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I usually do not use any insecticides on any of my plants, except my roses, but I just came back from vacation and most of my veggies are defoliated and what's left looks like lace.

These are the cool season things (all broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and collards). THe lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, squash, zuchinni and potatoes are OK, for now.

What is the best insecticide to use for veggies?

I plant marigolds in and around my veggies. Doesn't get rid of all insects, but it helps. There may be something organic that you can find.

Sounds as if the problem might be cabbage loopers.
Here's a page that gives tips and tricks for control.
(I personally would disregard the part about "insecticidal sprays" and would stick with the insecticidal soap method.)

http://www.missouribotanicalga.../cabbage-looper.aspx

In many cases there's a bug that eats the ones that eat your veggies. Do a research on each of your family of vegetables. Often what will attack the pest that eats a cabbage, will also attack what eats squash and cucumber.
Aany insecticide will, of course, kill the good bug and infect the vegetable.
The good bugs routine isn't always successful but it warrants research.

Yes, it sounds like cabbage loopers. That is my main reason for growing cole crops during cooler weather, no worms.
You can hand pick & use the soap spray. Lots of folks up north are starting to use floating row covers (FRC) for all their cole crops but you have to be sure to get those on before the white butterflies show up & lay eggs...otherwise, you have trapped the worms in with your goodies.

Thanks. My garden is not that big and there's no sense in trying to save the cool season crops. They're also at the point of bolting. I will try again in the fall.

I just need to save my summer crops. I will dig out my Master Gardener book and see what we're told to use.

I usuually try to pick off anything that doesn't below but this time there were way too many. They were very tiny and multi-colored. I have pulled off the green cabbage loopers before but these were different.

FM, any chance they are army worms? I know they will work on cole crops sometimes.

I checked and they are not the size of army worms and and not green, like most cabbage loopers. They are tiny and multi-colored.

I actually pulled out all of the crops today in hopes of preventing them from getting to anything else. The summer crops are nowhere near ready to harvest so I used an organic insecticide I had left from last year. Not sure if it will work or not but I wanted to try. There were way too many of them to pick off by hand.