Help!!! What did I just buy at the grocery store??

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  • run_more_eat_less
    run_more_eat_less Posts: 5
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    Yummy, that's my kind of shopping cart.

    I would make ratatouille with the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions. You're missing the peppers, but it will still be delicious. I love it for lunch or fill a ramekin with it, top it with an egg and bake it all up for a yummy breakfast.

    A yummy dinner could be the beans heated through and spiced up however you like, toss it on top of the spinach so it wilts and then finish it off with some grilled shrimp.

    You also have most of what you need for gazpacho soup. One of my summer favorites. You could probably make yourself a nice cold cucumber as well; maybe use some spinach there as well. Also, cucumbers with a splash of rice vinegar is an awesome side dish. Especially next to some cold sesame noodles.

    The turnips and other root veg... pretty out of season, I'm surprised they were there. Always delicious roasted and eat as is or pureed into a mash or even a soup.

    Happy eating!
  • missfelicia6
    missfelicia6 Posts: 174 Member
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    Such GREAT ideas!!

    Maybe a veggie pizza? I was thinking of just making a huge pot of veggie soup and eating it for lunch everyday
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
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    Also check out http://www.supercook.com another site you put the ingredients you have on hand and it will give you recipe ideas
  • tammyc226
    tammyc226 Posts: 158 Member
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    I would make batches of soups, stews, casseroles and then freeze so the vegetables don't go bad and you'll have a freezer stocked with healthy meals
  • briebear77
    briebear77 Posts: 253 Member
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    I used to do the same thing. I have to say meal plans will be your best friend!!! I have spent so much less money since I stopped being random and started planning. It has made my life easier and I eat better, too. Good luck, though! Wish I had recipes but I don't cook, just get stuff I can eat easily and don't have to prepare much, but I live alone so I don't HAVE to cook. Except dinner, sometimes dinner I will cook.
  • RiverDancer68
    RiverDancer68 Posts: 221 Member
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    Vegan Potato Leek Soup

    2 Leeks diced-cut off of the green parts and stick them in a sink of cold water (make a cross mark with a knife all the way down to the root-don't cut off the root yet). Leeks usually have a ton of sand/dirt in them, so you need to get it out.
    2-3 Large potatoes diced-not peeled
    2 cloves of garlic
    1 TBS Olive Oil
    4 Cups Veggie Stock or Water (or more)
    Salt & Pepper to taste
    Frozen bag of corn-optional

    Sautee the garlic and leeks in the olive oil at medium heat until the leeks are soft (2-3 minutes)
    Add diced potatoes and sautee for 5 more minutes
    Add water/broth (make sure it covers the potatoes fully) and bring to a boil
    Reduce heat and cook until potatoes are soft.

    If you want-blend the soup with a stick/emersion blender until "creamy." Or take half of the soup, blend it in a blender (make sure you remove the insert in the top of the blender or else it will explode-I learned that the hard way LOL). and add it back to the pot.

    Add the frozen corn if desired (cook until the corn has thawed) and salt and pepper. Eat hot or cold! It's actually better the next day.

    You also can make Babaganoush with the eggplant and Tahini!
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
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    Big pot of veggie soup, then freeze.
  • LisaGore1
    LisaGore1 Posts: 41
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    apples with peanut butter awesome snack,
    blueberries with breakfast oatmeal yumm
    oranges with almonds snack
    squash shred and squeeze out water then use as a hash or bake in a muffin tin with sauteed onions and green/red peppers egg and cheese.
    eggplant cut in half remove the inside with 1 inch left in shell chop up the insides you took out and saute with onions peppers and canned stewed tomatoes put that into the shell and add fat free mozz. cheese and bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees
    avacado is great with anything cut in half and remove pit scoop some out and set aside for some other dish put a egg inside and bake at 350 till egg is cooked.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    Sounds great to me!

    Turnips are awesome roasted in the oven like you wouls do potatoes, it gets rid of the strong 'horseradish like' flavor - some find it bitter. Though if you roast some and then mash them (like mashed potato) the pair wonderfully with beef. I've also made turnip fries but you will need to use oil to coat them or they will not brown or get crispy. Parsnip can also be roasted or mashed.

    Radishes can be roasted as well but most people seem to eat them raw in salads. The flavor is quite sharp so don't use too many.

    Leeks can be used in a similar way to onions though the flavor is much milder. They are nice in soups as well as roasted.

    Eggplant and zucchini are both quite soft vegetables. Zucchini lends itself well to being shredded and turned into zucchini bread/cake (like banana bread but not as sweet), it's also nice in stir-fry, roasted, cut into sticks and munched on raw. added to salad or a million other things. Zucchini has a very mild flavor so it can practically go with anything.

    Eggplant is more of a "specialty" food. Used in a lot of ethnic cooking. It's quite yummy sliced and roasted with potatoes and onions in a casserole dish covered with marinara sauce and Parmesan. Keep in mind that it is quite a 'wet' vegetable so when you cook it you will get a lot of juice so limit the liquids that you use with it and try to pair it with a starch to absorb. I'm not a huge fan of the texture personally but a lot of people love it.

    Cucumber can be used to make Tzatziki sauce combined with Greek yogurt and lemon juice over lamb, beef or chicken (check allrecipies.com for full instructions) You can also stir-fry it , eat it raw or use it in salads.

