Vegetables!

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Jem
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Vegetables!

Post by Jem »

So in reading about all sorts of diets and diet cures it seems as though the only thing they can all agree on is vegetables. Vegetables are healthy. I don't know about everyone else, but I have a hard time finding recipes where vegetables are the main ingredient and they taste good. If you have any vegetable recipes you can share here, I (and hopefully a few others) would appreciate it. Two requirements:

1. The main ingredient has to be vegetables. It can have whatever other "unhealthy" ingredients as long as the main one is a vegetable.

2. You have to have tried the recipe and liked it.

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dlbww
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by dlbww »

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Last edited by dlbww on September 27th, 2015, 12:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

wrsales
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by wrsales »

I hated cauliflower and would never voluntarily eat it until my girlfriend introduced me to her mashed cauliflower. It ends up tasting a lot like mashed potatoes and it is delicious. I am not sure of the exact way she makes it, but here is a recipe I pulled up on Google that seems pretty similar.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/ ... auliflower" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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WhereCanITurn4Peace
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by WhereCanITurn4Peace »

I make a dish that my hubby and I usually have once a week. It includes chicken, but that can very easily be left out and still be tasty:

1/2 cup organic quinoa (sprouted is best...I love truRoots brand)...Quinoa is a protein powerhouse!
1 cup organic chicken (or in this case veggie) broth
Salt, pepper, garlic, onion to your liking
1/2 to 1 head fresh broccoli or 3/4 to 1 bag of frozen broccoli (preferably organic!) cut into small pieces
1/2 to 1 cup organic shredded cheese (optional)
1/2 of a cooked organic chicken, shredded (optional)...this is a perfect recipe for using leftover chicken!

Combine 1/2 cup quinoa with 1 cup water or broth and seasonings in a large shallow pan. Bring to a boil. Turn heat on low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. About 8 minutes into your quinoa cooking...throw in your chopped broccoli followed by chicken if that is being used. Put in cheese in the few remaining minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes then fluff with fork and serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

Thanks for the thread...I'm interested in some veggie recipes as well.

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SmallFarm
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by SmallFarm »

Summer soup:
Chop potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli. Put in a pot and just cover with water. Bring to boiling and slowly boil until all vegetables are tender. Do not drain. Add heavy cream and fresh or frozen peas (not canned). Continue to heat until hot, add salt and pepper to taste. =p~

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jdawg1012
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by jdawg1012 »

I'm going to apologize in advance, because some people are by the book recipe followers, and some are food artists. I'm the latter. I can eat just about anything set in front of me and if it got messed up in the process, I can tell you what you did wrong, and how to fix it. I specialize in fixing potential disasters, because I've cooked for so long (the men in our families are the cooks). I have very little classical training (though I love cooking shows), but my philosophy is that if you practice enough and taste along the way, you can make any dish good enough to finish off, if you're not too picky. I only made one dish my family hated in all of those thousands of meals, and that was a squash soup recipe I got off the internet, and it's the only one I let my kids throw away, because even I couldn't bring myself to eat it, lol.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I used to be a vegetarian! For 4 years or so of my life, and I still eat mostly vegetables and some meat. (I can't eat grains, and I don't love dairy, except cheese). I've only met a handful of vegetables I refuse to eat, like asparagus (which is really more of a grass and an abomination, lol).

I would be helpful to know what you like to eat right now, in your meals. You can make a lot of your foods with vegetable replacements. For example, someone mentioned mashed cauliflower. I've eaten/made cauliflower pizza crusts. They're made of cauliflower, egg and cheese, and then you can top them with all manner of vegetable. I buy "bread" and pizza crusts that are grain free. They're made of kasava/tapioca root and cheese. The brand is "Against the grain." You can make all-veggie pizzas, and they are delicious, if you really want to eat grains, just make the crust very thin, to make vegetables the star. I managed restaurants for years, and I would always be asked what type of vegetable pizza was my favorite. I would always tell them the vegetarian (mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, olives, bell peppers, with optional pineapple) with Alfredo sauce, and they would look at me like I was crazy, especially the meat eaters. I would tell them, "If you buy it, and don't like it, I'll give you whatever pizza you want, free." I never had a single person that didn't like the pizza, though one devout carnivore said his girlfriend loved it, but he still preferred meat. You can top a pizza with virtually any vegetable. My favorites are spinach, artichokes, onions, mushrooms, pineapple, bell peppers, pepperoncini and olives (okay, those last 5 are really just 4 fruits and a fungus, but people call them "veggies" even though they aren't).

