Weight-Loss Ideas for cooking veggies?
- Thread starter WilTX
- Start date
Weight-Loss
brazenlysasse
New member
Hi WilTX ~ If KaraCooks stops in, she will give you some great recipe ideas 
For myself, I love to saute veggies quickly in a pan with a bit of veggie stock *or chicken* I don't over cook them so that they are still firm and have all their nutrients. Steaming is great, or even in parchment paper in the oven, baked.*parchment paper or tinfoil, add a little cooking spray, wash veggies and leave some of the water on them, place in center of paper or foil and fold up material of choice like a package. *a little bit of fat free dressing added to the veggies can be used for moisture and flavor* Bake at 350-375 til desired tenderness.
For myself, I love to saute veggies quickly in a pan with a bit of veggie stock *or chicken* I don't over cook them so that they are still firm and have all their nutrients. Steaming is great, or even in parchment paper in the oven, baked.*parchment paper or tinfoil, add a little cooking spray, wash veggies and leave some of the water on them, place in center of paper or foil and fold up material of choice like a package. *a little bit of fat free dressing added to the veggies can be used for moisture and flavor* Bake at 350-375 til desired tenderness.
Last edited:
brazenlysasse
New member
awesome, happy to help
KaraCooks
New member
So many things you can do. Personally I am not a big fan of cooked carrots unless they're in a soup or casserole, but some people really like them. That said ... here are some ideas.
Most veg can be roasted in the oven - toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and whatever spices you want, spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake them in a 400 oven for 20 mins - or even longer. Sometimes I like to cook mine until they're a few steps away from burnt - I like the crunchy bits. Broccoli does this really well in fact. And I love roasted cauliflower. Mmmm.
Or in a large non-stick skillet, put a little olive oil and a tiny bit of butter (for flavor) bring it up until it's sizzling. Throw in a little bit of chopped garlic, give it a quick stir, then throw in your veg. Stir them around and keep them moving for about 10 mins then eat as soon as possible. They'll be lightly cooked, but still crisp. When you take them off the heat, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on them to brighten up the flavor.
Of course you can make a soup - I do this with bags of frozen veg a lot. Start with stock or water or whatever - add in your veg of choice (I like the mixed bag of veg with carrots, peas, corn, and so forth), and bring to a low simmer. Add in some diced potato and right before it's done, add in a can of chicken breast meat. It's a good, rich chicken veg soup. You can also add in a 1/4 cup of brown rice or some pasta instead of the potato for a chicken and rice or chicken noodle with veg.
Oh another thing I love to do with cauliflower, especially the frozen kind: cook it in the microwave or steam it until it's falling apart tender. Then mash it up with some skim or low fat milk, or low fat sour cream, salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with low-fat cheese. Basically treat it like mashed potatoes - and put whatever you want on it. I love this in the winter.
If you do like cooked carrots, take your carrots and microwave them until they're slightly tender (but not all the way). Then in a non-stick skillet, put about 1tsp of butter (or butter substitute) and 1tbsp of honey. Set the heat to medium and just toss the carrots in the honey mix until they're glazed and hot. Maybe 5 mins, tossing or stirring constantly. You can add a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon or a 1/2 tsp of ginger to spice them up.
Ok, I'm outta here for now - gotta go meet someone. But I'll come back and post more ideas and a few real recipes rather than the "thrown together" stuff.
Personally I am not a big fan of cooked carrots unless they're in a soup or casserole, but some people really like them. That said ... here are some ideas.Most veg can be roasted in the oven - toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and whatever spices you want, spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake them in a 400 oven for 20 mins - or even longer. Sometimes I like to cook mine until they're a few steps away from burnt - I like the crunchy bits. Broccoli does this really well in fact. And I love roasted cauliflower. Mmmm.
Or in a large non-stick skillet, put a little olive oil and a tiny bit of butter (for flavor) bring it up until it's sizzling. Throw in a little bit of chopped garlic, give it a quick stir, then throw in your veg. Stir them around and keep them moving for about 10 mins then eat as soon as possible. They'll be lightly cooked, but still crisp. When you take them off the heat, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on them to brighten up the flavor.
Of course you can make a soup - I do this with bags of frozen veg a lot. Start with stock or water or whatever - add in your veg of choice (I like the mixed bag of veg with carrots, peas, corn, and so forth), and bring to a low simmer. Add in some diced potato and right before it's done, add in a can of chicken breast meat. It's a good, rich chicken veg soup. You can also add in a 1/4 cup of brown rice or some pasta instead of the potato for a chicken and rice or chicken noodle with veg.
Oh another thing I love to do with cauliflower, especially the frozen kind: cook it in the microwave or steam it until it's falling apart tender. Then mash it up with some skim or low fat milk, or low fat sour cream, salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with low-fat cheese. Basically treat it like mashed potatoes - and put whatever you want on it. I love this in the winter.
If you do like cooked carrots, take your carrots and microwave them until they're slightly tender (but not all the way). Then in a non-stick skillet, put about 1tsp of butter (or butter substitute) and 1tbsp of honey. Set the heat to medium and just toss the carrots in the honey mix until they're glazed and hot. Maybe 5 mins, tossing or stirring constantly. You can add a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon or a 1/2 tsp of ginger to spice them up.
