Alternative Carbs/Sides?

ToddeyD

When I eat my dinner/tea, I tend to have either rice, pasta or sweet potato with some form of fish or chicken. Any ideas as to how to switch it up a bit as playing around with only these 5 foods (on top of veg) can get a bit bland. I also don’t think I can substitute any of these for just salad as I am very fussy when it comes to that. Thank you!

Panini911

right now i am LOVING cauliflower rice with either liquid amino acids (or soya sauce) OR two wegdes of laughing cow cheese.

i also make a funky coleslaw i quite like. i'll see if i can find the recipie but it's mostly a bag of broccoli slaw, 1/4cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon hoison sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil and a red pepper chopped up.

spiriteagle99

Do you like baked potatoes? Tortillas? Couscous? Quinoa? Beans?

apullum

Are you looking specifically for high-carb sides, or for side dishes in general?

For carbs, there are a lot of other grains you could try: brown rice, black rice, red rice, various other white rices like jasmine and basmati, quinoa, farro, amaranth, barley, couscous, wheat berries/einkorn, and plenty of others.

Besides that, there is corn in all its variations: cut corn, corn on the cob, but also polenta, grits, cornbread, tortillas, etc.

Then there are the root veggies. In addition to your sweet potatoes, you also have white/russet potatoes, yellow/gold potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, beets, and even less common things like sunchokes and jicama. Not all of these are as high carb as potatoes.

There is a LOT you can do with pasta. That's a whole separate discussion.

Beans and legumes are pretty high in carbs. There's a whole list of those and all the things you can do with them. Eat them as is, make soup, make hummus, throw them into dishes as a meat replacement, roast some chickpeas or edamame...

You also didn't mention bread...don't get me started on the many wonders of bread

I could talk all day about carbs.

Mmm, carbs.

rheddmobile

I like roasted acorn squash, beets, and golden beets. Sheet pan roasting all kinds of veggies such as red onion, carrots, and red cabbage are also good. Then of course different kinds of grains and legumes as mentioned above.

bametels

Panini911 wrote: »

i also make a funky coleslaw i quite like. i'll see if i can find the recipie but it's mostly a bag of broccoli slaw, 1/4cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon hoison sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil and a red pepper chopped up.

That sounds yummy!

kshama2001

ToddeyD wrote: »

When I eat my dinner/tea, I tend to have either rice, pasta or sweet potato with some form of fish or chicken. Any ideas as to how to switch it up a bit as playing around with only these 5 foods (on top of veg) can get a bit bland. I also don’t think I can substitute any of these for just salad as I am very fussy when it comes to that. Thank you!

No need to switch up the starches and proteins if you switch up the spices

Try different ethnic cuisines? You can have allrecipes.com email you recipe suggestions based on "tastes" you select https://www.allrecipes.com/cook/my/profile-settings/?tab=tastePrefs&internalSource=tasteprefbutton&referringContentType=home page (you'll have to create a login first.)

estherdragonbat

My supermarket sells spiralized vegetable noodles. I've found I love roasting butternut squash noodles. Turnip noodles are great in a stirfry with sweet and sour sauce.

lemurcat2

Potatoes, any grains (there are millions), or beans or lentils or quinoa or corn or peas. I'm going by the fact you said you were fine with veg and wanted starches, although I often have a couple or more of veg in lieu of starch.

There are also lots of different kinds of pasta, including black bean or lentil pasta, Asian noodles of various kinds, also starch options include gnocchi and spaetzle, grits.

ToddeyD

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

Do you like baked potatoes? Tortillas? Couscous? Quinoa? Beans?

Yes love tortillas and baked potato’s! What suggestions for fillings? Never really had Quinoa or Couscous however, where shall I start?

ToddeyD

kshama2001 wrote: »

ToddeyD wrote: »

When I eat my dinner/tea, I tend to have either rice, pasta or sweet potato with some form of fish or chicken. Any ideas as to how to switch it up a bit as playing around with only these 5 foods (on top of veg) can get a bit bland. I also don’t think I can substitute any of these for just salad as I am very fussy when it comes to that. Thank you!

No need to switch up the starches and proteins if you switch up the spices

Try different ethnic cuisines? You can have allrecipes.com email you recipe suggestions based on "tastes" you select https://www.allrecipes.com/cook/my/profile-settings/?tab=tastePrefs&internalSource=tasteprefbutton&referringContentType=home page (you'll have to create a login first.)

Sadly it won’t let me make an account here in the UK 👎🏻

ouryve

Can you not eat anything in a sauce, eg a curry? Or as a stir fry. It'll make your meals more interesting because the way you describe it sounds, we'll, dry and flavourless.

ouryve

And if you're in the UK, well we're second only to the Indian subcontinent for Indian cuisine!

dsboohead

Roasted brussel sprouts sprinkled with a little parmesan! Yum!

jgnatca

Was spaghetti squash mentioned?

Try this for couscous or quinoa (which I use interchangeably).

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/seasoned-couscous/

ouryve

Aye, woo. Clearly someone doesn't like spicy food.

kali31337

They aren't low-carb but I'm obsessed with parnsips and will eat them any way that I eat a potato

jesspen91

ouryve wrote: »

And if you're in the UK, well we're second only to the Indian subcontinent for Indian cuisine!

I love the range of Indian food we get in the UK. I was amazed that Indian food in London is totally different to Indian food in Birmingham which is different to Indian food in Manchester etc.. I love the South Indian cuisine that I can get in my area (South West London) but I do miss the brummie baltis!