Primally neglected veggies... page

[Drumroll]

What are some of your favorite veggies that you think are underutilized, and how do you like to use them?

I'll open the playing field with mustard greens.

Those suckers pack a delightfully spicy punch that is perfect for spicing up a salad, or tossing in an omelet, or even just cooking along with some ground meat to add a bit of a kick to it.

[JoanieL]

Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. Cooking for one, I use a lot of frozen veggies so I don't have to shop daily. Defrost them in a collander so some of the moisture goes away. Then on to my small indoor grill at its highest setting until they have grill marks. (I cut the brussel sprouts in half). Sometimes I paint a little oil on the grill, sometimes I just dry grill them. Sometimes salt, sometimes not. Just what I'm in the mood for.

Eggplant. I make kind of an eggplant slop. Skin and cube the eggplant, toss it in an oiled pan. Cover 'til soft. Throw in some tomato paste and a little water. Stir some more. Over the top, toss in some small pieces of room temp mozzarella. Turn off the heat and cover to let the cheese melt. Looks like slop, tastes like a messy eggplant parmagiana. Spices: garlic in at the end, pepper, dried oregano or basil, or whatever you like.

[counterpuncher]

I'll second the eggplant.
We cut them lengthwise, hollow them out, bake them, then put seasoned ground beef mixed with tomato sauce in them, along with the insides of the eggplant.
Brussels sprouts with bacon bits, olive oil, salt & pepper.
Grilled zuchinni and/or squash.

[primalrob]

ditto on the brussels sprouts, eggplant and cauliflower. all of them roasted in the oven are just awesome.

spaghetti squash is probably one of my favorites. i could easily eat it at every meal, and there are so many ways to use it.

and swiss chard...red and rainbow. you get all the benefits of multi-colored veggies added to all the benefits of greens like spinach and kale.

[JoanieL]

I'll second the eggplant.
We cut them lengthwise, hollow them out, bake them, then put seasoned ground beef mixed with tomato sauce in them, along with the insides of the eggplant.

Awesome idea! I could eat that every day of the week!

Also, primalrob, question about spaghetti squash - I've never tried it. Is it one of the "sweeter" squashes, or is it more toward the zucchini in taste?

[naiadknight]

Summer squash, in any form. Around here, it seems folks only use it as noodles, but it can do so much more. Grill it, saute it, shred it into a hashbrown like thing, dehydrate it into chips, roast it... the possibilities are endless.
Turnip greens. Rinse 'em well and they have the peppery kick of the root vegetable they're attached to. Boil and mash 'em for mashed 'taters you don't hafta add pepper to. Roast 'em with carrots and squash to add a fun kick.

[naiadknight]

Awesome idea! I could eat that every day of the week!

Also, primalrob, question about spaghetti squash - I've never tried it. Is it one of the "sweeter" squashes, or is it more toward the zucchini in taste?

It can be sweet, but it's actually fairly neutral. Tastes akin to an ever so slightly sweet zuke.

[palebluedots]

I roasted some fennel bulb chunks underneath a chicken last week, delicious!

[sarasue624]

So many good veggies!

I'm partial to beets and beet greens. So many people toss the beet greens and they make such great greens! Beets boiled, peeled and swimming in buttah... yum.

Also, kohlrabi! I like to use kohlrabi in place of macaroni noodles. Peel, slice into little cubes - it basically has no taste so works great in a mac and cheese sub (if you do dairy) or in a soup that needs a little bulk but you want to avoid potatoes!

[Drumroll]

Turnip greens. Rinse 'em well and they have the peppery kick of the root vegetable they're attached to. Boil and mash 'em for mashed 'taters you don't hafta add pepper to. Roast 'em with carrots and squash to add a fun kick.

I abused turnip greens for a while, until I discovered that the right kind of mustard greens can be even MORE potent than the turnip greens.