Also, you can swap out vegetables in place of pastas. So you can make virtually any pasta dish a vegetable-centric dish, even if you eat meats, and are not vegetarian. You can julienne vegetables, steam them, and put pasta sauces over them, and they're basically just as filling as normal pasta dishes, but lower calorie (vegetables, other than the starchy ones, have virtually no calories), and nutrient packed. I just buy packs of julienne carrots at the store, but if you're the type that likes to make a production of cooking (some people like to cook all day, or make everything from scratch, or be fancy, which takes time, and I just like to go fast), you can buy a tool for like 30 dollars that lets you turn most any vegetable into a pasta substitute. It only takes a few minutes, but I haven't had the desire to go through that amount of work. But you can just slice veggies thinly and lightly cook them, and then pour pasta sauce over them.

Another great dish is eggplant parmesana. You just lightly coat about 1/2in thick slices of eggplant with flour, brown both sides quickly, and then you layer it with pasta sauce, browned ground meat, cottage cheese, mozzarella, etc. in a casserole dish, and then top with parmesan or other cheese, and bake it. It's already cooked, so you can basically just cook it until the desired doneness of the eggplant, but I think 325 or 350 for like 45 min should be enough.

Also, I love cheddar-broccoli soup. You can add potatoes, or not. I just buy a bag of Normandy blend (carrot,broccoli,caulifower), and cook it in chicken broth. Sometimes I cook it with diced potatoes, but that's optional, if you like potatoes in your soup, but it's an added starch. Then I let it cool some, and put it in a blender (hot stuff in blenders explode, because the air all heats at once, by the way), if you want to put chicken in, you can cook it with the vegetables, and take out before blending, or if you have cooked chicken, you can put it in at the end. Anyway, so you have vegetables, blended in broth, and then you can add shredded cheddar (or whatever cheese) to taste, and add chicken stock/broth to desired consistency. Sometimes I put in mushrooms, but that's optional.

The last idea I have really quick, is our family loves roasted vegetables. We just cut carrots, potatoes, onions and celery into about 1 inch cubes, coat lightly with olive oil, pepper and salt, and roast in a casserole dish or sheet pan at like 400-425 degrees until the desired doneness, it's like 35-45 min or so. You can do a whole pan and save some for later. They're ridiculously good with gravy.

This post is probably too long already, and I could write about it for several hours, so if you have some specific dishes or vegetables you like now, I can help with ideas, otherwise, I have no idea where to even go, because I've eater so many things. But basically, don't be scared! Take care!

Cookies
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by Cookies »

jdawg1012 wrote:The last idea I have really quick, is our family loves roasted vegetables. We just cut carrots, potatoes, onions and celery into about 1 inch cubes, coat lightly with olive oil, pepper and salt, and roast in a casserole dish or sheet pan at like 400-425 degrees until the desired doneness, it's like 35-45 min or so. You can do a whole pan and save some for later. They're ridiculously good with gravy.
We do this ^ with Broccoli except we coat with olive oil and White Cheddar popcorn flavor or Parmesan cheese after it's baked. It is SO good! The broccoli goes kind of crispy at the tips- Yum. My kids eat it like candy. I'm gonna have to try it with some of these other veggies! (And gravy!)

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iamse7en
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by iamse7en »

We try to have at least one vegetable every night as part of our meal. But I also find it a lot easier to get colorful vegetables into my system in their raw glory by juicing. Very convenient and fun. Try to do a veggie juice almost every day.

