Recipes

[daisyk]

I like to put a little olive oil in a pan and sauté some yellow squash, zucchini and orange or yellow or red bell pepper and some sliced onion. At the last minute you can throw in some chopped tomato and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if you do cheese. This is one of my favorites.

[Kathlen]

I like to cut up and roast a variety of vegetables - whatever I happen to pick up at the store or farmer's market - add a can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans along with slices of peppers, tomato, a carrot or two, some eggplant, an onion, white potato, sweet potato. Cut in large chunks, toss with some dressing and roast. Roasted brussels sprouts and beets are delicious.

There are some great recipes for roasted vegetable combos and dressing at vegetariantimes.com.

[sonnysky]

I know it seems hard at first to eat a large amount of veg, but it does get easier! I have cut out (except for once in a while) the starchy sides, and have my meat and veg as my meal, so I eat TONS of them! I love to mix strange combos sometimes, last night I had broccoli, cauliflower, peas, and carrots (I know peas and carrots are starchy veggies, but I don't worry about that)

I eat lots of stir frys too and get creative with my veg mix. I throw in spinach, cabbage, asparagus, along with the usual stir fry veggies!

I eat a lot of salads, and often make it a one dish meal...like a taco salad...I add red and yellow bell peppers, onions, and hot peppers to my meat and bean mixture, add to my salad and top with cheese...sooo good!

[Irish Rosebud]

We eat a lot of veggies at my house. I prefer them roasted, sauteed, or raw in salad and probably use broccoli the most often and corn the least. I don't usually steam veggies, but I made chicken divan this past week and steamed the fresh broccoli first. Sometimes I blanch veggies to retain vibrant color and crunch in a casserole or stir fry. Sometimes I microwave (sweet potatoes). I use fresh in season and frozen, organic if I can get it. I love different lettuces together in salads (usually use at least 3), tomatoes + beans, zucchini + yellow squash, different beans together. I like to season veggies with Penzeys' Sunny Spain (salt-free lemon pepper), shallot pepper, ground sea salt and pepper, or citrus zest/juice. Homemade soups and stews are easy and can use a lot of different veggies and can be a complete meal; you can add pasta, rice, and beef or chicken to soups and stews.

Salads + protein (on the side or in the salad) = meal at my house. I throw lots of "stuff" in salads: olives, fresh snow peas, shaved red or green cabbage, sliced green or red peppers, seeds, nuts, dried or diced fresh fruit, diced jicama, chick peas, green onions sliced thin.

Diced veggies are the basis of some wonderful dishes in Cajun/Creole cuisine (the "holy trinity": onion, celery, green pepper), French cuisine (mirepoix: onion, celery, carrot sauteed in butter), and Italian cuisine (soffritto: onion, celery, carrot sauteed in olive oil). If you google any of those three + recipe, you'll get a lot of ideas for sides and main dishes. Bon appetit!

[Beebee2]

It all depends on the meal. With ham or pork I like sweet potatoes and broccoli/cabbage/Brussels sprouts (and some apple sauce). We eat a lot of salads heavy with vegetables for some meals, so there'll be onions, corn, avocados, beans, etc. I try to vary the meals enough that I don't have more than one or two a week that are what we used to call the meat, potatoes vegetable plates. So that means a pasta meal, a soup or stew meal, maybe something Mexican or Thai, stir fry, meatless, etc.

One combination I enjoy (and at the moment I can't recall what I serve it with) is stir friend mushrooms, onions, and broccoli or snow peas.

Sauteed green/red peppers with sauteed onions are nice, too.

Carrots and zucchini sliced into thin ribbons and lightly sauteed are a nice 'light' veggie, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Fresh roasted beets; cut the tops off but leave about 2" stem, leave the skins and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, 400 degrees on a cookie sheet in the oven for an hour or until tender when pierced with a knife. Slice and sprinkle with a little more olive oil, s & p, chopped green onions or a favorite herb.

Oh, this is nice:

Zucchini with Sour Cream

2 lbs zucchini
1 c sour cream
salt and pepper
1 cup hot water

Wash zucchini and cut off stems, but do not peel. Shred on a coarse grater. Put in pan with water, cover and boil 4 minutes. Drain well; mix with sour cream, season with salt and pepper and heat. Serve at once. Makes 6 servings.

We like this, too:

Zucchini Mushroom Onion Tomato Sauté

3 T butter-flavor Crisco
1 med. onion, sliced thin and separated into rings
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. zucchini (about 4 small) cut into 2-1/2 x 1/2" strips
1 c sliced fresh mushrooms
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 t salt
1/4 t dried oregano leaves
1/8 t pepper

In lge skillet melt shortening. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until onion is tender. Add zucchini and mushrooms. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, salt, oregano and pepper. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired. 4-6 servings.

Just plain sauteed onions or mushrooms, too. Sometimes when I fix breakfast for supper I add sauteed mushrooms.

I know how you feel; I've been there and nothing seems right or different at times.

[Allieoh]

My fav summer combo is red onions, zucchini, fresh corn sautéed together, then at the end add lots of fresh basil, sometimes I add cherry tomatoes too. It's so good!

[winamac1]

On 3/26/2014 Daysdee said:

Broccoli and cauliflower. I buy packages of this mix frozen, but fresh is better.

Me too daysdee I love those 2, I also love zucchini, mushrooms and red peppers!

[glmama]

Anything roasted and tossed together--onions, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, etc.

[tiamaria]

I love grilled vegetables...especially eggplant sliced long ways and brushed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill a few minutes each side...delicious!! You can even put a thin slice of tomato on top once it was turned once, and fresh mozzarella is a good addition too! Add fresh basil....now I am really on a roll!!!

A good "filler" for me is always sauteed mushrooms in just a tiny bit of olive oil. I love all different types of mushrooms. You can have them on the side, or put it on top of meat and pasta.

[Zhills]

Thanks to all of you for your ideas. Some of these combinations are strange to me but I am willing to try them. I use the familiar peas & carrots, potatoes & onions, okra & tomatoes but go blank when using 2 or more. Trying to get away from carbs and bread. Thanks for your help.