On Writing The Hidden Vegetables Cookbook

By Heidi Herman

I hate vegetables. That’s an honest and true statement about me. It’s their taste, their texture, and with some, even the smell. Yet, as a responsible adult, I know I need to eat my veggies for their significant health benefits. For years, I heard: “You just need to steam them,” “Eat them raw,” or “Just start eating them, you’ll acquire a taste”, and my favorite, “How can you not like them? They’re yummy.” Unfortunately, nothing I tried made them appealing.

By adulthood, I had accepted that I would never acquire a taste for vegetables. But with the cooking options of a grown-up, I’ve found a way I can live with that fact, but still benefit from their nutrition. My Icelandic mother had never been a fan of vegetables either. She would often say that green vegetables were rabbit food —not something they ate in Iceland. Instead, their nutrition came from fish, seafood, and dairy. That, and the cod liver oil they were dosed with every morning at school! She rarely served vegetables when I was young, so I wasn’t one of those kids who were forced to eat vegetables. As a result, I never developed a taste for them.

After the age of forty, I began to realize the importance of nutrition, and understood the areas I was lacking. I wasn’t living in Iceland as my mother had in her early years; I didn’t have a steady diet of fresh fish or raw dairy. Honestly, I’d become a carboholic—and it was starting to catch up with me. Twenty years prior, I underwent back surgery and became accustomed to at least a minimal amount of related pain or stiffness. But, after my midlife milestone, my energy level diminished, I suffered from headaches, brain fog, and overall increased aches and pains. My doctor suggested it was chronic inflammation or just natural aging. He recommended supplements, and I had to admit it was time to embrace the importance of vitamins and minerals for my health.

While researching my 2020 book, On With the Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life, I started to understand the broader impact food has on overall health. The more studies I read, the more I wanted to learn. This period of food education changed the way I approached ingredients in my kitchen. The research for that book forever changed my understanding of the connection between food and the body’s health, and its impact on a person’s overall well-being: fewer aches and pains, better sleep, sharper mental function, the list goes on.

That realization brought a focus on the long-term quality of life. I needed balanced nutrition, and that included more vegetables, particularly the ones I disliked the most. Spinach, Kale, Beets, Broccoli—all those crucial veggies I’d literally turned up my nose at—were the foundation of my healthy future. To achieve this healthy future, I needed to incorporate more fresh, nutritionally dense foods into my diet.

But my goal wasn’t to learn how to like vegetables;it was simply to eat more of them. I needed to embrace the distaste and own it. It was a simple idea. I didn’t have to like vegetables. I only had to accept being veggie-averse and align that with my desire to eat more nutritious food. I am a self-taught cook and enjoyed being in the kitchen, so that was a start. I excelled at creating tasty cookies and baked goods, so I started there, then expanded my horizons. I worked on adapting some of my favorite dishes as well as creating new ones with a twist towards more nutrition.

My journey to incorporate more vegetables into my diet was a long and winding road. I collected hundreds of cookbooks, scoured recipes for ideas, and went down rabbit holes of research. I experimented with ways to prepare vegetables that were tolerable to my palate. And you know what? I discovered some downright tasty recipes. Sure, not every experiment was a success, but I persevered and eventually found ways to incorporate fresh, healthy vegetables into the food I loved without compromising the flavor or texture.

I discovered that Brussels sprouts exude a nutty flavor and remain crunchy, so pairing them with walnuts and honey in rice was perfect. The sweet, nutty crunch just added more flavor and texture, and the Brussels sprouts blended in the background. Cauliflower rice—popular in recent years—seemed like a good go-to, but I could never disguise the flavor enough until I started adding ginger. A small, but magical adjustment.

It has taken years to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. Guess what? I still hate some of them—in their raw, natural form anyway. As I shared my findings with friends and associates, I finally understood I wasn’t alone in my adulthood vegetable-averseness.

It wasn’t until I read a 2022 New York Post article about how people thought a healthy lifestyle would make them miserable that I truly realized how many people dislike vegetables. One phrase from the article stuck with me—that “being healthy … meant eating food that’s bad on the taste buds but good for their bodies.”

It was a lightbulb moment. I realized that I had to share these recipes in a book to help others eat their vegetables while still loving their food. This cookbook is for adults who, like me, are veggie-averse but health-focused. Along with these recipes, my best advice is to be open to experimenting with different spices and flavors. Food experimentation, like life, is a journey, so let’s make it fun!

—

Heidi Herman

Author/Public Speaker

https://about.me/heidiherman

www.heidihermanauthor.com

Member Non-Fiction Authors Association

Member Arizona Authors Association

Member Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers

Member Women Fiction Writers Association

HIDDEN VEGETABLES

Hate vegetables but still want to eat healthy? Tired of feeling guilty every time you skip the greens? What if you could enjoy your favorite meals with all the nutrition and none of the veggie taste?

If you’ve ever wished you could eat healthier without choking down another forkful of kale or pretending to like Brussels sprouts, The Hidden Vegetables Cookbook is for you.

This isn’t your typical nutrition cookbook. It doesn’t try to convince you to fall in love with spinach or develop a taste for zucchini. Instead, it gives you a creative, practical way to get the benefits of vegetables without tasting them at all.
These recipes are smart, satisfying, and designed for real adults who know they should eat their veggies… but just don’t like them. Author Heidi Herman brings together 90 flavorful dishes that cleverly incorporate fresh vegetables in ways that blend, mask, and even overpower their taste so you get the nutrients without the struggle.
From hearty dinners to indulgent treats, you’ll find vegetable-packed recipes that actually taste amazing. And no, they don’t look green or “healthy” in that bland, boring way. They just taste like good food.

Here’s how this cookbook will help:

• Eat More Vegetables Without Changing Your Taste Buds – These recipes work with your existing preferences, using vegetables in a hidden way that won’t mess with the flavors you love.
• Enjoy 90+ Delicious, Comforting Recipes – Think Beef Bourguignon with hidden spinach, Chicken Enchiladas with pureed carrots and onion, or chocolate cake where the zucchini disappears entirely.
• Feel Validated Instead of Guilty – You’re not alone. Lots of adults don’t like veggies. This book offers a real solution, not a lecture.
• Boost Your Nutrition Effortlessly – Get your daily dose of fiber, vitamins, and minerals without even realizing it.
• No Special Skills or Complex Tools Needed – Recipes are simple, accessible, and use common ingredients. Perfect for busy cooks or beginners.
• Rethink What Healthy Food Can Look (and Taste) Like – No bland salads. No raw veggie platters. Just real meals that feel indulgent and nourishing at the same time.

Whether you’re trying to eat cleaner, sneak more nutrition into your meals, or finally stop feeling bad about your veggie aversion, The Hidden Vegetables Cookbook is here to make it easy—and actually enjoyable. You’ll no longer have to avoid recipes just because they call for squash or feel left out of the healthy-eating conversation. These recipes are designed to fit into your lifestyle, not the other way around. And the best part? You’ll enjoy every bite without second-guessing what’s hidden inside. With practical, no-fuss instructions and real ingredients, you can finally eat better without sacrificing flavor or forcing down foods you dislike.

Stop forcing down vegetables and start hiding them like a pro. Grab your copy today and eat better—on your own terms.

Tags: featured, writing

Category: On Writing