any low cal side dish Ideas??

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ashtonscoggins
ashtonscoggins Posts: 105 Member
in Recipes
Ive always eaten some sort of potato with dinner..im trying to stay away from doing that too much now since I always seem to use tons of butter and salt :). I always add some sort of veggie with dinner but I need a good idea for some side dishes. Ive been eating rice lately.Gets kinda old! Any ideas would be great!! THANKS

BTW: I dont eat beef or pork, AT ALL so nothing of that sort

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  • MLgarcia3
    MLgarcia3 Posts: 503
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    I've been using whole grain pasta as a side dish every now and then. I just mix it with olive oil, garlic, and lemon pepper.. so yummy. You can mix it up and put some diced tomatoes in it, or sauteed asparagus, or spinach, or bell peppers..
  • jljohnson
    jljohnson Posts: 719 Member
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    How about sweet potato fries/chips? Cut up a sweet potato, toss with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 425 for about 30 min (or until desired doneness).

    I have also used a recipe I found on MFP for breaded zucchini chips. Slice up zucchini, dip in milk, and bread with a mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and pepper. Bake until toasty.
  • Paula_Addem
    Paula_Addem Posts: 80 Member
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    You could try Quinoa, it's my new favourite! Also salad or grilled veggies. I also love portabello mushrooms with a little italian dressing on them and BBQ'd. So yummy!
    Good luck!
  • horndave
    horndave Posts: 565
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    whole grain pastas, sweet potatoes, couscous, low cal bread, corn, peas.
  • SweetPandora
    SweetPandora Posts: 660 Member
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    One of my faves is steemed cauliflower mixed with cherry tomatoes that have been sauted in a little evoo with some garlic, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and a little parmesian. Delish!

    Karen
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    I got this recipe on here a while back..

    Recipe: Ginger Soy Snap Peas

    Summary: Cold Pea Salad – great for parties
    Ingredients

    * 1lb sugar snap peas, trimmed & chopped into 1/2″ chunks
    * Grated, chopped ginger to taste (about 1tbs)
    * note: use ginger preserves & omit sugar if out of fresh ginger
    * 1 small clove garlic (or half a large clove)
    * 1/2c soy sauce (or to taste)
    * 1tbs of brown sugar
    * toasted sesame seeds
    * salt & pepper to taste (if desired; I usually omit)

    Instructions

    1. combine all ingredients except peas & seeds in a bowl and whisk together.
    2. toss with chopped peas; serve chilled if possible.

    Cooking time (duration): 5

    Diet type: Vegan

    Diet (other): Raw

    Number of servings (yield): eat as much as you like, but it will feed 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main course.

    Meal type: brunch

    Culinary tradition: Chinese
  • pressica
    pressica Posts: 361
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    I second the quinoa suggestion. . .so yummy. I even eat quinoa for breakfast with a little cinnamon and milk. I would also suggest couscous. Couscous is a favorite lately.
  • ashtonscoggins
    ashtonscoggins Posts: 105 Member
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    wow already loving the ideas!! mmm sweet potato fries,whole grain pasta,zuccinni...mmm
  • Christie23
    Christie23 Posts: 357 Member
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    I love to take some asparagaus, break off the woody stems and toss the spears into a bowl. Toss about a Tbsp of olive oil all over them and cover liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 10 mins. Meanwhile, make a lemon vinaigrette by using the juice of half a lemon (or 1.5 Tbsp bottled lemon juice), a teaspoon of dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix together and then sloooooowly drizzle in a Tbsp of olive oil while you whisk. Pour over your roasted asparagus. I HATED asparagus and all it took was one taste of this to get me HOOKED.

    I also like to do some grilled zucchini by cutting them into quarters, putting them in a ziploc bag and marinating them in olive oil, salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Throw on a grill for a few minutes while you're grilling some chicken or something.

    And last, but not least, I LOOOOVE a strawberry spinach salad. So easy, so good and so healthy. Put some fresh baby spinach in a bowl, slice some strawberries and toss with the spinach. Add some almond slivers (I love the toffee glazed ones) and use balsamic and olive oil as a dressing.

    Those are just some of my favorite ideas. Happy eating!! :happy:
  • khskr1
    khskr1 Posts: 392
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    Sautee some zucchini/squash, add in diced tomatoes, fresh oregano, garlic, green onions, and paprika. Throw into a casserole dish and bake for about 20 minutes. If you are feeling "bad" you can sprinkle a 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese on the top. super easy and yummy. I usually pair this with some brown rice pilaf on the side.
  • kmparks24
    kmparks24 Posts: 198
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    I posted this a few weeks ago, but wanted to share again since this recipe is delicious! It's more of a low cal appetizer though... Feel free to serve with fresh cut veggies OR you can cut a whole wheat pita into triangles, spray with cooking spray and top with Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder and bake in oven until crisp. DELICIOUS!

    Eggplant & Pepper App

    3 long, hot banana peepers, or 1-2 jalepenos
    2 large eggplants
    ½ c evoo
    1 large onion, chopped
    6 cloves garlic, chopped
    1 TB lemon juice
    1 TB red wine vinegar
    Sea salt/pepper to taste

    Roast peppers and eggplant until skins blister. Cool and peel, discard seeds.

    Puree peppers and eggplant.

    Saute onion in several TBs evoo until soft, add garlic and cook 1-2 min. Mix into puree. (I pureed it too) Add remaining evoo, juice, and vinegar, plus salt & pepper.
  • Donnarama
    Donnarama Posts: 11
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    My zucchini dish is very easy and you can substitute butter/oil/Pam spray
    In fry pan either add butter or oil or you can use Pam spray
    1/2 medium onion sliced
    A few zucchini's sliced (round slices)
    dry basil - liberal amount
    salt and pepper to taste
    Sautee in a fry pan to the desired crunch (depends upon if you like your zucchin al dente or prefer it softer) Delicious!

    Also, fresh green beans
    Put green beans in a steamer. I use a steamer in a sauce pan that sort of looks like a double boiler (top pan has holes in the bottom).
    Drizzle olive oil over the beans and open several cloves of garlic and put them among the green beans
    add salt and pepper to taste and cook about 15 minutes for al dente, little longer if you want them softer.
    I've served guests these two recipes and received great compliments.
  • marymooster
    marymooster Posts: 134 Member
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    quick easy and nummy..... I love to take mushrooms and slice them..... Since it takes a boat load before you get any calories... this is good... a tablespoon or two (depending on how many mushooms) of mozarella cheese on top season to taste and microwave for a few minutes...till the chees is melted... and wah lah...nummy mushies. Really nice...
  • pragya728
    pragya728 Posts: 250 Member
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    I made oven roasted vegetables a few nights ago and I really liked it. I used bell pepper, a little bit of corn, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and a little bit of garlic. I mixed everything together with one tablespoon of olive oil, salt, black pepper, basil and oregano. Put it on a baking tray and baked it at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I thought it was delicious. You can put other vegetables if you want.

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