hey there- i'm not a huge veggie person. i have kind of stuck to the five year old mentality in that department throughout my life- corn, green beans, lettuce, carrots, spinach. i've branched out some since i've started this WOE, but there are a lot of things that i just have never tried. i was wondering if everyone could throw in their two cents for a virtual taste test for me- lol.
i pasted in the acceptable foods list from the induction rules.

i'm hitting that first stall time- noticed i didn't lose anything at all last week, so i'm getting more interested in trying the foods i've turned my nose up to! thanks for all your help!

alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
mâche
sorrel


Other Vegetables


artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
rhubarb
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini

jicama--my daughter made me buy one at the grocery (we're doing Atkins together) ... the taste was a bit like apple but with an earthy nutty flavor with the apple. She loved it and I found it a bit un-nerving because of the nutty flavor (I kept expecting apple and only apple). It's a pretty large root thing too and a bit expensive.

Wow!
Everytime I look back at that list I realize that I get in a vegeta-rut all too often and wind up eating the same 4 or 5 over and over, mainly out of convenience. Time to hit the produce section again.

Jicama is great! Nothing else quite like it.

Bok Choy, Snow Peas, Mushrooms, and Bamboo Shoots go well in various stir-fry combos.

Kohlrabi is good, but I have had trouble finding it.

Spaghetti Squash is terrific with an alfredo sauce (w/some spinach added).

Dumb question....what do they look like?

Hi there

Raw Spincach, bok choy, escarole, romaine (and other types of lettuce) can all be used instead of iceberg lettuce in salads and are more nutritious and provide more fibre than the iceberg. You can also put raw mushrooms into a salad. other good additions to salad - snow peas, peppers green or red, bean or alphalfa sprouts, zucchinii (which I think is a summer squash)

You say you already eat spinach, you can cook swiss chard and beet greens just like spinach and the tase is similar. (I think collard greens are similar too)

Broccoli and cauliflower can be lightly steamed or microwaved for a couple of minutes (in a covred container with a couple of spoonfuls of water) they can also be eaten raw with our without a dip (salad dressing will do) cauliflower tastes a bit like broccoli but MUCH better ( I don't like broccoli much)

rhubarb - you can chop and stew in a little water for about 15-20 minutes, it's very sour so you'll probably want to add some sweetner. Strawberries and rhubarb is a very popular combination.

pumpkin and winter squash can be baked or roasted (you can cut them in half or chunks and bake or roast whole till the shell is soft and just scoop out the meat. pumpkin and squash taste similar they are rather bland and a lot of the flavour depends on the spicing used - they can be used in savoury or sweet dishes . Soups with pumpkin and squash are very good.

Asparagus, can be lightly steamed or cooked for about 3-4 minutes in the micro, covered and with a bit of water added. Just cut the bottom of the stalks off. It's very good and can be eaten hot or cold (cooked but chilled) usually if you eat it cold you would marinade it in a vinagrette or drizzle a little dressing on it.

I started to go down the list and realized I wasn't describing the taste so stopped. You can check out the Internet to find out about most if not all of the veggies on your list. Explore as many of them as you can, you may be surprised at how creative you can be. If you buy them fresh you can buy just enough to taste to see if you like them.

Good luck!

It's pretty hard to describe the taste of most of these, but ...

mushrooms - usually a pretty mild taste but pick up the flavor from whatever you cook them with. texture depends on what type - try portobellos for a meatier texture (I marinate them and grill them).

leeks have an oniony flavor. they're delicious, but can be a huge pain to clean because there's usually a lot of dirt between the layers.

I've never been a fan of spaghetti squash or jicama - to me, jicama has virtually no taste and a very strange texture.

I've gotten to really like radishes - they can taste a little bitter, but I cut 'em in half and spread a bit of herbed cheese on them for a snack. YUM. they're very crunchy, too.

turnips can make a nice mashed potatoes substitute. they're a little sharper (more tangy?) than potatoes, but still yummy.

