Semi Annual Veggie Challenge #3

[Twinkie_30]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

5/12



Veggie quiche (mushrooms, spinach)

Shrimp salad (baby spinach, mushrooms, zucchini)

Cucumber (snack)

(Total veggie carbs 17)



5/13/08

Turkey meatball salad (for breakfast and lunch, so twice the serving) (yellow squash, mushrooms, spinach, cucumber)

Cucumber (snack)

Dinner was 1 cup cauliflower (tried that pizza crust), 2 oz mushrooms.is

I will make sure and compute on fitday to see how much Z i can have to stay within the 17 carb range.

Sorry for the late entry. yesterday i wrote a post here and added up my carbs well over 20 !! i was devastated, then realized i did not add just one serving for the quiche i had made and was counting the whole entire thing !! Thank god, then it was only 17 carbs.
cucumber with black salt was an excellent snack as always.

Tomorrow or the day after i plan to make that famous pizza dough recipe with cauliflower, hopefully it comes out ok.

[Twinkie_30]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

I hated it. It was eggplant. I hesitate to bring that up, since so many of you are trying it as a new veggie. Don't let that discourage or taint your expectation of it! I sincerely think that I did a poor job of preparing it, so I can't really blame the eggplant. I tried grilling it on the grill outside... brushed it with olive oil, and placed it on the grill. I was very disappointed... it was gross. I think that I sliced it too thick, and didn't cook it nearly long enough... it tasted like what I imagine a mildewed sponge would taste like.

Hello dear, sorry to hear about your misfortune with the eggplant ! LOL
This is how we made it in India - take an eggplant and wash it, rub a little bit of oil on the skin all around, put it on the grill and let it cook, The heat should be enough to cook it (slow and long) and not burn it (high and fast), the outside skin gets completly charred while the insides get all mushy and cooked. Then grab it by that stalk on the head and be careful cause it might break off, as it is charred. put it under running cold water and most of the skin will wash away, peel the rest so you just have the inner cooked portion , non of the burnt black skin. Then take this pulp, mash it a little with your fav. spices and put it in the pan with fresh onions , tomatoes etc whatever you like and there it is ready !!

It is called 'baingan' in Hindi and i am posting two indian recipes just to show you what they do with it !

Eggplant and broccoli make a great combination in this simple Indian style vegetable stir-fry recipe. This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan. Serve over rice if desired.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 eggplant, diced
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp asafetida (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 3 tbsp water

PREPARATION:

Sautee the eggplant and broccoli in the olive oil over high heat for 3-5 minutes, until eggplant is lightly browned.

Add salt, asafetida, cayenne and paprika and stir to mix well.

Reduce heat to medium low. Add water and cover. Allow to cook another 5-7 minutes, until broccoli is tender.

Serve over rice if desired and enjoy your Indian style vegetable stir-fry!

Ingredients

• one large eggplant
• one large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• a 1-inch knob of ginger root
• 4-5eggs
• 1 Tbsturmeric
• 2 Tbsgaram masala
• 1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tspamchur
• red chili flakes, to taste
• lemon juice, to taste
• salt, to taste
• 1-2 Tbs cooking oil or ghee

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to boil enough to cover the eggs. While waiting for the water to boil,

2. Roast the eggplant on a gas burner directly over the flame until the skin is charred all over. Set in a covered bowl to steam.

3. Add the eggs to the boiling water. Bring back to boil, and allow to boil 5 minutes. Then remove the pot from heat, cover, and let sit.

4. Mince the onion. Chop and press the garlic. Grate the ginger.

5. Remove the charred skin from the eggplant. Chop the eggplant pulp and reserve any liquid that runs off.

6. In a large cast-iron skillet (or wok or karahi), melt the ghee/butter/oil. Add onion and turmeric, sauté until the onion is translucent.

7. Add the garlic, ginger, half of the garam masala, the smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, and amchur to the pan. Stir over heat, then add the eggplant pulp and any liquid. Stir to blend, reduce heat to medium.

