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-   -   We Love Fresh Vegetables Thread (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=463542)

Meme#1 Fri, Nov-14-14 01:00

We Love Fresh Vegetables Thread
 
I love eating a fresh vegetable every day and sometimes with a marinated salad like cucumbers.
I buy a big variety of veggies every week (along with all my fresh meats), some from a farmer and the rest from the grocery store.

I like the idea of organic, for the most part that is very hard to do considering the cost but also the constant availability is not there.

I would love to hear ideas about cooking, eating and if anybody would like to discuss the nutrition or just enjoyment of eating fresh vegetables, that would be great too!

ParisMama Fri, Nov-14-14 03:31

Nice idea for a thread.

I like veggies too, and try to eat a good (but seasonal) variety.

Right now in my fridge I have some cooked cabbage, cauliflower that needs a destination, half a cucumber, some old carrots that I'll make into a salad and feed my kids, and I always have tons of onions on hand. I'm heading to the market later today and hope to grab some kale and a few other things.

I've been making this a fair amount (well, I modify it to the ingredients on hand & my tastes, and drop the chickpeas) :
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archive...lad-recipe.html

My husband usually doesn't like cauliflower but this he eats with reckless abandon. Holds up well for several days (actually is better after 24 hours) and adapts readily to whatever herbs/oils/nuts & seeds you have on hand.

Nancy LC Fri, Nov-14-14 08:58

I've always got pre-washed salad greens ready to go. I've gotten fond of celery lately too, so some of that on top of a salad is always nice. And then I like making Thai cucumber salad. I haven't done that in ages, I really should again.

Judynyc Fri, Nov-14-14 09:13

I love eating a wide variety of veggies daily in my salads, sometimes I cook by steaming or roasting. I just put an article into my journal on building salads. The link is there is you'd like to see it.
Here is the section on veggies:
Quote:
Not enough veggie variety
Greens and veggies are the typical salad base, but if you’re keeping your selections narrow (e.g. just spinach or romaine) you’re missing out on important veggie benefits. One Colorado State University also found that over a two-week period, volunteers who downed a broader array of the exact same amount of produce (18 botanical families instead of 5) experienced significantly less oxidation, a marker for premature aging and disease. Another study, which evaluated more than 450,000 people and looked at their consumption of commonly eaten veggies found that regardless of quantity, the risk of lung cancer decreased when a wider variety of veggies were consumed. This may be because each plant contains unique types of antioxidants, nutrients, and natural cancer fighters, so a wider variety exposes your body to a broader spectrum of protection. To reap the benefits aim for at least two cups of veggies total, with lots of different colors, such as field greens, red tomatoes, purple cabbage, orange bell peppers, white onion…and keep changing up the variety.

Liz53 Fri, Nov-14-14 09:32

I love vegetables too. We joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this year and rendezvous with our farmers, Annie and Nathaniel, once week to pick up organically grown veggies picked that day or the day before. Doesn't get much better than that.

Unfortunately we are currently in root vegetable season and many of them do not play well with my blood sugar, so even though they are veggies, I have to limit them. I try to console myself with fresh picked chard, broccoli and cauliflower, lettuces and other greens along with the occasional carrots (which I do not have problems with as long as I keep quantities small). I know next summer my choices will again be abundant and I will eat even more.

Meme#1 Fri, Nov-14-14 09:52

ParisMom, I like your Cauliflower Salad recipe and since I just bought some new really higher grade Yoghurt to try out, the dressing is just perfect.
I'm going to try it.
I'll bet that's a great restaurant in San Francisco. I love restaurants that aren't corporate owned. So many of them aren't really cooking fresh but use Sysco Foods restaurant supply ingredients that only require warming up but not really cooking. This type of restaurant with real chefs and not just cooks is really hard to find these days.

Judy, Your post about the health benefits of all different veggies is exactly why I believe it is so important to include them all in a healthy diet.
My goal is loosing weight but with good nutrition in the process.
I love to alternate colors of veggies. For instance I might cook yellow squash with butter, parmesan cheese and then also have marinated cucumbers.
I fill the space on my plate where the starch used to sit, so to speak.
I've been planning my Thanksgiving veggies. Last year, my sister in law brought fresh green beans with toasted slivered almonds and caramelized onions and it was literally amazing, every bite was so full of flavor. I told her that this is her dish forever. She's been appointed green bean queen...

Liz, I haven't moved back into the root category yet simply because of the sugar/carb content.
CSAs are great. I used to belong to a fruit and veggie co-op which is much the same except we would go the farmers market at 4:00am to buy by the case and then come back to one of our houses and partition it up for the ladies to pick-up and drop off their money. There were 12 of us so we all alternated.

Bonnie OFS Fri, Nov-14-14 11:10

I tend to get in a rut & have green salad every day. It's easy & I like it. When broccoli & cauliflower are on sale - as they are this week, I get plenty & eat them both raw & cooked. I recently found out that a small amount of squash - which I love - doesn't mess up my BG, so I've been having a little of that.

