"Different" Foods

You could start with each letter of the alphabet! Avocado, Artichokes, Arugula, Anchovies........Beets, Brussel sprouts, beans (some new kind), Bok choy.......Chinese cabbage, Chop Suey, Calamari......Have Fun!!!!

My husband and I were watching Hell's Kitchen and they had some veggie or something called "Salsify". I think the guy fried it in strips and put it on top of the dish as garnish. I have never heard of it. Anyway, I know that's not really helping you, we are meat and potatoe eaters so I don't have any other suggestions! Good luck!

My kids love hummus (not sure if I spelled that right!) w/ pita chips! Portabella mushrooms can also be used in place of meat in a lot of recipes & the kids like that, too.

Spaghetti squash - yummy! I never had it before this year and I'm 42 years old. Brussell sprouts are also surprisingly good, but need to be steamed - when they are overcooked, they taste bitter.

I LOVE couscous salads. Cooks.com has great recipes that average people like you and me submit and then are rated by other viewers. I've gotten great recipes for all kinds of things - not just couscous - that I've modified to our liking.

My best advice is to find an ingredient you've never tried, find what appears to be a good recipe and give it a try. You will have the occasional failure, but more often than not, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

My mom's BIG failure when we were growing up was eggplant soup. Those two words should never be used in combination with one another......EVER!

A good way to explore different foods might be a salad bar. Grocery stores usually have them and they sometimes have different salads or other kinds of food.

There is a really great broccoli salad that a lot of delis sell (or you can make) with broccoli, raisins, chopped bacon and I can't remember what else. The dressing for the salad is made of mayo. I've seen it made with sunflower seeds and some red onion....It's really tasty. I have never met anybody who didn't like it. You could google broccoli salad and probably find it.

My husband and I enjoy taboule. It's a cold, wheat salad with diced tomatoes, scallion, and a touch of lemon juice & olive oil. It makes a great summer side dish with grilled fish or chicken. You can buy a mix at the grocery store. http://www.neareast.com/#products/taboule

Acorn squash is good but have you tried spaghetti squash? When oven-baked (or steamed), the strands come off with a fork and look like spaghetti. Serve drizzled with a bit of honey and salt. Yum!

You mentioned that new salad and it reminded me of one I recently had at a local deli-- it's green leaf lettuce with a vinaigrette (similar to this- http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/flavors/french-vinai... ), crumbled bleu cheese, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. It sounded unusual but it's really good. :)

Can I get the recipe for the salad with blueberries, corn and jalapeno? Or was it from the grocery store? Sounds good!

TVP (texturized vegetable protein) as a meat replacement (especially in sloppy joes.) Quinoa (grain) in place of maybe rice or pasta. Tofu Shirataki noodles in place of pasta. Hungrygirl.com (lots of Shirataki recipes if interested) or dinnermadeeasy.com or allrecipes.com or mealsmatter.com or sparkpeople.com/sparkrecipes.com are some good starter options for ideas. And, personally, i *love* bok choy (asian veggie). There is, also, the international section of your grocery that will have some different things from what Americans are used & is another way to expand ur horizons. Congrats, btw...I think it's a great idea, especially for your daughter. :)

Maybe take O. section of the grocery store per week. The first week, buy a few different fruits, then veggies, then cheeses, then dips, etc.

When the weather cools again, try chopped collard greens or kale in chicken broth, with other more colorful veggies and either tofu or chicken, for a wonderfully nutritious soup. It's a great way to use up whatever other stuff you have in your refrigerator, too.

Greens , beets and beet tops, asparagus ( white if you can find it and green),just keep your eyes open and see what is in season. Good places to go are farmers markets and ethnic food stores. I have a few I hit on a regular basis for my " difftrent" foods.

Artichokes.
Yummy!
And very healthy!
Just put it in water in a pot, and cook it/steam it until the stem is soft. At least 1/2 hour, on low heat.

Zucchini

Endive

Blue cheese

bok choy

Fennel

Leeks

we eat all of these, my kids too, and its yummy!

avocado and eggplant!! avocados are good served buttered... but i have also put it on pizza and in lasagna; eggplant i have mostly put in lasagna, but there are other ways to eat that too; ive heard people fry it like zucchini. which is another good one to try! :)

mangos and papayas are good, but i find them hard to get correctly ripened....

kiwi!!! they are so stinking good!!!! :) starfruit are excellent as well, but i dont think they are in season right now.

you can put mandarin oranges, strawberries, pears on a salad! :) so yummy and colorful!

I love exploring new tastes. It's exciting and lots of fun. I try to cook one unusual meal at least once every week. I get my inspiration from newspapers, cooking shows or from internet sites.

Jamie Oliver has a great Thai style salad that combines mangos, sprouts, peppers and some other stuff. It's yummy for the kids because it's pretty sweet. You can find the recipe when you type "Jamie Oliver thai mango salad" into the google search bar. (he also has other great recipes)

Sometimes when I take the kids to the grocery store we look at the veggies and I ask them which ones they want to try. When they choose something I don't know I look up a recipe at home and buy the item next time.

Another fun way to broaden the food horizon is going to the local farmer's market and ask the farmers about the items that are unfamiliar to you. They are usually more than happy to tell you about them and to give you recipe ideas for them. That's how I discovered fried zucchini flowers, fiddleheads and other unusual things.

Have fun exploring!

Watercress and pea plant tips are great alternative to spinach and they are both great! The watercress is sold in bag in most stores, and all you do is wash it and cook it in a pan with butter or oil until it's sort of cooked like spinach. The pea greens take a little more work. You have to take off the flowers, the curly vine things, and cut off anything that is not going to become soft enough after cooking.

Artichokes are great. cook in a pot of water until the leaves can be ripped off easily, and then dip the tips in butter and scrape off the "meat" with your teeth. When you get down to the heart, you have to clean off the thistle first, but it's worth it because fresh cooked artichoke hearts are so yummy.

here's a good salad: radish, carrots, cucumber and garlic --all of those sliced very thin and then add white vinegar and white sugar to taste. My Cambodian friend makes this with green papaya [you would have to make a trip to the Asian store for that, though]. Same thing can be done with a variety of colors of peppers and garlic.

Basmati rice is awesome.

Medjool dates, and dried mango slices can be found either by the produce or the bulk foods, and they are really good sweet things.

Another good salad: Romaine lettuce mixed with baby spinach leaves, topped with crumbled feta cheese, red pepper, red onion, and avocado. I've also added dried cherries and cherry tomatoes to that. For a dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar.

I love brussel sprouts.

Terra Chips are chips made with things other than just potatoes. They are usually in the natural foods section.

Scallops do not taste like fish at all, and are pretty easy to make.

Tortilla chips spread on a big plate and covered in cheddar cheese, thin jalapeno slices, and thinly sliced green onion, and then microwaved is really good. I like it with guacamole,but you can use obviously use sour cream or salsa.

Kalamata olives are really good

does your grocer carry sushi? there are plenty of vegetable and cooked varieties if you're not ready for raw. it's pretty and fun. my kids love the rice and i've gotten the to start eating the nori - the black seaweed wrap that is so full of good for you stuff.

artichokes are good.

I love all the squashes. Not sure what you consider different, but I like mulberries, and Mango, and star fruit.

My favorite salad currently is: Fresh spinach or ruccola or a blend, sliced strawberries, feta cheese, english cucumber slices, with a vinaigrette dressing. I like to use a raspberry vinaigrette.

You could check out Rachael Rays website or magazine. She is always cooking something that I would definitely consider "different" and I wonder if most people eat that way, because it is just regular ingredients. But stuff I wouldn't think to make.