What spice goes best with raw vegetables?

[True2marie]

I want to eat healthier in 2014. So, I am increasing the amount of raw vegetables I eat. I want to know what spice makes them taste the best. Why? A plate of raw veggies can be sorta bland.

 

[Sandra Piddock]

Drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with paprika. That really lifts the flavour. Another thing to try - although it's not strictly a spice - is celery salt. And freshly ground black pepper gives a much better flavour hit than ready ground stuff.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I would say Rocket. I know its not a spice or even a herb, but it livens up salads wonderfully. Otherwise I would be looking an a homemade dressing with plenty of ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic and paprika. But what spices/herbs depends on what is in the salad really.

For instance

• something with egg would need plenty of salt & pepper;
• something with potatoes can benefit from a mint dressing;
• something with peas would also benefit from a mint dressing;
• something leafy could benefit from all sorts of dressings depending on how fiery the leaves are, but a citrus dressing always works well with leaves;
• a salad containing chickpeas works well with a ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic, olive oil, salt and paprika dressing;

and so on

 

[OhioTom76]

I've heard of people cutting thin chips of cucumber (perhaps with a crinkle cut blade), then sprinkling them with seasoned salt as a snack.

Fresh dill (or dried dill, though it's much weaker) is great on boiled potatoes or steamed veggies, perhaps along with some lemon zest, salt/pepper, and olive oil or butter.

A cucumber tomato salad makes a quick side dish too - just some tomato, cucumber, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt, black pepper and italian herb blend.

Smoked paprika is a fun one too, because it has a meaty smell to it, like bacon or pork - it's great with potatoes.

Pumpkin spice blend would work well with roasted carrots or several other root veggies.

 

[SnackMyFoodie]

Never underestimate the power of just salt and pepper when it comes to raw veggies. Get a dip from the supermarket if you want. Italian dressing, ranch... Tastes great. I actually like to dip my raw veggies into some good quality hummus or Tatziki sauce even... which has cucumber in it as well. You can't go wrong with raw veggies... Whatever your palet is craving... go with your gut!

 

[crimsonghost747]

A dip can be a great solution. You can try making it out of yogurt instead of sour cream if you want it to be more healthy.

Also never underestimate the power of balsamic vinegar. Make a veggie salad, add a few drops and you're good to go.

 

[smlewis00]

Never underestimate the power of just salt and pepper when it comes to raw veggies. Get a dip from the supermarket if you want. Italian dressing, ranch... Tastes great. I actually like to dip my raw veggies into some good quality hummus or Tatziki sauce even... which has cucumber in it as well. You can't go wrong with raw veggies... Whatever your palet is craving... go with your gut!

I agree! My husband loves to dip his veggies in hummus. For me, I'm a huge ranch fan. I also like to dip my veggies in homemade salsa. I use tomatoes, onions, peppers, ect and make a somewhat spicy salsa. It is an added way to get even more veggies in your diet, while adding a kick to the ones you are already eating.

 

[isabbbela]

Some salt, pepper and lemon! I also love to make a dressing with yogurt and mustard, I think it goes great with the raw vegetables salad and it doesn't have that many calories. The yogurt is also very healthy. But usually if I don't want a dressing, only some spices, I'll put salt, pepper, olive oil, a little bit of vinegar and lemon.

 

[veggiespls]

Homemade dressing always rocks a salad! And their are actual studies that say that adding fat (the good kind and real kind….not soy oil, or canola or the other fake stuff you find in a lot of store bought dressings) like olive oil or even tallow help your body to actually absorb more of the nutrients from the vegetables. Add some lemon and some fresh herbs to the oil and you've got a homemade dressing. If anyone is interested I'll find out where I got that information and give you a resource, it just might take me a day or two. I've got way too many real books and bookmarked pages on google! But if interested I don't mind looking at all.