What's your favorite veggie side dish?

shaumom
shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
edited November 22 in Food and Nutrition
I grew up with really boring side dishes, like boiled peas or carrots with salt, and would love to hear some tastier side dishes people have enjoyed with their veggies1
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Replies

  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Just about any vegetable roasted with a little bit of oil, sea salt, and smoked paprika, especially green beans, Brussels sprouts, shishito peppers, broccoli.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I love roasting veggies. Green beans, mushrooms, carrots, root vegetables. I also make oven fries. Generally I use potato and add carrot sticks for volume. Put it all in a ziploc bag with a teaspoon of oil and any seasonings I feel like (salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, and rosemary seem to keep coming up) and roast at 425 for about a half hour.

    Stirfrying and fritatta work well too.
  • alawrenc12
    alawrenc12 Posts: 1 Member
    Fresh green beans sauteed with fresh garlic and roasted red pepper
    Grilled asparagus marinated in italian dressing
    Tin Foil Packet on grill of red and green peppers, onion, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower with a little bit of olive oil and cajun spices
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Just about any vegetable roasted with a little bit of oil, sea salt, and smoked paprika, especially green beans, Brussels sprouts, shishito peppers, broccoli.

    I do this too!! I also like asparagus and cauliflower roasted. Right now I am loving the spiraled vegetables (Beets, Sweet Potatoes and Zucchini. I just sautee them in a little olive oil and sea salt. Eating my beets right now YUM!!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Roasted or braised cabbage

    Sauteed pea pods with a bit of sesame oil and sriracha

    Roasted broccoli

    Braised collards
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    edited September 2017
    Roasted brussels sprouts are my favorite. Cut them in half. Toss with olive oil and balsamic. Spread on pan and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast 400 degrees for 20-25 min. About halfway through the time I sometimes toss chopped onions on top with whatever oil/vinegar mix is left. So yum. Ratio:
    • 1 lb of brussels sprouts
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
    • Coarse kosher salt, to taste
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I like all kinds of veggies...usually sauteed or roasted...
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited September 2017
    I'm pretty boring, I suppose.

    Mixed root vegetables, roasted with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turnips, parsnips, carrots, celeriac (my favorite), beets.

    Roasted anything, but broccoli and cauliflower are particularly easy and good.

    Beet salad --- mix roasted beets with arugula and add some goat cheese and walnuts.

    Sautee green beans with some silvered almonds, add dill at the end.

    Sautee zucchini and yellow squash with mushrooms.

    Sautee brussels sprouts with bacon (this is a vegetable gateway drug) or just roast them with olive oil and salt.

    Sautee cabbage, onions, and apples together, eat with a pork chop.

    Mix hot and cold ingredients (roasted veg on cold greens) in a salad.

    Chop up broccoli and cauliflower and sautee them in olive oil, add some tomatoes and shrimp and pine nuts and then serve over pasta.

    Sautee broccoli, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, carrots, and/or whatever else pleases you, and add some tofu (or meat if you prefer) and some Japanese seven spice (which is AMAZING) and eat with rice as a stir fry.

    Brazilian style collards -- sautee in olive oil with garlic and onions (good with any greens). Boiled collards (traditional way or vegetarian alternatives) are good too. Adding a bit of vinegar to greens or jalapenos can be tasty.

    Bit of a fall bias here -- I'd have more asparagus ideas in the spring.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Mashed potatoes, roasted veggies (but adding oil defeats the purpose lol), creamed spinach.

    I've been in a rut though... if I'm going to have to add too many calories to make my veggies tasty, might as well have pasta or potatoes.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I can't imagine picking a favorite side dish anymore than picking a favorite main dish. But I do agree that roasted is almost always a good way to go.
  • DDBooBoo57
    DDBooBoo57 Posts: 17 Member
    Roasted asparagus--olive oil, salt and pepper. Delish!
  • Lynzdee18
    Lynzdee18 Posts: 500 Member
    Coleslaw.
  • GailK1967
    GailK1967 Posts: 58 Member
    Steamed spinach. God I love it. I often have it alone as a snack.
  • LonniJay
    LonniJay Posts: 3,740 Member
    Does bacon wrapped asparagus count... Just thinking about them makes me hungry. I could eat them as a meal!
  • ChiChiDoesStuff
    ChiChiDoesStuff Posts: 90 Member
    Roasted fresh green beans. Seasoned with the lemon pepper Mrs's Dash, and bacon bits.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    steamed broccoli
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    I never cook my veggies with oil or butter and they always taste great to me.
    Steamed or roasted broccoli with nutritional yeast seasoning
    Steamed asparagus with garlic, lemon and pepper
    Roasted cauliflower and carrots with marinara sauce
    Roasted brussel sprouts with sundried tomato and garlic

    oh, and how could I forget...

