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Root Vegetable Blahs

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BeckyAndie
BeckyAndie Posts: 39 Member
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Hi All, I'm new to the group and relatively new to MFP. I love the nutritional value and color of root vegetables, but roasting them gets old. Any recipe ideas, spices, cooking methods you've found to spruce them up?

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  • dpurzer
    dpurzer Posts: 17 Member
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    Hello!

    My favorite method to truly bring out the versatility of root vegetables is making (believe it or not) soup!

    The mix and match possibilities of roots plus other veggies and spices are almost endless and can take you to flavors around the world. In addition, the texture can also be played with to a large degree : blending versus chopping the veggies in different sizes, the duration you boil them (crisp vs velvety), and of course hot vs cold dishes....

    One of my favorite dishes lately is taking cauliflower, potato, yam, carrot, and some onion and just boiling and blending them. A kiss of salt and pepper and done. To get fancy: a sprinkle of chives and paprika floating on top. To get indulgent after an insane workout: cube a serving of turkey reduced fat kielbasa into the soup (adds 70 cal but tastes like 150 =) )

    UPDATE: I forgot to mention that adding chia seeds to root-soups has been my latest finding to smaller servings and a fuller feeling.

    Looking forward to other root approaches!

    -David
  • BeckyAndie
    BeckyAndie Posts: 39 Member
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    David, I heard about chia seeds from a friend of mine. She said that she drinks them in water and it makes her feel full for a long time. She said the down side is that they turn gelatinous in liquid quickly. That might be a good natural thickener for soups. Have you tried it? What happens when you put them in soup?

    Thanks for the recipe idea. I need to get an emersion blender so I can puree soups without transferring to the stand blender. That would make me for likely to try it. THanks for the excuse to get a "toy" I've been wanting for a while!

    I tried putting chunks of carrot, potato, mushrooms, zucchini, onion and roasted butternut squash in chicken soup last week and that worked out great. I added the squash at the last minute so it wouldn't break down into the soup base. My husband, who is not a big vegetable fan, commented that he actually liked it.

    I like that the color brightens up a meal too. It's a good cure for the winter blahs.
  • dpurzer
    dpurzer Posts: 17 Member
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    I have just joined the chia-bandwagon and haven't tried much with them. My current usage has been limited to a low intensity sprinkle. Considering that 1tbsp alone has 60-70 calories with 3-5g of fat, using them as a soup thickener may turn the intended light meal into a nutrition powerhouse...
  • BeckyAndie
    BeckyAndie Posts: 39 Member
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    Gotcha. I didn't realize they were so calorically heavy.
  • BeckyAndie
    BeckyAndie Posts: 39 Member
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    I got a recommendation today to check out a website by The Hairy Bikers. They're a couple of British guys who have lot a lot of weight and developed some of their own recipes. It looks like they have some specials of BBC too.

    While on their site tonight I came across this recipe. It sounds delicious and uses butternut squash potatoes and apples. It's called Roasted Butternut Squash and Bramley Apple Soup. Below is a link to the recipe.

    By the way, I googled bramley apples and I think the US equivalent would be a granny smith apple.

    http://www.hairybikers.com/recipes/chestnut-roasted-butternut-squash-and-bramley-apple-soup/1161
  • ThereOnceWasAUnionMaid
    ThereOnceWasAUnionMaid Posts: 63 Member
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    I also like putting them in soups but I tend to make spicy curried soups. My favorite is to either buy boxed butternut squash soup (or to roast and then puree butternut squash, sweet potatoes or yams - or a combination) and then add whatever root veggies I have around the house. I add a bunch of Indian spices such as cumin, cardamon, coriander, garam masala, tumeric, paprika and cayenne; but you could just buy a pre-mixed curry powder. I like making it pretty spicy and then adding a dollop of plain yogurt on top. It's not the most low calorie food out there but it's really delicious and is very filling.
  • BeckyAndie
    BeckyAndie Posts: 39 Member
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    That sounds good. I like it when I can find easy ways to start meals, like the idea of starting with a boxed soup base. That takes a lot of time out of the prep. I'm more likely to make healthy meals at home on weeknights if I have a plan that's simple and doesn't take a whole lot of time. Good tip! Thanks.

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