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27 New Ways to Eat Your Veggies

27 New Ways to Eat Your Veggies

Updated March 28, 2017

Credit: Emma Crist

Maybe you grew up on canned corn and English peas, and to you, "vegetables" are those soft, steamed frozen blends that you eventually ate (lukewarm) at the very end of dinner. Good news: Vegetables can be flavorful, delicious, and full of texture. If fact, they are the star of the modern plate. The rise of plant-based eating has inspired many, many new ways to make the most of your vegetables, like the techniques that you'll find in this collection. We've gathered our favorite, new vegetable recipes that highlight the fresh, natural flavor and crunchy texture of your farmers market finds. Dig in!

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Caramelized Baby Carrots

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Caramelized Baby Carrots Recipe

Use this simple roasted-carrot method as a base, and then layer on other flavor combinations as you like. Try smoky chipotle chile powder, fragrant garam masala, or tart ground sumac.

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Sweet Potato Gratin

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Sweet Potato Gratin Recipe

Thin layers of yukon and sweet potatoes, Parmesan, and Gruyere make this an instant favorite. Ginger, nutmeg, and red pepper provide a warmth that makes this dish different.

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Buttered Beet and Carrot Sauté

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Buttered Beet and Carrot Sauté Recipe

If you love the sweet, earthy flavor of beets but think you don't have time to cook them on a weeknight, you'll appreciate this fast microwave method.

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Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman; Prop Styling: Elizabeth Demo

Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce Recipe

You can substitute your favorite hearty greens, but don't skip the hot and tangy sauce--it makes the dish.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Red Onions and Oranges

Credit: Romulo Yanes; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Roasted Cauliflower with Red Onions and Oranges Recipe

The broiler makes this dish super fast. Toss cauliflower and red onion in olive oil, vinegar, oregano, orange rind, and red pepper; broil; top with fresh orange segments.

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Baby Bok Choy and Cucumber Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Baby Bok Choy and Cucumber Salad Recipe

Thinly slice the bok choy stalks and leaves for a salad that's full of color and texture. Cilantro, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil give this side a vibrant, Asian -inspired flavor.

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Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Food Styling: William Smith; Prop Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon Recipe

Hasselback-style potatoes have thin, accordion-like slices that turn crisp in the oven. Blue cheese and bacon bring them over the top in terms of flavor.

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Sautéed Mustard Greens with Garlic and Lemon

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Food Styling: William Smith; Prop Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Sautéed Mustard Greens with Garlic and Lemon Recipe

This dish is a fast take on the usual long-simmered greens. Swap out other hearty greens like kale, collards, or turnip greens for the mustard greens if you prefer.

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Herbed Ricotta, Asparagus, and Phyllo Tart

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Herbed Ricotta, Asparagus, and Phyllo Tart Recipe

If working with phyllo dough fills you with fear, don’t worry—this recipe is beginner-friendly. Skip past the big, fat asparagus spears you might see this time of year; you need thinner spears so that they’ll get done in the 20 minutes it takes to crisp the dough.

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Broccoli-Apple Slaw

Credit: Rob Culpepper; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Broccoli-Apple Slaw Recipe

Give traditional slaw a twist by using apple and broccoli slaw, with lemon and horseradish in the mayo dressing.

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Wilted Chard with Red Onion and Pine Nuts

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Wilted Chard with Red Onion and Pine Nuts Recipe

Don't toss those gorgeous chard stems! Instead, thinly slice and give them a head start in the pan before adding the leaves. This bright dish takes mere minutes to prepare.

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Parmesan Carrots with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Parmesan Carrots with Lemon-Parsley Dressing Recipe

You don’t need a steamer basket for perfectly tender vegetables, just a skillet and lid. A small amount of liquid gently steams the carrots in the pan, then the lid comes off so the liquid can evaporate and the vegetables can caramelize. This recipe utilizes Parmesan and lemon for bold flavor.

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Roasted Root Vegetables

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe

Keep it classic with simple roasted shallots, carrots, turnips, and beets. To make them pop, we toss them in maple syrup, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper before roasting.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Pickled Onion and Yogurt Sauce

Credit: Thomas J. Story

Roasted Cauliflower with Pickled Onion and Yogurt Sauce Recipe

Nutty, whole-roasted cauliflower with tangy pickled onion and currants is served with a yogurt-vinegar sauce. Your taste buds are about to be wowed.

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Warm Shiitake and Celery Salad

Credit: Annabelle Breakey

Warm Shiitake and Celery Salad Recipe

All-in mushroom flavor + salt pecorino + crunchy celery = perfect balance in a bowl.

