vegetable seasonings
 

Lately I've discovered that I love frozen green beans! :carrot: Great news as they're low-cal.

Unfortunately, the only way I know to season them is a little butter and salt. I'm not watching my sodium, but the butter... I only add about a tablespoon of butter for a whole bag of green beans, but if I eat a lot of green beans, there's 100 extra calories...

How do YOU flavor your vegetables? I COULD just eat them plain but then I feel deprived... like I'm on a "diet"... which I know tends to derail me. Is there anything similar to butter that's lower in cals but still tastes good? Or any tasty seasonings that will make vegetables less plain?

Thanks for advice! :)

I toss frozen green beans with a little olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and fresh cracked black pepper, then roast at high heat till they are slightly shriveled :T You'll still get calories from the fat, but at least it's a good fat, and it doesn't take much.

Mm.. thanks for the advice, Suzanne! That sounds really good :)

Yeah, I really love them roasted within an inch of their lives. It makes me pop them like candy :)

Instead of salt in the water, I use chicken bouillon powder. It adds few calories but gives almost a buttery taste without the greasy feel. Of course most have MSG, but if this makes me eat a ton of veggies and I am not sensitive, I am cool with it.

Great tip Tommy. I'll have to buy some for sure -- I don't really care about MSG either, it's worth it to be able to crave vegetables.

Another vote for roasting here.

Green beans are also really good stir-fried until they start to blacken, with red pepper strips. I spray my wok with a mister filled with olive oil, then add the peppers and beans. Once everything gets slightly blistered, I add a dash of tamari and two drops of sesame oil. They're a huge hit in my house.

Have you tried Butter Buds?

I love my frozen green beans sauteed with low-sodium soya sauce, lemon juice and a little bit of olive oil. YUM.

Fry 'em up in a little olive oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper. Even my kids love 'em! We like the bags of whole frozen ones by Green Giant.

Soy sauce <3 very low cals & yummy! <3

I keep a bunch of sauces and such on hand. Some of my favorites:

• Frozen green beans: microwave for a couple minutes, then toss in a few slivered almonds and salt/pepper
• Jicama: shred/julienne, and dress with lime juice and a sprinkle of cayenne
• Baby carrots: microwave until tender crisp, mix a dressing of greek yogurt and a spoonful of your favorite curry paste, mix together with carrots, refrigerate
• shredded cabbage or broccoli "slaw": nuke for 30 seconds (just to wilt a little), dress with vinegrette, refrigerate
• Green beans again: nuke, dress with Thai peanut sauce
• Cabbage again: stir fry with a bit of bacon or ham for flavor
• Almost any veg: stir fry with a teaspoonful of sesame seeds, then sprinkle a little sesame oil over before serving
• Greens: stir fry with garlic and a pinch of red pepper, finish with a sprinkle of lemon or lime juice

I like to stew a big pot of green beans with canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, white wine and olive oil until soft.

Sometimes I dress them with a bit of low cal dressing after they're hot. Very good and gives lots of flavor. A little goes a long way.

Try various different vinegars. Balsamic-regular or white, sherry, or citrus champagne are really good on green beans and you don't need to add fat--or maybe just a spray of olive oil.