You have your main protein picked out, what do you pair with it to complete your meal?

When I grocery shop I tend to buy a good amount of vegetables, so my go to sides could be two vegetables. I run either or on stir fries because I prefer my veggies pretty plan - olive oil and pepper or a little salted butter. For some of us we are so trained to have a side dish (I am not saying that is bad thing) but one or two veggies can work. I also like roasted sweet potatoes, boiled potatoes and some rice with mushrooms and onions. I recently added quinoa and beans to my diet.

Sugar snap peas, steamed

Baked sweet potato

Grits

Roasted veggies

Asparagus

Broccoli, raw or steamed

Potato salad

I'm going to repeat some of what others have said because it's too hard not to.

Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Couscous
Pita (preferably homemade - they're pretty quick compared to other breads)
Tabouli
Carrots
Asparagus
Yam
Peas
Corn
Risotto
Yams/sweet potatoes
A salad of some sort - not romain based (I do like protein on salads)
Black beans
Garbanzo beans
Wilted spinach
Kimchi
Various sorts of banchan
Various grains (including polenta and farro)
Sticky rice (aka glutinous rice)
Focaccia
Beets
Winter squash

I prefer to roast most of the vegetables listed but will eat some of the steamed or sauteed as well. This evening I had grilled chicken with corn, shishito peppers, tabouli, and pita bread

I often just do protein, lots of veggies, and sauce or seasoning of some kind. We don't necessarily have a carb with dinner...although we do have dessert

Sauteed zucchini slices with a nice crispy browned sear on each side is a really nice simple side dish. You can toss with a little hoisin/sambal/sesame oil or a vinaigrette if you want stronger flavor to compliment your protein of choice.

Broccoli roasted crispy in olive oil and sea salt with a squeeze of lemon over it at the very end is like vegetable crack.

I don't usually find rice to be worth the calories versus a nice pile of smartly cooked veggies

What type of herbs or spices do you all put on your roasted veggies?

All of the above, and I also love roasted spiralized sweet potatoes sprinkled with smoked paprika. Soooo good.

My typical vegetable pairings.

Very lean protein such as white fish: earthy veg such as roast asparagus, roast squash, sauteed spinach
Quite lean such as chicken or turkey breast: roast broccoli, roast carrots with maple syrup and mustard, roast cauliflower or broccoli
Sweetish fatty protein such as duck: braised red cabbage, sauteed green cabbage
Rich protein such as steak, lamb chops, chicken thighs: roast chicory, roast tomato, grilled courgette or aubergine, roast red bell peppers
Fatty protein such as pork sausage, shoulder or belly: apple sauce, boiled carrots, sauerkraut, cabbage

The basic that many members have shared, only I prefer the lemon pepper flavour. Alternatively, I would herb or spice it up depending on the country's cuisine I am trying to table that night.

- Corn on the cob plus another veggie or salad
- Whole wheat rotini pasta with a bit of margarine and parmesan cheese, plus a veggie or salad
- Fajitas plus a salad
- Tuscan pasta salad with the chicken added to it
- Quinoa salad (quinoa with a bunch of veggies and spices plus a dressing) with the chicken added to it