    celery and peanut butter.
  • asianolikeyou
    asianolikeyou Posts: 393 Member
    Steamed cauliflower
    Roasted asparagus
    Baked sweet potatoes
  • AntsyAngler
    AntsyAngler Posts: 58 Member
    Sauteed onion, apple, mushrooms, and spinach. I like it with a bit of sharp cheddar and plenty of pepper.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,615 Member
    We usually have a massive pile of mixed veggies as the main part of dinner ... plus something else on the side.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to trying a lot of these! And yeah...bacon wrapped asparagus totally works, LOL.
  • lizmcvey
    lizmcvey Posts: 64 Member
    my absolute favorite is roasted brussel sprouts. I put a little olive oil in a frying pan or wok and pepper, garlic, whatever spices you like and dump a bag of raw brussel sprouts in. It takes time to get them nice and roasted but it's worth the wait. Just keep rolling them around until the outside layer crisps up, a few will even peel off. They are so good with a nice piece of salmon or chicken....or anything really.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    I love potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans - they taste good to me with minimal seasoning.

    My favorite is schezwan green beans. I could eat that as a main dish.
  • ColetteM6
    ColetteM6 Posts: 138 Member
    Roasted (acorn, butternut, spaghetti etc) squash.
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
    Parmesan Garlic Roasted Broccoli. Or asparagus. Really any roasted vegetable is great but parmesan garlic is my favorite.
  • katsheare
    katsheare Posts: 1,025 Member
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    steamed broccoli

    I love pretty much all veggies, but my go-to when I want something with a bit more punch is steamed broccoli with a tahini/lemon/garlic drizzle, maybe with toasted pine nuts on top. You don't need a lot of the drizzle or the pine nuts, and it's a very classy dish which takes very little time.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    To those suggesting avoiding any oil at all on veggies: You need some fat in the meal somewhere to metabolize the fat-soluble vitamins from the veggies. You also need some fat to pass the fiber smoothly through your digestive system and avoid constipation. Ignoring the veggies, you need fat in your food for proper hormone functioning.

    Eat some fat! Olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados are especially good and healthy sources

    Back on topic: Winter squash or sweet potato soup is delicious. I like to puree in some navy or great northern beans to add thickness and protein, and some sunflower seeds or pepitas are also good, either pureed in or sprinkled on top. This is a great recipe, so yummy: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252458/sweet-potato-peanut-bisque/

    Sweet potato slices can also be used to make a bottom crust for as main-dish pie, such as a quiche, veggie/cheese mix, or veggie/meat. Here's an example recipe: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/vegetarian/sweet-potato-quiche-crust

    You can use eggplant slices instead of pasta in a lasagna recipe, too.

    If you like sweet peppers, cut the top off and stuff with your choice of other veggies, maybe some cooked quinoa or other grain, possibly some egg to hold it together, and bake until hot & tender.

    Roast carrots with caraway seed and a little bit of apple cider vinegar in a baking dish.

    Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic with greens. Collard greens, mustard greens, or kale are good sauteed briefly with onion and garlic and dressed with white wine vinegar, a dab of olive oil, and either a spoonful of prepared mustard or finely chopped fresh ginger (mix the oil/vinegar and mustard or ginger together before adding to greens).
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Roasted purple carrots are my absolute favorite! They are very sweet and super low cal.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    Awesome, love some of these new ideas, thank you again!

    I am really intrigued by the carrots with caraway seed - not a seasoning I usually use. Interested in checking it out.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    So many great ideas on this thread! Total veggie lover here. My favorite is sauteed greens of any kind (collard, beet, mustard, spinach). Other favorites include:

    Baby bok choy and mushrooms sauteed in sesame oil with garlic, ginger and sherry

    Shredded Brussel sprouts sauteed in bacon grease or olive oil with garlic and red pepper flake

    Grape tomato halves, zucchini and fresh corn sauteed in olive oil with lots of fresh basil (make this so much in the summer time)

    Roasted beets and butternut squash...add a little orange zest if you have it...yum

    When I am looking to just add a bunch of veggies to a big hunk of meat, I usually buy the frozen Normandy blend of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and squash. Add a bit of butter and some chopped fresh herbs.
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