If you haven't tried it yet, I'd recommend adding a little FF cheese, or personally I love the parmasean cheese grounded up on my steamed veggies. I go through this often, sick of veggies. It helps me through the rough times!
Sure, steamed broccoli gets old. But what if you added it to a pan with some chicken broth, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper? Yummo-Italian broccoli that tastes rich and decadent. Asparagus and many other veggies are great roasted. Zucchini is amazing when you marinate in balsamic and garlic, then grill in long thin strips.
You also might try "sneaking" them in. Fall is a great time for soups and stews! What about wilting greens like spinach or chard into a sausage and lentil or bean soup? I put zucchini in just about every soup I make. I also grate zucchini and carrot into my meatloaves and meatballs. And whenever I serve a pasta dish, I use my 1 serving of pasta and at least an equal amount of veggies sliced like that pasta (like onion, zucchini, bell pepper) and quickly sauteed in a little chicken broth. Instant portion stretcher!
This hearty soup is rich and meaty, with plenty of vegetables to ensure a large portion with fewer calories. Enjoy it with a salad or a piece of whole wheat bread.
¾ lbs extra lean beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp coarse salt
8 C low sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
½ C pearled barley, uncooked
1.5 C carrot, diced
1.5 C celery, diced
2 C zucchini, diced
In a large, heavy stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Brown on all sides. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is fragrant and translucent.
Add broth and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 3-4 hours, or until the beef is extremely tender. About 45 minutes before serving, add the barley and continue simmering for 25 minutes. Add the vegetables, cover, and cook 20 minutes longer, or until the barley and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Yields: 4-6 generous servings
Roasted Pumpkin Soup (Pumpkin is a GREAT "sneak it in" veggie...its just squash, after all)
This fall favorite comes together in no time. For extra splash on the table, serve it in hollowed out pumpkins. Fat free half and half adds incredible creaminess.
2 “Sugar” or “Pie” pumpkins, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
5-6 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
½ tbsp chili powder, or to taste
½ tsp cumin, or to taste
½ tsp salt, or to taste
½ cup fat free half-and-half
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray (for easier cleanup, line the sheet with aluminium foil, then spray the foil with cooking spray). Place the pumpkin halves, cut side down, on the sheet and roast until the flesh is tender and the skin is easily separated, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Remove all of the skin from the pumpkin, and place the flesh in a large stock pot. Mash the cooked flesh thoroughly with a potato masher (you can also use a food mill, if desired). Add the chicken stock, adding more or less to reach desired consistency, stir well, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Add chili powder, cumin, and salt, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Immediately before serving, stir in the fat free half-and-half.
Sausage and Lentil Soup
Lentils make this soup a protein and fiber-packed powerhouse, while sausage, cayenne, and chili powder all lend a spicy kick. For more kick, add more peppers or use a spicier sausage.
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lbs bulk chicken sausage, or sausage links with casings removed
1 large onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 bay leaves
1 pinch cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp coarse salt
½ tsp chili powder
6 C low-sodium chicken broth
1½ C dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 C carrots, finely diced
1 C celery, finely diced
3 packed cups baby spinach, raw
In a heavy-bottom stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown thoroughly, ensuring it is well crumbled. Add the onion and garlic and cook until both are fragrant and slightly browned. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and seasonings and bring to a simmer.
Add the lentils, cover, and simmer 45 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, cover, and continue simmering another 15 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Adjust seasonings as desired. 5 minutes before serving, add the spinach and allow to wilt into the soup.
Yields: 4 generous servings
White Beans, Greens, and Sausage Soup
This soup has a ton of fiber, great smoky flavor from the sausage, and tons of vitamins. A great warm dinner.
2 cups Small White Beans, dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 chicken sausage links, any flavor, diced
3 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp olive oil
In a large stockpot, cover the beans by 2-3 inches with water and soak, leaving 6-8 hours or overnight.
Drain the beans. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and rosemary to the pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer 2 hours, or until beans are tender.
In a small skillet, brown the sausage on all sides. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic to the pan and cook until softened. Add to the cooked beans and continue to simmer gently until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Before serving, add the swiss chard and cook until just wilted. Dish into 4 large serving bowls. Top each serving with a tablespoon of grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
Stick 'em in an omlette! Ooooh, and roasted asparagus and egg beaters scrambled up and wrapped in a lavash bread wrap = instant low cal breakfast burrito!
I've had the best luck hiding my veggies IN my other dishes. Last night, I made (open-face) quessadillas with spinach in them. You couldn't taste it. I often sneak spinach or shredded carrots (which I keep on hand, frozen) into dishes - sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, soup, pizza, burritos, taco meat, etc. You can never taste the veggies, but what a boost to your veggie intake.
Definitely I think hiding veggies in plain sight is the way to go. I used to abhor veggies -- I would eat a couple servings a week, at best. Now the bulk of food I eat every day is veggies. The biggest difference I made was committing to eat meat-free for three days a week (now I'm up to six). It forced me to give up my idea of a meal as consisting of a meat, a complex carb and a veggie side (which I usually ate last and hated every bite of.)
Now I make a lot of one-dish vegetarian meals, and it's impossible to shirk on the veggies because they're in every single bite. Check out some vegetarian recipes on your favorite recipe sites (I like sparkpeople) and hopefully you'll get some ideas.
Specifically, I find it easiest to work veggies into pasta: since you're going to all the work of making a yummy sauce, why not use it to enhance some veggies at the same time? Whenever I'm making pasta (I make two servings at a time, for me and my boyf), I add six cups of steams broccoli florets and a few huge handfuls of wilted spinach and toss it in with the drained pasta and sauce.
My favorite recipe for this (I got it off of sparkpeople):
Spicy Peanut Noodles
4 oz linguine
1/3 cup low-fat creamy peanut butter
2 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1.5 tbs rice wine vinegar
1-2 tbs chile paste with garlic
.5 tsp sugar (or Splenda)
1 medium sized red bell pepper cut into thin strips
3-6 cups broccoli florets
5-8 cups fresh spinach
1. cook linguine according to package
2. combine peanut butter, 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, vinegar, chile paste and sugar in large bowl; whisk until blended. If it seems too thick, add more water; should be consistency of a cream.
3. Saute peppers strips, spinach and broccoli.
4. Add linguine to vegetable and then mix with sauce.
This makes 3 servings, and a bit too much sauce (I always save about a third or half to toss with steamed broccoli the next day.)
I try to sneak veggies into desserts, that way you really can't taste them
I like to make a crustless pumpkin pie, or carrot cookies. Zucchini is easy to add to bulk up sweeter things as well.
I get really sick of raw veggies myself. But, I find if I have leftover cooked veggies in the fridge (steamed broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, etc.) I can sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, or Parmesan cheese, or a bit of lite salad dressing, and I like them a whole lot better than just plain raw veggies. They are a good thing to have in the fridge for munchie times, whereas the raw ones usually go uneaten (esp. in the winter months where cold snacks aren't very appealing.)
My mom makes the best mock mashed potatoes by using cauliflower. It is sooo yummy and we also used soy cheese and vegetarian bacon bits to put on top and it was delicious
Also Ina Garten has a great recipe for roasted asparagus with Parmesan reggiano cheese, but anything with cheese tastes great
Ingredients
* 2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
* 2 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom 1/2 of each. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Serve with lemon wedges.
No.....more....veggies.......
