What are some meals that are nearly all fruits & vegetables?
June 18, 2013 11:27 PM Subscribe
The other day I made a meal that was nearly all vegetables -- sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus, and an apple, arugula, and feta salad. It was a great meal and I didn't even realize until I was eating it that it was basically all vegetables, rather than my normal routine of basing a meal around a starch (although the sweet potato does have a lot of carbs). I'm looking for more full-meal ideas where vegetables make up a lion's share of the meal.
One of the problems with the all-vegetable meal was I got a bit hungry an hour or so after I ate it. So suggestions on stretching out a meal like this to be more filling would be helpful. Also, for dietary reasons each of these meals has to have a fair amount of starchy carbs in it, so for example in this meal above it was the sweet potato. The goal is not to be low carb (although the goal *is* to be healthy), so potatoes and other starchy options (like roasted root vegetables) are fine.
The main goal is to find meals where all the components go together really well, where the combinations are exciting, tasty, and harmonious.
I am not vegetarian or vegan, so recipes which include eggs, cheese, dairy, and small amounts of meat are A-okay. Also recipes involving grains and legumes are just fine; the goal is just not to have "something over rice/pasta" or "main course" with salad on the side -- I want the veggies to be the main course.
I do love stews and know they really lend themselves to vegetable-rich meals, but as it's summer now I'm definitely more interested in dishes which have a lighter feel. Also, recommendations featuring seasonal vegetables (in the mid-Atlantic area) are especially welcome.
These recipes do not need to necessarily be simple or humble. I'm willing to stretch myself a bit or seek out unusual ingredients.
One of the problems with the all-vegetable meal was I got a bit hungry an hour or so after I ate it. So suggestions on stretching out a meal like this to be more filling would be helpful. Also, for dietary reasons each of these meals has to have a fair amount of starchy carbs in it, so for example in this meal above it was the sweet potato. The goal is not to be low carb (although the goal *is* to be healthy), so potatoes and other starchy options (like roasted root vegetables) are fine.
The main goal is to find meals where all the components go together really well, where the combinations are exciting, tasty, and harmonious.
I am not vegetarian or vegan, so recipes which include eggs, cheese, dairy, and small amounts of meat are A-okay. Also recipes involving grains and legumes are just fine; the goal is just not to have "something over rice/pasta" or "main course" with salad on the side -- I want the veggies to be the main course.
I do love stews and know they really lend themselves to vegetable-rich meals, but as it's summer now I'm definitely more interested in dishes which have a lighter feel. Also, recommendations featuring seasonal vegetables (in the mid-Atlantic area) are especially welcome.
These recipes do not need to necessarily be simple or humble. I'm willing to stretch myself a bit or seek out unusual ingredients.
I often make curries or stir-fries. Those are pretty easy to make veg-centric, and if it's not too saucy then you really don't need to eat it over rice or with bread. Today I had a potato and spinach curry that was pretty good (I used collard greens instead of spinach and that worked well). A quick google search for potato spinach curry gives a number of variations.
posted by Lady Li at 11:40 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Lady Li at 11:40 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: As for the being hungry thing, I've been having a big plate of veges as a lunch lately and following out up with a protein shake. That keeps me full all afternoon. No recipes, I'm afraid, as I just pile lots of veges on a plate and microwave them. But I think you'd find good ideas looking at soups and maybe Korean recipes like bibimbap
posted by lollusc at 11:40 PM on June 18, 2013
posted by lollusc at 11:40 PM on June 18, 2013
Best answer: I find that incorporating more fat into a mostly veggie meal helps keep me full longer. If I'm trying to be healthy, that usually means avocado or full fat yogurt.
posted by asphericalcow at 11:47 PM on June 18, 2013
posted by asphericalcow at 11:47 PM on June 18, 2013
Best answer: We frequently eat a meal of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and hummus. Usually we have pitas and hard boiled eggs as well, but I think it could be filling without the pitas. It's a wonderfully refreshing light summer meal.
posted by charmcityblues at 11:59 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by charmcityblues at 11:59 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I think the key to this is having a variety of textures and flavors. So in your example, you've got soft/fluffy from the sweet potato, "roasty" and a bit chewy from the asparagus, crunchy and sweet from the apple, peppery and crunchy from the arugula, creamy and salty from the feta. The one flavor you're kind of missing is sour, although maybe your apple fit the bill.
