Food Obsessions

The last couple of years have really opened my eyes to the world of food. I mean, I cooked in college - but it was kind of the same couple of recipes over and over... not that exciting. I was also a super picky child so there were tons of different foods I had never even tried until the last few years. Many of my new favorite foods are things I never would have dreamed I would love!

1. Kale - Who would have thought? Kale is definitely something I never even would have dreamed of eating when I was younger, now I absolutely love it. Kale salads were probably my favorite thing to eat this summer, and it's just as delicious in the fall and winter sauteed with caramelized onions and mixed with pasta, or creamed into mashed potatoes!

2. Sweet Potatoes - My only childhood experience with sweet potatoes was at Thanksgiving dinners when they were served with brown sugar and covered in marshmallows. That's not even entirely true because nothing in the world could have tricked me into eating  something that looked that disgusting, so I'd never actually had sweet potatoes but the association was bad. Now I wish I could eat them all the time - sweet potato enchiladas, sweet potato salads, sweet potato fries! Yum!

3. Squash - Again, the only way I was ever presented with squash as a child was when it was covered in brown sugar. I think I have an issue with people trying to trick you into vegetables by making them seem like some sort of candy. Gross. Also, I hated the texture of plain squash - it was so stringy! I still don't think I would like to eating plain spoonfuls of roasted acorn squash, but I have learned so many new ways to use squash! Butternut squash lasagna, roasted delicata squash, squash stuffed with wild rice and vegan sausage!?

4. Tomatoes - I know, that seems like a weird thing to hate, but I did. I mean I liked pasta sauce and salsa and what not, but I always hated fresh tomatoes. It's the one thing I really remember my mom growing and I loved going out to pick them - I would even try eating one every now and again to see if I liked them, but I never did. I don't know what changed, but now I think tomatoes are great!

5. Mushrooms - I had an unfair hatred towards mushrooms when I was younger. I never actually tried one - they just seemed kind of gross and creepy. To be honest, I still kind of think mushrooms are creepy, but I also think they are delicious. There are still many kinds I've never tried but it's fine to experiment with the different varieties you can get at the farmer's market and a plain old grilled portobella or stuffed crimini is always delicious!

There are still some foods that I just can't stand even now though - beets for one. Who wants to eat something that tastes like dirt? Maybe one day I'll learn to love even those though, we'll see!

-C