Low calorie side dish ideas that don't include potatoes, pas

superstankazz
superstankazz Posts: 193
edited November 12 in Introduce Yourself
Any ideas??? I'm sick of eating salad every night with dinner and I'm finding it difficult to come up with side dish ideas. I try not to eat much rice or pasta but I do have potatoes at least once a week. :happy:

Replies

  • ullrichMEX
    ullrichMEX Posts: 58 Member
    cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

    zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more :D
  • PeaceCorpsKat
    PeaceCorpsKat Posts: 335 Member
    Quinoa - anyway you want to make. I like quinoa and a fat free cream based soup and frozen veggies baked like a caserole.
  • 1a1a
    1a1a Posts: 761 Member
    *sings* vegetables.

    New and snazzy ways to zazz the up seem to be well hidden, I've taken to always ordering veg on the side at restaurants and then reverse engineering how they were prepped for ideas. (Steamed and drizzled in lemon juice always seems to work).
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

    zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more :D

    Is cauliflower rice something you make or buy? Or is it just shearing the tops off the cauliflower? I think cauliflower is awesome BTW - a Vege but very close to a carb in so many ways.

    Also, can you expand on the baked cauliflower with cottage cheese? Sounds great too!
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    I like omelettes...and stir frys. You can make pizza with cauliflower and also mashed cauliflower is yummy.
    We have sweet potatoes sometimes.

    Good luck
  • livestar
    livestar Posts: 140 Member
    roasted vegetables.
    sauteed vegetables
    mashed vegetables
    beans
  • raevynn
    raevynn Posts: 666 Member
    Yams.

    Brown rice.

    Quinoa is good... I second that one.

    Brown rice couscous

    Baked squash.

    Steamed greens.

    Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, cabbage, sauerkraut, ...
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    Any kind of vegetable or combination of them. Spinach, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc, etc. Look up recipes for steaming, roasting, grilling, or baking different vegetables and try them out. You'll find things you like.

    One of my favorite quick sides is to saute some fresh spinach in a little olive oil with garlic.

    I don't like salads, so I almost never have them. Too many other great ways to eat my veggies. :smile:
  • superstankazz
    superstankazz Posts: 193
    Great ideas! Thanks everybody! Keep 'em coming, please!
  • tammyc226
    tammyc226 Posts: 158 Member
    cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

    zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more :D

    Is cauliflower rice something you make or buy? Or is it just shearing the tops off the cauliflower? I think cauliflower is awesome BTW - a Vege but very close to a carb in so many ways.

    Also, can you expand on the baked cauliflower with cottage cheese? Sounds great too!


    Hi Peta

    here is the link to the discussion on cauliflower rice - you make it from the tops. It sounds great but I haven't tried it yet. I met to the fruit/veg shop today & forgot to buy cauliflower to give this idea a try. Doh!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447445-want-a-25-calorie-per-cup-replacement-for-rice
  • firesoforion
    firesoforion Posts: 1,017 Member
    What I did for dinner tonight (would work great as a side dish too): Half a bag of frozen spinach, 1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese, 1 tbsp of parmesean cheese, a little bit of nutmeg (optional). Puree it in a blender. Pour it over roasted broccoli, top with walnuts, and broil until it's all toasty.
  • Jenlwb
    Jenlwb Posts: 682 Member
    Definitely Quinoa, esp if you feel like something filling but better for you than pasta/rice. So easy too, just rince it, then boil with double the quantity of water for 15 mins. Add a bit of stock if you prefer. I like to mix in chopped coriander/cilantro and lime juice with mine. Freezes well in portions too.
  • AlexPflug
    AlexPflug Posts: 132 Member
    I love to just sautee up some favorite veggies. I toss in a tsp or so of Worcestershire sauce and a tad of garlic. I generally like zucchini, onions, bell peppers, and matchstick carrots. Add whatever seasonings you want and make a yummy, fresh, and filling side dish. I also make a big plate of this for lunch with a couple fried egg whites over top for less than 200 calories.
  • cartea01
    cartea01 Posts: 156 Member
    I love slicing up veges and baking them without oil to make "crisps"... Carrot, parsnip, sweet potato (yams). Also I love grilling capsicum, tomatoes. Throw some mixed herbs over the top and its yummy!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    grilled tomatoes
  • pinkess
    pinkess Posts: 12 Member
    Cous cous and butternut squash mash are the two that i eat a lot.
  • balfonso
    balfonso Posts: 370 Member
    Butternut squash or lentils
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Portion Control. If you make sure it fits into your day you can have potatoes. I usually bake a small potato (4-6 oz) only.
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    cauliflower rice! it looks like rice but has minimal calories in it. Baked cauliflower with cottage cheese