As long as you can sort of checkbox off "sweet, salty, sour, roasty/umami, herby/peppery (bitter)" and "soft/fluffy, chewy, crunchy, creamy" you're going to come out feeling pretty satisfied. Thinking of composing meals that way can help you figure out what's missing and how to fill it in.
One thing I like to do is roast summer vegetables, like peppers and zucchini, with onions and garlic, and eat them not just on bread but also on lettuce leaves. (Basically anything you'd eat on crunchy bread can be swapped onto crunchy lettuce.) I like to have this with a salad I make which is basically just cucumbers and chickpeas with parsley and lemon. That covers my need for a contrast of flavors and textures, and it's also something that can be made ahead of time and eaten at room temperature. You could do a yogurt sauce on the salad, or some hard cheese on the roasted veggies, if that was a thing you were into.
posted by Mizu at 12:18 AM on June 19, 2013 [6 favorites]
As long as you can sort of checkbox off "sweet, salty, sour, roasty/umami, herby/peppery (bitter)" and "soft/fluffy, chewy, crunchy, creamy" you're going to come out feeling pretty satisfied. Thinking of composing meals that way can help you figure out what's missing and how to fill it in.
One thing I like to do is roast summer vegetables, like peppers and zucchini, with onions and garlic, and eat them not just on bread but also on lettuce leaves. (Basically anything you'd eat on crunchy bread can be swapped onto crunchy lettuce.) I like to have this with a salad I make which is basically just cucumbers and chickpeas with parsley and lemon. That covers my need for a contrast of flavors and textures, and it's also something that can be made ahead of time and eaten at room temperature. You could do a yogurt sauce on the salad, or some hard cheese on the roasted veggies, if that was a thing you were into.
posted by Mizu at 12:18 AM on June 19, 2013 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Along the same lines as charmcityblues, we often have misc vegetable sticks with this dressing/dip as a summer meal (usually when we've had a large meal during the day and want something snacky in the evening). Incredibly easy, very moreish and with wide appeal - my vego friends rave about it, and my meat loving partner will eat pretty much any amount of raw veggies if he can dip them in this stuff!
posted by Cheese Monster at 12:34 AM on June 19, 2013
posted by Cheese Monster at 12:34 AM on June 19, 2013
Stuffed aubergine with a roast veg cous cous works well, giving a host of different veggie flavours plus a lump of carbs.
posted by biffa at 12:48 AM on June 19, 2013
posted by biffa at 12:48 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: I've posted this recipe here before, and it's still one of my standbys. Tourlou-Tourlou is pretty much all vegetables, tastes great, the smell is to swoon for, colorful and savory, it really hits all the notes for me. It's a summer harvest dish, everything is in season right now.
posted by evariste at 12:48 AM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by evariste at 12:48 AM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Grilled eggplant salad:
- grill slices of eggplant on a ridged griddle pan
- grill other vegetables too if you want - peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and asparagus are great. Make a large mixed salad - romaine, baby spinach,cucumber, tomatoes, whatever you like.
- make a light vinaigrette using lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh mint.
- dip the grilled eggplant slices in the vinaigrette. The spongy vegetable will absorb the dressing. Place this on top of your salad and drizzle a little vinaigrette on the salad leaves (not too much, the eggplant will have enough dressing on it).
- crumble feta cheese over the top and, if you like them, some black olives.
Yum!
Watermelon mint salad
- Cut up seedless watermelon into 1/2" cubes.
- Place on a bed of rocket (arugula)
- Add a bunch of finely chopped mint
- Add chopped feta
- Toss with a basic lemon vinaigrette (or a light dressing of your choice).
You can substitute other things in this salad as long as you keep to the combination of sweet/crunchy/salty/bitter/aromatic. So you could use Pink Lady apples instead of watermelon, spinach for arugula, cilantro or basil for mint, etc.
posted by essexjan at 2:05 AM on June 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
- grill slices of eggplant on a ridged griddle pan
- grill other vegetables too if you want - peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and asparagus are great. Make a large mixed salad - romaine, baby spinach,cucumber, tomatoes, whatever you like.
- make a light vinaigrette using lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and chopped fresh mint.
