Picture the scene: you see an old boot silhouetted against the morning sun and think, what a wondrous sight. You run up the flower-filled meadow to pick up this beautiful old boot and suddenly you're stranded on a tropical island.
Yes, it was a Portkey (beware innocent looking boots, they're rarely what they seem)

So here you are, stranded on a tropical island where only one kind of vegetable grows in abundance, so there is no food shortage but there is only one variety of vegetable. If you had a choice in the matter, what vegetable would you choose, and why? And, if you have any recipes for your chosen vegetable, please share


Fortunately the tropical island also has cooking utensils and appliances, and all the herbs and other necessary ingredients for your chosen vegetable, so you can cook it however you choose. However, you dont know when you'll find the next Portkey out of here so, choose your vegetable wisely

Personally, I would choose to find myself on Potato Island (although cabbage came a very close second). My island is very nice and densly populated with potatoes (all of whom I've named Wilson). I love the humble potato, it's so versatile and can be cooked in so many different ways that it would become difficult to tire of it. The simplest but in my opinion most delicious way of cooking potatoes is the traditional mash potato. There's just something deliciously comforting about it. My favorite way of cooking it is to boil the potatoes until soft (so no lumpy bits), drain almost all of the water but keep some back for making mashing them easier, add (non-dairy) margarine and (soy) milk, and mash them until smoooth and creamy.

Another easy recipe is oven roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary. Take your potatoes, wash but dont peel them. You can use baby new potatoes whole or, cut up regular potatoes into very approximately 2-inch pieces. It doesnt really matter, so long as they're all of a similar size (so as some dont remain uncooked) Boil them for 20 minutes. Meanwhile in an oven-proof dish, pour in about 3 or 4 tbsp olive oil, chop about 6 (or more) pieces of garlic into thick chunks (so as they caramelize and dont go crispy) and throw in some fresh rosemary. Roll it around in the oil. Drain the potatoes when they're boiled and put them into the ovenproof dish. Add some freshly milled salt and pepper over them, roll them around in the olive oil until they're covered (add more oil if necessary) Put them in the oven, turn them once after they look golden on top, and leave to bake until the other side gets golden, too. These are so good

A neat way of cooking potatoes is to make fun fries. Cut potatoes into fry-size thick round slices. Using fun-shape cookie cutters (stars, hearts, moons, anything) cut out shapes. You can use the cut-out pieces and the slices from which you cut them, for example you can have star shapes and round slices with a star-shape hole. Shallow fry them in olive oil until cooked.

There are so many other potato recipes and ideas, potato salad, parsley potatoes, potato cakes ... the list is endless. So what would you choose as your ideal vegetable?

yay, first post!

so. very hard poll. i agree with you on the potato idea, moose, that you can never get tired of it and also its very yummy

BUT... i had to go with... drum roll please... the carrot! *lip smack*

carrot is my all time favorite veggie, which is saying something bc i have never not liked any vegetable ive ever eaten (trust me, they have been many) except for the disgusting egg plant. uuuggh. hate it. anyway, back to the carrot.

there are not many ways to cook it, at least that i know of, but my fave way to eat it is raw, nice and crunchy. yum. also they can be cooked and cut in all types of pleasing shapes. i know that is not going to be very useful if youre on a desert island, but its a small mercy i think, lol.

it was a hard choice tho. love tons of veggies. *cough* spinach *cough*

ETA: could we do a LEAST favorite veggie poll? i know which one i would choose (see above).

I simply had to choose the potato, I simply love potato salad and also a type of grilled sliced potato (have not got a clue what it would be called)




I also love carrots, though I can't think of many recipes for them. :S

How can you hate eggplant? One of my favourite meals with eggplant consists of:
-Grilled Turkish Bread (starts drooling a little)
-Olive tapenade (starts to drool uncontrollably)
-Sun dried tomatoes, I don't like these much on their own, but in the sandwich they are divine (drools even more)
-Lettuce, need I say more (starts floating in drool)
-and..... grilled... EGGPLANT! -applause- (dies of hunger)

I don't mind eggplant on it's own, but in this little sandwich it is absolutely superlative!

Ok, I'm a complete idiot and chose "other" because I didn't see tomato on the list, and now I see it there. I could live on tomatoes...I love them so much I like to eat them like apples.

My favorite way to eat tomatoes is grilled over the fire...mmmmm. Just find yourself a nice roasting stick and cook, add a little salt and pepper...mmmm

My second favorite way to eat tomatoes is with fish. I'm going to assume on this island that there is water around it and I could do some spear fishing or something. If you open up a tomato and lay the fish fillet over the top and cook it the juices from the fish make the tomato taste wonderful.

