Basic Recipes

Half the battle of serving vegetables is knowing how to cook them. As I stated in my profile, I work full time. I normally get home at 5:45 (or sometimes a little later). I like to have dinner on the table by 6:30. So that doesn’t leave a lot of time. Most of my recipes can be made in 20 minutes or less. It helps if you wash the vegetables the night before (but I know that doesn’t always happen). So here are some of my stand-bys for a quick vegetable.


Brussels Sprouts

Trim brown leaves (kids can help pull these off) from brussels sprouts and cut an “X” in the stem of each sprout. If the sprouts are large, cut them in half or quarters. Steam for 8-10 minutes. Do not over-steam. The sprouts will become bitter. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a pan. Sauté sprouts for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Kale with soy and sesame

Tear leaves of kale (little helper alert) from the thick stem. Steam for 7-10 minutes. Kale should still be bright green. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a sauté pan. Toss kale in sauté pan for a minute. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and sesame seeds to Kale. Serve warm.

Kale Chips

Tear leaves of kale from the think stem. Toss kale with a tablespoon of sesame oil and soy sauce. Lay flat on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Chips can also be dehydrated.

Swiss Chard

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Sauté ½ onion until it starts to caramelize (about 15 minutes). Add 1 clove of garlic minced and sauté for a minute. Chop swiss chard including stems into bite size pieces and add to skillet in batches. After the chard is slightly wilted, stir in the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/3 cup of raisins, and ¼ cup pine nuts.

The Little Helper

My son has always asked to help cook/make dinner/set the table.  I know it probably won't last, but I definitely take advantage of it now.  The one thing that is very easy to have a child help with is washing the vegetables.  The first time I asked my son to help wash the vegetables, we were having kale.  He asked if he could eat some of it.  I said sure, expecting him to take one bite and spit it out.  But he ended up eating 2 or 3 stalks.  Another time we were washing bok choy, and he ate a couple heads of that too.  Then, of course, when his sisters see him eating the raw vegetables they want some too.  On these days, my kids have their servings of vegetables before we even sit down at the table for dinner.

When your child has some hand in helping with dinner, they take pride in it.  They are much more likely to eat it, also.  I also find that when kids feel "forced" to eat their vegetables, it's a good idea to get them involved.  Bring them to the grocery store and let them pick the vegetables.  Give them choices.  If all they ever choose is corn, go with that for a while, then ask them to try one new vegetable a week.  Once you get home, ask them to help cook the vegetable (or ask how they would like it).  Giving your child some say in the food they are eating (within reason) will let them feel in control.  Then the "eat your vegetables" conversation isn't so difficult.