Adding variety to side dishes at dinner

gramarye

Hello all!

So, my side dishes at dinner feel like they're in a rut. I make dinner for a family of three (two adults and a six-year-old) and most days we tend to have a dinner that includes a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. The problem is that my vegetable game is weak, and my starches aren't much better. I've googled, but tend to feel totally overwhelmed by the scope of the results in the lack of direct recommendations.

For starches, we tend to do either dinner rolls/biscuits, roasted/mashed potatoes or rice.
For vegetables, I tend to make green beans, carrots, corn (which barely counts), or mixed vegetables when I get sick of those three.

At this stage, I just have no idea where to branch out to. The boys aren't particularly displeased, but I'd like to introduce more flavor variety into our meals, both to expand the child's food horizons and to resist the siren call of eating out because dinner sounds dull. Anything you guys like as a side dish go-to? Any cookbooks you like? Websites you can't live without?

Thanks all!

vmlabute

starches: you could try variety of rice such as fried rice, spanish rice, cauliflower rice, coconut rice, sweet potato, etc.
Veggies: roasted vegetables in the oven (broccoli and cauliflower), zucchini, asparagus with bacon, celery and carrots with ranch, etc.

I do a lot of menu planning so if you need ideas and recipes, don't hesitate to contact me!!

gramarye

Thanks! I do like the convenience of roasting things, so I'll have to look up for recipes for doing so.

Owlfan88

Roasting vegetables is great! I also like to steam broccoli. It keeps well in the fridge and my kids eat it fine, even if my 19 yo still only eats it raw, not cooked. He's been eating raw veggies mostly since he finished with baby foods.
I don't do salads much in the winter, but the rest of the year, I often have a salad and a veggie. We used to do a lot of spinach and mandarin orange salad. You can add dried fruit and nuts to it, but I'm usually lazy and do just the spinach and canned orange segments. Poppy seed dressing if you like it (DH and older son prefer it plain).

gramarye

Oooh, the oranges in a salad is a good idea! I like to make one with lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and apples. I'm not a dressing person either, so the moisture from the apples is pretty nice. I may switch it up with oranges, though.

RodaRose

Change the spices:
Here is a recipe for garlic and ginger green beans:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/146-string-beans-with-ginger-and-garlic

girlinahat

There's a few recent books that came out recently that make the veg the main with the meat more the side. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 'Veg everyday' or his 'light and easy' are good for easy ideas, or Ottolenghi's 'plenty' and 'plenty more' are a bit more advanced

AlisonH729

Ooh! Spinach salad with shrimp is on our menu tonight. I like Cape Cod's Sesame Soy Ginger dressing.

My approach is a lot like yours, protein + veg + carb/starch (its a solid game plan) but I typically only bother to fancy up one of the three.

I need a second fridge for the amount of frozen vegetables we keep on hand. My go tos are usually broccoli, brussels sprouts, and green beans which I will serve straight up. We usually have creamed spinach (the Seabrook is my favorite) that I like to mix with additional sauteed spinach and (Hanover) frozen butternut squash which can easily be snuck into mac & cheese. I get the prepackaged Bird Eye sauced vegetables when I find them on sale (and again like the creamed spinach, I try to bulk up with more veg if I can.)

So if I save saucy flavorful vegetables I will usually make plain mashed potatoes, wild rice (Lundberg is my favorite) or quinoa. We get a lot of flavored rice mixes too (sometimes they are super salty though which can be a bummer) and I really like the Near East Couscous and try to grab a bunch when they are on sale. I like to cut potatoes into big steak fries and roast them with some herbs.

One other thing I am totally addicted to, especially since its winter is soup. Soup is an excellent way to toss all three components in a pot and call it dinner.

rebeccaj822

My kid pleasers include:
-sweet potatoes, roasted til soft then mashed with margarine, a little honey, orange juice (they fight over this). You can roast the yams the previous day.
- baby Bok Choy pan fried with soy sauce and sesame oil. Great over rice
- Ratatouille. Eggplant, pepper, tomatoes, zucchini, tomato sauce, a little basil, pepper, oregano. They have no idea they are eating eggplant...evil mother that I am.

My fav book is Homestyle vegetarian by BAy Books.

Bon appetite!

gramarye

Oh man, soup season is the BEST season. Neither of the boys are huge soup fans, though, so I've taken to just getting my soup fix for lunch, lol.

Thanks for all the tips, everyone! I'll look around. I've heard brussels sprouts are great when cooked properly, but I've been so trepidatious of them.

rebeccaj822

Brussel sprouts mixed w a little olive oil then with roasted until they are crispy on the outside and then drizzle a little high quality balsamic vinegar over them. Yummy! However this had not been a good year for brussel sprouts where we are. Last year they tasted a lot better.

lyttlewon

Are you set on a main dish, side dish style of cooking? There's a lot of options out there for one pot meals that will meet all of those food group requirements.

gramarye

lyttlewon wrote: »

Are you set on a main dish, side dish style of cooking? There's a lot of options out there for one pot meals that will meet all of those food group requirements.

