Ideas for veg-heavy meals that aren't salad?

Morning!

I have recently developed IBS and for the time being at least, I can't eat raw vegetables and fruit without a lot of pain and discomfort. Any ideas for veg-heavy meals and snacks that don't involve eating any of them raw?

I make curries, chillies, stew and soup but I'm in a bit of a rut, please inspire me!
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Replies

  • Determined518
    Determined518 Posts: 138 Member
    I make a gulosh with ground turkey, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, green peppers, onions and spinach. Add a little whole wheat pasta and you have a delicious, veggie dense, filling dinner. Family loves it.

    Also, do an Asian stir fry maybe... delicious and you can even go vegetarian or add chicken.
  • Determined518
    Determined518 Posts: 138 Member
    Also, I just thought about your IBS comment. Play around with gluten as a lot of people are finding that gluten really upsets them and they are commonly diagnosed with IBS...
  • serendipity57
    serendipity57 Posts: 153 Member
    There is a site here with tons of recipes for IBS sufferers.......http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/recipe_index.php

    Lots of veggie soups etc and lots of other stuff...hope you find it helpful ????
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    Vegetable soup

    A huge pile of roasted veggies with goat cheese
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    Stir-fry veggies I especially like:
    mushrooms (champignons are my favorite)
    bell peppers
  • stir fry!

    hoagies/subs
  • eylia
    eylia Posts: 200 Member
    Roasted is always super yummy, you can make up patties too, with mashed veg and lentils/tuna/salmon/whatever... Both can be eaten cold as a salad sub if you need lunch at work or something.

    Or stir fried.
  • KarlaH9801
    KarlaH9801 Posts: 362 Member
    Yum- I use broccoli slaw, simmered with a bit of water to desired doneness, then use that in place of rice or noodles in everything from spaghetti to stir fry. Excellent with poached chicken, garlic, and low sodium soy sauce.
  • kellzi89
    kellzi89 Posts: 65 Member
    Satay Veges!! NOM NOM NOM
  • Chopstheduck
    Chopstheduck Posts: 23 Member
    Pizza - I do a very thin base, with a little cheese and tons of roasted veg - onions, peppers, mushrooms, courgette, aubergine, sweetcorn


    Italian Chicken with salsa - chicken breasts with veg (peppers, celery, aubergine) which is simmered with red wine vinegar, sugar, and tomato puree. The chicken is then roasted with salt, sage and finely sliced onions and you serve it with the salsa over the top.


    Roasted veg can be served on the side of anything in place of a salad. I do big trays with chilli, a bit of calorie free spray oil, dried herbs, etc.
  • Stir Fry, (Watch out for Sodium consumption unless you made it.)
  • ThatCatholicGirl
    ThatCatholicGirl Posts: 209 Member
    Also, I just thought about your IBS comment. Play around with gluten as a lot of people are finding that gluten really upsets them and they are commonly diagnosed with IBS...

    This! I would also say try removing dairy, but not at the same time as removing gluten, because then you have a better indicator as to what your trigger foods are. I have terrible IBS and dairy was was the first thing that my doctor recommended I tried removing, followed by gluten products. Removing gluten from my diet didn't make much of a difference to me personally, though I have taken bread out of my diet as it seems to help a little. Removing dairy has also massively decreased the severity of my asthma too which I am utterly delighted about! Also bear in mind with IBS that stress is a major contributor. I don't want to be teaching you to suck eggs here, sorry if you think that, but I just wanted to put it out there to all that diet is only a partial way to control IBS.
    My favourite veggie meals:
    Homemade veggie pizza without cheese
    Roasted butternut squash stuffed with lamb mince
    Ratatouille
    HTH :)
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    Hmmm....stir-fries, veggie omelets and soups, soups.

    I'm planning on trying a stuffed zucchini boat, but with way less meat and cheese that is typical and a mix of other veggies added in.....no I don't have a recipe. lol

    Baked and possibly stuffed apples, squash, tomatoes. Stuffed bell peppers.

    Roasted veggies - and this is a fun way to try new ones, like sweet potatoes or beets. Mix 'em all up. My daughter liked when I once used a mix like this in homemade crepes with hollandaise sauce over the top....forgot about that until just now! Thanks. : )

    Use spaghetti squash, zucchini, or eggplant like pasta.

    Mmmm....I hope something sounds good to you. Take care.
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member

    My favourite veggie meals:
    Homemade veggie pizza without cheese
    Roasted butternut squash stuffed with lamb mince
    Ratatouille

    Mmmm...nice suggestions. I'm wanting to try ratatouille also!
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1041836-vegetarian-meals-part-2-photo-heavy

    This is a link to an earlier thread. A member posted some fantastic-looking (seriously!) photos of her own vegetarian cooking. She said she could provide recipes or approximations of them for specific dishes upon request. Too, on her profile, she has a link to her food blog, which contains both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
  • running_free_1984
    running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
    Baked aubergine half's with a Moroccan tomato sauce
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    stuffed vegetables (squash, onion, eggplant, peppers etc)

    roast veg - i make these all the time, just slice, brush with a little oil and sprinkle kosher salt, and roast.

    meatballs in tomato sauce with fresh green beans are yum! just layer the green beans in the pot, add the sauce and cook the meatballs on top.