    I don't use much squash but I'm sure that would lend itself well to roasting like turnip and parsnip or mashing as well.

    Cherry tomatoes..anything you can do with normal tomatoes. great for snacking on ;)

    Lemons are good for lemonade, salads, fish, as a base for sauces or marinades. You can also grate the rind and use it for flavoring other things - like cakes or sauces etc..

    Onions, are normally combined with other things but can be sliced thin and fried over low heat until they 'caramel' and then eaten like that or usually over meat or liver or things like that. You can also add them to a mix of other roasted veggies, make French Onion soup or generally put them in any other food for more flavor, stir-fry, meatloaf, sauce - not much savory food that wouldn't taste better with onions.

    Blueberries, oranges, and apples Can be used to flavor sweet items, as a salad, raw to munch as snacks, mashed into jam or sauces, baked into deserts, blended in smoothies and tons of other things.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    http://www.helpwithcooking.com/

    If you run out of ideas and have too much then freeze what you can so it does not go to waste. The site above has some good recipes, cooking tips and also information on freezing veggies you have left.
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
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    cut the cucumbers in half, lengthwise,scoop seeds, and make sandwhiches out of them (fill with meat or egg salad or etc.)
    eggplants: awesome if stuffed, look up recipe, i don't have a good one
    salads salads salads
  • zrmac804
    zrmac804 Posts: 369 Member
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    Avocados don't last very long....like 2 days max. Use that first! :)

    Mmm, I love avocados! They would definitely be the first thing I ate! :happy:

    If you think you've bought too many veggies, look for freezer-friendly recipes and freeze some of what you cook. And congratulations on making the commitment to vegetables!
  • 6spdeg
    6spdeg Posts: 394 Member
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    sorry but i just had to laugh.
  • heidikat72
    heidikat72 Posts: 42 Member
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    everyone thinks of eating radishes raw as a salad ingredient but try them braised in a little stock. mixed veggie sautees are often a go to dinner for me - add your leeks, squashes, carrots, tomatoes cabbage anything really. Try the parsnips roasted.
  • blondie0942
    blondie0942 Posts: 146 Member
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    allrecipes.com


    it's been said before, but needs to be said again. Just type in what you want to prepare (ex: leeks) and they'll pull up all sorts of different recipes you can use!
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
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    go to allrecipys.com and see what they got for you
  • fleerik
    fleerik Posts: 29 Member
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    Way to go, you're a go getter! May I recommend planning your meals before going out to buy $100 of any kind of food.
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
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    leeks, turnips, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, a green squash, cherry tomatoes, parsnip, tomatillos, jalapeno pepper, radishes lemons, onions, spinach, avocados, blueberries, oranges, apples.
    I also bought tahini paste and garbanzo beans to make hummus!

    Pizza with onions would taste pretty good.

    You can make a salad with the spinach, avocados, blueberries and cherry tomatoes.

    Tomatillos and jalapenos are trickier. They are really spicy. I know my Mexican friends generally boil the tomatillos at a high temp to remove the skins. They puree the tomatillo with the jalapenos and make a sauce. You can put that on top of things like chunks of chicken or pork. I would try to look up a recipe that's Mexican as I'm going by memory mostly. I remember that soft crumbly cheese they sell at Walmart in some places that's Mexican going on top to cut the flavor.

    Garbanzo beans - well - I have no idea. I think some people put them on salads. Some puree them and make Humus. That might be the best idea. If you take the cherry tomatoes, onions and dice them and add diced jalapeno (both sauteed), it might make for a great sauce for the humus.

    Lemons - well you can use that as a marinade for EVERYTHING. Ironically, putting lemon all over your avocado is delicious and you can just munch down on it raw after you drown it in lemon. We eat it that way a lot around here.

    Oranges. I'd dice and eat them up. They are great that way.

    Onions - sauteed and put on top of a meat. You can add a bit of butter and turn them candy like. I'm assuming they are yellow onions. If red, chop tiny slices and put them on the salad. Oh, you can also chop them into tiny pieces and freeze them for use as needed. :)

    I'd say make a lasagna with the zucchini and cucumber.

    Leeks are great in oriental stir fries with soy sauce and meats.

    As for turnips, parsnips and radishes, I have no idea. The only thing I vaguely remember is something about turnips (I stand corrected) and cooking them and smashing them into a type of mashed like potatoes. I could be wrong so you'll want to look those up. I'm not familiar with those at all.

    I would dice up the apple or keep it whole. You might be able to find a recipe for cooking the apple to make a desert.

    Some of the fruits like the blueberries can be frozen if you're worried about not getting to them. I know my mom has squeezed lemons before and put the juice in a freezer container (or you can use an ice cube tray and do mini-portions) to defrost small amounts as needed for marinades, drinks or cooking.

    Have fun!
  • kreuzen
    kreuzen Posts: 188 Member
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    There is a Weight Watcher turkey chili recipe that is mostly veggies. You should look it up. You can probably even sub out turkey for tofu or something else if you wanted.
  • HoneySunlight
    HoneySunlight Posts: 25
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    Use http://www.supercook.com/. You put in the ingredients you have and gives you all the recipes you could make with them! :D And you could freeze some of the veggies that are freezeble! Hope that helps!

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