I voted other. My favourite vegetable is Sweet Potato(actually very different to a normal potato and much tastier)
I like to eat them:

1. Fried: Peel and then chop into slices. Heat olive oil in a wok, when oil is hot enough that the potatos sizzle on contact with it, chuck a load of them in. Fry until they're nice and brown and crispy at the edges, they're even nice slightly bunt.
2. Mashed: Boil until soft then mash witha potato masher(same as regular potatos)
3. Sweet Potato Nests: Use the mash method and then form the mix into little nest shapes spread out on tinfoil on a baking tray. Place in oven(timing depends on temperature) and roast until the exterior of the nests become brownish and crisp then fill the "empty nest" with the sauce of you choice.
4. Sweet Potato Stirfry: Peel and chop into cubes, cook in olive oil in a wok with either minced or diced meat of your choice and whatever other herbs or vegetables you like.

Edit: They're actually yummy to eat in raw slices too, like you would carrot sticks.

I am actually a really big fan of brocolli, all I would need is some salad dressing and if I ever got tired of just having it with dip I would grab some garlic and cut it up and put it into a pan with a bunch of brocolli and just cook it together and the flavors make a really god meal (I was trying to give the recipe)

I voted for potato but thinking about it I should have chosen sweetcorn. Hmmm I just lurv sweetcorn, on the cob and as an ingredient.

I know those obsessed with accuracy will argue that the tomato is technically a fruit, due to the fact that it is the reproductive part of the plant (as opposed to the leaves or roots). Tomato-lovers such as myself will counter that this doesn't matter in the slightest: they are simply too tasty. Really, my husband thinks that of all the favorite foods to have, TOMATO is definately the weirdest. But they really do improve almost any dish. And there's just no substitute for fresh, home-grown tomato.

I wonder which tastes worse: gurdyroots or dirigible plums...

Now I'm hungry!!!!

*sigh* I had to agree with the potato argument, but oh that is a tough call! I don't think I could live in a world without eggplant! Just simply grilled, or crumbed then shallow fried with some fresh mozzarella on top, served with a freshly made tomato sauce .....(drool) Or my eggplant torte - which is layers of grilled eggplant, cheese, a highly seasoned mix of meat, rice and spices, more eggplant. I haven't made that in so long!

Asparagus - yum! I have recently started just wrapping them in foil with some salt, a little drizzle of olive oil or butter, a splash of balsamic vinegar and roasted them in the oven for 15 minutes or so. I started it out of laziness and because I was using the entire stove cooking other things, and now it's the only way I like to cook it.

and tomatoes!! How could I possibly survive without tomatoes?? I have an arrangement with a friendly greengrocer who saves all the tomatoes he can't sell for me. (One day I got 5 crates!) Sometimes it's a bit icky sorting through them - it wasn't a problem when the kids were smaller, I'm a big believer in child labour in the kitchen I slow roast a few trays in the oven, and just chop up the rest and throw them in my biggest pots and just cook them down for a day or so (along with some garlic, red wine, fresh herbs, maybe some roasted peppers and some chillies) - adding the roasted ones towards the end. It's a fantastic pasta sauce - sometimes it needs to be diluted a bit, but I find it's better to cook it down as much as possible so I can fit it all in the freezer! (not that it stays there for long, my friends generally list "Lilly's Freezer" as there favourite Take Away restaurant!)

Then there are things like sweet potato, as Azkaban's_Angel said, and fresh beets, and corn, and broccoli....

I don't think I have ever met a vegetable I didn't like! Can I just choose to not get stuck on a Desert Island?

Lilly


*wah*!! now I am hungry and I want to cook things!!! But it's almost 2 in the morning and very cold, so I should probably just turn off the computer and get some sleep.

I would have to pick the potato. I could and usually eat one potato based food everyday.
Here is a quick recipe for potatoes wedges.

Peel 6-8 large potatoes. Cut in half and either cube or cut into wedges.

Place in a bowl then add: 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil. 1 teaspoon of paprika. 1/2 teaspoon of Club House seasoned salt (substitute with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you like spicy).

Mix together then place in a well greased pan and place in oven at 375 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half depending on how crispy you like your potatoes.

Potato Cakes.

Boil and mash potatoes(8-10 large). When mashed potatoes are cooled put into a large bowl.
Shred 1 cup of your favorite cheese. Add 1/4 cup of bacon bits or real bacon. Add one egg.
Mix all together.

With your hands take out bits of the mixture. Roll into a ball into your hand then flatten out like you would a hamburger patty.

Set on a large plate or platter. Cover with saran wrap or tinfoil. Let the potato patties sit overnight in the fridge to set.

Cook in frying pan with butter at medium heat. 10-12 minutes each side.

The potato! It's just so versatile, tasty and filling. I love them mashed, fried, boiled, baked and roasted. PLUS if you get tired of eating potatoes on the island you can make Mr. Potato Head and have company.