    zucchini, beans (not refried), mm let me think more :D

    Is cauliflower rice something you make or buy? Or is it just shearing the tops off the cauliflower? I think cauliflower is awesome BTW - a Vege but very close to a carb in so many ways.

    Also, can you expand on the baked cauliflower with cottage cheese? Sounds great too!


    Hi Peta

    here is the link to the discussion on cauliflower rice - you make it from the tops. It sounds great but I haven't tried it yet. I met to the fruit/veg shop today & forgot to buy cauliflower to give this idea a try. Doh!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447445-want-a-25-calorie-per-cup-replacement-for-rice

    Thanks so much Tammi :) I've copied the recipe and I'll definitely be trying it soon!!
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    I like to bake asparagus. Just spray them with a bit of Pam and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Bake at 375 for 15 min. or so depending on how you like them. (This also works well with sliced turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi, carrots or all or them mixed together.)
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    I will make faux noodles out of zucchini and summer squash, fresh garlic, green onion, butter, white wine, and dice up some red peppers to garnish...
  • Vegetablearian
    Vegetablearian Posts: 148 Member
    Cous cous !

    I love this stuff my local aldi does packets that make 4 portions for 39 pence and its less than 100 cals a portion jazz it up with some spinach and chopped peppers and it makes a lovely side dish I eat it with meat subsitute fillets (I think thats approx 50 US cents but dont quote me!)
  • cessnaholly
    cessnaholly Posts: 780 Member
    We buy the bags of frozen veggies from the local box store. Then we can boil them, micorwave them, stir fry, with cheese, without cheese.

    Throw veggies into pot pies or stews - I use extra veggies and half the meat.

    You can also buy those ingredient packets for sauces for when you have extra calories (Hollandaise or Bernasise?), or check out an old cookbook for other drizzles/sauces. Pesto paste mixed with Oilive Oil can be a good drizzle.

    Squash - butternut, acorn, spaghetti - all good.

    Brocolli sauteed with garlic and plumb tomatoes is good. Brocolli sauteed with garlic, onion and carrots is good.

    Carrots and parsnips, cut into strips. Drizzle with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Bake like french fries.
  • Ladyiianae
    Ladyiianae Posts: 271 Member
    My family eats alot of rice. Long grain brown rice is 3/4 cup cooked serving is pretty tastey :wink:
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    What I did for dinner tonight (would work great as a side dish too): Half a bag of frozen spinach, 1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese, 1 tbsp of parmesean cheese, a little bit of nutmeg (optional). Puree it in a blender. Pour it over roasted broccoli, top with walnuts, and broil until it's all toasty.

    Sounds amazing. I often wonder this too so will be looking. Must admit I love my potatoes. I often have cous cous from aldi to, I love the lime and coriander one. I love roasted vegetables with some cajun sprinkled on. Yummy! X
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
    grilled asparagus with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Grilled/lightly sauted veggies?
  • Hires113
    Hires113 Posts: 12 Member
    I like using sites like allrecipes.com they have low cal recipes, low carb recipes.....etc. Hope that helps.:smile:
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