8. Peel the hard-boiled eggs. Carefully score the whites with three longitudinal lines.

9. Add maybe 1 tsp red chili flakes and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the eggplant mixture. Stir.

10. Bury the hard-boiled eggs in the eggplant mixture so that they touch the pan and are nearly covered.

11. Cook another 5-7min, then carefully turn the eggs. Taste for salt-balance, add lemon juice if necessary.

12. Cook another 5-7min, taste again, and serve.

[Twinkie_30]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

5/13/08 Celery, Lettuce, Dill Spears, and Broccoli

13 net carbs

I'm thinking of either trying pumpkin or eggplant as my new vegetable...still trying to decide...

since we are not eating any bread or rice with it , be careful eggplant sometimes gives a little heartburn !.

[Alaskansonya]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Okay thanks Mitzi for your help on how to figure my carbs better...here is a revised number for Monday's carb count....
Total Carbs: 31 -fiber 11 grams =21 total net carbs
Veggie Carbs: 25.112 -fiber 10.685 grams= 14.427 total net veggie carbs

Okay...
Here are my numbers for today (I am stuffed full of stir-fried cabbage! rofl)
Total Carbs: 25 -fiber 10 grams =15 total net carbs
Veggie Carbs: 19.337 -fiber 9.328 grams= 10.009 total net veggie carbs

rofl now that is anal! giggle~ Well, today my levels were also 64% fat, 3% carbs, & 33% protein....so I guess that is not toooo bad, however I had alot of calories (tons!)...2223 cals....is that going to cause me problems? I am having a rough time getting enough veggies and fat in my diet without going too high on cals...that fat does it every time! rofl is this normal?? by the way, I show a 1 pound gain this morning...I weigh on saturday though so maybe its normal? I do need to exercise more and I know that I just need to find the time to fit it in...see you all tomorrow!

Oh and a question: is sesame oil ok to use on stir-fries? and what about soy sauce?? I love those two with ginger in stir-fries!!

[Alexa]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Hi everyone

Sorry to let you all down but I'm afraid I only got 10g veggie carbs in yesterday. I fell off the wagon AGAIN in the evening, so didn't get my 2 cups of veggies that I usually do.

I'm back to it today and will cheer all you guys on

[Chicklady]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Sonya---take it easy on the soy sauce---it has carbs. Sesame oil is fine---it's all fat

[Chicklady]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

1st day
mushrooms: net 1
brussel sprouts: net 8
spring mix :net 1
broccoli: net 4
onion: net 4

TOTAL : 18


2nd day-Tuesday:
sauerkraut:net 4
cauliflower: net 2
onion: net 2
broccoli: net 5
pumpkin: net 5
TOTAL : 18

[*Wendy*]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Zucchini ... This is the way that I have mine... I sliced them into thin "rounds", then dipped them in egg, then dipped in parmesan cheese, then fried in a skillet with olive oil. Very yummy!

WOW! I can't wait to get to the market and pick up some zucchini!!

[*Wendy*]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Tuesday's totals: 48g gross veggie carbs - 25g veggie fibers = 23g Net Veggie Carbs

The vegetables I ate were Jicama (raw) and cucumber (raw) at breakfast/grazing all morning, chinese blend of veggies stir-fried at lunch, and steamed brocolli at dinner. I think I ate a little TOO much jicima all morning because it tasted SO GOOD raw & chilled like I had it, but I balanced it against some nice sausages to help carry the carb load.

[TheDogAteMyName]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

This challenge is a lot more difficult than I had suspected. When you eat veggies you get a ton of fiber...which means a lot of subtracting from the carbs you think you've eaten. When I think I'm at my limit, I'm severely under. I'm barely making my quota!

