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| How to Enjoy Vegetables |
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Why do so many people in the U.S. dislike vegetables? |
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- Vegetables are usually served after being simply boiled or steamed.
- The resulting vegetable dishes are often bland and tasteless.
- Although an abundant variety of vegetables are available, only a few vegetables like potatoes and beans are served often.
- Nagging by adults about the importance of eating more vegetables turns off children.
- Vegetables are sometime served raw without being cooked, as in salads, or they are served overcooked.
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How can we make vegetables irresistible to everyone? |
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- The use of spices and legumes in preparing vegetable dishes can greatly enhance the taste and flavor of vegetables.
- The use of onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes can also enhance the appeal of vegetable dishes.
- Learn to cook vegetables from a broad array including, cauliflower, spinach, eggplant, squash, cabbage, carrots, lima beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, black-eyed peas, chickpeas. We are blessed with an abundance of colorful, fresh vegetables, and should take advantage of their availability.
- Vegetables cooked with legumes and spices are colorful and visually appealing.
- A single vegetable can be cooked so many different ways, each tasting differently. For example take cauliflower. One can make cauliflower rice, cauliflower poriyal, cauliflower kurma, cauliflower soup, and cauliflower kootu.
See the explanations below for a description of the dishes that can be prepared with vegetables:
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- Poriyal – A stir-fried vegetable without sauce.Vegetables are cooked with seasonings and as a finishing touch combined with lentils, ginger and coconut.
- Kurma – Exquisite flavorful vegetable (or meat) sauce made from coconut, almonds, ginger, garlic and spices to a milky consistency. A uniquely aromatic and delicious preparation.
- Soup – A thin, lentil based soup made with onions, tomatoes and mild seasonings.
- Flavored Rice Dishes – Vegetables cooked with Basmati, a fragrant, high quality rice. Basmati rice has a nutlike flavor and is aromatic.
- Kootu - A thick, creamy textured and mildly flavored vegetable dish prepared with lentils, ginger and cumin. Kootus are often served as a side dish with a main meal.
- Sambhar – Vegetables and lentils cooked with sambhar powder to make a hearty sauce of medium or thick consistency.
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The benefits of foods cooked with spices and legumes: |
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- Resulting vegetable and meat dishes are not bland, but are aromatic and flavorful.
- Even people who are not interested in “spicy” foods can enjoy food with a very modest use of spices, and a generous use of lentils, onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes.
- Benefits of spices such as turmeric powder, cumin, and cinnamon have been well documented. There is increasing scientific evidence that shows spices can promote great health benefits.
- Spices and legumes make even bland vegetables like cauliflower and beans come alive and become tasty.
- Vegetable are easy to digest, light and healthy. By using a variety of vegetables in a diet, one can restrict meat consumption.
- Vegetables cooked with spices and legumes result in satisfying meals.
- When the foods are bursting with different colors and flavors, people will feel satisfied even with smaller portions and hence will consume less.
- Spices help retain food flavors for several days after cooking. They have a preservative quality.
- Legumes (Lentils, beans and peas) are great sources of protein and fiber.
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How to motivate people to cook and eat more vegetables: |
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- Help people learn how to cook vegetables. It is a creative process for oneself and for the family.
- Make cooking a priority of everyday life.
- Make a structured meal time for the family.
- Educate people that the recipes we are suggesting in our book are not time consuming.
- Children will eat a variety of healthful foods if they aren’t pressured and the foods are tasty and appealing.
- Children will also enjoy eating variety of foods if they themselves are also included in the food preparation, making it a fun activity.
- Emphasize that parents are responsible for what a child is offered to eat. Good eating habits are developed at an early age.
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