> Zucchini/courgette, squash, spinach I have piles of it but people don't want it not even friends and family.
I used to hate zucchini. But then I started eating lower carb and found ways to enjoy it. A few simple tips made a big difference:
* Add lots of sodium. Not necessarily pure table salt; fish sauce or Better than Bouillon are really nice. These vegetables have very very little salt on their own. The mainstream public health advice still seems to be that Americans eat too much salt, but (a) I probably was eating less than most, and (b) the advice may be wrong for most people, and (c) it may be particularly wrong when eating low-carb and/or particularly active (I exercise about 1 hour per day). <https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/supplements#sodium> has a nice section about this with references.
* Sautée chopped veggies (zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, whatever), again with sodium. Then make it into a shakshuka-esque dish (add canned tomato, spices, and egg then broil; maybe also cheese or canned fish) or add in some ground meat/sausage + cheese + spices + low-sugar ketchup + mustard. I use my cast iron skillet a lot now.
* Spiralize; use as pasta noodles with a thick sauce.
* Use neutral veggie puree to replace the bulk of sugar in baked desserts, combining with concentrated liquid sweetener (sucralose, stevia, monkfruit). Requires some recipe tweaks because you're replacing a dry ingredient with a wet one but I had pumpkin almond butter mousse brownies today that were good.
I eat lots of dark leafy greens too. I often steam them in a Pyrex in the microwave then enclose in cheesecloth and squeeze the water out with tongs. Salt and pepper, throw into almost any savory dish, use as a base for a modified juevos rancheros, etc.
Fish sauce? Unless it is a regular part of your diet, most people won't like it. The smell is incredibly off-putting. And, the reason you like it probably isn't the salt. It is the umami (savoriness) from the naturally occurring MSG. Japanese miso and soy sauce can do similar things to bland veggies.
My point is that the salt doesn't have to be just salt. Folks who don't like fish sauce can find something that works for them.
Yes, I like miso and soy sauce too. Salt + umami = yum. But the salt is the vital part for low carb eaters like me. The "keto flu" is no joke. I'm not even a keto person (not that strict) but I've had weakness, headaches, cramps, and heart palpitations when I had insufficient electrolytes. I don't want to repeat that!
I used to hate zucchini. But then I started eating lower carb and found ways to enjoy it. A few simple tips made a big difference:
* Add lots of sodium. Not necessarily pure table salt; fish sauce or Better than Bouillon are really nice. These vegetables have very very little salt on their own. The mainstream public health advice still seems to be that Americans eat too much salt, but (a) I probably was eating less than most, and (b) the advice may be wrong for most people, and (c) it may be particularly wrong when eating low-carb and/or particularly active (I exercise about 1 hour per day). <https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/supplements#sodium> has a nice section about this with references.
* Sautée chopped veggies (zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, whatever), again with sodium. Then make it into a shakshuka-esque dish (add canned tomato, spices, and egg then broil; maybe also cheese or canned fish) or add in some ground meat/sausage + cheese + spices + low-sugar ketchup + mustard. I use my cast iron skillet a lot now.
* Spiralize; use as pasta noodles with a thick sauce.
* Use neutral veggie puree to replace the bulk of sugar in baked desserts, combining with concentrated liquid sweetener (sucralose, stevia, monkfruit). Requires some recipe tweaks because you're replacing a dry ingredient with a wet one but I had pumpkin almond butter mousse brownies today that were good.
I eat lots of dark leafy greens too. I often steam them in a Pyrex in the microwave then enclose in cheesecloth and squeeze the water out with tongs. Salt and pepper, throw into almost any savory dish, use as a base for a modified juevos rancheros, etc.