Low Carb Sides

Cook almost any veggie. Add cheese.

Baked Parmesan artichokes, broccoli au gratin, twice baked cauliflower...all DELICIOUS! You can look up the recipes on yummly.com (wonderful recipe site if you haven't ever checked it out).

It's too bad that your kids didn't like the mashed cauliflower. Did you use plenty of butter, cream or cream cheese when you made it? It's not as nice without butter. You can also use leftover mashed cauliflower to make a nice cream of cauliflower soup. Cauliflower rice is nice. But if they are dead set against cauliflower, there's lots more low carb veggies you can use in side dishes: how about sauteed spinach? Baked spaghetti squash? Pumpkin sausage soup? Mashed turnips with butter, or cooked in lard? Add greens to your soups. Try different salads, with or without avocado, bacon crumbles, toasted sunflower seeds. The list goes on and on! Go to

forum.lowcarber.org

and explore for thousands of low carb recipes! HTH

J5414 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I did use lots of butter. My kids will eat it, they dont like it though. And Im not really trying to go low carb or no carb, just less carbs than I currently serve. I have realized lately we are a family that eats a lot of noodles and potatoes, and I am looking for alternatives.

Have you tried shirataki noodles? Properly prepared (rinsed, boiled for one minute, drained, and then dry fried in a pan to remove excess moisture prior to adding a sauce) they are a nice noodle substitute. Also noodles made from zucchini are nice, as is spaghetti squash.

http://www.miraclenoodle.com/default.aspx?refid=Google+Search+Brand+US+miracle noodle&gclid=CKKPgqryisYCFUtufgod6xQAHA

The folks at Miracle Noodle even have a free, downloadable recipe book using their product. My favorite is sesame or peanut noodles.

I'm lazy and prefer cooking on the stove-top, and baking takes a while, so I
- boil asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts - boil water, throw in the veg, cook six minutes. Instead of butter, I splash a bit of lemon juice over that.
- sautee other stuff (zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, kale, swiss chard) in olive oil, with garlic and salt

J5414 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I did use lots of butter. My kids will eat it, they dont like it though. And Im not really trying to go low carb or no carb, just less carbs than I currently serve. I have realized lately we are a family that eats a lot of noodles and potatoes, and I am looking for alternatives.

also if you leave the skin on potatoes, everyone's getting a bit more fiber, which is more filling. I like baby potatoes, because they have more skin than big potatoes. Parboil then roast or sautee (again with olive oil and garlic, or in a bit butter. Top with chopped parsley if you want to)

As everyone says, veggies. I typically have protein, a couple kinds of veggies, and a starch as sides at dinner. If I'm trying to cut carbs or calories I'll sub another veggie for the starch. Veggies that work especially well as subs for starches are winter squash (including but not limited to spaghetti squash) and all root veggies, like carrots, turnips, celeriac, beets, parsnips, etc. Brussels sprouts and green beans also work well. Adding a salad as well as a couple kinds of cooked veggies can also make you feel like you have a full variety of foods and lots of options without needing a starch.

JPW1990 wrote: »

Take just about any vegetable, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on salt, and roast in the oven at 425. The time will vary based on how dense the veggies are and how small the pieces are. Things like asparagus or broccoli florets 15 minutes or less, half a squash closer to 45 minutes or an hour.

Try this with the cauliflower! Roasted cauliflower is really good!

- Roasted asparagus with olive oil and salt - if you cook it to crunchy, it tastes like junk food.

- If some of you are more low carb than others: do baked potatoes, scoop the flesh for the non low carbers, bake the skin a bit more with some olive oil for the low carbers.