Most of the time, I blanch or grill vegetables and dress them with a squeeze of lemon, a scattering of sea salt and a grind or two of black pepper.

You can also make a quick pesto or gremolata. The garlic and herbs are a nice mix with many vegetables.

We microwave a lot of our veggies...they cook quick and because of that, it preserves a lot of their nutrients. Some of my favorite pairings....I use butter on everything...

yellow squash with tarragon or chervil

green beans with thyme

rutabaga (yellow turnip) mashed with nutmeg

spinach or other greens sauteed with garlic in EVOO with nutmeg

carrots with mace

mash cauliflower with parsley...tastes like mashed potatoes

just did kohlrabi sauteed with onion in EVOO and ghee with a sprinkling of basil. Delish!

Traditional Slovak dish...Haluski (ha-LOOSH-key) saute shredded cabbage and onion together with a sprinkle of caraway seeds until very tender. DH's family combined it with cooked egg noodles and served it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to sweeten it, but we typically stop at the cabbage and onion with caraway...it goes great with ham or pork.

Also, you will get a lot of great flavors by combining veggies. I love to saute up sliced squash (yellow, zucchini or a combo) with onion and garlic in EVOO, then add tomato...fresh diced or canned ...top with chopped fresh basil and a sprinkle of parm cheese or if we want to get really rich, mozzarella. Yum! (You can add mushrooms, black olive slices, shredded carrots, celery, whatever else floats your boat.)

And there is something wonderful about the broccoli, cauliflower and carrot combo...

Celery makes a great addition to veggie combos too...so does mushroom and/or green pepper, roasted red pepper, onions, garlic, celery....

Have fun playing with it all!

I prefer most vegetables other than salads roasted at 550 in a bit of olive oil with french gray sea salt for finishing.

I love roasted vegetables. I use a 425 oven and a foil lined rimmed pan. I toss the vegetables with just a little oil- perhaps a tablespoon for a whole pan full or just a little more. I also use salt and garlic powder.

Cook 10 minutes, stir and cook about 10 minutes more until slightly browned.

I cook asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, brussel sprouts, and cabbage this way.

Roasted vegetables are great. I toss them with some olive oil, maybe some rosemary, roast them and then sprinkle them with a bit of salt.

Cooked carrots are good with a bit of butter, some honey or brown sugar and a dash of ginger.

One of my favorite ways to cook green beans:

Toss whole green beans in olive oil. Grill on one of those George Foreman type grills, or outside on a real grill. When done, sprinkle a little salt on them and crumble up a bit of feta cheese and toss.

Peas are good cooked with tiny white onions.

I'm trying to eat more vegetables, too. What I do for all my work lunches, which I bring from home, is to bring raw vegetables and something to dip them in--ranch dressing, hummus, whatever seems tasty to you. Then pack carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli, red or green pepper strips.

I like veggies best raw with homemade dips (a little goes a long way). My fave is Food Network light Blue Cheese.

Cooked, I like to toss them with just a soupcon of butter ... enough to make them shine. For guests, I'd add toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds. I also like very good (strong parmesan grated over it). I do that with asparagus sauteed with white wine. If you use very good cheese you don't need much of it at all.

I also love raw veggies and dip. Baked veggies in the oven with drizzled OO is good.

When I cook them on the stove top, I prefer basic seasoning so I can taste the veggie. A bit of butter, salt and pepper.

If you can't find fresh veggies, get frozen over canned.

I have a spice islands brand grinder filled with chunky sea salt, I love using it on veggies instead of regular salt. The small salt chunks are slow to dissolve. So, instead of a mild salt taste in every morsel you get an occasional chunky salt surprise, like from a warm pretzel.

Great ideas...thanks everyone. Naturally my favorite veggies are the starchy ones....peas, carrots, corn and potatoes.....trying to cut down on those.

Does anyone use any of the "fancy" spice mixes...I.e. Montreal, etc..on their veggies?

The food editor of our local paper once wrote that his wife uses the Montreal seasoning on potato coins as an appetizer when unexpected guests stop over.

Just nuke a potato till it's almost done, slice into "coins" then brown in EVOO with Montreal seasoning and paprika.

I tried this and didn't like it at all, but that's partly because I decided I don't like Montreal seasoning.

I use montreal seasoning, but only on steak/beef products. To me, it's perfect for that. I also add it to vegetarian stuff that I want to have a more beefy taste like lentil loaf.

I have used some other spice mixes from penzey's but I usually use them more in dishes than just on veggies: pasta seasoning, tuscan sunset, bavarian, bouquet garni, parisien bonne herbes...

And their vietnamese cinnamon is phenomenal flavor.

A light toss or brush with a good balsamic vinegar is nice, I tried it the other night with grilled zucchini slices. I used the BV after they were done.

I love Montreal steak spice but like Annie, only on meats, even on chicken burgers. I would not use it on veggies, it's too robust, imo.

I roast/grill my veggies. I make a Balsamic and Rosemary reduction sauce that is fabulous on Spinach, Kale, etc.

I use a very hot stainless skillet to wilt my Spinach. No water or oil needed.

Pick up the current bon appetit for great ideas for including yummy veggies into your menu. The only magazine I subscribe to these days!

Also, consider making homemade V-8 juice. (I actually make smoothies.) Yummy!! I add a bit of my favorite salsa for a kick.

Yum! love veggies!! We are not vegetarians here in our house, but we eat alot of veggie meals (meatless). We use fresh vegetables or occasionally frozen. I don't like alot of seasoning, it covers up the veggie. As mentioned, I will use real butter, but just a tad, sea salt is wonderful, pepper on some, etc. For roasted veggies, I like EVOO and a bit of garlic. If it's a meatless meal, I will add a sprinkling of parm cheese. Roasted sweet potatoes are great with either salt/pepper or a bit of cinnamon (again cooked w/EVOO). On some veggies I like italian seasonings or a bit of fresh basil. Depends on the veggie and the meal.

We roast or grill alot of our veggies. Eat alot of raw ones also. I know someone mentioned cooking in the microwave, but I just don't care for that. Warming yes, cooking no.

Trader Joe's has a lemon-pepper combo in a grinder. Besides lemon and pepper, it has sea salt, onion and garlic. It's a great one to have on hand, and goes well with steamed green beans, broccoli and asparagus.

Actually I didn't find the montreal seasoning was very different on potatoes than on meat. I just don't like it, even on a steak.

Not a seasoning but ... whenever I have fresh spinach left over I stick it in the bottom of my colander the next time I make a pasta meal. I drain the pasta over the spinach then stir it into whatever sauce we're having. It's an easy way to get more greens and I haven't found a pasta sauce yet that it doesn't get along with.

If you have a Wegmans' nearby, they make a basting oil that has garlic and herbs in it. I like to lightly toss veggies in it and oven roast them.