Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

[Everhopefull]

I've just put myself back onto the 1st rung after my recent holiday weight gain.

I can't eat salads anymore, I don't enjoy them and if I see another one I'm sure I'll cry. I much prefer cooked veggies and while I know there's a whole list of cookable veggies I can have from the salads list, I'm very limited to what I can find to buy from shops in the UK. I've never seen anything like jicama and the nearest which isn't a favourite anyway, turnip is higher in carbs.
I've never found daikon either and the only veggies that are easily found are mushrooms, peppers, celery,fennel, radishes, cucumber ( and the hated green leaves like lettuce). To be honest, peppers and celery are about the only veg I'm still happy to eat raw.

Would it be ok to have any type of veggies I want as long as they appear on either list and I ensure I stick to my daily carb limit?

Any suggestions/ advice gratefully received.
Thanks

[*Emma*]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

yeah, stay within your carb amount and dont worry too much about which list theyre coming from, but dont make it so that your eating one cup of higher carbed veggies, be sensible with it!

mushrooms are my favourite veggie so thats how i always get my salad bits in...

Have you tried any new veggies yet?

My current faves that i had NEVER eaten before Atkins are Aubergine, great for making a mousakka! and great grilled with cheese and bacon on! and courgette sliced and fried with cheese until burnt, i'm a crazy freak nowadays with veggies, funny coming from the girl who was force fed them because she didnt like them!

[Everhopefull]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Oh thanks Emma.
I love anything that can be cooked, the more exotic the better but as I'm in a rural area, I can only have whatever Tesco sells! I'll still make sure I have something raw like celery and peppers and the odd cherry tomato every day.

Aubergine has been a staple for years,especially in mousaka and I also love braised artichokes with butter (hard to find usually), roasted pumpkin, okra braised with onions and tomatoes, deep fried 'popcorn' cauliflower, boiled then stir-fried brussel sprouts.

Portabello mushrooms are instock now and I like to slice and lightly fry with red onion rings, drizzle with cream and sprinkle a little chopped parsley, I copied the idea from Pizza Express's mushroom starter, just without the bread, balsamic and bechemel - it's to die for!

Thanks again!

[Elizellen]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Have you tried cooking peppers and celery or even radishes? I often use celery in my slowcooker as a layer underneath the meat and then puree it to make a thick gravy or soup with. Peppers sauteed in butter make an excellent sauce to top cooked meat with. Radishes are nice boiled and used either cold mixed with mayo and spices or roasted in butter or pork fat.

Btw Daikon is around at most street markets local to us and shops like Lidl usually have it - it looks like a giant white carrot!

[Everhopefull]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

As I don't really like raw veggies, apart from celery and peppers, I usually do tend to cook them so I can get to eat more varieties.
I made homemade pumpkin puree mixed with fresh turkey stock on Christmas day and it was loved by all as a sauce for their turkey.

[sadie147]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

I'm not really a veggie person either. and i also got sick of salads.

How about cauliflower? I don't like it much on it's own, but i do like it cooked in chicken stock then pureed and used as a cream soup base.

there are turnips on the induction/owl list, not all of them are higer carb (butternut though is a higher one). i find using them in place of potatos in the slow cooker when making roasts or stew also are very good.

[Adena]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

My current faves that i had NEVER eaten before Atkins are Aubergine, great for making a mousakka! and great grilled with cheese and bacon on! and courgette sliced and fried with cheese until burnt.

Hi, Emma -- happy new year! Do you have recipes for these... ? Not even sure I've heard of these two veggies. Are they beans, roots, or what? I'm assuming I can find them here in the states, if not at a grocery store then at a farmers market.

[julirama723]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

aubergine=eggplant
courgette=zucchini

[Atkid]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Hi, Emma -- happy new year! Do you have recipes for these... ? Not even sure I've heard of these two veggies. Are they beans, roots, or what? I'm assuming I can find them here in the states, if not at a grocery store then at a farmers market.

I was right there with you questioning what the courgette was. I have heard the UK'ers talk about the aubergine being eggplant before but never the other.
Thanks Julie for letting us know that was zucchini, now fried with cheese until burnt Emma? Is that sliced and coated with a cheese?

[*Emma*]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Yeah sorry Adena, what Julie said.... I returned to british terms for a UKer!

I'm gross atkid, i like everything burnt or at least, very very crisp, i shred the zucchini so it looks like noodles (takes forever but its the only way ill eat it), throw it in a frying pan with a mix of oil and butter, fry until crisp, then sprinkle with a couple of oz of cheese and fry until melted... its my "yikes ive eaten too much protein today but im starving!" meal.

[Labarum]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Try celeriac - the root vegetable - it roasts well - it's like parsnip But lower carb) and has a hint of celery in the taste.

[Everhopefull]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

I'm not really a veggie person either. and i also got sick of salads.

How about cauliflower? I don't like it much on it's own, but i do like it cooked in chicken stock then pureed and used as a cream soup base.

there are turnips on the induction/owl list, not all of them are higer carb (butternut though is a higher one). i find using them in place of potatos in the slow cooker when making roasts or stew also are very good.

You're like me with the cauliflower, I don't like it plain boiled but creamed with some butter and cream cheese or yellow cheese mmmm. Even better, fried and if I have time to spare, I cut it into little bitesize popcorn bits (just the florets, not the stalk) and deep fry till brown. It's so moreish, I like it way too much, so will only make it as a special treat.

[quotidianlight]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Don't avoid regular cook books as well for ideas on new ways to cook veggies. For dinner I had italian sausage and brie cheese stuffed zuccini and mushrooms and got the idea from allrecipes.com. I also have a lot of vegetarian books full of veggie based and ethnic dishes; I would be sick of veggies if I was eating salad all the time! I finish induction Tuesday and think I'll stay on rung 1 for a long time. Lack of variety in cooking is a deal breaker for me.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Bored with salads and have limited alternatives in UK

Try celeriac - the root vegetable - it roasts well - it's like parsnip But lower carb) and has a hint of celery in the taste.

Hmmmm... tks for the riminder Brian... I adore celeriac. They say you can make "chips" (is that crisps in american?) with it, but I've never tried that.

I'm a zucchini fan... even just shredded and cooked (with a bit of salt added towards the end) in a dry pan until just wilted, drained of their liquid and then with a big knob of butter melted in, and a nice handful of parmesan cheese. Easy and quick.