I love meat BUT...need veggie ideas


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
My weight is up. Triglycerides are way too high. On statin drug. Bad knee has slowed aerobic exercise....

So, I enjoy brown rice (haven't bought the other varieties yet but will), dried beans, veggies, pasta. Doc wants to limit carbos but I want good carbs-whole grains. Salads are good too.

if I limit meat a few meals, I can enjoy them in other meals...a trade off not a give up.

Any healthier veggie ideas for a heavy cook?

Thanks
 
Bok Choy, lettuce, zucchini, mushrooms, artichokes, carrots,celery all do well very well on the grill. Get you a wok, you can make some very hearty meals on one with little meat and plenty on veggies. I use my wok all of the time to make veggie sides.
 
Steve,

One of my wife's favorite dishes can be sauteed in a wok or skillet. I vary the veggies and use whatever is freshest and available. I saute the following in a small amount of evoo:
chopped onion
sliced zuccmini
sliced yellow squash
fresh chopped tomatoes (or a can of diced if fresh not available)
sometimes I add whole okra

Whenever the veggies are done, I sprinlke with a good curry powder (Penzeys Maharaja is great - or any of their other powders). Stir and serve.

Ray
 
Steve,

My wife suggested that I add this dish - also very good without too much oil.

Ray

Braised Bok Choy

¾ to 1 cup chicken broth1 ½ inch piece ginger root cut into quarters (or 1/8 tsp. Ground ginger

2 lbs bok choy – cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces

salt to taste

3-4 TBS rice wine vinegar and 1 TSP. Hot pepper oil (or 1 TSP. olive oil with 5-6 dashes hot sauce) whisked together in small bowl


? Pour broth into large saute pan and add ginger, bok choy, and salt.


? Bring to boil, cover, and simmer until tender – 10 to 12 minutes


? When done, discard ginger and place bok choy on serving dish


? Sprinkle with vinegar and oil mixture



Note – if using baby bok choy, cut into halves (lengthwise) and cook until tender (14 to 18 minutes depending on size).
 
Another good source for vegatable recipes
(some that are quite different and tasty)

Get a cook book with recipes from India
(half a billion vegerarians might know a thing or three
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> My weight is up. Triglycerides are way too high </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I hear ya brother; been there done that. I've dropped 28 lbs since the end of Feb. Low/no-fat foods, no breads, grains, or bad starches and no alcohol
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. A little tough but doabe; you just have to be creative. Spices and herbs and grilling help.

Grilled romaine is nice w/ balsamic vin & a little parm cheese.
Asparagus!!!
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Many of the squash family is good grilled with onions. I still avoid rice, even brown, but will introduce it again after I've dropped about 10 more lbs.

I make a chicken with squash casserole that's pretty good IMO.

Diced chicken (breast for even less fat)
Zucchini/yellow squash, etc. sliced
Onions
Crushed tomatoes
baby bella mushrooms; sliced
A little parm cheese
Fat free mozzarella cheese, it's not that bad..
Dried basil and oregano
Fresh garlic
S&P
You don't have to brown the chicken if you don't want to but it does add a bit more flavor it you do.
I simmer the herbs and garlic in the crushed tomatoes to distribute the flavor and to thicken it.
Mix all ingredients including the parm, then sprinkle the ff mozz on top.
Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour until chicken is cooked through.
The veggies give off a lot of water so I don't foil.

Paul
 
Triglicerides are up also, loosing weight and the doctor has me taking one capsule of naicin per day, says it helps lower triglyceride levels. I'm by all means not a doctor, just thought you might inquire to your doc about and see if its something that he may suggest for you as well.
 
I had/have the same problem. I found chopping up some fennel bulb and tossing it in with mixed veg (peppers, squash/zucchini, onion, celery etc.) and serving that over some wholewheat pasta or rice limits the requirement for seasonings spec. salt and keeps stuff healthy and tasty.
 
How about grilled asparagus bundles, grilled radicchio, grilled bok choy, grilled leek, or grilled romaine? For asparagus, I trim the tips (save them for stock), and bundle them in packets of six. Tie them together with green onion tops and marinate in your favorite salad dressing (Italian, Caesar, or garlic herb are great) for an hour or two and then grill over direct coals for about 10 min turning frequently. Any of the others can be grilled by cutting in half lengthwise and thoroughly rinsing to remove any dirt. Drain them to remove the excess water. Turn them cut side up and sprinkle with good quality balsamic vinegar. Grill over direct coals (cut side up first) for 5-8 minutes and then flip and cook until you have good grill marks on the cut side.

Regards,

John
 
Steve, have you looked into quinoa (pronounced keen-wah)? It's a high-protein (complete protein) seed from the Andes. Lots of stores carry it. I get mine (the whole-grain type) from Trader Joe's or the bulk bins at Whole Paycheck. It's actually a seed, not a grain and is often used in place of rice and is considered one of the top ten or so healthiest foods. The tan variety is the most common. A little red quinoa mixed in is attractive.

It is very important to rinse it very well to remove the saponin, the plant's natural insect repellant on the outside of the seed; it doesn't taste good. The seeds are tiny. I usually submerge the grains in my finest strainer in a bowl of cool water and swish them around until the water becomes a little cloudy. Then pour off most of the water, pouring off the little remaining water with the escapees back through the strainer with the quinoa. I do this about 3 times. Use a proportion of 1 part quinoa to 1.5 parts water (broth preferred for flavor). Many recipes call for 1:2, but the grains won't be as fluffy and can turn mushy quickly. They should have a very slight crunch.

If you're interested in how to pressure cook quinoa, let me know. I thought I recall you mentioning a pressure cooker a while ago. Regardless, it doesn't take long to cook it anyway.

Here's a recipe from the back of the Trader Joe's box that is actually pretty decent (with a little help), quick and healthy: Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry with Quinoa, Peppers, & Basil. I used 1 cup (174 g) quinoa and 1 1/2 cups (356 g) chicken broth. To the broth I added 1 teaspoon BTB vegetable base instead of any salt. I seasoned the chicken before cooking and added some herbs to the vegetable mix. Next time I'll use b/l, s/l chicken thighs or brine the chicken tenders. Actually, I'd prefer to slice the chicken and marinate it (maybe in a Greek or Italian vinaigrette) and cook the dish as for an Asian stir-fry. Stir-fry chicken first, remove, and do the vegetables, then return the chicken with the cooked quinoa to heat through. Next time: some Aleppo chile. It couldn't have been too bad -- #1 grandson requested the leftovers for his school lunchbox tomorrow. He has an amazing palate for a 5-year-old, if I do say so myself. :rolleyes:

Forgot to mention that the quinoa also makes a good base for salads; quinoa tabbouleh is very popular.

Rita
 
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Rita,

I second the Quinioa idea. It is listed as a 'superfood' and is very popular with the heatlh food crowd. But don't let that fool you - it is also awesome! It has an interesting flavor and texture. My wife makes an outstanding tabouleh that the whole family loves with it.

Regards,

John
 
I look forward to where this thread will go. We have been grilling a lot of veggies over the last year and have not found many that we don't like grilled. Parsnips and Carrots are great together. Zuccuinni is better grilled than any other way.
 
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