Looking for some more regular meal subsitutes for lazy cooks

  • I remember Kaplods posting about string bean spaghetti, which I tried and loved. I now also make broccoli spaghetti.

    I made broccoli slaw with slaw mix, greek yogurt, and a dash of onion soup mix.

    Tuna Salad with tuna, greek yogurt, and a dash of soup mix.

    I like salad with grapes instead of tomatoes all the time.

    I would like some more vegetable substitute ideas.... I like the idea of replacing pasta with veggies but I can't think of more good examples.

    Has anyone tried taco salad with dark green vegetables?
  • Love your examples -- especially the broccoli spaghetti!! I know that I'm finding with virtually any casserole or recipe I make, I like to add tons of veggies that aren't listed! I made chicken crepes from a Cooking light recipe and added zucchini and mushrooms. I make two casseroles that use ground turkey meat on top of a carb base (one corn bread and one polenta). I add tons of extra veggies -- zucchini, mushrooms, onion, red pepper, broccoli, etc. It stretches the number of servings some and fills me up more than the original recipe! I add chopped zucchini to corn chowder. I add mushrooms or lentils to sloppy joe mix or taco meat. Now, when I follow recipes exactly and DONT add the extra veggies, I miss them -- a lot! I like to sautee a LOT of different veggies and then add half a serving of a grain, like quinoa or bulgur or brown rice.
  • Frenched green beans are fantastic with pesto. I like a mix of ha;f beans and half whole wheat spaghetti

    I often grate and squeeze zucchini and sub it for the milk in cornbread
  • Ooo, green beans and pasta with pesto. Yum!
  • Sometimes we serve chili or spaghetti sauce on a salad instead of rice or pasta.

    In fact, we use all sorts of leftovers (usually stir fries) on top of salad greens. Depending on your point of view, we are either substituting the greens for a starch base, or making an awesome salad dressing substitute or chef salad.
  • You can use a peeler to make zucchini and squash ribbons to make "pasta." I like to use a little bit of barley and mix in sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and serve with tomato sauce.

    I also love to eat sauteed veggies over sliced, pan seared polenta.

    I LOVE this chili recipe, but I always use two cans of black beans, and the sodium can be tweaked even more by getting a very low sodium broth.

    Ingredients

    10 ounces extra-lean ground turkey breast
    1 medium onion, diced
    2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes
    2 medium zucchini, diced
    2 medium yellow squash diced
    1 (15 oz) can black beans
    2 (15-oz) cans fat-free, reduced-sodium
    beef broth
    4 celery stalks, diced
    2 green bell peppers, diced
    1 (1 1/4-oz) package dry chili seasonings

    Directions
    Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and onion and saute' until browned, about 10 minutes.

    Transfer the browned turkey and onion mixture to a large soup pot and add the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, beans, broth, celery, bell peppers, and chili seasoning. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes

    Serves 20.
    * Servings Per Recipe: 20
    * Amount Per Serving
    * Calories: 76.5
    * Total Fat: 1.3 g
    * Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
    * Sodium: 321.2 mg
    * Total Carbs: 10.7 g
    * Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
    * Protein: 6.5 g

    This Recipe is awesome too!
  • Zucchini can be eaten raw too right?

    It never occurred to me to put spaghetti sauce on salad. I don't normally use that much salad dressing but that sounds like something amazing to try.

    The recipe looks awesome. At first I thought it was too many ingredients for a lazy person like me but it rocks! It's simple enough that I don't feel like I'd be spending hours in the kitchen.
  • Oooo, spaghetti sauce over a big pile of spinach would be great! It would wilt down a bit... yum!
  • Quote: Oooo, spaghetti sauce over a big pile of spinach would be great! It would wilt down a bit... yum!
    Yum - my friend's mom made turkey meatballs with chickpeas, spinach, and tomato sauce in a bake. It was PHENOMENAL, so I came home and replicated it.
  • Quote: You can use a peeler to make zucchini and squash ribbons to make "pasta." I like to use a little bit of barley and mix in sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and serve with tomato sauce.

    I also love to eat sauteed veggies over sliced, pan seared polenta.

    I LOVE this chili recipe, but I always use two cans of black beans, and the sodium can be tweaked even more by getting a very low sodium broth.

    Ingredients

    10 ounces extra-lean ground turkey breast
    1 medium onion, diced
    2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes
    2 medium zucchini, diced
    2 medium yellow squash diced
    1 (15 oz) can black beans
    2 (15-oz) cans fat-free, reduced-sodium
    beef broth
    4 celery stalks, diced
    2 green bell peppers, diced
    1 (1 1/4-oz) package dry chili seasonings

    Directions
    Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and onion and saute' until browned, about 10 minutes.

    Transfer the browned turkey and onion mixture to a large soup pot and add the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, beans, broth, celery, bell peppers, and chili seasoning. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes

    Serves 20.
    * Servings Per Recipe: 20
    * Amount Per Serving
    * Calories: 76.5
    * Total Fat: 1.3 g
    * Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
    * Sodium: 321.2 mg
    * Total Carbs: 10.7 g
    * Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
    * Protein: 6.5 g

    This Recipe is awesome too!
    Definitely will try this. Sounds yummy. Thanks for sharing.