Eating more vegetables no longer has to be boring and flavorless. Most people who have never tried a plant based diet often express that they would be bored by eating only plant based foods. Most people also fear and can only imagine being hungry and eating lettuce only. Others express not having any variety. The key to eating more plants and keeping it interesting is adding in the flavor and in this blog post I will be sharing with you my top tips on how to make eating veggies totally and completely enjoyable.

TIP #1: Spice the Food

Getting creative in the kitchen and spicing plant dishes is critical in order to have an enjoyable experience. When I refer to spicing the food, I am suggesting that you experiment with spices that you love but also experiment with new spices from different ethnic cuisine. You can put a spin on any plant based dish that is reminiscent of flavors that you love. It is important to make it fun. There are tons of plant based recipes loaded with bold flavor and found in Italian, Mexican, Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. Eating healthy does not mean that you have to compromise the flavor. Start experimenting with one new dish a week and you will soon have a variety of recipes to choose from.

TIP #2: Balance the Flavors

This is definitely an inside secret of any good chef but especially a good vegan chef. Balancing the flavors in dishes is the science behind making plant based foods taste good. Our tongue is always looking for all 5 flavors to be present in order for us to have an enjoyable dining experience. I bet you are wondering the top 5 flavors that need to be present? The top 5 flavors that need to be present are: salt, sweet, spicy, sour and bitter. The saltiness and spiciness of the food will intensify the other flavors that are present.

Example:
Salt (sea salt, tamari)
Sweet (dried fruit, coconut nectar)
Spicy (cayenne pepper, jalapeno pepper)
Sour (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar)
Bitter (cumin, basil, nutmeg)

TIP #3: Recreate The Healthy Version of Your Favorite Dish

Recreating your favorite dish allows for you to continue to savor the flavors that you know and love in a healthier way. Sometimes it can be a little tricky recreating a healthier version but it can definitely be done. To recreate your favorite dish include the ingredients that are healthy and find substitutes for those unhealthy ingredients.

TIP #4:Add In Different Textures

I personally believe that texture will determine if a particular dish is a keeper or not.
Experimenting with different textures adds depth to plant based cuisine and makes it
more  interesting and less flat and boring.

TIP #5:Add Fresh Herbs

Adding fresh herbs vs. dry herbs will also take any recipe to another level. The use of fresh herbs makes a boring lifeless dish more bold and exotic. Experiment with fresh herbs and you will notice they are much different than dry herbs. Just in case you are wondering what herbs to add in, some of my favorites are thyme, sage, basil, cilantro and tarragon. Also, adding fresh herbs to sauces is also super yummy.