- dip the grilled eggplant slices in the vinaigrette. The spongy vegetable will absorb the dressing. Place this on top of your salad and drizzle a little vinaigrette on the salad leaves (not too much, the eggplant will have enough dressing on it).
- crumble feta cheese over the top and, if you like them, some black olives.
Yum!
Watermelon mint salad
- Cut up seedless watermelon into 1/2" cubes.
- Place on a bed of rocket (arugula)
- Add a bunch of finely chopped mint
- Add chopped feta
- Toss with a basic lemon vinaigrette (or a light dressing of your choice).
You can substitute other things in this salad as long as you keep to the combination of sweet/crunchy/salty/bitter/aromatic. So you could use Pink Lady apples instead of watermelon, spinach for arugula, cilantro or basil for mint, etc.
posted by essexjan at 2:05 AM on June 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
I am a reluctant and lazy-ass cook who mostly survives on salads, and this recipe has completely changed my life. I make a massive pot of it weekly and it's delicious, umami, filling, and you can customize the veggies and spices to make it Italian (mozzarella, oregano and basil), Greek (feta, lemon and oregano), Moroccan (Ras El Hanout), Japanese (soy, miso), etc.
Crispy Quinoa Bake
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup onion, diced (about 1 medium)
1//2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.
Seriously, this single recipe has changed my life. It's bright, colorful, filling and OH SO NOM.
posted by kinetic at 3:50 AM on June 19, 2013 [26 favorites]
Crispy Quinoa Bake
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup onion, diced (about 1 medium)
1//2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.
Seriously, this single recipe has changed my life. It's bright, colorful, filling and OH SO NOM.
posted by kinetic at 3:50 AM on June 19, 2013 [26 favorites]
Roasting vegetables with olive oil and garlic puree is a great way to go. Apart from cabbages every veg I can think of works. Another lovely way to go is pakora, any veg works provide you slice fine as you would for stir fry.
posted by BenPens at 5:16 AM on June 19, 2013
posted by BenPens at 5:16 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: Aioli garni is a very tasty idea.
Think along the lines of stuffing vegetables with vegetables -- put a cheesy zucchini saute in a tomato and bake it, soubise in mushroom caps, duxelles in peppers, etc. As with twice-baked potatoes, where you scoop the baked potato centre out, season it, and return it to the potato shell for another go in the oven, that that technique works for other veg.
Baked onions are a delicious thing one doesn't see enough of. Good with butter, good with balsamic vinegar, good with cheese.
I am a vegetarian (life-long) and while it seems quite normal to me to eat a meal of plants, I would not do it without the assistance of butter. Fat is filling and makes food taste good; don't fall for anti-butter food faddishness, butter liberally. Sometimes I like a 'boiled dinner' with fairly mundane veg (cabbage, potatoes, carrots, leeks, etc) prepared in very boring fashion (don't overboil); what makes it good is the veg all being very fresh, very good specimens of its kind, and no skimping on the butter. Clip a little chart of what veg is in season when to your fridge, know thy greengrocer.
Some of my favourite restaurants are steakhouses; you can get a delicious meal out of the side dishes at a better steak place -- plates heaped with asparagus with hollandaise, creamed spinach, really good onion rings, tomato salad; it's perfect.
posted by kmennie at 5:31 AM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Think along the lines of stuffing vegetables with vegetables -- put a cheesy zucchini saute in a tomato and bake it, soubise in mushroom caps, duxelles in peppers, etc. As with twice-baked potatoes, where you scoop the baked potato centre out, season it, and return it to the potato shell for another go in the oven, that that technique works for other veg.
Baked onions are a delicious thing one doesn't see enough of. Good with butter, good with balsamic vinegar, good with cheese.
I am a vegetarian (life-long) and while it seems quite normal to me to eat a meal of plants, I would not do it without the assistance of butter. Fat is filling and makes food taste good; don't fall for anti-butter food faddishness, butter liberally. Sometimes I like a 'boiled dinner' with fairly mundane veg (cabbage, potatoes, carrots, leeks, etc) prepared in very boring fashion (don't overboil); what makes it good is the veg all being very fresh, very good specimens of its kind, and no skimping on the butter. Clip a little chart of what veg is in season when to your fridge, know thy greengrocer.
