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Rev Up Your Veggies

Often veggies are just another item on our to-do lists. So how can you make them more of a treat to eat? Try these tips to trick them out.

It's a classic childhood scene: Mom says you need to eat your veggies, and you create intricate plans to make them disappear–to anywhere but your mouth. Maybe there's a baked potato skin you can hide them inside. Dogs are built-in disposals. And there's that potted plant near the dinner table. But now that you're all grown up, has your palate for veggies changed? If not, we're here to tell you that vegetables are anything but bland and boring. The way in which you prepare or present vegetables, however, just might be. While there's nothing wrong with steamed broccoli or plain cooked carrots, they could be perked up at dinnertime with different sauces, brighter colors, and more interesting textures, says Jan Hangen, RD, clinical nutrition specialist at Children's Hospital in Boston. Here's a new game plan:

Bet on a buffet of choices. Set out a pretty serving tray with one raw and one cooked vegetable. Assemble a condiment tray with several salad dressings, grated cheese, a no-salt seasoning mix, and lemon slices. Other options are: olive and walnut oils, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup (particularly good on root vegetables such as butternut squash and sweet potatoes).

Dress 'em up. Garnishes appeal to your sense of sight, and well-chosen ones also boost nutrition, flavor, or even texture. Try topping cooked vegetables with grated Parmesan cheese, sliced red onion, slivered almonds, or mild tomato salsa. Sprinkle green salads with pomegranate seeds, chopped walnuts, berries, or add slices of mandarin orange.

Add color. Load a tray with red, yellow, green, and orange veggies. Eating from this rainbow of colors provides variety and helps ensure you get a good mix of nutrients.

Mix it up with marinades. Toss veggies in a low-fat dressing and marinate them overnight in the refrigerator. Serve them cold mixed in your favorite pasta, or throw them on the grill with chicken or a veggie burger. Good grilling options include red, yellow, and green bell peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, garlic, onion, summer squash, and grape tomatoes.

Meet new vegetables. Go to the grocery store or the farmers' market and, on a regular basis, buy an unfamiliar vegetable. If you're not sure how to prepare it, you can always find recipes on the Internet, or head to the library for a cookbook.

Travel the world. One night a week, give your meal an international theme.
Some dishes to try:

Make an Asian-influenced salad with mandarin oranges, water chestnuts, slivered almonds, and bok choy.

Assemble Mexican-inspired vegetable tostadas, using crunchy broccoli slaw topped with black beans, shredded Cheddar cheese, light sour cream, and salsa.

Take a quick trip to France for some ratatouille by sautéing key ingredients in olive oil, including eggplant, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes.

Get a good Italian cookbook to brush up on how to make good vegetable-based antipasto.