    Chicken meatballs in lemony sauce with squash/artichokes.
  • Chopstheduck
    Chopstheduck Posts: 23 Member
    Just another thought, my mum has had IBS for years, and recently she cut out soda, especially cola, and her symptoms are so much better! She had it very bad before, but now it is a lot more manageable. She has played around with her diet for years, trying to cut out gluten, dairy, raw veg, etc but nothing really helped that much.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,966 Member
    Soupe au Pistou. Essentially soup made of boiled veg with a big dollop of pesto in it. It's divine. Please google for recipes.
  • athenasurrenders
    athenasurrenders Posts: 278 Member
    Wow thank you all so much - so many delicious ideas on here. Some I've never thought of, and some I'd had before and forgotten about.

    Re: gluten etc. I've done an elimination diet so I'm confident gluten isn't an issue for me, though lactose is, and I've cut out greasy things, caffeine and most artificial sweeteners which have all helped but not totally solved the problem.

    Anyone who has suffered IBS, can you tell me if you had any improvement taking probiotics?
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Vegetable lasagna or casseroles are good. Roasted vegetables with some form of protein might work.
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    Morning!

    I have recently developed IBS and for the time being at least, I can't eat raw vegetables and fruit without a lot of pain and discomfort. Any ideas for veg-heavy meals and snacks that don't involve eating any of them raw?

    I make curries, chillies, stew and soup but I'm in a bit of a rut, please inspire me!

    Two cookbooks by Madhur Jaffrey:
    - World Vegetarian Cooking and
    - Eastern Vegetarian Cooking.

    Last night I cooked a Nigerian bean stew that included lots of vegetables, kidney and butter beans and peanut butter. I served that on a bed of brown rice.
    A few nights ago I made a mixed vegetable curry on a bed of quinoa.
    How do you go with nuts? I have a combination of either fresh or dried fruit with nuts for snacks.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    Anyone who has suffered IBS, can you tell me if you had any improvement taking probiotics?

    I don't have IBS but I can tell you that taking a probiotic every morning is now one of my routines. The health benefits are amazing and iit would not surprise me if it either greatly reduced your symptoms or helped to eradicate them entirely.
    kind regards,

    Ben
  • xWendyJonesx
    xWendyJonesx Posts: 266 Member
    I've suffered with IBS and colitis in the past, I have them under control now.
    I take a probiotic everyday, it has to be a high strength one.
    I also find if I have bread based products, sweet corn or corn based products more than once or twice a week I suffer.
    Peppermint tea is really good for calming your tummy, I would drink it after a meal, I also carry peppermint oil capsules around with me for if I get that niggle or pain.
    Good luck, I hope you can find out what's causing yours and get it under control very soon, I know it can take over your life and the medication isn't nice either.
    Take care.
  • ThatCatholicGirl
    ThatCatholicGirl Posts: 209 Member
    Peppermint tea is really good for calming your tummy, I would drink it after a meal, I also carry peppermint oil capsules around with me for if I get that niggle or pain.

    ohmigosh yes! Totally forgot about peppermint tea! I always drink it after my meals too :) personally, it took me a while to get used to it, but now I love it. I don't take probiotics myself but some people do find that they appease the symptoms :)
  • mitchiejo
    mitchiejo Posts: 179 Member
    I love eating a whole bag of frozen veggies myself each day with dinner. Sometimes they are microwaved and sometimes I cook them in a basket on my grill, yum. This time of the year I also get zuchinni from my gardener friends.
  • Absonthebrain
    Absonthebrain Posts: 587 Member
    I usually sautee every vege that I have in my fridge and to me its so tasty and filling. I could eat it all the time!
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    I like Ratatouille, especially in the fall and winter.
  • My fave is 100% fruit and veg sweet and sour (i.e no sauce!)

    Get 1/ a fresh pineapple, cut it up and then smush it, leave some chunks whole, mix into a tin of chopped tomatos- set aside
    Stir fry veg (mushrooms, onions, baby corn, carrot, baby broccoli, water chestnut etc)
    Mix together, add a tiny bit of salt, sugar and soy sauce

    Serve with whatever you like (bulgar wheat is my favorite and I usually add vegan sausage to it!)
  • SheilaHandler
    SheilaHandler Posts: 6 Member
    I make a really quick meal for my kids sometimes that involves making a spinach soup out of a couple of cups of broth, a 1 pound bag of baby spinach (Costco) and then mixing with a hand blender. Then I poach a couple of eggs in a serving of soup. We call it Landesmann eggs and they love it. It's an easy way to get them to eat a quarter pound of spinach.