Some of my favourite restaurants are steakhouses; you can get a delicious meal out of the side dishes at a better steak place -- plates heaped with asparagus with hollandaise, creamed spinach, really good onion rings, tomato salad; it's perfect.
posted by kmennie at 5:31 AM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm not a vegulon by any stripe myself, but I am a big fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's cookbooks and website. Tons of really veg-forward recipes.
Since it is summertime, I just recently made this ratatouille and it was AMAZING. Related (since after I made the ratatouille, I got hungry for more eggplant) is this stew. I had the ratatouille with some couscous (add a little lemon and mint to it, too!) and the stew with some rice.
Good summertime salad: corn (fresh and roasted/grilled if you can), tomatoes, avocado, onion and garlic, lime juice and cumin. Also nice mixed with some quinoa or couscous if you want to bulk it out some.
posted by whitneyarner at 5:35 AM on June 19, 2013
Since it is summertime, I just recently made this ratatouille and it was AMAZING. Related (since after I made the ratatouille, I got hungry for more eggplant) is this stew. I had the ratatouille with some couscous (add a little lemon and mint to it, too!) and the stew with some rice.
Good summertime salad: corn (fresh and roasted/grilled if you can), tomatoes, avocado, onion and garlic, lime juice and cumin. Also nice mixed with some quinoa or couscous if you want to bulk it out some.
posted by whitneyarner at 5:35 AM on June 19, 2013
Roasted brussel sprouts are a great side to a lot of veggie-full dishes: cut off the ends, cut them in half, mix with olive oil and generous salt, pop in the oven at 420 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning them over once in the middle.
posted by Pwoink at 6:47 AM on June 19, 2013
posted by Pwoink at 6:47 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: Came here to recommend ratatouille, although I see that whitneyarner has beat me to it! But that is a great thing to make for summer.
Since you're okay with eggs, I'm a big fan of frittatas, which are pretty much crustless quiches. These are great for using leftover bits and pieces of vegetables. Right now, I've got a zucchini and carrot frittata in the oven for breakfast.
If you have a mandoline, you can make some interesting salads by slicing fruit and vegetables incredibly thin.
The key to filling up from a vegetable meal is adding fat (in the form of avocado, butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc) and/or protein (I like eggs, fish, and thinly-sliced steak). I find eggplant, mushrooms, and root vegetables to be the most filling.
posted by therumsgone at 6:56 AM on June 19, 2013
Since you're okay with eggs, I'm a big fan of frittatas, which are pretty much crustless quiches. These are great for using leftover bits and pieces of vegetables. Right now, I've got a zucchini and carrot frittata in the oven for breakfast.
If you have a mandoline, you can make some interesting salads by slicing fruit and vegetables incredibly thin.
The key to filling up from a vegetable meal is adding fat (in the form of avocado, butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc) and/or protein (I like eggs, fish, and thinly-sliced steak). I find eggplant, mushrooms, and root vegetables to be the most filling.
posted by therumsgone at 6:56 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: Do you have a grill and do you like beets?
(you need: aluminum pan, beets, carrots, onions, olive oil, salt & pepper + a grill.)
Heat your grill to 400-500 range. If you have a gas grill with 3 heating bars, turn off the middle bar after you reach temperature. You want the grill to stay in the low 400s once you put the pan on.
Peel beets & carrots. Cut beets into thirds or quarters, cut carrots but keep the pieces larger. Cut onion into quarters.
Toss everything into an aluminum pan with higher sides -you can spray the pan with Pam but I like to deglaze the pan later so go with your preference.
Add olive oil to lightly coat
Add Salt & Pepper
Cover with aluminum foil and leave on the grill for at least an hour but you'll probably need another 30-45 minutes.
The result: you end up with something that tastes like roast beef with potatoes, onions and carrots but without using any meat.
(You can add red wine, balsamic vinegar, substitute sweet potatoes or regular potatoes for the beets or add either potato. Maybe experiment adding an herb in the last 10 minutes on the grill - I'm still playing with this recipe. Hm I think if you put the potatoes in the pan first - cut in half and face down for 20 minutes before adding the rest, you'd probably get a good result)
posted by jaimystery at 7:07 AM on June 19, 2013
(you need: aluminum pan, beets, carrots, onions, olive oil, salt & pepper + a grill.)
