Veggie Suggestions

[PaulaMM]

Since starting Atkins, I have learned that I love jicama, red, orange and yellow bell peppers, spaghetti squash, broccoli slaw, zucchini, fresh spinach and greens! Who'da thunk it?

What I need is more suggestions! Do you have a favorite vegetable or a way of cooking vegetables that isn't "the norm"? I'm trying to broaden my horizons and try new foods.

So, bring on the veggies!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Hi, Paula

I eat the same thing just about every morning for breakfast. I take a half a can of 100% pure pumpkin and combine it with 2 ounces of cream cheese, and heat it in the microwave for 40 seconds. I take it out, stir it well, and I then add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of allspice, and a few drops of liquid Splenda. I heat it in the microwave for 40 more seconds, then stir it well again, and ta da! Breakfast. It is 21 carbs and 10 grams of fiber, so that makes it 11 net carbs. Since I am past Rung 3, I also add an ounce of walnuts to it. Yum... and more fiber, too!

I eat 45 net carbs daily, so this is a good figure for me to start the day. It helps me spread my carbs out through the day by getting a good amount under my belt at breakfast, and I am always looking for ways to increase my fiber. Between pumpkin and jicama, I've been doing great on fiber. I don't know how many carbs a day you are up to... if you don't want to use up 11 net carbs in one meal, you can decrease the amounts of everything.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

WOOHOO! I love all those veggies, too, Paula!

Deep fried Green beans. Vegetable oil, heat, fry the fresh beans. YUM YUM YUM!

Do a search for Chayote Squash in the food and cooking chat. That is a versatile little squash. I use it to make cinnamon "apples"...I've even made "turnovers" with them and lc tortillas (when on the appropriate rung). I've also used them to make the layers in a lasagne-ish dish once.

Use a potato peeler to shred your zucchini into ribbons...then steam them and use them as noodles in an italian type dish with tomato sauce and cheese, or alfredo sauce.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

We pretty much live on jicama, peppers, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, around my house..Oh, and cauliflower. I love cauliflower....as "rice", "yellow rice", "mashed potatoes", to make "clam chowder", "potatoe salad", "macaroni and cheese". I mean, it's an amazing veggie LOL

[PaulaMM]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Mitzi, I love pumpkin but it doesn't love me. Since restarting Atkins, it makes me nauseated, which is really weird because it's never bothered me in the past. I at a little again tonight, just to be sure and if it doesn't bother me, I'm gonna try your pumpkin breakfast!

Joy, I really, really want to try those green beans! I actually looked for fresh green beans at our Wal Mart and can you believe they didn't have any????? Tomorrow, I'll hit the local grocery store and a veggie stand to see if I can find some. I think our Wally World did have the chayote squash, though! It sounds really good!

How do you ladies eat your jicama? I like mine with lime juice, salt, chili powder and a very light sprinkling of Splenda, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thank you, Mitzi and Joy!

[Atkid]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

I love eggplant, peeled sliced and panfried sprinkled with salt and parmesean cheese. I also love the ovenfried fresh greenbeans when I can get my daughter to snip the ends.
The mock potato salad is a new fave and I love broccoli all dished up as if it were a broccoli cheese baked potato sans the potato of course.

[PaulaMM]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

I've never tried eggplant - always been a bit afraid to, I guess! There's just something about it that bothers me. I guess I'm just going to have to grit my teeth and try it.

Yours is the second suggestion I've heard on the cauliflower "potato" salad. That's another one I need to try.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[julirama723]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Paula, I love making cauliflower bake (though I normally call it cauliflower foob...long story).

Cook cauliflower in a microwave-safe dish with a bit of water at the bottom until tender. (You can leave it whole, chop it, break it into florets, whatev!) Drain remaining water and add mayonnaise and mustard to taste. Add bacon pieces (optional) and top with cheese. Bake at 350 until golden brown. This is THE BEST side dish ever! It's straight up cauliflower, not masquerading as potatoes, I love it!

I also love grilled veggies. We recently bought a "grill wok" which is a metal basket with small holes in it. We cut up yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers, snow peas, etc. with a shallot or two, sprinkle a bit of thyme, crazy mixed-up salt, and red pepper flakes, and let the veggies cook while you're doing your meat. When they're done, add butter to coat the veggies. OMG these are sooooooo good!

[Kawispice]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Paula,

Your comment about eggplant... hehehe... I had a girl friend in post grad studies at the university. She was from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She used to say to me, if you know how to prepare eggplant 20 different ways, you can marry a commoner. If you know how to prepare eggplant 50 different ways, you can marry an aristocrat, but if you know how to prepare eggplant 100 different ways, you can marry the Pasha himself!

I can personally prepare eggplant maybe 10 different ways, so I guess I probably ony merit a homeless middle eastern chap, but I am european by birth, myself. However, if you want some interesting and yummy receipes check out the mediterranean and middle eastern cousines.

[D14965]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Yummo -- all those suggestions sound good . I am gonna try that pumpking breaky Mitzi even though we dont have canned pumpkin here in Australia I can cook up my own. ONe thing makes me sad though --- we dont have Jicama here either ( anyone care to FEDEX me some??? joking)

[Discolemonade]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

CABBAGE!!!!!! Fried!

Dice some onion and fry with some bacon pieces (until lightly browned), drain fat add butter and cabbage. Fry cabbage until your mouth starts watering then put in a cup of water and let it simmer down. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

I bought a rutabega (sp?) canned, I have no idea what it is or how it tastes LOL!

[ValidRouge]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

I just cut a jicama into quarters, peel and eat. Sometimes I chop it up into thin matchsticks and put it on a salad with some walnuts, tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing or this lime flavored olive oil I have. But, most of the time I'm just cutting off a hunk of it and putting it straight into my tummy LOL

Walmart should have the chayote, or any ethnic grocery stores that cater to South American populations (where the chayote is grown).

[tmn]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Marking for future reference...

[Tonks755]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

I love the pumpkin idea! I think that the hardest part of this diet is not having something that is at least a little bit sweet. If I can make this treat every now and then, it will be smooth sailing from now on!

[PaulaMM]

Re: Veggie Suggestions

Yay! I'm loving these veggie ideas!

Julie Jules: I like your cauliflower idea. I've done the mock potato recipes but I've always just liked cauliflower for what it is. You get bonus points 'cuz I normally have all of those ingredients on hand.

Kawispice: Oh, how funny! I guess I would have been destined to die an old maid if I lived there, huh?

Jen: I still haven't tried it but I did buy the cabbage. Soon, soon.