Saturday, January 20, 2007

Healthy Vegetable Recipes

Isn't everyone trying to have a healthier lifestyle these days? My kids love vegetables and salad, but I would really like to find some new ways to serve veggies. We eat green salads, as well as canned and frozen veggies. I usually cook frozen veggies in chicken broth, then season them. We also eat raw carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower; and I make lots of potatoes or sweet potatoes.

But I'm looking for some new ways to eat veggies. It seems like most vegetable recipes have a lot of fat (butter, sour cream, cheese), have some kind of wheat ingredient (bread crumbs, cream soups, crackers), or look like something my kids would never eat. I've tried some roasted squash recipes, that, frankly, weren't that great. I really need some help here. So if you've got a great vegetable recipe that your whole family enjoys, then please, please share it!

Just a note to those of you wondering, Brian has still done well with dairy, so I can use recipes with lowfat dairy, but we can't eat gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley, and most processed foods.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

First off here's a butter tip for you - use smart balance instead. It can be used just like butter but doesn't have all the bad fats and cholesterol that butter does - I swear by the stuff.

Here is one of my favorite veggie recipes (not sure if you eat asparagus or not)
Roasted Asparagus Tips
*2 pounds asparagus (1 bunch feeds 4 people nicely), trimmed to 4 to 5-inch tips
*1 shallot, finely chopped
*3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
*1 teaspoon freshly chopped *tarragon leaves
*Salt and pepper
*1/4 lemon, juiced

Pile asparagus onto a baking sheet. Combine lemon, shallot, extra-virgin olive oil and tarragon. Pour the dressing over the asparagus and turn to coat spears in fat. Season the asparagus with salt and pepper and roast 15 to 17 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove asparagus from oven and toss with a squirt of lemon.

I also like to make fresh or forzen green beans and then throw some almonds into them.

Here's another one...
Green beans with fresh herbs and walnuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*3 pounds green beans
*3 tablespoons unsalted butter
*5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
*2 large onions, sliced thin
*2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
*1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
*2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
*1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp, they will be cooked more in the oven. Drain them and set aside.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onions caramelize, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the thyme, rosemary and chives, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the green beans and walnuts, and stir well. Season, to taste.

BTW - the food network website (www.foodnetwork) is fabulous. Rachael Ray has a lot of quick and easy recipes and they are usually low in fat.