Heat your grill to 400-500 range. If you have a gas grill with 3 heating bars, turn off the middle bar after you reach temperature. You want the grill to stay in the low 400s once you put the pan on.
Peel beets & carrots. Cut beets into thirds or quarters, cut carrots but keep the pieces larger. Cut onion into quarters.
Toss everything into an aluminum pan with higher sides -you can spray the pan with Pam but I like to deglaze the pan later so go with your preference.
Add olive oil to lightly coat
Add Salt & Pepper
Cover with aluminum foil and leave on the grill for at least an hour but you'll probably need another 30-45 minutes.
The result: you end up with something that tastes like roast beef with potatoes, onions and carrots but without using any meat.
(You can add red wine, balsamic vinegar, substitute sweet potatoes or regular potatoes for the beets or add either potato. Maybe experiment adding an herb in the last 10 minutes on the grill - I'm still playing with this recipe. Hm I think if you put the potatoes in the pan first - cut in half and face down for 20 minutes before adding the rest, you'd probably get a good result)
posted by jaimystery at 7:07 AM on June 19, 2013
I love rattatouille (sp!), which is eggplant mixed with other veggies and a few herbs -- filling and tasty on its own, transcendent with just a little goat cheese.
Also, to help with fillingness, you can try to add some protein. A little meat goes a long way on both flavor and fillingness, especially if you, say, stir-fry in a healthy oil. Alternatively, some nuts are a nice addition to many vegetable recipes, whether it's just sprinkling some walnuts into a salad or adding almonds or cashews to your stir-fry. All of that helps with satiety; good fats and proteins will keep your body on a more even keel. (Healthy fats include, say, olive and coconut oils, avacados, things with Omega-3 predominance.)
posted by acm at 7:22 AM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, to help with fillingness, you can try to add some protein. A little meat goes a long way on both flavor and fillingness, especially if you, say, stir-fry in a healthy oil. Alternatively, some nuts are a nice addition to many vegetable recipes, whether it's just sprinkling some walnuts into a salad or adding almonds or cashews to your stir-fry. All of that helps with satiety; good fats and proteins will keep your body on a more even keel. (Healthy fats include, say, olive and coconut oils, avacados, things with Omega-3 predominance.)
posted by acm at 7:22 AM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Gado gado can be as elaborate as you want to make it and very tasty. Apart from the vegetables and peanut sauce you can add some boiled eggs.
Ful medames is mainly fava beans and is improbably delicious. Add lots of olive oil and lemon juice, lots of parsley, nigella seeds, chopped tomatoes, pickled chilli and preserved lemon. Again boiled eggs are common but I tend to leave them out. It seems perfect as is, eat with a little bit of flat bread. This may not be as vegetabley as you are looking for.
Since I hear it's getting summery over there, my go to Summer pile o'plants is Vietnamese style coleslaw. I usually shred some poached chicken through it and when I can't be bothered making a dressing I use bought Vietnamese dipping sauce instead. Buying bags of shredded veggies makes it really easy to assemble too.
All of these suggestions suck without linked recipes but I'm on very slow internets right now. Apologies.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 7:43 AM on June 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ful medames is mainly fava beans and is improbably delicious. Add lots of olive oil and lemon juice, lots of parsley, nigella seeds, chopped tomatoes, pickled chilli and preserved lemon. Again boiled eggs are common but I tend to leave them out. It seems perfect as is, eat with a little bit of flat bread. This may not be as vegetabley as you are looking for.
Since I hear it's getting summery over there, my go to Summer pile o'plants is Vietnamese style coleslaw. I usually shred some poached chicken through it and when I can't be bothered making a dressing I use bought Vietnamese dipping sauce instead. Buying bags of shredded veggies makes it really easy to assemble too.
All of these suggestions suck without linked recipes but I'm on very slow internets right now. Apologies.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 7:43 AM on June 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Pasta Primavera is a summer favorite of mine. There are a million different ways of making it. Here's a light version. Here is a classic richer version.
You can use whole wheat pasta, regular pasta, gluten free pasta, it's very versitile. Also, throw as many veggies in there as you like, in whatever combination you like. Peas and sundried tomatoes are pretty great in it.
