With the five-a-day mantra firmly on our minds, we all know that we should be getting more veg into our diets.
That said, reality bites. The prospect of chowing down on a head of broccoli, or mountains of carrots day after day could be enough to put anyone off.
Here are some of our favourite simple and inventive ideas to get more veg into your diet – without even trying!
Consider the cauliflower
Traditionally associated with school dinner horrors, Cauliflower is an overlooked vegetable that’s often blighted by childhood memories!
In fact, this underestimated Brassica is a rich source of Vitamin C, K and B6.
The possibilities are endless; transform cauliflower into light and fluffy (and downright divine) rice, cous cous and even a pretty fantastic pizza base.
Courgette, zoodles and boodles
2014 saw the trend for spiralising rocket into our kitchens and it’s showing no signs of abating.
To achieve this creative cuisine, you’ll simply need a type of vegetable slicer that can cut food into spirals, or you can plump for a sturdier table top version.
These surprisingly long spirals can be used to substitute pasta or noodles, especially as it works well alongside the majority of sauces.
When it comes to vegetable spiralising, the courgette is most popular and versatile. If you’re in the mood for making courgetti or “zoodles”, we love this Hemsley Hemsley pesto recipe and the grilled chicken dish by Detox Kitchen.
These are our favourite courgette creations, but you can also spiralise carrots and butternut squash for a bit of variety. Spiralising is also an excellent option for craftily getting more veg into your kids!
And for the sweet tooth…
Contrary to popular belief, you can even add (undetectable!) veg to your favourite sweet treats.
Beetroot or sweet potato star beautifully in brownies, while the creamy texture of avocado makes it ideally suited to be the hidden ingredient in your chocolate mousse or cheesecake.
Do you have any sneaky methods of slipping veg into your diet? Do share your favourite recipes!
(Picture credit: Hemsley+Hemsley)
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