. A side of stir fried veggies maybe or a veggie-based soup?
78. Slice zucchini lengthwise into thick pieces and grill. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan or salsa.
79. Add vegetables to the fruit you blend into a smoothie. For example, kale or spinach leaves with apple and pineapple or beets and carrots in an orange-strawberry smoothie
80. Try different vegetable combinations for a change from the usual stir-fry:

•  Use only green vegetables like broccoli, celery, green beans and green peppers.
•  Try a 3-pepper stir-fry with red, green and yellow peppers.
•  Make it Asian-style with Chinese broccoli, Bok choy, mini-corn cobs and water chestnuts.
• Use just red and green peppers, canned diced tomatoes and fresh basil and oregano for an Italian twist.

Google “vegetable recipes” for endless inspiration. www.lentils.ca also has some beautiful ideas for vegetarian dishes combining lentils and vegetables.

Cheers!

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Patricia Chuey

Working in the kitchen, Patricia turns evidence-based healthy messages into delicious ideas. This respected food and nutrition expert is the real deal.

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