Vegetable sauce ideas?

2

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    OldHobo wrote: »
    For dinner i eat some sort of protein. Then I buy Costco frozen vegetables and cook them. It works really well for me. I used to put some mustard on the vegetables for a different taste but that got old. Then I moved to spaghetti sauce. It's like a pasta dish minus the pasta. Can anyone recommend me a sauce or way to get more flavor into my dinners.
    If you saute or pan-fry that protein there is a ton of flavor and the basis for a sauce stuck to the skillet. You can make a simple sauce in the couple/few minutes it takes your meat to rest. Deglaze the pan with a liquid, practically any liquid WINE OR POSSIBLY BEER OR WINE OR MAYBE BALSAMIC VINEGAR OR WINE OR MAYBE JUICE OR WINE, and thicken by reduction. The possibilities and options are virtually infinite. Books are written and careers are built upon this simple concept. I'm not going to try to cover it in detail but begin wherever you are and expand your repertoire from there.

    Another "secret ingredient" is balsamic vinegar. Don't get the cheapest on the shelf but you don't need the expensive ones either. My corner grocery chain store sells a "Private Selection" brand that is moderately priced and works for me. I only use it to drizzle small quantities over stuff. It comes out of the bottle thick; not thick as honey but getting there. I might use a quarter of a teaspoon, about 3 calories, on a serving of meat, fruit, or vegetables. Some people even put it on ice cream.

    FIFY : :D
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,261 Member
    My favorite is a little butter & the grated Parmesan,asiago,romano cheese blend
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I love this peanut sauce on pasta, quinoa, or veggies:

    Thai peanut sauce with ginger

    Also, what about tossing your veggies with soy sauce and a few drops of toasted sesame oil?

    A lemon sauce would probably be really nice too.

    That peanut sauce looks great gonna try it Monday. Thanks.

    I do a similar thing, but with peanut butter powder (Bell Plantation PB2 brand, defatted peanut flour, or some other brand) if you'd like that flavor for fewer calories. Basically the same recipe, but no additional sugar, and add some vinegar. I use rice vinegar, but any mild vinegar - such as white wine vinegar - would work.


    Speaking of vinegar, balsamic vinegar - plain or flavored - is also yummy on veggies. I also enjoy broth made from a bottled paste called "Better Than Boullion"(brand) - comes in various meat formulations as well as veggie or roasted garlic.

    Another option is miso broth - don't let the idea freak you out, but it's a traditional Asian food, a fermented soybean paste, rich and complex tasting, that you can thin with water (or vinegar) to make a broth. Comes in various types with various flavor profiles - read the packaging for specifics.

    I normally use peanut butter, but when I'm trying to save calories or don't have an open jar and don't have time to stir up a new jar (I use the kind that's made only from peanuts and salt), I use a defatted peanut flour as well. The traditional Chinese recipe from which I initially learned to make peanut sauce called for sugar, but I've discovered I prefer the flavor without (even when using peanut butter or peanut flour that doesn't have any added sugar).

    My recipe calls for la you/hot oil (sesame oil infused with chili), but I've discovered I'm happy with Tabasco or similar vinegar-based hot sauces for the heat, which again saves calories (and time, if I didn't think to take the hot oil out of the refrigerator soon enough for it to flow out of the bottle).

    My simple, don't-bother-with-checking-the-recipe version is peanut butter (or peanut flour and water), soy sauce, hot oil (or Tabasco sauce), and vinegar (I usually use Chinese red vinegar, but if I didn't have any, I'd go with rice vinegar or cider vinegar or malt vinegar). I start with roughly equal amounts of peanut butter, soy sauce, and vinegar, and a smaller amount of hot oil or Tabasco. Mix together, taste, and adjust.