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Bibb, Radicchio, and Asparagus Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Bibb, Radicchio, and Asparagus Salad Recipe

Just a little radicchio provides a colorful contrast to the tender, delicate Bibb lettuce, though its slight bitterness may be too much for some kids. Swap in thinly sliced red cabbage if you like. This salad is topped with a simple apple cider, Dijon, and honey vinaigrette.

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Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Credit: Thomas J. Story; Styling: Janna Lufkin

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup Recipe

Corn, cooked so it still has a light crunch, accents this silky squash soup seasoned with garlic, paprika, nutmeg, and parsley.

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Radish and Parmesan Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Radish and Parmesan Salad Recipe

Just thinly sliced radishes and Parmesan over spring mix with a basic lemon vinaigrette. Sometimes, simple is best.

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Warm Buttered Radish and Edamame Salad

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Warm Buttered Radish and Edamame Salad Recipe

Radishes lose their pepperiness once sautéed and turn a faint rosy pink. For a boost of protein, we contrast the radishes with edamame, a great alternative to frozen green peas. Chives, salt, and pepper season this side perfectly.

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Curried Carrot Latkes

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Curried Carrot Latkes Recipe

These gorgeous latkes are bursting with earthy-sweet curry flavor. The trick to crispy cakes with less oil is to start with a very dry grated potato or carrot mixture: Drain well, and then squeeze in a clean kitchen towel.

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Caraway Kraut

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanches; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Caraway Kraut Recipe

Sauerkraut is an easy entry point to the glories of fermentation, and great way to enjoy your veggies. It's easy to make and nearly foolproof, and you can let it ferment to suit your taste (the longer it goes, the softer and more sour it gets).

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Charred Root Vegetables with Bagna Cauda

Credit: Sheri Giblin; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Charred Root Vegetables with Bagna Cauda Recipe

This Italian appetizer usually involves raw vegetables dipped into a pungent warm sauce. (Bagna cauda means “hot bath” in Italian.) We used roasted root vegetables for their caramelized sweetness and crunchy-on-the-outside yet tender-on-the-inside texture.

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Turnip Green Salad with Tabasco Vinaigrette

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Turnip Green Salad with Tabasco Vinaigrette Recipe

That's right, Tobasco vinaigrette, made with shallot, lime juice, Dijon, and honey.

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Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Chile, and Honey

Credit: Laura Dart

Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Chile, and Honey Recipe

Raw radish and butter are a classic pair. Cook them until toasted and nutty, and add a splash of vinegar, chile, and drizzle of honey for a surprisingly dazzling and satisfying dish.

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Raw Artichoke Salad with Herbs, Almonds, and Parmigiano

Credit: Laura Dart

Raw Artichoke Salad with Herbs, Almonds, and Parmigiano Recipe

Use very early artichokes for this salad. The young artichokes with have a sweeter flavor and are less fibrous, which allows them to work in this Spring salad.

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Steamed Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Steamed Broccoli with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Serve a package of steam-in-a-bag broccoli with sesame seeds and this delicious peanut sauce for a quick, show-stopping side.

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Spiralized Summer Vegetable Salad

Credit: Emma Crist

Spiralized Summer Vegetable Salad Recipe

This is a bright and fresh summer salad with zucchini and yellow squash. You will need a spiralizer, which is a fairly inexpensive kitchen tool that allows you to grate vegetables into long “noodles” using a rotating handle, in order to achieve these whimsical veggie strands.

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27 New Ways to Eat Your Veggies

1 of 27

Caramelized Baby Carrots

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Sweet Potato Gratin

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Buttered Beet and Carrot Sauté

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Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce

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Roasted Cauliflower with Red Onions and Oranges

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Baby Bok Choy and Cucumber Salad

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Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon

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Sautéed Mustard Greens with Garlic and Lemon

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Herbed Ricotta, Asparagus, and Phyllo Tart

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Broccoli-Apple Slaw

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Wilted Chard with Red Onion and Pine Nuts

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Parmesan Carrots with Lemon-Parsley Dressing

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Roasted Root Vegetables

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Roasted Cauliflower with Pickled Onion and Yogurt Sauce

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Warm Shiitake and Celery Salad

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Bibb, Radicchio, and Asparagus Salad

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Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

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Radish and Parmesan Salad

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Warm Buttered Radish and Edamame Salad

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Curried Carrot Latkes

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Caraway Kraut

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Charred Root Vegetables with Bagna Cauda

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Turnip Green Salad with Tabasco Vinaigrette

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Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Chile, and Honey

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Raw Artichoke Salad with Herbs, Almonds, and Parmigiano

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Steamed Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

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