Help for veggie hater

[chadcs]

I hate vegetables (or most that we are allowed). It was the same 5 years ago when I was on Atkins. Hate, hate, hate. I would make an effort to try a new one each week and for the most part, confirmed my hate. It is not that I find it does not taste as good as something else, it was that I literally hate the taste.

I do cook with peppers and onions if they are chopped very small.

Green beans are ok. Salads with just lettuce are fine. Well you get the point.

I would love to not hate them. I would love to say Mmmm veggies.

So I am curious if there are any other veggie haters out there and if they managed to find a way to consume them that overcame the gag reflex. Or if someone has an idea, I am willing to try it.

[Mbudlite89]

Re: Help for veggie hater

I HATE them also, only ones I love are onions, tomatoes, and lettuce(iceburg and romaine). I also been eating Jicama and Green Beans......and occasionally celery so far. I haven't tried anything else in the veg category but I will say I , being almost 20, still have gag reflex from stuff like green beans, so I just do what I did since I was a kid and Chew it in a corner of my mouth while sipping a drink(water, flavored seltzer water) and swallowing it asap lol

[mizski]

Re: Help for veggie hater

OK you guys, how are you preparing your veggies?

Some people find they like some veggies raw with a tasty dip (ranch or blue cheese dressing are good) or steamed rather than boiled or roasted with a drizzle of oil and maybe some onion or garlic powder.

Then there are the *zillion veggie recipes to look over and try. And the *half zillion salad recipes to try. Yes, men, I said TRY some.

Some other ideas to ponder: Pick up some Ziploc Zip n Steam baggies at the grocery store. They have cooking times printed right on the bag. After you nuke whatever veggie, add some butter. Butter is wonderful. A few sprinkles of garlic or onion powder or even a few shakes of Frank's hot sauce (in addition to the butter) is very tasty.

Next is the hide the veggie method. Shredded zucchini is great for this because of its neutral flavor. Shred or finely chop your veggies and "hide" them in a meatloaf.

Now go TRY some veggies!

p.s. On the recipe site the recipes with an * are safe for induction.

[chadcs]

Re: Help for veggie hater

Deal. I will try one tomorrow and one Sunday. If I die, it is all your fault. Bury me with some bread. (hey, I will be dead so carbs do not matter)

[JulieB]

Re: Help for veggie hater

Deal. I will try one tomorrow and one Sunday. If I die, it is all your fault. Bury me with some bread. (hey, I will be dead so carbs do not matter)

Cute!

I agree with hiding the veggies. Tomato sauce is a veggie (just be careful with portions). Try Linda's 'Sloppy Joe Pie' or 'Stick to your ribs chili' (below). If you like it, chop some extra veggies in there the next time. How about faux potatoes? Liv's recipe below is awesome.


SLOPPY JOE PIE
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup onion, chopped, 1 1/2 ounces
2 stalks celery, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda (1pkt)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded


Brown the hamburger with the onion, celery and garlic; drain the fat. Add the tomato sauce, Splenda, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well and let simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or so just to blend the flavors. Put the meat mixture in the bottom of a greased glass pie plate; mix in about half the cheese. Spread the remaining cheese over the top. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and whisk in the mayonnaise and cream. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the cheese. Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes until nicely browned. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Makes 8 servings
Can be frozen



Stick To Your Ribs Chili
2 pounds ground beef
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 large clove, fresh)
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 15-ounce can no sugar added tomato sauce
1 8-ounce can no sugar added roasted garlic tomato sauce
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
sour cream (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Brown the ground beef with the garlic and red pepper flakes; drain thoroughly. Combine the browned meat/spices with all the remaining ingredients except the sour cream and shredded cheese. Place mixture in a crockpot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours. Serve hot, garnished with dollops of sour cream and sprinkles of cheddar cheese, if desired.

Freezes well for a quick lunch or snack.

Whole recipe: 2641 calories, 183g fat, 73.7 carbs , 169.1g protein
¼ recipe: 660 calories, 46g fat, 18.5 carbs, 42g protein
1/6 recipe: 440 calories, 30.5g fat, 12.25 carbs , 28g protein

Liv’s Cauliflower potatoes

2 1/2 cups cauliflower
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated cheddar, divided
3 green onions
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 slices cooked bacon

Cook 2 1/2 cups cauliflower until tender but firm. Chop into pieces
about the size of hash browns. Mix 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup grated
cheddar(medium is good), the chopped white parts of 3 green onions,
3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir in cauliflower. Place in greased
baking dish and sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheddar on top. Bake @ 350 for 20
minutes or until heated through. Crumble 3 slices cooked bacon on top
and sprinkle on the chopped tops of the green onions. Serves 5 at 4.4
carbs each. Reheats well in the micro but freezes really badly.

The green onions & bacon *really* make this dish special!

[neutronnorman]

Re: Help for veggie hater

"The problem with America is stupidity.
I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity,
but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything
and let the problem solve itself"

Funny M. Is that why when I pick up a script for my mom or myself, it reads: "take by mouth?" Why is that warning printed on a bottle of pills?

About veggies, I hated them before Atkins and now they've become the highlight of my meals. They make me feel very, very good psychologically as well as physically.