This is my go-to recipe for cleaning out the produce bin and getting rid of a bunch of half-used bags of frozen veggies.
Another fun option is to do Fried Rice, with cubed veggies. The trick is to use cold, left-over rice. There's something about the way the starches firm up that make it so perfect.
Chop up whatever veggies you want to use in cubes. Sweet onion, peas, carrots, squash, bean sprouts, green onion, etc.
Sautee the veggies in a mixture of sesame and peanut (or other light oil) for extra yummy flavor, throw in some fresh, grated ginger and a crushed garlic clove. Don't let any of it burn! When the veggies are done move them to the sides of the wok/pan, scramble an egg and fry it in a touch of oil and soy sauce in the middle of the pan, break it up into small pieces. Add the cold rice and toss with a bit more oil and soy sauce. Add any left over meat you may have, or not.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:58 AM on June 19, 2013
You can use whole wheat pasta, regular pasta, gluten free pasta, it's very versitile. Also, throw as many veggies in there as you like, in whatever combination you like. Peas and sundried tomatoes are pretty great in it.
This is my go-to recipe for cleaning out the produce bin and getting rid of a bunch of half-used bags of frozen veggies.
Another fun option is to do Fried Rice, with cubed veggies. The trick is to use cold, left-over rice. There's something about the way the starches firm up that make it so perfect.
Chop up whatever veggies you want to use in cubes. Sweet onion, peas, carrots, squash, bean sprouts, green onion, etc.
Sautee the veggies in a mixture of sesame and peanut (or other light oil) for extra yummy flavor, throw in some fresh, grated ginger and a crushed garlic clove. Don't let any of it burn! When the veggies are done move them to the sides of the wok/pan, scramble an egg and fry it in a touch of oil and soy sauce in the middle of the pan, break it up into small pieces. Add the cold rice and toss with a bit more oil and soy sauce. Add any left over meat you may have, or not.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:58 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: Three options that I love to make a big batch of and then eat for lunch/dinner:
Greek lentil casserole
Quinoa stuffed peppers
Baked sweet potato black bean flautas
Yum!
posted by quietta at 10:45 AM on June 19, 2013
Greek lentil casserole
Quinoa stuffed peppers
Baked sweet potato black bean flautas
Yum!
posted by quietta at 10:45 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: I eat a lot of cauliflower "rice". You basically shred a head of cauliflower with a grater and either microwave or cook in a skillet for a few minutes. I use it for fried rice too, adding in other veggies and protein (tofu in my case).
Eat to Live is a diet/weight loss book that's suggests a vegan meal planned based around eating a ton of vegetables--some of the recipes might be useful to you. Lots can be found here. I am not a vegan, but I like a lot of these recipes since they have lots of vegetables, and I can add in things like eggs or dairy if I want. Broccoli slaw stir fry with tofu and Zucchini "Noodles" with Sesame Dressing are two I've made recently that I really liked. I added some chickpeas and more sesame oil to the zucchini noodle recipe to make it more filling.
Some other filling additions to salads are avocado, nuts, olive oil, hardboiled egg, chickpeas or beans.
posted by inertia at 11:22 AM on June 19, 2013
Eat to Live is a diet/weight loss book that's suggests a vegan meal planned based around eating a ton of vegetables--some of the recipes might be useful to you. Lots can be found here. I am not a vegan, but I like a lot of these recipes since they have lots of vegetables, and I can add in things like eggs or dairy if I want. Broccoli slaw stir fry with tofu and Zucchini "Noodles" with Sesame Dressing are two I've made recently that I really liked. I added some chickpeas and more sesame oil to the zucchini noodle recipe to make it more filling.
Some other filling additions to salads are avocado, nuts, olive oil, hardboiled egg, chickpeas or beans.
posted by inertia at 11:22 AM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: Shakshuka! Seasonal vegetable tacos. Bean salads. (My favorite is with white beans, summer tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and chopped red onion.) Quiche that's mostly vegetables with only a little egg, like this one. The wide and wonderful world of mayo-less potato salads. (Spring potato salad with asparagus and radishes; romesco potatoes.) Vegetable fritters of various kinds; traditional potato latkes, but also pretty much any other vegetable. I don't know if this is exactly within your parameters, but garlic soup. So good. The lemon juice is important.
