Hey Chicks
Since I don't do salad when it gets cold I'm looking for fun veggie additions to chili and similar stuff
right now I've added okra
any inspiration out there?
Thanks
Kierie

I add everything and anything to chili and soup! Stay away from broccoli and cauliflower in big posts of food that aren;t going to get eaten right away, as they can make the whole pot very stinky (and you too, hehehe ).

To chili I add some or all of the following:

onions, garlic, tomatoes, shredded carrots, celery, zucchini, peas, green beans and corn

I add all the same of the above to soups and also add:

cabbage (bok choy,napa,savoy,red,green...any kind!), spinach, kale, chard, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash (any kind) and so on....

when you add cabbage or spinach or something like that to a crockpot recipe...do you add it at the beginning when you add everything or later on...I am afraid it will just be mush....I have always been afraid to add those things.

I don't usually add spinach to stuff, but with cabbage, I usually add it about 20-30 minutes before the end for a stovetop dish. For a crockpot recipe, I usually put it in with everything else but not at the very bottom and not too thinly sliced.

I add spinach to lots of stuff. it will be going in my lamb stew that is simmering now but I always add it at the very end. It just needs to wilt which doesn't take long.

Yup, if the cabbage is coarsely chopped (even the bagged stuff meant for coleslaw is fine, but don't get the angel hair kind), it holds up well in the crock pot. Word to the wise, the purple kind (though really healthy for you!) turns grey after a lot of cooking. It tastes just as good, it just looks weird.

How about hot veggie side dishes, KO? I made the "Swiss Cheesy Cauliflower" from www.allrecipes.com tonight. I used 2% milk instead of heavy cream, Smart Balance instead of butter, and WW pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. Reduced fat swiss cheese and you're done! Yum!

I've also made side dishes with broccoli and cauli and cheese, calabacitas (roam around online and you'll find a ton of versions...mess with them to find what you like best...this is a mexican dish including zucchini, summer squash, cheese, and rice. I use brown rice and LF cheese), butternut squash casseroles, the mock green bean casserole from the SBD cookbook, etc. Lots of things out there...just keep looking. They are fun and easy to make and taste SO good when it's cold outside!

I really don't like a lot of different veggies in my chili but I like regular side dish veggies. Yesterday for lunch, I steamed some snow pea pods to have with a hamburger. Last night, I cut up some zucchini, squash, and leeks, tossed them with some olive oil, topped with salt and pepper and put them in the oven. I know this isn't a "new" idea to do with veggies but they were really good as a side to steak dh made me.

Tonight I am having green beans and I plan to stir fry them with some garlic. I am hoping they will turn out a little bit like the ones you can get at the chinese restaurants. mmmm! I was also planning to make some soup, I just add whatever happens to be in the refridgerator at the time. I like meat in mine so leftover chicken cubes work well. I usually put at least half a head of cabbage, some chopped carrot (little pieces), a can of tomatoes, and them whatever else sounds good that I might have available. I don't really like soup so I put it as many veggies as I can and usually some tom. paste as well.