Loving my veggies

I'm fortunate. I probably know more about "healthy" food than a lot of people. I've done low-fat vegetarian. I can cook macrobiotic, and Chinese, and vegan, and Indian. I can name at least five of the top ten healthy foods in most listings (broccoli, tomatoes, nuts, green tea, leafy greens, berries -- the others change depending on the list).

My mom tried and tried to get me to eat veggies. I balked. Mom would let me choose the canned veggie du jour, and I almost always chose wax beans. Mostly because she said baked beans didn't count as a veggie. I remember eating no vegetable but cucumbers for a while. I remember trying to learn to like melons and squash because they were "good for me". I remember my first taste of cooked greens, and wondering WHY anyone would eat these things?

Now.. now I find I really like vegetables. Tasting things over and over through the years, trying different ways to make them, flavor them, savor them, has educated my palate. I aim for five-six servings of fruits/veggies a day, and most days I make it with ease, especially on weekdays when I have access to the wonderful cafeteria that always has two kinds of soup, a full salad bar, and two or three kinds of cooked veggies on the hot bar.

But at home, it's ease of preparation that will cut it. Bagged broccoli slaw, sliced mushrooms, a bit of diced onion and half a zucchini from the garden...sauteed in butter with a bit of salt and pepper.. *eats another mouthful* MAN, that is good!

One of my other favorites is a can of diced tomatoes, some diced onion, and half a bag of spinach. That is the dish that taught me that spinach was edible. Now I eat spinach in other things too.

I keep bags of spinach, broccoli, corn, peas, carrots, and green beans in the freezer. I usually have a bag of broccoli slaw and one of "stir-fry mix" -- broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, already cut up -- in the fridge. I throw a handful in a bowl in the microwave, nuke it until they're tender-crisp, then top with butter or a bit of Velveeta. (I'm from the Midwest. Sue me.)

Thank you, mom, for trying to get me to eat my veggies. Thank you, Chinese food, for introducing me to stir-frying. Thank you, Indian food, for teaching me that spices could be much more subtle than I ever dreamed. Thank you, commuter society, for having grocery stores that have so many vegetables available to use with minimum fuss and bother.