For some of these, I'd go to a good salad bar place and just TRY a little bit of each of these (not all of them will be there, but many of them will).

Hearts of palm -- they're great with a drizzle of red wine vinegar and olive oil and a dash of pepper. better if they are cold (put the whole can in the fridge). They remind me of artichoke hearts, but a little different. I love 'em! They're great in salads, too!

red bell peppers are a personal favorite of mine. They are juicy and sweet tasting-eat them like an apple -just take a bite of of them and work around the seeds in the middle.

Cucumbers are good in sour cream-cool and fresh tasting.

Also, one warning if you haven't had asparagus before. I love them, but be aware that your pee will smell really weird afterward.

I've described some veggie's flavors, or I've given you ideas on how to prepare them that I really enjoy.

alfalfa sprouts (put on sandwhiches)
daikon
mushrooms (great for topping steaks, homemade green bean casserole (sans the fried onions)
arugula (fancy salad greens)
endive
parsley (good in pesto)
bok choy (great stir fried with pork and seasonings)
escarole (fancy salad greens)
peppers (use in spaghetti sauce, stir fry to make a fajita salad)
celery (great when making a pot roast, or stuff w/ cream cheese)
fennel (you can grill this on the BBQ)
radicchio (fancy salad greens)
chicory (fancy salad stuff?)
jicama (consistency of an apple or water chestnut, great for salads, not much flavor)
radishes (great in salads, pungent taste)
chives (great for mock mashed potatoes w/cauliflower)
lettuce (i've found with iceberg, it's really easy to make a sandwhich with the leaves)
romaine lettuce (great for salads, or as a "sandwich" wrapper)
cucumber (in salads)
mâche huh?
sorrel


Other Vegetables


artichoke (sweet aftertaste, yummy! dip in mayo w/lemon, salt, and garlic powder)
celery root
pumpkin (pumpkin soup)
artichoke hearts (put in salads)
rhubarb (boil, tastes sour. usually eat w/strawberries and sweetener)
asparagus (fry with olive oil, salt and pepper-yum!)
chard (like spinach but with an earthier taste, broth is nutritious after steaming)
sauerkraut (use w/ sausages and hot dogs)
bamboo shoots
collard greens (very hearty compared to spinach; boil and then saute w/bacon)
scallions (type of onion, sweeter, looks like large garlic))
dandelion
snow peas (stir fry)
bean sprouts (stir fry, like thick cruncy alfalfa sprouts, earthy tasting)
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash (yum, bake with any sauce you would use w/spaghetti; cut in half and put in a pyrex bowl w/ an inch of water and microwave for 15 minutes. use a fork to scrape contents out after heated, mix w/ sauce, add back to shells w/ cheese and bake until top is brown and bubbly)
beet greens
eggplant (stir fry)
spinach
broccoli (make a casserole, top with anything)
hearts of palm (tastes a bit like artichoke hearts, has a unique consistency, really yummy, great cut up in salads)
string or wax beans (stir fry with bacon and onions)
broccoli rabe
kale (hearty version of chard)
summer squash (soup)
brussels (best thing ever-boil in microwave for about 6 minutes, then put in pyrex w/ olive oil, smashed garlic, and salt and pepper and bake at 500, until brown and crispy, turning every so often)
kohlrabi
tomato

leeks (soup, like a mild onion)
turnips (slice, and bake w/ olive oil and spices-careful, has a natural salty flavor so don't add much salt!!! And pick ones that are the size of an egg and heavy)
cabbage (same as advice for bok choy)
okra (sticky, veggie when cooked that has a mild flavor, but a texture that can disturb some. i love it fried-i guess you'd use soy flour)
water chestnuts (add to dishes where you want a crunch without an overpowering flavor)
cauliflower (whatever you do with broccoli you can do with cauliflower, mock mashed potatoes)
onion (love it in everything!)
zucchini (slice diagonally, hollow them out, grate insides and add cheese and goodies, stuff them back into the shells and bake until brown and bubbly)