Oh no, not at all! I tend to make soups and occasional casseroles, but not very frequently.

Francl27

I'm in the same boat, lol. Frozen veggies are my friend... Sometimes I roast or sautee veggies or make mashed cauliflower, but yeah... lots of frozen veggies... and I get so sick of frozen veggies...

lyttlewon

gramarye wrote: »

lyttlewon wrote: »

Are you set on a main dish, side dish style of cooking? There's a lot of options out there for one pot meals that will meet all of those food group requirements.

Oh no, not at all! I tend to make soups and occasional casseroles, but not very frequently.

I wasn't thinking about soups or casseroles actually, but things like

chicken cacciatore - my mom's version has celery, carrots, and peas which she served over egg noodles

Irish chicken - where you brown the chicken and then bake it over a bed of seasoned cabbage, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, onions, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers etc.

I will make a Dal and add tons of vegetables to it according to what I have in the fridge, and serve over rice (or not)

These are not specifically low calorie recipes, just some examples of what you can do, with edits, that is different than a meat/salad/rice type of meal.

Francl27

lyttlewon wrote: »

gramarye wrote: »

lyttlewon wrote: »

Are you set on a main dish, side dish style of cooking? There's a lot of options out there for one pot meals that will meet all of those food group requirements.

Oh no, not at all! I tend to make soups and occasional casseroles, but not very frequently.

I wasn't thinking about soups or casseroles actually, but things like

chicken cacciatore - my mom's version has celery, carrots, and peas which she served over egg noodles

Irish chicken - where you brown the chicken and then bake it over a bed of seasoned cabbage, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, onions, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers etc.

I will make a Dal and add tons of vegetables to it according to what I have in the fridge, and serve over rice (or not)

These are not specifically low calorie recipes, just some examples of what you can do, with edits, that is different than a meat/salad/rice type of meal.

These are good ideas. I make shepherd's pie or chili too and they include veggies. But it's tough with kids because mine typically won't even eat the 'one dish' meals.

Lounmoun

Try cooking vegetables different ways. Grilled or roasted for a change. Stir fry. Make vegetable noodles (zoodles)
Try different vegetables. Cabbage, spinach, parsnips, zucchini, sweet potato, cauliflower, bok choy
Put vegetables in your main dish. Add mashed/grated vegetables to burgers, meatballs or meatloaf, use as pizza toppings, add to sauces, casseroles or soups/stews/curries.
Combine vegetables in different ways. Tomatoes and green beans, broccoli and mushrooms, stuffed potatoes or peppers, carrots with coconut and lime. Combine fruits and vegetables- add berries, oranges, apples to salad.
Use garlic , herbs and spices to make things more interesting.
Look at different salad recipes. Vegetable salads, bean or lentil salads, pasta salads

I find food ideas on pinterest.
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://molliekatzen.com/archives.php
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/course/side_dish/

gramarye

lyttlewon wrote: »

gramarye wrote: »

lyttlewon wrote: »

Are you set on a main dish, side dish style of cooking? There's a lot of options out there for one pot meals that will meet all of those food group requirements.

Oh no, not at all! I tend to make soups and occasional casseroles, but not very frequently.

I wasn't thinking about soups or casseroles actually, but things like

chicken cacciatore - my mom's version has celery, carrots, and peas which she served over egg noodles

Irish chicken - where you brown the chicken and then bake it over a bed of seasoned cabbage, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, onions, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers etc.

I will make a Dal and add tons of vegetables to it according to what I have in the fridge, and serve over rice (or not)

These are not specifically low calorie recipes, just some examples of what you can do, with edits, that is different than a meat/salad/rice type of meal.

Oooooh awesome, thanks! I'll check those out.

lyttlewon

Francl27 wrote: »

lyttlewon wrote: »

gramarye wrote: »

lyttlewon wrote: »

Are you set on a main dish, side dish style of cooking? There's a lot of options out there for one pot meals that will meet all of those food group requirements.

Oh no, not at all! I tend to make soups and occasional casseroles, but not very frequently.

I wasn't thinking about soups or casseroles actually, but things like

chicken cacciatore - my mom's version has celery, carrots, and peas which she served over egg noodles

Irish chicken - where you brown the chicken and then bake it over a bed of seasoned cabbage, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, onions, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers etc.

I will make a Dal and add tons of vegetables to it according to what I have in the fridge, and serve over rice (or not)

These are not specifically low calorie recipes, just some examples of what you can do, with edits, that is different than a meat/salad/rice type of meal.

These are good ideas. I make shepherd's pie or chili too and they include veggies. But it's tough with kids because mine typically won't even eat the 'one dish' meals.

Sometimes they can be finicky. These are all dishes that my kids eat, but my son will eat just about anything if you put marinara sauce over it.

earth_echo

A chick pea salad is a good starch option. No cooking required, which is a bonus. Just add your favorite salad dressing and shredded cheese. You can modify it any way you wish...onions, minced garlic, etc. You can use other beans too. Or change the sauce.

