Cheapism / iStock
It's not just kids who complain at dinnertime. We all have foods we scoot around the plate, whether it's vegetables like Brussels sprouts or main entrees like fish. But thanks to some genius tips and tricks (and stellar recipes) it's possible to take foods that some people find revolting and make the objectionable foods so delicious they'll be asking for seconds.
People who don't like fish say it's stinky and tastes "fishy." Part of the trick is picking a mild, white fish like cod or haddock. Then, a good recipe like one for Asian-inspired Broiled Black Pepper Cod will do the rest of the work.
Recipe: Rotini Rice
Most people are turned off Brussels sprouts because of bitterness, an easy fix of you know how to cook these little cabbage-like cuties. Cutting in half or cutting off the bottom will help, and cooking them in butter like with these Finger-Licking Brussels will do wonders, too.
Recipe: Instructables
Kids have a good excuse for not liking spinach. The vegetable's innate bitterness is often stronger to the tiny tyke palate. A spinach salad with lots of add-ons like bacon, croutons, and salad dressing might help. Saag Paneer, an Indian classic, adds cheese to frozen spinach (hey, frozen's fine) with lots of spices so the spinach is mostly forgotten about (beyond the green color).
Recipe: Food Network
It's hard to resist smooshy, soft white bread. So when Mom makes sandwiches on wheat bread, especially if it's not the processed stuff from the grocery store, it can be a major disappointment. A still healthy choice that bypasses the nutritional wasteland of heavily processed white bread (which can cause intestinal distress in some people) is the corn tortilla. It's just two ingredients if you want to make it at home — and one is water.
Recipe: Healthline
Though I think cauliflower is a great, mostly flavorless vegetable (and even an acceptable stand-in for rice), not everyone in my family agrees with me. Covering up the flavor with mustard, mayo, and cheddar cheese in this Easy, Elegant Cauliflower recipe should make it more palatable for picky eaters.
Recipe: Food.
Scallops are sweet, tender bivalve mollusks that are easy and quick to cook — so of course some pint-sized critics I know think they're "weird," "rubbery," and "grainy." While a kid-friendly recipe might help, maybe proper cooking, as demonstrated by Sam the Cooking Guy, can turn this around.
Recipe: YouTube
Parents everywhere know the struggle of getting kids to eat their broccoli — and the aversion doesn't necessarily fade with adulthood. Roasting the broccoli removes any chance of soggy, bland broccoli, and a recipe for Spicy Stir-Fried Broccoli with Sichuan Peppercorns adds heat to the equation.
Recipe: GBH
Admittedly, oysters are an acquired taste, so doctoring up some of these mollusks might be called for. While cooking them in Oyster Pie is an option to remove the gluey, mucus-like visual, consider the classic Oysters Rockefeller, which leans into bread crumbs, butter, capers, and the liquor Pernod to make oysters tasty.
Recipe: Savannah Morning News
If you don't like eggs, the idea of a yolk floating in a sea of white stuff has no appeal. So, try something else. While Chinese Steamed Eggs aren't very eggy, the custard-like consistency might still be a turn-off. Spaghetti Carbonara barely seems like an egg recipe thanks to the spaghetti and bacon, but eggs are added for richness.
Recipe: Old Frontier Family Farm
This Mexican food staple doesn't appeal to everyone, but it is a good source of vitamin C, E, K6, potassium, and magnesium plus it has plenty of fiber. If mashing avocado into Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt and some honey doesn't do the trick, the classic guacamole has enough onions, tomato, garlic, and jalapeño to disguise it.
Recipe: Around My Family Table
While a bad peach can be mealy and lacking in flavor, even a great peach can be distasteful to some who hate the fuzziness (they opt for nectarines) or the flavor. If you're on the fence about peaches, try a peach smoothie or milkshake or even try pickling them. If none of those do the trick, baking them into a Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler might be the right decision.
Recipe: Allrecipes
Beans are a cheap source of protein (plus they're really good for you), but that doesn't mean everyone likes them. If beans are too dull for your palate, hit the herbs and seasonings. Smoky Socca Tacos With Peach Salsa are vegan and gluten-free, plus the smoked paprika, fresh coriander, and cumin make them definitely not boring.
Recipe: One Green Planet
Asparagus is usually served either cold or roasted — and critics find the green, often woody vegetable boring at best. If cooking them under the broiler with a ton of garlic doesn't win critics over, liven things up by rolling spears in breadcrumbs for this Panko Roasted Asparagus. Mustard adds flavor and dipping sauce adds flair.
Recipe: Better Homes & Gardens
Here's a secret — Greek yogurt isn't necessarily from Greece. It's just regular yogurt that's been strained. The great thing about it is it doesn't have the sweeteners and additives found in the rest of the yogurt aisle, but that also means it's pure, unadulterated yogurt — which most people find sour. Add fruit or honey to make it taste better naturally, or use it instead of cream in a pasta sauce. This 15-Minute Greek Yogurt Pasta with Garlic makes the sour aspect work much like sour cream.
Recipe: What A Girl Eats
For most people, the problem with cottage cheese is the lumpy consistency. If that's why your container of the stuff sits in the back of the fridge, remember you can do something about it. At the very least you can improve the consistency by whipping it or tossing it into the blender. You can even add it to pancakes. Light and Fluffy Cottage Cheese pancakes not only benefit from extra protein (the cottage cheese), but because they're made with oats and not flour they're gluten-free and have plenty of fiber.
Recipe: Everyday Health
While kids love chicken nuggets, they often turn up their nose at a dry chicken breast. The answer is to smother the chicken in a sauce that will make it as juicy as a nugget. Teriyaki is always a winner, and Marry Me Chicken is creamy, juicy, and good enough to (theoretically) get marriage proposals.
Recipe: Little Sunny Kitchen
People are divided on mushrooms, either complaining they're too bland and mushy or suggesting critics shut up and grab the butter. That's part of the solution in this Drunken Chicken Marsala recipe, which also adds wine to the dish to make the mushrooms sing.
Recipe: Pinch of Yum
As someone whose whole family loathes bell peppers and picks them out of everything, I don't think anything will sway me toward these nasty beasts. Still, I am tempted by Pepper Steak (maybe).
Recipe: New York Times Cooking
This fast-growing and unfortunately bountiful plant is not a hit at our house, but if you want to get rid of yours without alerting squash-averse family members, try this — cook it to death and mash it into your favorite soup or chili. One of my kids has no idea it's in there. This Squash Chili recipe should do the trick.
Recipe: Heavy Table
