warm veggies

Posts: 251
11/14/12 8:14 P

Oh, yum. These are great ideas!
I love the thought of using my crockpot for a good stew, and that butternut squash macaroni thing..oh man.

Thanks guys!

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11/14/12 7:40 P

Make a vegetable soup! Here's a good place to start!
foodgawker.com/?s=vegetarian&sort=latest&c
ats_inc[]=Soups+%26+Stews&days=-1&star
t_date=&end_date=&author=&s_exclude=

current weight: 122.0

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11/14/12 6:57 P

I love roasted root vegetables ... and they are SO easy. You can cut them up to whatever size you want (obviously, smaller chunks cook faster), mix them with olive oil and garlic (I often throw whole garlic cloves in with the veggies) and pop them in the oven.

You can include:
Potatoes
Onions
Carrots
Turnips (I never thought I'd like them)
Beets (still don't like them, but I add them here for your consideration)
Leeks
Some squashes (butternut squash is a good one)
Whatever else you can think of ...

Enjoy!!

Pounds lost: 2.5

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Posts: 130
11/14/12 6:17 P

I really love eating in season. There are tons of fresh veggies available in the winter. Squash is a biggie, and comes in a bajillion varieties. Roast it with a little salt, pepper, and spices, or stir in into pastas, etc. Onions, potatoes, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, leeks, etc. The good thing about squashes, too, is they have a big fiber content, too, so you feel fuller on less. Substitute spaghetti squash for pasta in dishes, or serve roasted butternut squash with nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of butter. You may miss fresh salads, but it'll make you extra grateful for them come spring. :)

current weight: 155.0

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Posts: 566
11/14/12 6:16 P

Roasted vegetables are delicious, so long as you have the time. I am more of a "one-pot" fix it and forget it girl, so I've been using my crockpot a lot.

I'll grab a bag of fresh vegetables at the grocery (carrots, potatoes, celery, collard greens, kale, spinach, onions, cauliflower, winter squash, leeks, flat leaf parsley and garlic) Chop them all up and throw it into the crocker with either water/chicken broth (or both, whatever).... add a bunch of herbs and seasonings (I like bay leaves, garlic powder, marjoram, tumeric, cumin, mushroom seasoning, black pepper...) and put on "Keep warm" overnight. It should be the lowest setting on the crockpot. In the morning everything is tender and delicious and I scoop a bunch into a thermos or container for lunch at work. BAM. Done.
that's the main course of the meal, I typically add nuts,boiled eggs, or meat if I have some cooked and an apple or dark chocolate to complete it for me.

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11/14/12 5:45 P

I actually dislike salads most of the time so I always prepare veggies warm. For asparagus and broccoli I prefer them roasted. I just put the oven at like 425, toss the asparagus or broccoli on a sheet pan, put about a tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss them around. Sometimes I also add some shredded parmesan cheese. Roast them for 10-15 minutes (depending on veggie size) and it's a great warm veggie dish. I also like to do dishes where you mix in veggies with rice or pasta. For those I either cook them in the pasta water for the last 3 minutes or so, or I steam them in the microwave. for steaming I just get a glass bowl, put some water in the bottom (like 3tbsp or so) and then put a plate on top of the bowl and pop them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes.

Here is a recipe of broccoli and orzo that I like www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/broccoli-and-o
rzo.html

This pasta dish has asparagus as it's main ingredient. I used whole grain rotini and added chicken to it also to get more protein, and you could reduce the amount of pasta if having more than 2oz per serving is too much calorie-wise: smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/asparagus-
goat-cheese-and-lemon-pasta/

Broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken: www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/broccoli-and-c
heese-stuffed-chicken.html

Here's a recipe that's good for snap peas or green beans (fresh not canned or frozen) www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/02/recipe-for-s
picy-stir-fried-sugar-snap.html I don't bother with the sesame or peanut oil, I just use a bit of olive oil. I don't use sesame seeds either. But the soy sauce/sriracha sauce is super tasty and has some kick to it.

This one is similar to the one above, only no sriracha. food52.com/recipes/6562_asian_garlic_green
_beans

For butternut squash www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/02/recipe-for-c
.html

I made this mac n cheese using butternut squash puree and I thought it was really good... not creamy like they say in the description but it's good. You could also sub out less expensive cheeses: www.myrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-light-maca
roni-cheese-50400000115195/

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11/14/12 5:30 P

I roast a lot of veggies in the winter. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini are favorites. Add some oil or just nonstick spray, salt and pepper, or other seasonings. I find I eat more veggies roasted than I do raw. I'll also do pizza (home made crust, make it thin) with some protein and lots of veggy layers like peppers, corn, tomatoes, onions, zucchini. They can be roasted ahead of time to add additional flavor or throw in some low sodium mrs. dash.

Posts: 251
11/14/12 4:50 P

During the spring/summer/fall, I tend to eat a lot of salads for dinner. You know, the good ones, chock full of a variety of fresh veggies, and a hardboiled egg or some lean chicken or salmon.

Buuuuut when winter starts to roll around, I tend to want warmer dinners. Obviously I can try to just cook vegetables more, and I do a lot of steamed broccoli and cauliflower, or pick up packs of frozen veggies that I can pop in the microwave, but how else do you guys prepare veggies so they're a centerpiece of your meal but don't leave you wanting warmer food? Anyone have favorite recipes?

Thanks!

Pounds lost: 8.0

0 9.75 19.5 29.25

39