I was given a huge squash & it's hard for 2 people to eat it up! I got so used to cooking for 4 that cooking for just the 2 of us is sometimes tricky.

I eat cucumbers from the farmer's market in season, but the winter grocery store version tastes bitter to me. The occasional celery, bell peppers, and mushrooms are always a nice addition.

Robin120 Fri, Nov-14-14 11:24

ooh great thread idea!

i always have these on hand for salads/ soups/ snacking on with dips:
lettuce
bell peppers
carrots and celery
onion

last week's veggy sides included:
roasted cauliflower "steaks"- they were a big hit
asparagus roasted with fresh shaved parmesan
that was it- was under the weather, so boyfriend made huge vats of chicken and veggy soup and new england clam chowder for other nights :)

jaywood Fri, Nov-14-14 11:29

I am a fan of veg that can be stir-fried (or sautéed) in good fats and garlic.

My go to are
Mushrooms,
asparagus tips
sugar snap peas
Spinach leaves
artichoke hearts

as well as the salad veg

I eat way more veg now than I ever did before going low carb :-)

Judynyc Fri, Nov-14-14 11:32

Has anyone roasted an entire head of cauliflower smothered in mayo and spices yet? I saw one and it looked really good. :yum:

Meme#1 Fri, Nov-14-14 12:11

I love Red Bell Pepper and they are so good in everything. Sometimes I chop a few to put in with my green beans or if I do an oven roasted batch of veggies I will use Zuccinni Squash, Red Bell Pepper, Mushrooms, Red onion or regular and garlic with olive oil.
I love to chop up red and green peppers to cook a little and then add to scrambled or omelet eggs in the mornings for something different.
Red Pepper is a great source of vitamin C and since orange juice is out, this is it...

Meme#1 Fri, Nov-14-14 13:37

Cauliflower Casserole is my favorite.
First I separate the florets and remove the big core and large stems.
Steam the cauliflower with a little water and lots of butter, garlic salt and white pepper.
I try to keep the florets enact.
I make sure that there isn't too much water when I add cream, butter and Parmesan cheese.
Turn mixture into a casserole dish and add more parmesan cheese on top but make sure that the top of the Cauliflower is moist before shaking on more Parmesan cheese. (You can use the green can one) Cover with foil and bake just until heated through. You can uncover toward the end if you want the top to brown a little.
Everybody including those not eating low-carb loves this dish. :yum:
Ingredients:
Cauliflower
Parmesan (green can)
Cream
Butter
Garlic salt
White pepper/or black if you don't have

Kristine Fri, Nov-14-14 14:04

I'm still floored every now and then when I realize that I was raised eating practically *zero* vegetables. We had potatoes, corn, peas and/or carrots once a week with Sunday dinner, but that was it. My mom would eat cauliflower and broccoli when she was dieting, and although I like them now, I still associate the smell of them cooking with unpleasant diet food.

Ha. Now, I can't even think of a veggie I won't eat. It was a long, slow transition with a lot of experimenting.

My tastes in veggies tend to vary with the seasons. I love salads and raw veggies with dip in summer, and soups and stews in winter.

I like them all enough that I just buy whatever's cheap in the grocery store flyers, and then figure out something to do with it! This week, finally, avocados are on sale again. I was starting to think there was a massive avocado crop failure, with the ridiculously high prices. (Yeah, I know, they're a fruit, but...) Mmmm... I think baked fish topped with guacamole will be on the menu this weekend; as will pumpkin sausage soup.

Meme#1 Fri, Nov-14-14 17:19

Hi Kristine, Did you say pumpkin sausage soup? YUM!
Can you share that one?
You know, back in the day fresh veggies weren't easy to find unless you knew a farmer.
I think our mothers just did the best they could because our family was like that too. Lots of canned corn, peas etc...Never fresh greens
I also had to teach myself how to cook veggies.
I always remember when I was about 23 asking my older neighbor lady how to cook cabbage.
Later in life my mother did cook fresh veggies almost every night for herself. I think it had a lot to do with availability and with globalization and all of the imported produce we have available to us these days coming from all over the world now, so we don't have to wait for it to come into season.

Merpig Fri, Nov-14-14 17:45

Here in Florida we can get all sorts of local fresh veggies over a pretty long season. I get most of my veggies from a local farm called Black Hog Farm. They also have pastured pork, beef, chicken and eggs. I do have to pay $12/month for membership but it's great to get freshly picked local produce. They deliver once a week - to certain areas they deliver directly to homes. I'm not in that area so for me they deliver to the local YMCA (less than 2 miles from my house) and I pick up there. For YMCA delivery you need to order at least $10.00 a week (not hard to do). In the last couple weeks I've gotten fresh spinach, kale, carrots - and one my personal favorites: Brussels sprouts! I peel them, dice them into quarters, and then saute (in fat of your choice) with garlic and slivered almonds. One of my faves, and so unlike the frozen-into-a-block-and-then-boiled-to-death Brussels sprouts I remember with a shudder from childhood. :D


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