My love affair with veggies

I was THAT kid growing up...cooked veggies, BLECK!!!! My mother force fed me a handful of raw veggies each night before dinner, knowing I was hungry....cucumbers, bell peppers, celery and tomatoes. That's it. I was never given the option of Ranch, so naked I ate them.

I was always such a picky eater and I NEVER wanted my food to touch. Gimme the school lunch tray with separate sections!!!

Maybe my mom was a lousy cook or perhaps cooking for two VERY picky eaters (me and Dad) was not an opportunity to research new recipes....Or perhaps, it was because Mom was a work-aholic. Whatever the reason, I became a Vegetable Snob.

Until recently, and I mean VERY recently, did I begin to explore recipes with different veggies...let alone COOKED veggies!!!

When I started eating Paleo, almost two years ago, I ate the raw veggies I listed above...and I OD'ed on them. They got boring REAL fast.....A friend of mine at the time invited me to have dinner with her and some friends out in Salado (it's a VERY cute town east of here that has cute little shops and places to eat, I HIGHLY recommend exploring there). We went and ate at Adelea's on Main and I had asparagus for the first time! I guess I was feeling brave. They were roasted with sesame seeds, bacon, some kind of chopped nut and salt....Oh Eem Gee, were they GOOD! That began my love affair. I ate them so often (making my own version, of course) that my pee literally stunk everyday for weeks! (Yes, if you didn't know, asparagus makes your pee stink!)

Fast forward months ahead...I learned to love broccoli. I started with the old steamed version which EVERY bite HAD to be paired with a piece of meat just so I could stomach it but now I have a broccoli salad that I LOVE, it's great for the warm months. Plus a broccoli dish that's great on cooler days.

I was fearful and very hesitant to try brussel spouts. I cannot stand slimy ANYTHING and that's how I thought they'd be. My husband and I tried a place in Austin that had THE most fabulous b. spouts! PLUS, they offered gluten-free desserts. SOLD! Since that wonderful trip (plus a handful of other times we've gone there) I have searched for a great b. spout recipe,
which I now have a few times a week (yes, it's THAT good).

I also have a love affair with cauliflower, cabbage and I've played kissy-face with beets. I really need to share with y'all my fried "rice" recipe that I use cauliflower....plus the "hash browns". The new cabbage salad I'm day dreaming about at this very moment and the beet chips I want to throw together...but, I have to pee and go teach my 9am ladies CF class!!!!