Lounmoun

http://www.persnicketyplates.com/buffalo-cauliflower/
http://www.ciaochowbambina.com/sweet-potato-fritters-sriracha-mayo/
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/summer-corn-salad/#_a5y_p=3883902
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/01/recipe-for-roasted-green-beans-with.html
http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2015/4/7/sauteed-cabbage.html

Francl27

Lounmoun wrote: »

http://www.persnicketyplates.com/buffalo-cauliflower/
http://www.ciaochowbambina.com/sweet-potato-fritters-sriracha-mayo/
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/summer-corn-salad/#_a5y_p=3883902
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/01/recipe-for-roasted-green-beans-with.html
http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2015/4/7/sauteed-cabbage.html

I'm drooling over the sweet potato fritters.

OyGeeBiv

Your list of starches is all white. Try sweet potatoes (orange or purple), red lentils, and tri-colored pasta. Replace white bread and rolls with whole grain something, or bread made with vegetables - zucchini, carrot, cornbread. Most supermarkets have really good breads in the fresh bakery department.

My kids have always loved raw veggies. I eventually stopped making salads most of the time and just put out a large platter of cut up veggies at dinnertime. Carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, snow peas, sliced jicama, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, canned olives, radishes.

For cooked veggies, my go-to easy one was glazed carrots. Or steamed broccoli & cauliflower with cheese sauce.

cessi0909

Have not yet read all the responses but we also have sweet potatoes, quinoa salads and sometimes wild rice mixes.
We are also big into roasting veggies! My kids (5, 7, 17) love when I buy heirloom carrots and/tomatoes or anything that's a new color

Iguessicandothis

Recently I had some leftover roasted cauliflower (I had roasted it with garlic, olive oil and a bit of Parmesan cheese) that I didn't feel like eating again, so I threw it into my mashed potatoes. Whipped together, I couldn't even tell there was cauliflower in there, and the extra seasoning made them taste great!

robot_potato

We do roasted veg with different spices, my kids will not eat peppers, onion or asparagus (which I love), but anything else is fair game. Our go to is rosemary and fresh pepper with olive oil. We also do fresh veg with dip, or build your own salad, which I like for my kids. We set up a variety of ingredients, adults eat everything, and kids have to pick at least 2 veg. My 10 year old goes for tomato and avocado, 7 year old likes lettuce/spinach and cucumber.

jarelary4

My kids ages 12 and 9 love baked broccoli. I take a bag of frozen broccoli and a packet of ranch dressing mix and toss them together while the broccoli is frozen. Then spread on a greased baking sheet and put in oven on 425 degrees until browned and a little crisp looking. Very yummy!

DanaLark

Basically...how do you roast veggies? I know this sounds dumb but I always just steam them so it is getting boring. I hate mushy veggies so tell me how to do it without it getting soggy please.

Jbell0213

My favorite side veggie is frozen green beans cooked with chopped sun dried tomatoes and some pine nuts. Really good.

OyGeeBiv

DanaLark wrote: »

Basically...how do you roast veggies? I know this sounds dumb but I always just steam them so it is getting boring. I hate mushy veggies so tell me how to do it without it getting soggy please.

Oh you're in for a treat! Basic recipe is to preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry your vegetables (best if they're washed way ahead of time so they're really dry). Cut the veg into chunks if necessary. Toss in a bowl with a little olive oil and some kosher salt. Place the oiled veg in a single layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan (I like to line the pan with parchment paper for easy clean-up). Roast for about 15 minutes, until cooked through and a little crispy. Turn veg half way through if you want.

Vary this by adding herbs and spices if you want. You can also do it at lower temp for longer time (for instance if you're roasting a chicken at 350 degrees, you can roast the veg at the same time), but they get crispy best at a high temp.

Try this with broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, etc. Asparagus takes less time but is wonderful when roasted.

For a real treat, roast garlic. YUMMMM. Take a whole head of garlic and cut off the top including a little bit of each clove. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil, and roast. The garlic becomes soft. You squeeze out each clove of garlic and can spread it on bread. Did I mention YUMMMMMM? <fanning myself> Or you can use roasted garlic as an ingredient in many dishes (try it with homemade hummus!)

WinoGelato

Good post OP, I'm always looking for new suggestions! I have 4 and 7 year old boys and am not the most adventurous eater myself. We do a lot of mashed potatoes, noodles, orzo and rice for starches (I use the bags of pasta roni or ready rice quite often) and then frozen veggies when I need something quick. My kids eat raw carrots and sugar snap peas and most of the time they will eat them cooked as well. They love edamame, which surprised me.

I wish I had some great recipes that everyone loved, a lot of times I make separate components (leave the sauce off and don't mix things together for the kids) and try to serve them most of what we are eating but it's a miss more often than a hit. I have had good luck with red coconut curry chicken in peanut sauce.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/chicken-with-peanut-curry-sauce-recipe.html