The Art and Joy of Vegetables

 In the last year or so, I have started eating more vegetables. Mostly in the last few months. Since this was recommended to me as part of a healthy lifestyle (fancy way of saying my doctor told me three times to do this), I've had to come up with ways to enjoy the vegetables I've hated for years. 

I started with veggies that I liked the most: spinach, tomatoes, artichoke, and green beans. I did simple things at first, starting with spinach and ranch, tomatoes with salt and pepper, marinated artichoke hearts as a snack or topping, and roasted green beans.

Then I branched out. I added things to the spinach, making fancy and well adorned salads with vinaigrettes instead of ranch, including adding those tomatoes and artichokes. I roasted other vegetables: cauliflower, brussel sprouts, sweet potato, turnip, and parsnip. I experimented with vegetables soups and stews, combining veggies with beans, chickpeas, and more. I found things to add the vegetables to, like quinoa and pasta.

I've learned a lot of really great things about vegetables. I've learned that you can put tons of things on a salad, mix them together, and it's way better than just spinach and ranch. I've learned that you can put just about any veggie in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and it's delicious. Most importantly, I've learned that there's a love of veggies to be found.

But I still haven't retried broccoli.