6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

[Alexa]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Hi Mitzi,

I'm in! I think I had better go for induction because my current method not workkingso doing reinduction from Monday.

Thanks

[mitzimarie]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Good Morning, Everyone!

I'm excited to welcome two more of my friends to the Veggie Challenge! Sally and Alexa, thank you so much for joining.

Alexa - Induction
barrnone - OWL
Blueberrylady - OWL
Earth_Joy- Induction
Fancy1952 - OWL
Georgiana - OWL
goin2befit - Induction
gonnabskinny - Induction
gumby87 - OWL
happymomto4 - OWL
imagood1 - Induction
jimmie 48 - OWL
JulieB - OWL
kntrylady - OWL
LittleLinda - Induction
liv - OWL
lucyloo - Induction
mitzimarie - Maintenance
mizski - OWL
RosieC - OWL
sallyseachange - Maintenance
Sham - Induction
Sherri - Induction
somethings gotta give - Maintenance
Valinerya - Induction
Whatsername - OWL

What a great group we have so far!

[gumby87]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Mitzi,
That shrimp scampi bake sounds so good! I haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, so this recipe will definitely be on my menu this week.

Thanks!

[mitzimarie]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Mitzi,
That shrimp scampi bake sounds so good! I haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, so this recipe will definitely be on my menu this week.

Ah, spaghetti squash!

About preparing it - maybe some of the other challengers can chime in about the easiest way to do it. I've seen different approaches... some cut it before cooking it, and others cut if after.

The first time I made it, I tried cutting it first. Man, is that squash hard! I had a devil of a time trying to cut it. After finally splitting it, I then baked it in the oven in a water bath. The next time I prepared it, I left it whole and poked some holes in it with a skewer I use for grilling, and cooked it in the microwave. I find the second method a lot easier... it was super-easy to cut the squash after it is cooked.

OK, I've gotta come clean. Martha Stewart, I'm NOT (wish I was!). I'm not a very good or experienced cook, and I can always use tips and suggestions for the kitchen/cooking. Looking forward to learning some new stuff this week.

[mitzimarie]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Me, again

I just wanted to throw a few more recipes out there, in case some of you need ideas. I provided these recipes in the last Veggie Challenge, but they are some of my favorites... so good that they usually "hook" someone into realizing that veggies can taste really, really good. Since we have some members that have never been in a Veggie Challenge before, I'm going to include them again.

These are all from Linda's website, and I've included the links. All of the comments are hers, as is the Nutrition info. I would encourage everyone to come up with their own counts, rather than rely upon someone else's. It's not that I don't trust Linda... I just think it's a better idea to verify the info on your own. I recently made a recipe new to me (not from Linda's site) that proved to be quite different from the counts that were provided.




From Linda's website:

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes



"LOADED" CAULIFLOWER
1 cup cooked cauliflower
1 teaspoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon ranch dressing or sour cream
1 strip bacon, crumbled
1 teaspoon chives
Butter and season the cauliflower. Place in an individual-serving baking dish, then top with the cheese. Microwave or broil until the cheese is melted. Top with ranch dressing, bacon and chives.
Makes 1 serving
Do not freeze
Per Serving: 290 Calories; 25g Fat; 12g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
I wasn't trying to pretend that this was a baked potato, but I had the idea of topping cauliflower with all of the things that go on a baked potato. It was quite good.

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Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes



TODD'S GREEN BEANS
1 pound fresh green beans *
6 ounces onion, sliced thick *
1 tablespoon oil
1-2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large skillet or wok, sauté the green beans in oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat about 4-5 minutes or until they start to brown. Add another tablespoon of butter, if needed, and add the onions. Sauté until the onions are nice and brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes 4-6 servings
Can be frozen
* You can also use a 16-ounce bag of frozen thin green beans that have been thawed completely and patted dry. I used frozen beans. I used a medium onion plus one small onion to get 6 ounces.
Per 1/4 Recipe: 126 Calories; 9g Fat; 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Per 1/6 Recipe: 84 Calories; 6g Fat; 1g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
My friend Nancy's son-in-law Todd came up with this recipe and they're very good. This is a simple recipe yet it has a nice flavor that would go well with just about any main dish. You could make this better suited for induction by cutting the onion back to one small one or about 2 1/2 ounces. Click the photo to see a close-up.

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Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes



PORTOBELLO PARMESAN
2 portobello mushroom caps
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch garlic powder
2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1/2 cup
1 ounce freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup
Fresh parsley, chopped, optional
Very gently scrape the gills off the underside of the mushroom caps with a spoon and cut off the stems to make them level with the underside of the mushrooms. Brush the mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean them. Place the caps stem side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400º 10 minutes. Turn the caps stem side down and bake another 5 minutes.
Place the mushrooms stem side up on the same baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread each with 1 tablespoon of the spaghetti sauce. Divide the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses between the mushrooms. Bake at 400º about 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve as a meatless main dish or as a side dish.
Makes 2 servings
Do not freeze
Per Serving: 198 Calories; 12g Fat; 15g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
This is based on a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis. She grilled her mushrooms and baked this more like a casserole with a lot more sauce. Since the sauce has so many carbs, I cut it back to just 1 tablespoon per mushroom and it was plenty. It's the cheese that's important here and there's plenty of it.

