Eat Your Vegetables and Other Words of Wisdom

Yesterday afternoon I sent an inquiry out on Facebook and Twitter while I was at the grocery store.  (This is newsworthy in itself because I'm rarely on Facebook.)

Tell me about kale.  I've never had it.  Would it be good in vegetable soup?

I also texted my friend Nike to ask her if I should put kale in the soup I was about to make because she used to drink kale shakes for breakfast every single day.  (Therefore she ought to know a lot about kale, right?)  

I was NOT prepared for the outpouring of pro-kale feedback I ended up getting on Twitter and Facebook.  (By the way, Nike also said I should buy it but she was more concerned with whether or not I could join her for shoe shopping ....) 

I bought kale as a result of all your positive feedback.

I added it to the vegetable soup I made for dinner last night.

I liked kale.

My son liked kale too.  He ate FIVE bowls of soup.  (He's a teen boy, and he loves homemade soup.  I can't entirely credit kale for his soup-appetite.)

Now, I already KNEW kale is very healthy, packed with nutrients, etc.  I'm very educated about healthy foods.  (After all, I do live in California - the land of health freaks.  I was also raised by two incredibly health-conscious parents long before "eating healthy" was fashionable.)

But ...?

I had a perception of kale tasting bitter and being gag-worthy.

Maybe my perception was formed years ago when Nike used to tell me about choking down drinking her morning kale shakes?  Maybe hearing her stories permanently scarred my psyche?

In any case, I'm glad I finally tried it.  I like it enough to make it a regular part of my family's diet.  Several people shared links with me to their favorite kale recipes and I plan on trying them as I get my kale-bearings.

Do you like kale?

How do you cook it?

Do you have a vegetable you refuse to even try?

I still won't eat turnips.

Why not?

Well, my dad used to go on and on about how terrible they were.  My mom never served them as a result.  I've never had a turnip, but if my dad (who's a total foodie) hates turnips that much then surely I would hate them too, right?

Do you have a vegetable you HAVE tried but vehemently dislike?

For instance, I'm glad I tried kale and I can now say I like it.

However, I've tried lima beans and I HATE them.

I don't like peas at all either.  Bleh!

Well ...?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Comments

[Joanne]

get some small(!) white turnips, the ones with a light purple around the top. wash them and slice them thin on a mandolin. boil them with a pinch or two of raw sugar until they are very soft. Drain them and then just pretend you are making mashed potatoes (salt, pepper, butter) much lower on the glycemic index, and I bet you will LOVE them!!!

[Di]

I just saw on a morning TV show this week that there are Kale chips! They are supposed to cleanse you out quite well... just sayin...

http://www.bradsrawchips.com/products/kale

[Jan]

Joanne's suggestion for the turnips is *excellent* - I've found that I prefer mashed turnips to mashed cauliflower these days (that could be that I'm just burnt out on the whole mashed cauliflower experience).

And Di beat me to the kale chips; they're all the rage right now, and for good reason. Although I wouldn't buy them - they are drop-dead simple to make (now I'll have to post a recipe for them. Darn.).

[Linda]

beets. bleghh

[Karen in East Texas]

Personally I love, love most vegetable. Like Linda above though I detest beets. Sadly about 5 years ago I was diagnosed with gastric paresis and can no longer eat most veggies. Heck, who am I kidding, I can't each much of anything that is actually good for you and that I love.

I miss eggplant, sweet potatoes, corn, radishes the list goes on and on and now I'm hungry. :o) Enjoy the kale!

[Katharina]

I'm from northern Germany and kale is practically our national dish. Every traditional german restaurant (and the canteen where I work) has it all winter. I found a recipe in english here: http://germanfood.about.com/od/meatbasedrecipesandmenu/r/gruenkohl.htm
I love it. But I skip the really fat belly of pork and stick to the sausages and smoked pork chops.
Now I'm hungry too.

[Jack @ TheJackB]

Brussel Sprouts- I hate those things.

[Cathy B]

I second Jack's assessment - Brussels Sprouts! Every few years I give them a try, and every few years I reconfirm how much I don't like them.

Turnips, on the other hand - hated as a kid, love them now, especially mashed!

[Missy]

I am becoming a brussel sprout convert. Last night I made Braised Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta. Yummy!

[Deidre]

I tried Kale Chips the other night and wasn't a HUGE fan, but i did use it in some lentil burgers I made, and that was yummy!

I do not like eggplant.

[ShaBean]

Brussels Sprouts. Blech. Slimy Eyeballs. Some friends and I were out to dinner one night and this was the vegetable choice on our dinners and I took one for the team. Gagged! Blech!