This thread is making me hungry! I was also a vegetarian; I am no longer, but I must have my veggies. I have too many favorites. In no particular order:
Okra (esp if someone else cooks it for me with indian spices)
broccoli, cauliflower (to me they are interchangeable)
string beans
spinach
kale (particularly dinosaur kale)
broccoli rabe
asparagus
garlic, onion, leeks
mushrooms - any and all types
eggplant
brussel sprouts - I used to hate them, now I can't get enough. Preferably roasted and doused in sea salt.
tomatoes - but preferably from the garden. I cannot stand grocery store tomatoes that have no flavor; it's a crime against mother nature.
chilies!!!
Avocado
artichoke - I make a mean artichoke soup
jicama
sweet potato
cucumber
carrots - cooked or raw. I wish my family liked them cooked; I'd have them a lot more often.
lettuce - I know you said it didn't count, but to me it does. I think lettuce gets a bad rap!!! Really fresh lettuce - any variety - is a big treat all on its own. I also find that lettuce that has been heated slightly tastes even better; most people only consider lettuce crisp and cold in a salad. My husband thinks I'm strange because I'll take home leftover salad - where there's nothing left but lettuce - from the restaurant and heat it in the microwave the next day for a tasty treat. Did you know you can even make lettuce soup?
The only veggies I don't particularly care for, but will eat on occasion anyway:
Beets - they are okay if fresh. I don't care for the canned kind. And I can only stand them in small amounts, like a sprinkle in a salad. I wouldn't eat beet soup.... I've tried.
Seaweed - (that's a veggie, isn't it?). I don't care for dried seaweed products like Nori or those seaweed sprinkles. But I can eat fresh seaweed in small amounts in a salad. It's not something I crave though.
Peppers - I like peppers in small doses only, and preferably cooked (as the base for a sauce) or at least lightly stir-fried. I hate it when you order stir-fry at a restaurant and 70% of the veggies are gigantic chunks of pepper. I like peppers, but not that much. And too much fresh pepper makes me burp! But I can eat it mixed in with salsa and gazpacho. Green pepper is my favorite.
Veggies I really can't stand and steer away from:
Squashes - I just don't have a taste for it. Blech.
While I also like fruit, I will choose veggies over fruit any day. I may be weird like that.