    Thanks for the reminder to add miso to my grocery list. I haven't had any in the house for a while.
  • use a alfredo sauce or i like making my own vegtable sauce by using veggies like i will boil asparagus and some yellow yams in vegtable broth and blend it with spinach and celantro and add a lil bit of half and half let boil and then let cool and pour over veggies
  • ttreit
    ttreit Posts: 59 Member
    Red pepper flakes and garlic powder are my go tos for sprucing up everything
  • spiffychick85
    spiffychick85 Posts: 311 Member
    Well if you're looking for fast you could use low cal salad dressings for a variety of veggie dippings....I prefer to roast my veggies (broccoli and cauliflower usually) in a small bit of olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    No one has mentioned dill. Not a sauce, but I love a little dill on carrots or green beans.
    A squeeze of lemon juice
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
    I love fat, and I love vegetables but they need fat. I used to drench all my vegetables in tablespoons of butter but now limit it due to the calories, although I refuse to give it up completely. Sometimes I mix lemon with butter so I have more of it to pour on and that is pretty good especially over green beans. I have some light margarine which of course is much lower in calories but never will be real butter. I use it to make recipes or to roast potatoes or winter squash in the oven. I guess it tastes OK if you add ranch dressing powder or garlic salt to it. I have sautéed mushrooms in it with garlic. For artichokes I have to have real butter and lots of it, although I hear mayo is good to. Fortunately I don't eat those often! I make cheese sauce which uses low-fat cream cheese and small amount of real cheddar cheese. I thin it with cashew milk and microwave it until creamy. I like it on cauliflower and broccoli. I stove-top grill many vegetables especially zucchini, eggplant, and Brussel sprouts and use very small amounts of olive oil (olive oil spray works good) plus garlic and sometimes a little parmesan. I like 6 or 8 grilled or baked asparagus spears wrapped in a piece of bacon & garlic. For stir fry I like to use a little sesame or peanut oil for flavoring and some times make a sauce with sesame oil, soy sauce & Mirin. I also lightly stir fry kale, chard, spinach, or cabbage in olive oil and use wine or apple cider vinegar for flavor. Some vegetables like carrots or green beans I cook in one pot meals with meat and potatoes and use the broth as the sauce. For raw vegetable salads/slaw I make a sauce with low cal mayo, Greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, horseradish, salt, pepper & a dash of stevia.
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    Extra virgin olive oil (worth investing in a small bottle of high-end stuff) and a little Vege-Sal (seasoned salt). Toss and enjoy.

    Thanks for all the tips on using PB2 in a light peanut sauce!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Maple syrup and mustard, or maple syrup and soy sauce. Cut them with hot water to save cals from oil. I also grabbed a little jar of "rotisserie seasoning" that is delicious on many things.
  • remoore23
    remoore23 Posts: 63 Member
    Learn to make a simple cream sauce, though use 1% milk. You can add so many flavorings to it - curry powder, parmesan cheese, lemon and capers, etc.

    Make a sauce with soy sauce, cooking sherry, a little sugar, and oyster sauce, cook it for a minute or so, and pour over veggies (or make a stir fry with the veggies and add it to that).

    Put parmesan cheese (or powdered cheddar cheese like that made by Cabot in VT :smile: ) on the vegetables

    Put a little drizzle of olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, etc. on the veggies
  • jaci66
    jaci66 Posts: 139 Member
    I use things like BBQ, Teriyaki, General Tao's sauces in my meals. I get the bottles of them and use them whenever I desire a particular flavor. I get low cal-lower sodium when possible. But, they do wonders for having something different.

    You can also make pestos. There are a lot of different things you can do to make your meals less boring. Sometimes just some butter and lemon juice on things like Brussel sprouts is the best and simplest.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    Maple syrup and mustard, or maple syrup and soy sauce. Cut them with hot water to save cals from oil. I also grabbed a little jar of "rotisserie seasoning" that is delicious on many things.

    There's no oil is maple syrup and soy sauce, and very little in typical prepared mustards. So cutting them with hot water will not "save cals from oil."
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    I read that as "mix with hot water instead of oil", like making a vinaigrette. I could be wrong though.
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    Prepared Indian sauces, like tikka masala are really good over vegetables. I usually find them in the organic stuff aisle, if the store doesn’t have an Indian section.

    I also like the Greek yogurt based ranch dressing, ceasar dressing, and buffalo sauce.

    Sometimes I mix plain veggies w some canned seasoned beans, like seasoned butter beans. They are high sodium tho.
  • runningforthetrain
    runningforthetrain Posts: 1,037 Member
    sour cream mixed with vinegar and lime or lemon rind, add a little water to make it drizzly for the vegetables.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    I read that as "mix with hot water instead of oil", like making a vinaigrette. I could be wrong though.

    OK, that would make sense. Sorry for misunderstanding, if I did.
  • tb285
    tb285 Posts: 5 Member
    Super basic, but Old Bay seasoning is good on pretty much everything. I also like using a little bit of olive oil with salt/pepper+garlic+chili powder (cayenne pepper if you like spice) on baked vegetables.
  • sksk1026
    sksk1026 Posts: 213 Member
    Balsamic salad dressing. Lemon pepper. Butter. Mrs Dash seasoning.
  • JRSINAZ
    JRSINAZ Posts: 158 Member
    LaVictoria Salsa Brava Hot sauce