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In the green bean recipe I like to throw mushrooms into the mix, as well. Yummy!

In the mushroom recipe, I usually leave off the spaghetti sauce and just use cheese.

[sallyseachange]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Oh my Mitzi!!! Inspiring recipes! So much so that I'm gonna have to start the challenge a day early!!!

[Kntrylady]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Thanks Mitzi for posting these. I can't believe how hard it has been for me to to get my veggie carb count up (And I LOVE vegies). I've added vegies, to each meal and barely make 20 on a good day This challenge is just what I needed.

[mitzimarie]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Thanks Mitzi for posting these. I can't believe how hard it has been for me to to get my veggie carb count up (And I LOVE vegies). I've added vegies, to each meal and barely make 20 on a good day This challenge is just what I needed.

I'm so happy that the challenge will help you! Most people think that they're getting more net veggie carbs than they really are. Taking 5 days to consciously concentrate on that number is an eye-opener for many.

Sally - this challenge always re-ignites my enthusiasm for veggies. Getting into a rut can cause us to forget just how much good food we can eat, and participating here is a great place to get new ideas.

[Fancy1952]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Oh, Mitzie, I love that portabello mushroom idea. They are a staple around here, along with their partners, peppers and onions, and cheese, oh my I use Linda's website all the time, but try to stick to the Induction friendly recipes. Thanks for the samples, I'll be sure to try them out.

Suzanne

[mitzimarie]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Thanks for the samples, I'll be sure to try them out.

Suzanne

You are very welcome! I'm getting some more together.

[mitzimarie]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Hello, Everyone

The Veggie Challenge begins tomorrow (Monday), and I just wanted to go over a few reminders to help everyone stay on track.

FIRST, though, I'd like to thank each of you for joining. I see that I have a lot of past participants, and some who have never been in a veggie challenge before. This is my 6th one, and it is my favorite challenge. Hopefully you will enjoy it, too.

Here is our current roster: (If there are any last-minute requests to join, I can still take them until tomorrow morning)

Alexa - Induction
barrnone - OWL
Blueberrylady - OWL
Earth_Joy- Induction
Fancy1952 - OWL
Georgiana - OWL
goin2befit - Induction
gonnabskinny - Induction
gumby87 - OWL
happymomto4 - OWL
imagood1 - Induction
jimmie 48 - OWL
JulieB - OWL
kntrylady - OWL
LittleLinda - Induction
liv - OWL
lucyloo - Induction
mitzimarie - Maintenance
mizski - OWL
RosieC - OWL
sallyseachange - Maintenance
Sham - Induction
Sherri - Induction
somethings gotta give - Maintenance
Valinerya - Induction
Whatsername - OWL

If you are doing Induction, your challenge is to eat a minimum of 12 NET carbs of veggies each day during the challenge.
If you are in any phase of OWL, your challenge is to eat a minimum of 17 NET carbs of veggies each day during the challenge.
If you are on Maintenance, your challenge is to eat a minimum of 22 NET carbs of veggies each day during the challenge.

All that is required, is each day you come here and report how many net veggies carbs you got in that day. It is not necessary to provide the details as to how you got them, but it is certainly welcome information if you feel like sharing. A lot of us do give details, which gives everyone an idea of how we're eating, and often, recipes are shared. But all that is required is the total number of net veggie carbs each day. And don't worry if you can't make it here every single day... I realize that we are all on differents schedules and in different time zones, so as long as I end up with numbers for each day by the end of the challenge, it's fine.

Also, each contestant is required to either:
1) try a veggie you've never had before
OR
2) if you can't find a veggie you've never tried, you can come up with a new way of eating one that you have eaten before.
*You only have to do this once during the five days

I do have a long day at work tomorrow, and no computer access during the day. Please feel free to visit and post often, though - I love discussion! Have a great week, everybody, and I'll see you tomorrow.

[Fancy1952]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Good morning what a great day! I've already found a recipe using 2 vegetables I've never tried, leeks and fennel! I'll be trying it this week and will post it if it's any good. Fennel is one of the salad vegies, and leeks are on the "other" vegie list. Looking forward to this

Suzanne

[Alexa]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Hi Mitizi and fellow veg-challengers

15g net veggie carbs today - this includes avocado, which is ok, if I recall correctly?

[sallyseachange]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

Tomatoes, spinach and Minestrone - 26 carbs today.
I saw "cavolo nero" (black cabbage) in the supermarket today. Never had that. I bought some, but need to put my thinking cap on as to how to cook it. Pity my minestrone was already cooked, or I could have put it in that.

[mizski]

Re: 6th SemiAnnual Veggie Challenge

I saw "cavolo nero" (black cabbage) in the supermarket today. Never had that. I bought some, but need to put my thinking cap on as to how to cook it. Pity my minestrone was already cooked, or I could have put it in that.

I never heard of black cabbage so I had to look it up. Supposedly tastes a lot like savoy cabbage. Sounds tasty. Anyways, here's a recipe for cabbage soup using black cabbage from the site I just looked at.

I've never seen it around here though.