Jem
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by Jem »

Thanks for all the great ideas. We've been testing them out. Cookies- you're right. The kids love the roasted vegetables. We've been doing lots of "carrot fries" that way, but they like the broccoli and cauliflower too.
I also made a great Zuppa Toscana soup using jdawg's method of cooking carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in chicken broth and putting it in the blender. I just added some browned sausage, onions, garlic, and sliced potatoes into the blended veggie mixture. Then when the potatoes were cooked thinned with some milk and threw in a couple handfuls of kale and flavored with salt and chili paste.
Jdawg- I'm curious what you do for breakfasts.

idahommie
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by idahommie »

Spaghetti squash.....slice, gut the seeds and roast...make your own sauce, I sautée onion, garlic, add some diced tomatoes and a can of sauce. Salt and pepper to taste
Baked green beans.... Olive oil, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese......roast at 420 for 20-30 min....depending on how you prefer the texture of your bean.

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jdawg1012
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by jdawg1012 »

idahommie wrote:Spaghetti squash.....slice, gut the seeds and roast...make your own sauce, I sautée onion, garlic, add some diced tomatoes and a can of sauce. Salt and pepper to taste
Baked green beans.... Olive oil, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese......roast at 420 for 20-30 min....depending on how you prefer the texture of your bean.
I like spaghetti squash, but have an awful time getting it to the consistency that I like in my oven. Roasted butternut squash is also a big, big, favorite of mine. I don't do brown sugar and butter, just butter, salt and pepper. I hate candied vegetables, but I know some people like them.

The baked green beans are delicious, I second them. Also, kale chips are amazing. You can wash and tear kale, then toss lightly in olive oil and Parmesan. Then dehydrate, or bake in the oven at about 300º or so for a couple minutes on each side. I like them just before they're fully crispy. You can put other things on them, but I like just a little Parmesan. You can search for recipes on the web. I love, love, love them.

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jdawg1012
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by jdawg1012 »

Jem wrote:Thanks for all the great ideas. We've been testing them out. Cookies- you're right. The kids love the roasted vegetables. We've been doing lots of "carrot fries" that way, but they like the broccoli and cauliflower too.
I also made a great Zuppa Toscana soup using jdawg's method of cooking carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in chicken broth and putting it in the blender. I just added some browned sausage, onions, garlic, and sliced potatoes into the blended veggie mixture. Then when the potatoes were cooked thinned with some milk and threw in a couple handfuls of kale and flavored with salt and chili paste.
Jdawg- I'm curious what you do for breakfasts.
Oooooh I'm glad to see you're finding some things that you like.

As for breakfasts, I don't often eat a lot of veggies, but rather a lot of fruits. Here are some of the things I like to eat for breakfast, remember that I don't eat much in the way of grains, so feel free to have toast, or whatever you like to augment your diet.

1) Smoothies. Hands down, I love smoothies because you can put whatever you want in them. I usually make all fruit smoothies (I just freeze some fruits, like berries, and leave some, like bananas, warm), but you can use ice to "cut" the cost. You can also toss in kale, spinach and other things to add nutrients. The general rule is to make smoothies of fruit, and to juice vegetables. You should NOT juice fruits, because it provides you with a shot of sugary fluid, and nothing (no fiber) to slow down the digestion, or provide bulk.

2) Omelets. I love omelets, you can dice whatever veggies you like, and make an omelet of them. Add ham or bacon if you like. Eggs are very good for you. Finally! The government is reversing their position on that stupid belief that dietary cholesterol is bad for you and I hope the stupid war on fat will also soon be dispelled (it has zero bearing on blood/serum cholesterol, which is actually caused by inflammation due to high sugar consumption, but I digress).. It's always been a farce that you can't eat eggs. Go ahead and eat them up, they are protein packed, and not much "fat" anyway (it's mostly in the form of cholesterol, which ISN'T bad for you. You need it, your brain is made almost entirely of it!).

On that note, I make an awesome vegetable quiche. I just toss in all kinds of butter-sauteed vegetables, then some cheese, cream, and a few eggs and bake. Bake times and temperature will depend on your dish and oven. I bake mine in crusts, or just in a glass or foil pan.

Fruit salad is delicious. I like mine with a little whipped cream.

And finally, if you like pancakes or crepes, you can fill them with a fruit compote. An easy way is to chop up some fruit, or put whole berries in a dish and microwave in 30 second bursts. You can then smash the fruits, and pour over you favorite breakfast foods (waffles, pancakes, crepes, etc.). If you want to sweeten it, I just drizzle a little bit of honey on. It's delicious!

