Fun with Veggies

kbeachum

Hello All!! As I continue my weight loss journey I know that what I need to do is change my diet. I am a carboholic. I don't want to completely eliminate carbs from my diet but I want to reduce them and increase my veggie intake. My problem is finding great recipes with fresh veggies that I can enjoy. I have discovered I love avocado and I am trying to incorporate that more. I also love corn and green beans but I am craving fresh and crunchy not cooked and mushy, unless it is creamed corn or spinach. Does anyone have any suggestions on fresh veggies/recipes that I can incorporate as my sides instead of a card? Any suggestion is a good one at this point.

Cynsonya

Fresh veggies dipped in hummus or guacamole!

hpomara

Salads without dressing but lots of goodies are my favorite. I would also recommend looking at vegetable stirfry recipes because your veggies can still be crunchy and delicious if timed right. I also really liked the free recipe pdf called "Cheap and Good." There were a ton of great recipes that I've been able to adapt to my picky taste.

cbelc2

I roast many different types of vegetables with a little olive oil and salt/pepper. Try this one: slice a head of cabbage into 1 inch slices. Brush each side with olive oil, smashed garlic, and salt. Roast at 400 degrees 20 minutes. Flip over and roast 20 more minutes. Tastes like garlic bread!

lemurcat12

First, sorry to be pedantic, but vegetables ARE mostly carbs. They have a higher percentage of carbs than many things that get referred to as such (like potato chips or many baked goods).

As for cooking with vegetables, I eat a lot of vegetables, but predominantly just cook them simply as sides. For example, I might roast some brussels sprouts or cauliflower with just a little salt and olive oil. I will saute green beans and summer squash, perhaps with some mushrooms or if I want to be really fancy maybe with some pinenuts and then add a bit of dill. If you want raw vegetables as a side, I think that's fine, or just don't overcook them. (Really fresh corn is the best barely cooked, but it's not available now, of course. Also, it's a grain, so for me it would be the grain/starch part of the meal, not the vegetable part.)

One thing I enjoy is added some cooked vegetables to a cold salad. Also, doing a cucumber/tomato salad (again going to be lots better if tomatoes are in season -- I never buy fresh tomatoes in the winter).

Super fresh and delicious (but again better for summer) is a gazpacho.

For this time of year my mind runs more to cooked vegetables -- if you are replacing starches you might enjoy cooked (roasted) root vegetables, like parsnips and carrots and turnips and beets (or beets can be eaten cold, of course). Or winter squash, which you can just roast with a little butter or make into a delicious soup.

I sometimes do use vegetables instead of a grain/starch course, but I wouldn't think of them as either/or -- my usual meals involve protein, grain/starch, plus vegetables.

Anyway, I'd say just experiment, try lots of new things, get a good vegetable cookbook and look at the photos for inspiration. A great source is 101cookbooks.com -- lots of photos and vegetable-based recipes.

NaturalNancy

Great beans cleaned, bake on 400 degrees for about 15 min w a tad of olive oil or olive oil spray bit of salt n pepper, almonds after on top if you like- so good! They come out crisp and not mushy!
Raw snap peas.
Sweet frozen corn is great microwaved or just bake in the oven!
Avocado with tomato, onion, lime salt pepper and cilantro!
Avocado is also great on a turkey sandwich.
Celery with pnut butter.
Red pepper cut up with low fat dressing.