I personally prefer green, leafy veggies over squash, peppers, etc. The only squash I truly love is chayote. I do not like tomatoes.Chayote squash boiled just right with EVOO (where's Rachael Ray?) and vinegar is like, well, indescribable. That's my opinion. Tonight I had a cup of watercress, a cup of arugula and mixed greens. I was in heaven.

[kmuldrow]

Re: Help for veggie hater

I hate most vegetables too so.....

I'll add some meat with them. For example, I had 1 oz spinach with chicken on top (dark meat), a sprinkle of cheese and some mustard. That way, I taste more meat than salad and still meet my requirements.

You can also try and make a dip to dip them in and there's always a pickle (cucumber but I can't deal with the salt.

[Mbudlite89]

Re: Help for veggie hater

You can also try and make a dip to dip them in and there's always a pickle (cucumber but I can't deal with the salt.

I thought Pickles Where a no no? High Salt content..and i doubt any vita nutrients from cucumbers left in a pickle lol

[MelTin]

Re: Help for veggie hater

Pickles are fine if the salt doesn't bother you-not sweet pickles though.

[kmuldrow]

Re: Help for veggie hater

I thought Pickles Where a no no? High Salt content..and i doubt any vita nutrients from cucumbers left in a pickle lol

Pickles are okay. Just not the sweet ones (ICK!!!) and make sure you drink enough water so that the sodium that's in them won't hit you as hard.

[not2late]

Re: Help for veggie hater

I hate vegetables (or most that we are allowed). It was the same 5 years ago when I was on Atkins. Hate, hate, hate. I would make an effort to try a new one each week and for the most part, confirmed my hate. It is not that I find it does not taste as good as something else, it was that I literally hate the taste.

I do cook with peppers and onions if they are chopped very small.

Green beans are ok. Salads with just lettuce are fine. Well you get the point.

I would love to not hate them. I would love to say Mmmm veggies.

So I am curious if there are any other veggie haters out there and if they managed to find a way to consume them that overcame the gag reflex. Or if someone has an idea, I am willing to try it.

Lettuce and peppers are on the "Salad" list.

Green beans and onions are on the "Other" list.

So you have 4 vegetables that are completely "legal" on Atkins Induction.

That gag reflex of yours is most likely psychological, rather than physical. Because if it was a physical problem, you would be gagging other solid foods...not just veggies.

Since your veggie likes are limited, you should try to eat them prepared in a variety of different ways and/or try out different varieties of those vegetables. For example, lettuce comes in many varieties--Romaine, iceberg, Boston, red leaf, oak leaf, etc. Try those different lettuces in your salads. You might want to try lettuce-looking greens in your salad, like baby spinach, endive, arugula, or herbs like fresh parsley leaves, fresh cilantro leaves etc. That will give you different flavors and textures that may make your salad eating more enjoyable and will make your salads more nutritious.

Peppers, too, come in a wide variety ranging from the mild Bell peppers to the spicy habeneros. Moreover, bell peppers come in different colors (red, orange, yellow) which tend to be sweeter in flavor particularly when cooked than the green variety.

Onions fall into the same category. There are red onions, sweet onions like Vidalias or WAlla Wallas, green onions and a member of the onion family called a leek. Leeks are milder in flavor and are allowed during Induction.

Your minced pepper and onion mixture can be incorporated into an omelette or made into a sauce for your meats.

Green beans too come in a variety: yellow or wax beans and some heirloom varieties (which I think have a much better texture and flavor than the ones you find in the supermarket.)

As for the taste of the veggies that you have tried...how are you preparing them? Veggies are typically an afterthought in our cuisine, so their preparations don't typically bring out the best. Even in very good restaurants, I've been served very poorly prepared vegetables.

There are several vegetable cooking books that I find helpful. The two best are:

Vegetables Every Day: the definitive guide to buying and cooking by JAck Bishop. This is a very good book for Atkineers, because with the exception of maybe 5 vegetables every veggie in the book is on the Atkins Induction Acceptable Foods list.

Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka. Another good book.

You might want to see if your public library can get you copies of these books.

[mizski]

Re: Help for veggie hater

Deal. I will try one tomorrow and one Sunday. If I die, it is all your fault. Bury me with some bread. (hey, I will be dead so carbs do not matter)

Neither death-by-vegetable NOR burial-with-bread are allowed during the Induction phase.

[chadcs]

Re: Help for veggie hater

I put some minced onion in my fritatta today and some chopped spinach. I think the onion overpowered too much but the spinach was ok. I think one serving was about 1/4 cup raw spinach.

Making beanless chili tonight and will get some veggies hidden in there somehow.

[msanjelpie]

Re: Help for veggie hater

My gag reflex is only in operation when I eat green string beans... no other food. It's not in my head... it's in my throat

I HATE veggies too. My favorites are the big 4. Corn, peas, carrots and lima beans. All not allowed in the beginning of course...

Of the allowed ones I like lettuce, cole slaw (cold cabbage) celery, tomato, purple onions and cucumbers. So I only eat the 'salad' veggies. Either with dressing or mayo.

Eat what you can... no point in forcing yourself to eat stuff you can't stomach...

[imagood1]

Re: Help for veggie hater

Pickles are okay. Just not the sweet ones (ICK!!!) and make sure you drink enough water so that the sodium that's in them won't hit you as hard.

Mt Olive makes no sugar added sweet pickles and no sugar added relish - I have used both and have no adverse reactions to them.