Hope some of these can help. Keep up the good work.

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WhereCanITurn4Peace
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by WhereCanITurn4Peace »

idahommie wrote:Spaghetti squash.....slice, gut the seeds and roast...make your own sauce, I sautée onion, garlic, add some diced tomatoes and a can of sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
Just tried spaghetti squash for the first time in my life last week and it was simple, yet scrumptious! What I did...sliced the squash in half with a huge knife, then scraped out the seeds and stringy bits (very much like a pumpkin, similar smell too), wiped both the insides with some coconut oil, put a bit of water in a glass pan then put the halves in (cut sides up), covered pan with foil, baked at 400 for about 50 minutes. When they were done I used a fork to scrape the insides of one of the squash halves into a bowl, I could tell it was very tender because the fork went easily through the flesh. I then plopped in a pat of organic butter, followed by salt and pepper and stirred to mix. Wow, it was tasty! The squash without any seasonings or toppings tastes pretty bland, so I can see how it can be easily prepared to be delicious in a variety of ways. Also, if you're intrepid, you can save and roast the seeds for a snack.

idahommie
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by idahommie »

jdawg1012 wrote:
The baked green beans are delicious, I second them. Also, kale chips are amazing. You can wash and tear kale, then toss lightly in olive oil and Parmesan. Then dehydrate, or bake in the oven at about 300º or so for a couple minutes on each side. I like them just before they're fully crispy. You can put other things on them, but I like just a little Parmesan. You can search for recipes on the web. I love, love, love them.
I have to try the kale chips. I juice kale, don't like it, but love spinach.....
I've been off and on paleo(but some cheese/sour cream) for 6 months, lost 45 lbs. I have to cheat though, I love bread every now and then and have not found a gluten free brand worth the money.

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jdawg1012
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by jdawg1012 »

idahommie wrote:I have to try the kale chips. I juice kale, don't like it, but love spinach.....
I've been off and on paleo(but some cheese/sour cream) for 6 months, lost 45 lbs. I have to cheat though, I love bread every now and then and have not found a gluten free brand worth the money.
I didn't used to like kale, until I started eating kale chips. They're addictive, but a little time consuming to make. I've found that I like both types of kale ( I forget the names, but there's a thin, wavy, leafy kale, and a thick, solid piece of kale, called "dinosaur kale"), but that the dinosaur kale saves time in preparing.

I mostly eat paleo, too, though will eat things that aren't paleo if it's too inconvenient to find my normal diet (Ie while travelling). I've been gluten free for several years now. I can't have wheat (or gluten, period...celiacs), and most other grains make me sick. Corn makes my mouth bleed, and rice makes me hurt all over, probably from the inflammation. Any grains I do eat are in extreme moderation, and very rarely, if I can help it.

Have you tried "Udi's"? It's a gluten free brand. It's consistently and overwhelmingly, by far and away rated by consumers as the best gluten-free bread out there. If I do eat sliced bread, it's Udi's. I've had their cookies and hotdog buns, too. They're good. Wow brands makes the best gluten free cookies, in my opinion, I have one or two a week, if at all, and just keep them in the freezer. Their oatmeal, cranberry, apricot cookies are out-of-this-world good.

Most of the rest of the common gluten-free brands taste like sand, or dried plaster of paris. They're grainy, awful and not worth bothering to buy. I hate the corn gluten free products, and don't care much more for the rice ones. And for $6-8 dollars a pound, I'd rather just eat the more nutritious steak. My favorite brand, hands down, though, for gluten free products is "Against the Grain." It has no grains, it's made of kassava/tapioca (it's like a potato), and cheese. It's delicious. It's pricey (think in the range of $1.50 a bagel/roll, or 7 dollars for a pizza crust), but worth every penny. I use their pizza crusts, and their bagels, mostly. I've had the baguettes, which I use to make meatball sandwiches every great now and again. They don't make many products, I think it's just pizza crust, rolls, bagels, and baguettes. Everyone I have made food for with their products goes crazy for them (especially my non gluten free friends). Some of them even prefer the "Against the grain" pizza crusts over wheat, now. It's hard not to like potatoes and cheese. The rolls/bagels have the consistency of a chewy croissant, and I think they're great. I don't often eat bread products, but when I do, it's Udi's and especially, "Against the grain."