Absolutely the potato. I love so many of those other vegetables, but potatoes are just so easily made into so many different things that they would get 'old' much later than the other veges. My mum used to do a unit when she was teaching about the potato famine in Ireland and the kids had a complete lunch made of just potato things. I always used to make sure I was around to 'help out' that day These were the ones they would eat:

potato soup
potato scones
potato bread
potato chips
baked potato
roast potato
mashed potato

You forgot potato pancakes.

I chose potato. You can fry them, boil them, bake them, souffle them (actually I don't think you can do that). You can have sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, red potatoes, potato chips, french fries, hash browns,potato bread (not had that), potato pancakes (yummy!), potato soup, mashed potatoes...I don't think I'd get tired...I hope not anyway.

ook people i see we are being massacred by these potato lovers here... not a problem, i know its good. so. yes. but i still stick with my carrot.


oh, ew ew ewie. egg plants are horrible. no offense to you or anyone else, obviously. just hate the taste of it. i dont know what it is about it, i just dont like it. my mom is addicted to egg plants, its her fave vegetable. my dad doesnt like it either, so my mom makes this whole platter of eggplant and eats it all herself. she makes all type of recipes too.

i just dont like it at all!

Hmm. I chose potato...I love potatos and as other people said, you can do so much with them. I love potatos. I'm a carbs person.

I would choose carrots, but only because I'm not a fan of vegetables. I like potatoes also, but I don't eat them very often. I really love baby carrots. When I get them, I eat about half a package in one sitting. I'm surprised I haven't turned orange!

I'm going to definately have to agree with you there! Potatoes are the best!! Fried potatoes are sooo yummy! especially if you add Onions, and garlic, but potatoes are my favourite!

I chose Broccoli..I could seriously live off it! Steamed, baked in a dish, grilled or just raw. I love it! One way I love it, is broiled...sprinkle sea salt(or regular, or garlic salt, or even, Kosher salt)over it, a dash of cracked pepper and park it under the broiler for a few minutes. Tastes absolutely yummy! You can do this with cauliflower, too.

Well, I see where you, potato-people, are coming from I actually like almost all vegetables. However, I'm choosing tomatoes, 'cause I just love them! Especially when I can pick them in my grandma's green-house, all warm and smelling absolutely wonderful, that way they don't even need to be prepared with anything in any way for me... mmm...

I chose potatoes! I would have also chose carrots but you can do so much with potatoes! They are good in the morning, afternoon, evening!! They are amazing and they are my favorite food!! I would be in potato heaven! Do bad I couldn't take my parents with to cook them for me! I am a horrible cook!

My best friend moved away so I think I just might have to make a Mr. Potato Head to keep me company.

I don't think I could ever get tired of eating potatoes on my island though. I made potato wedges for supper to go with the barbecued sausages.

I chose Tomato, I have a obsession with them, their my favourite food! But sadly, in the past 3 months I've oddly become allergic to them-they make my lips swell up and its really painful- Its so sad, I can't eat them anymore, but everyone else in my family can

I love tomatoes, too (in fact I love pretty much all vegetables so it was a tough choice to choose only one)
It's too bad that you're allergic to tomatoes suddenly Maybe you could try growing your own or buying organic tomatoes because I know that some people are allergic to the pesticides used on commercially-grown fruits & vegetables. Also, you can buy organic vegetable wash (right now I cant think what it's called) that washes off chemicals that dont otherwise get removed by rinsing vegetables under running water.

Potato !!! The best vegetable ever !!!! I'd like to choose 'ladies finger'(okra) also....Okra is widely used in Indian dishes....
I don't like pumpkins very much but there's a pumpkin dish called 'olan' which is very yummy......

I asked The_Sidekick (my daughter) tonight and she responded very quickly and passionately "Carrot!" There was no way of changing her mind. I'll have to get her to log on and cast her vote for those on the carrot team.

Just an interesting bit of trivia ...the whole turning orange thing isn't a myth! When I was working for a naturopath many years ago we had a man who was drinking gallons of carrot juice, and he actually did turn orange. It was one of the weirdest things I had ever seen. Looked like one of those really bad, old fake tans.
I can't imagine how many you would have to eat for it to have that effect though!

Lilly

i chose cauliflower, because it's so delicious when you put it in a soup.
i love potatoes, too., but i just don't think it's a vegetable.maybe because it's not green.lol

The potato is a vegetable, it's the tomato that's not.

Only one type of vegetable, but are there any sheep on the island? If there are, I'd take aubergines, but if the vegetable is really the only type of food available, I'd keep it simple and take the potatoes.

Well I really like potatoes on every way so I chosed them. But I like them just like the tomatos and if I could have a vote for two of them I would chose tomato and potato

i chose a yellow petter... i dono i've always loved them. I don't know what half those are! I reallt need to get out more....:S

Oh my, It's a close call between Potato and Tomato. I mean, you can make a varity of things with Potatoes (I LOVE mashed), but I think I'd chose Tomato. It's one of my favourite things to eat, just lovely.