Ok, I'm outta here for now - gotta go meet someone. But I'll come back and post more ideas and a few real recipes rather than the "thrown together" stuff.
WilTX
New member
Is this 'sauteing'?
brazenlysasse
New member
See, I told you Kara has great ideas...lol.
There are so many great recipes on the net, though i am a fan of cook books myself. For myself, i bought one that was diabetic based, but it has fantastic recipes and they basically follow the Canadian or American food guide and are low sugar.
When looking on line, just type in key words like Low fat recipes, low carb...whatever it is you are looking for. Epicurious has great recipes on line that are free
There are so many great recipes on the net, though i am a fan of cook books myself. For myself, i bought one that was diabetic based, but it has fantastic recipes and they basically follow the Canadian or American food guide and are low sugar.
When looking on line, just type in key words like Low fat recipes, low carb...whatever it is you are looking for. Epicurious has great recipes on line that are free
G
Guest
Guest
WOO HOO Great Idea's!!!
I like my food with a CrunCH too! I am one of those ppl that like burnt bacon. lol
So the crispy broccoli sounds like it is right up my alley...although I think I'd have to do it b4 I stuck it in the freezer...? cuz as soon as it thaws, it goes limp.
I'd like to try mushing my califlower though. That'd be tasssty!!!
I've lately been cutting up some of my veggies and than place them in ziploc bags in the freezer...they last much longer for me that way.
Once I bought that "Chef's Cooking Paper" instead of wax paper, but I guess now I know what I can do with it.
Great Thread btw!
I like my food with a CrunCH too! I am one of those ppl that like burnt bacon. lol
So the crispy broccoli sounds like it is right up my alley...although I think I'd have to do it b4 I stuck it in the freezer...? cuz as soon as it thaws, it goes limp.
I'd like to try mushing my califlower though. That'd be tasssty!!!
I've lately been cutting up some of my veggies and than place them in ziploc bags in the freezer...they last much longer for me that way.
Once I bought that "Chef's Cooking Paper" instead of wax paper, but I guess now I know what I can do with it.
Great Thread btw!
KaraCooks
New member
I always like my food on the ... crunchy ... side. When we order pizza (on the rare occasions) I always put a few pieces in the toaster oven and crisp them up and get the cheese all brown and bubbly on top.
I also like toast dark, and fried eggs with that little fringe of dark crust around them.
I'm weird.
I also like toast dark, and fried eggs with that little fringe of dark crust around them.
I'm weird.
RupertineRupert
New member
Great ideas in this thread.
I like to put a mix of vegetables in salads, but some vegetables are just a little too crisp for my taste in their raw forms. For example, I've never personally liked raw cauliflower or raw broccoli in salads. So I'll get a big pot of water boiling, and dunk any too-crisp veggies in the boiling water for a minute or two--just enough to get them a bit more tender, but not so much they get soft. After the minute or two is up, you pull them out with a strainer and immediately dunk them under cold water. That stops the cooking process, so they maintain their texture and color. The technique is called "blanching."
Then, I mix the blanched veggies in with my greens and whatever uncooked veggies I'm using, and toss the whole thing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe some shavings of Parmesan cheese or a bit of goat cheese if I feel like it.
I like to put a mix of vegetables in salads, but some vegetables are just a little too crisp for my taste in their raw forms. For example, I've never personally liked raw cauliflower or raw broccoli in salads. So I'll get a big pot of water boiling, and dunk any too-crisp veggies in the boiling water for a minute or two--just enough to get them a bit more tender, but not so much they get soft. After the minute or two is up, you pull them out with a strainer and immediately dunk them under cold water. That stops the cooking process, so they maintain their texture and color. The technique is called "blanching."
Then, I mix the blanched veggies in with my greens and whatever uncooked veggies I'm using, and toss the whole thing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe some shavings of Parmesan cheese or a bit of goat cheese if I feel like it.
KaraCooks
New member
One of the best books for learning to cook is Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything". It looks intimidating because it's a BIG book ... but it's actually a lot of very basic information. You can look up just about any food in the index and get information on how to cook it just plain, or how to incorporate it in recipes.
There's also a version called "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" which is awesome for veggie meals. You can get it on Amazon here:
There's also a version called "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" which is awesome for veggie meals. You can get it on Amazon here:
RupertineRupert
New member
For what it's worth, I find learning about cooking a very fun journey. And you get to eat your accomplishments.I find Alton Brown's show on Food Network, and his books I'm Just Here for the Food (on cooking) and I'm Just Here for the More Food (on baking) great resources, because he goes through the basic techniques available in some detail (then shows how to use those techniques in an assortment of recipes.) For me, his focus on the techniques themselves is nice, because then you can just improvise based on what ingredients are available.
Caution, though--Alton is Mr. Science in his approach to cooking, so if you don't want all the background--just some good recipes--you might find his books not to your taste. (Yes, pun intended.)
Good luck!