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WhereCanITurn4Peace
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by WhereCanITurn4Peace »

I have some autoimmune issues so my naturopathic doctor recommended going gluten-free. My husband and I do tend to eat paleo-ish, but I get some mean cravings for croissants. Got an exceptionally bad sugar addiction, too...after discussing with my doc and some blood tests these (intense carb and sugar cravings) are due to adrenal fatigue, so working on that as well. Upon looking into an autoimmune eating plan I found most to be extremely limiting, so debating on whether to take the plunge or not. Amazing how your diet can be so impactful on your mental state and emotional well-being!

As jdawg stated, most gluten-free baked goods are nasty, but there are some superior brands to be found. I also enjoy the Wow Baking Company's cookies, especially the chocolate chip and the lemon burst. Udi's bread is decent, but not exactly like the real thing. Love Les Pain de Fleurs gluten-free crispbreads...perfect for toppings or eating alone with the added bonus of choosing from several flavors. Instead of pasta, I tend to make dinners that have sprouted quinoa, which is a seed, not a grain. Just bought some King Soba brand organic sweet potato and buckwheat noodles (despite the name buckwheat is also a seed, not a grain) and am interested to see what they will taste like. I try to snack on a wide selection of nuts...just look for organic and/or sprouted. My favorite is the Go Raw brand. When I find veggies too boring, I will whip up a homemade dressing or dip in some Viana's Wild Herb organic sunflower spread. Organic nut butter on some apple slices makes a good after dinner sweet or in between meals snack. Also, I have made many gluten-free treats by finding recipes online. There are a variety of great sites, including http://wellnessmama.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://empoweredsustenance.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Have never seen Against the Grain Gourmet in store, but will definitely be looking to order some online. Thanks for that tip, jdawg.

Jem
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Re: Vegetables! New recipe

Post by Jem »

Was surprised the kids actually liked this one:

Tomato zoodle soup

2 cans crushed tomatoes ( or several tomatoes from the garden)
2 cloves garlic
2 c chicken stock
10 basil leaves
1 c milk of choice ( optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

Blend in blender. Then heat over stove. Add some spiralized zucchini and cook a couple minutes more. Top with Parmesan if desired.

gardener4life
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by gardener4life »

I would encourage people to think about what they can use that is entirely self sufficient or mostly so. There's nothing wrong with going to the store, but have you realized how many recipes we use REQUIRE us to buy something? If we can't produce it, then we're not really self sufficient. We can find things to eat that are more self sufficient. We need to look for ways of using healthy dishes that are more self sufficient. It's also fun to challenge yourself to try to be able to produce more of your grocery table, and you can do so with less effort now with automatic sprinklers.

Here's a small dish I like to do, using stuff I hopefully grew myself mostly...

Thin slice cut tomatoes, then thin slice cut potatoes in flat round thin disk shapes. Then do the same for cucumbers. Bake, or stir fry the potato disks. Then when it's all ready you can sandwich the potatoes around the tomato and cucumber slices while putting it on a toothpick. Then dip it in soy sauce. Also put on mustard or dijon in the middle. You can also dip it in guacamole or avocado; particularly with avocado its to die for but unfortunately I can't grow avocado trees in Utah.

Whoala, somewhat healthy dish that tastes good enough to kill for. And except for the condiments I can grow all of those things in the garden.

Seek the Truth
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by Seek the Truth »

If you are eating from the store what you are eating are not vegetables.

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BeNotDeceived
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Re: Vegetables!

Post by BeNotDeceived »

wrsales wrote: February 11th, 2015, 12:30 pm I hated cauliflower and would never voluntarily eat it until my girlfriend introduced me to her mashed cauliflower. It ends up tasting a lot like mashed potatoes and it is delicious. I am not sure of the exact way she makes it, but here is a recipe I pulled up on Google that seems pretty similar.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/ ... auliflower" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
An excise tax on net-carbs would make this available at your favorite restaurant. =;

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