This is hard for me. I don't really like vegetables. I just eat them because their good for you. But, I love potatoes, and most of the time I forget they are a starchy vegetable.

My favorite is french fries, or wedge potatoes. I could eat them all day.

Tomatoes. I love tomatoes.
Tomatoes are the food of the gods.

I do love a nice ripe tomato! Really brightens any salad up - or can just be eaten sliced. Oh, or of course, on a sandwich.

My friend eats them like apples.

I do that.

My mum says I'm strange. Hehehe.

the potato because ther is just so much you can do with it. you can roast it, mash it, boil it - the possibilitys are endless

Me and popeye have something in common, we LOVE spinachs.
I'll eat them natural, bolied, grilled with white sauce and chesse (yyummmm), with olive oil, salt and pepper...

Ok i have to go eat something now!

Cabbage!! I noticed that I was the only one to vote for this vegetable!! I love cabbage, I cat have it and never get bored. Spinach was close second, but I went with the very delicious cabbage in the end!

I love my vegetables! whee

I would probably choose asparagus island. A good recipe for asparagus requires you to buy them fresh and lightly steam them, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with slivered almonds. yumyum.

Zucchinis are good too they're nice when you grow them really big and cut them into steaks and fry them on the barbeque with relevant herbs and spices and olive oil.

Although fried tomatoes with herbs on a chunk of home made bread doesn't go amiss either. Technically I think a tomato is a fruit.

I'm a vegetarian. :|

I'm so glad that someone finally voted cabbage lol, for me it was a very difficult decision to choose only one as I love all vegetables but in the end it came down to a choice between cabbage or potato, and I chose potato, but I love cabbage, I cooked a whole one all for myself the other day lol, steamed & then drizzled with olive oil, and mixed up with freshly ground black pepper & nutmeg.


I love asparagus, but it has such a short season (although I guess on asparagus island they would grow all year) I cook them like you do but without the almonds, I'll have to try that, it sounds good.
Yes it is, as are pumpkins but I like to think of them as versatile lol

Tomatoeee! I lovelovelovelove tomatoe! Its really good if you sprinkle salt and lemon on it! yummm!

Other (which I will tell you about in my post)

My choice would be wheat. I could make pasta from wheat. I love pasta very much.

I love SOY BEANS, it can be eaten raw in the pod, process into tofu and can be eaten in various ways even dessert, can be used to spice up food in form of soy sauce and can be eaten as soy nut or soya spread. My favorite soy dessert is called Taho. In the Philippines we make it by scrapping thinly warm silken tofu and arrange it in a tall glass then drizzle it it with brown sugar syrup and topped with tapioca.

mangiej104, I love a good tomato too but since they're a fruit, not a vegetable you get to choose again.
Butterfly-Boy you get to choose again too because Wheat is a grain, not a vegetable.

I'm jumping on the potato bandwagon. They are AMAZING. I'm always up for a good, hearty, hot bowl of baked potato soup. I got a fab recipe from DorisTLC last year, and tried it, and it was awesome! It mades tons of soup, even when I cut the recipe in half. I'm gonna try making it again, except I'm gonna cut it into fourths. Hehe.

My mom makes this awesome potato dish for me. I don't know how exactly, but to me it tastes like she just cuts long strips of potatoes and sautees it in olive oil with some white onions, salt, and pepper. Lots of pepper. Since I'm asian, most of the things made in my house go with rice I eat these potatoes with rice, but I've had an entire plateful for breakfast before.

I'm curious...does anyone have a baked potato soup recipe they'd like to share? I think that is possibly my favorite way to eat potatoes, and I'm always open to more recipes.

I chose a tomato because I love tomatoes. You can eat them fresh with a little salt and lemon, or make a good tomato soup, or a tomato sauce. I'm getting hungry maybe I should go and make myself a grilled cheese sandwich with a Yumi TOMATO soup .

Tomato - because silly people that we humans are used to grow them as a flowering plant? Spanish knew right on that it was yum-E!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato

I still have pleasant memories of growing tomato's in our large garden, picking them, the smell, having them on bread with a bit of mayo and lots of salt. I still experience it every year when the tomato's start to actually taste like tomato's.

The Potato - URGH! I had to use this to keep me alive while living through poverty. At times I only had enough money to buy a large sack of potatoes and some butter to live off of. I still eat it, but I don't have fondness for it.

God that sounds really good right now! I also love a good tomato/avocado salad with a little bit of fresh lemon juice squeezed over it and salt and pepper.

Tomatoes are my first choice and zucchini would be my second. I love sauteed zucchini with herbs and olive oil.

And I love alfalfa sprouts in salads and on sandwiches.