Tuesday:

3 cups cooked cabbage (ok, I admit...I went overboard but I love cabbage) - 20 Carbs
2.5 cups broccoli steamed - 10 Carbs
1 cup brussels sprouts - 13 Carbs - I LOOOOOOOOOOVED these!!!!!!!!!!

43 Carbs - 22 Fiber = 21 Net Carbs

I tried Brussels Sprouts for the first time and I really enjoyed them. I could see myself eating these at least twice a week or more. YUM! I made cooked cabbage and polish sausage for lunch. I loved it so much that I had it for dinner along with a chicken breast. Tomorrow I am going on a field trip with my daughter's class. I packed a HUGE salad with a ton of veggies. If I eat an egg scramble in the morning with veggies and eat the big salad for lunch...I should be right on track until dinner.

[TheDogAteMyName]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Wendy - what do you do with the jicama to make it so tasty? I'd love to give jicama a whirl. I just tried bussels sprouts and found out I loved them.

[hrgillespie]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Good Morning .......... I'm reporting in for yesterday and today .........(so far)


Yesterday I had a total of 38 carbs 18 fiber so 20 net carbs 17 were veggie carbs .......
veggies were:
Green beans, onions, peppers, avacado,tomato, green chilles, broccoli, lettuce

Today's menue will end up with 43 carbs 21 fiber so a total of 22 net carbs 18 of them veggie carbs
Veggies are:

Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, avacado, peppers, tomato, green chilles, Zuchinni, leeks ( yes I am having my new veggie for dinner tonight!!!!!)


I love this veggie challenge week It just really makes you realise how many veggies you can eat and like!!!!

Heidi

[hrgillespie]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

[/QUOTE]
And out of all of the veggies that I have tried, surprisingly there has only been one that I didn't like... in fact, I hated it. It was eggplant. I hesitate to bring that up, since so many of you are trying it as a new veggie. Don't let that discourage or taint your expectation of it! I sincerely think that I did a poor job of preparing it, so I can't really blame the eggplant. I tried grilling it on the grill outside... brushed it with olive oil, and placed it on the grill. I was very disappointed... it was gross. I think that I sliced it too thick, and didn't cook it nearly long enough... it tasted like what I imagine a mildewed sponge would taste like. The fact that so many of you are considering it for your new veggie is exciting! It has inspired me to want to try it again... maybe I'll try it on Friday. Here is a fun fact about eggplant - It was called "mad apple" when it was introduced into northern Europe because botanists believed eating it caused insanity. LOL!

[/QUOTE]

Mitzi I have to think you hated it because you grilled it and ate it alone with not much else to season it. I tried eggplant as my new veggie on the last challenge and LOVED IT!!!! I made it in Ratatouille, here's the recipie and a picture ........ it's yummy!



Ratatouille is a hearty mixture of tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant, and red and green bell peppers that is cooked with olive oil, thyme and garlic to create a sweet and chunky Provençal vegetable stew.4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil3 tomatoes—roughly chopped2 red onions—halved, thinly sliced and separated into rings2 zucchini (courgette)—sliced into ½-inch rounds1 eggplant (aubergine)— roughly chopped1 red pepper (capsicum)—roughly chopped1 green pepper (capsicum)—roughly chopped1½ teaspoons salt¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3 cloves garlic—finely chopped¾ teaspoon dried thyme

HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. ADD all ingredients, except the garlic and thyme, and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. ADD the garlic and thyme and cook, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.
Serving suggestions: Ratatouille is delicious served hot or cold as a side dish with grilled fish or chicken, or used as a filling for a Provençal-style omelet.

[Alaskansonya]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

Thanks!! I never even thought about the soy sauce!! oh my gosh! rofl

Sonya---take it easy on the soy sauce---it has carbs. Sesame oil is fine---it's all fat

[Atkid]

Re: Semi Annual Veggie Challenge (May 12 thru 16)

May 13 - bag of coleslaw smothered in butter split between lunch & dinner - 15 net carbs
(couldn't find the broccoli slaw one at Rouse's)