cooking veggies

[tasinquefield]

I am not very much of a veggie eater, but I am going low carb (no bread/wheat products, only carbs from fruits and veggies) and I am looking for different ways to cook veggies and make them palatable.

Any ideas on cooking methods, what veggies to make, seasonings, etc? Thanks.

[LisaS]

Roasting.
I like things like bell peppers, zucchini, onions, tomatoes if they are oven roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Broccoli is good roasted with OO, garlic & a little red pepper flake.

Raw
I like most of the usual suspects raw as crudite': carrots, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, jicama. Cauliflower is sometimes OK - its a mood thing for me. Broccoli is OK raw, but I prefer to blanch it first. I like dips like hummus, guacamole, baba ganoush, even ranch or 1000 island dressing.

Salad.
I like a Greek salad with peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, capers, olives, O&V dressing, and feta cheese.

I like a green salad with many different lettuces, parsley and then finely sliced red onion, cucumber, peppers.

Stir fry or curry.
Cooked until just tender but still with some bite with almost any asian or curry spice mixture. This can include the usual suspects and also cauliflower.

Mixed veggies from the bag.
I like the stir fry mixes without noodles the best. Broccoli is sometimes too big. Just steam or microwave until tender. Then either serve with butter & salt - or toss in some kind of sauce (teriyaki, red curry, Thai peanut, etc) with the protein (chicken, beef, etc.).

Mashed
Steamed or microwaved cauliflower with garlic, then mashed with salt, pepper, butter and a little sour cream. Excellent.

[RobLL]

If you go low carb you gotta go higher fat, so don't be afraid of butter, cheese (Parmisan, cheddar, feta, etc), good olive oil to flavor veggies. Also if you have a stick blender cauliflower, egg plant, or broccoli will start off a great pureed soup, add some heavy cream to perfect it.

Stir fries can be Oriental, Western (Wooster Sauce), add a rich beef or chicken sauce and meat and a new kind of stew.

Lemon and butter (or olive oil) helps almost everything

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by LisaS

Roasting.
I like things like bell peppers, zucchini, onions, tomatoes if they are oven roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Broccoli is good roasted with OO, garlic & a little red pepper flake.

Oh! I'm gonna have to try this. Brocolli is a difficult eat for me.

[nutbar]

Oh, veggies, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Broccoli, cauliflower, bean sprouts, green beans, mushrooms, etc -- stir fry in sesame oil and fire/chile oil, add in some oyster sauce and/or soy sauce.

2. Grill squash (zucchini is a fave!), eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans on either a contact grill (George Foreman-type) or outdoor grill, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with Creole or Greek seasoning.

3. Salads of any combination of veggies, leafy and nonleafy (mentioned above). Add some olives and cheese. Stir some unflavored protein powder into your oil-based salad dressing for a Caesar-like experience (sounds gross but it's good!). Or use salsa for a "taco" salad.

4. Soups. My favorite is a hot & sour-type of soup. Chicken broth, soy sauce, fire oil, veggie of your choice, eggs (drizzle into boiling broth for egg drop soup-like strings), and finish it with a glub or two of vinegar.

5. Quick & easy frozen veggies. My favorite quick veggie meal is broccoli & cauliflower tossed in the microwave with some mushrooms and butter. I like to season with Greek seasoning.

Toss meat into any of the above for a one-dish meal.

[tasinquefield]

Oh yeah, I already eat a higher amount of fat so using butter and olive oil is no problem for me. I eat full fat everything, for the most part.