I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

[jimenitayo]

I need help

I looove eggplant, and cauliflower, and pumpkin. but I'm really uninspired with the salad veggies.

I find lettuce and most of the leafy greens too bitter, and I can't get myself to like celery, altough maybe if I had it cooked....

is anyone else having this problem?

anyone have good tips or recipes?

thanks!

[not2late]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

Have you explored the other veggies on the "salad" list? Also, you might want to try cooking those leafy greens---all the greens can be cooked, including lettuce.

[jimenitayo]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

see, I know in my head that I can cook the leafy greens, I just can't think of any way of cooking them that might bea appealing...


the idea of cooked lettuce just doesn't sound yummy...

I know there's gotta be something that I'm missing, I just don't know how to prepare these...

[not2late]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

If the idea of cooked lettuce, like soupe de laitue (http://www.soupsong.com/rlettuc1.html) or laitue braisees (http://www.jacquespepin.net/members/...edlettuce.html), doesn't appeal to you, you can try the other "salad" vegetables. I mean, there are 21 veggies on the "salad" list---lots to choose from.

The easiest way to prepare greens is to chop or slice them and saute them in olive oil with a bit of garlic.

[Tired of Chub]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

my favorite lettuce dish is wilted lettuce. Takes- pile of lettuce, chopped up pieces of cooked bacon, onion if you like. in a small sauce pan mix apple cider vinegar (or white or whatever is around) and splenda. (as a kid that was sugar, not splenda) the vinegar and splenda get heated up till nice and hot (taste it so you use amounts to your liking, I LOVE it sour so very lil splenda gets added in). once the splenda is dissolved and the liquid is hot, pour it over the rest of the ingredients. toss it around, add salt and pepper and inhale!

A lot of those more bitter greens will lose that bitter taste as they are cooked or even wilted. dont be afraid to experiment with them. Kale is yummy in soups. spinach goes great with stuffed mushrooms (a hearty cheese and sausage can round out those stuffed shrooms is you like) Baby spinach is great for salad with chicken, bacon and a ranch dressing. Romaine works great for making 'boats' filled with tuna, chicken salad, egg salad, or BLTs

[Desertthorn]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

How about salads like tuna and egg. Sometimes I make a big tuna salad and then put chopped lettuce in it, plus tomato and celery. It rather masks the taste. Also Taco salad is good with out the chips.
My favorite is Cobb Salad, I make it with cooked chicken breast, bacon, blue cheese, egg, lettuce, tomato, cucumber etc. Then I dress it with olive oil, vinegar and a touch of Splenda.
Have you tried jicama. It crunches like celery but has a kinna sweet taste.

[Kent]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

The salad veggies I have found the most versatile are peppers. They can work their way into almost any dish, cooked or raw. My most common use is within stirfrys and fajitas.

[apopson]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

I've been big on celery. If you can put something on it ... it's a good one to have available at any time! I love putting cream cheese in it. I love putting egg salad in it the best!!! There's something about the taste of celery with egg and tuna salad. I do a lot of broccoli too. Lettuce and salads are a tricky thing because you have to buy it and USE it quickly or it gets that wilted, yucky taste. I have 2-cup salad every day though! I just make a good dressing with sour cream, spices and this and that allowed and add cheeses, radishes, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs ... just mix it up.

Eventually, you'll find something that's easy for you and something that you'll find appealing and you'll eat.

[Angseu]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

I love to mix canned salmon with cream cheese and use my celery as a scoop. It's so yummy and very filling.

[jimenitayo]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

Ok, those are great ideas....

I'm still not sold on the celery. I don't like the way it tastes fresh, maybe if i cooked it with something and then pureed it...

I also have another question...
I was thinking I could take advantage of the way the veggies cook down. I figure that since spinach cooks down so much, I could just have about 1/2 cup of COOKED spinach, and then I'll be getting in equivalent to 2 fresh cups. does that make sense? is that right?

I figure I can get myself started on eating them if they just look small enough.

what do you think?

[sunflowergrl]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

Veggies that cook down (like spinach) you have to measure raw. Do you use fitday.com? I just love it (check my link). It really helps you keep track of everything. I am so glad that you are getting more veggies in. You will feel so much better for it!

[Elizellen]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

one cup of spinach makes about a spoonful cooked!

[jimenitayo]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

Oh no!

i just checked and spinach isn't on the list! neither is cabbage!
I figured those two definitely counted as salad veggies, I didn't even think to double check! I was all set to have a lot of spinach....

today I tried peppers, I just can't believe they're allowed, they're so high in carbs!

I was also thinking of making my own version of tzaziki, getting in many cups of cucumber in...

oh well

[Tired of Chub]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

What list are you looking at??? spinach is there, as is cabbage.

[Elizellen]

Re: I'm not eating enough salad vegetables...

Spinach and cabbage are on the one-cup list along with broccolli etc