Finally, I could eat Hasselback potatoes not just for a meal but for all meals.
posted by ostro at 2:00 PM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Finally, I could eat Hasselback potatoes not just for a meal but for all meals.
posted by ostro at 2:00 PM on June 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
It is winter here so I am making things like pasta e fagioli, mushroom barley soup, etc. Pasta e fagioli is one of my faves because it is a one-pot meal, is delicious and usually makes enough for leftovers to take for lunch, etc. This is my modified recipe.
1 med/large onion, diced
1 large carrot or 2 smaller, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chilli, minced or good shake of chilli flakes to taste
1 tin crushed/whole tomatoes (crushed are easier because you don't then have to crush them)
1 tin each of kidney beans, borlotti beans and cannelini (also beans)
2 stock cubes
ditalini pasta
salt & pepper
parmesan on top
*optionals: rocket (arugula), celery, green beans, chopped fresh parsley/basil - see instructions below
Chop veg, sauté carrot and onion in a large soup-sized pot. Low heat, burning bad. (If you like celery - I do not - you can also add a couple of sticks of diced celery here.) When they are turning golden, add the garlic and chilli (and chopped fresh parsley/basil if you have it) and cook a minute or two more. Add the tinned tomatoes with juice. Open the tins of beans and drain well in a colander; also boil a full kettle. When kettle is boiled, add most of it (um, about 1.5 litres? I eyeball it.) plus the beans and stock cubes. If you are using fresh beans, chuck them in too. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Then add the ditalini (again, I eyeball this, I think it's about 100g or so). Bring to a boil again, if you are using the rocket stir that in. Turn down the heat a bit and cook until the pasta is done, about 20 min or so. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and top with shaved parmesan. Preferably not that nasty allegedly parmesan-flavoured powder out of a cardboard tin, which is not parmesan.
You can vary according to what you like, what's in season, etc. The essentials are pantry residents, so you can always have the ingredients on hand. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid so leftovers will be mushier than the original cooking, but still tasty.
Favourite summer salad:
1 tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato or several cherry tomatoes, chopped finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
olive oil
salt & pepper
lemon juice
Dump the chickpeas in a bowl. Add the finely chopped tomato. In a mortar & pestle, grind the coriander & cumin until you have a rough powder, tip that in. Add chili, salt & pepper, a healthy dash of olive oil and lemon juice (if you use real, 1 lemon works, otherwise a good squirt from the bottle of lemon juice is fine), stir to mix. YUM.
A lazy dinner for me is to put some rice in the rice cooker, nuke some frozen veg in the microwave (usually mix of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, beans/snow peas). Mix the veg with some cubed tofu. In a small bowl, mix up soy sauce, chilli, peanut butter, a bit of sesame oil - this varies according to what asian-type sauces you have around, sometimes have added hoisin/oyster sauce too. Pour that over veg & tofu, have on top of rice. Easy.
As others have said, protein helps with the fullness. Beans/chickpeas, whole grains, quinoa, tofu, nuts, all these things will help fill you up and are vego and good for you.
posted by Athanassiel at 7:21 PM on June 19, 2013
1 med/large onion, diced
1 large carrot or 2 smaller, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chilli, minced or good shake of chilli flakes to taste
1 tin crushed/whole tomatoes (crushed are easier because you don't then have to crush them)
1 tin each of kidney beans, borlotti beans and cannelini (also beans)
2 stock cubes
ditalini pasta
salt & pepper
parmesan on top
*optionals: rocket (arugula), celery, green beans, chopped fresh parsley/basil - see instructions below
Chop veg, sauté carrot and onion in a large soup-sized pot. Low heat, burning bad. (If you like celery - I do not - you can also add a couple of sticks of diced celery here.) When they are turning golden, add the garlic and chilli (and chopped fresh parsley/basil if you have it) and cook a minute or two more. Add the tinned tomatoes with juice. Open the tins of beans and drain well in a colander; also boil a full kettle. When kettle is boiled, add most of it (um, about 1.5 litres? I eyeball it.) plus the beans and stock cubes. If you are using fresh beans, chuck them in too. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Then add the ditalini (again, I eyeball this, I think it's about 100g or so). Bring to a boil again, if you are using the rocket stir that in. Turn down the heat a bit and cook until the pasta is done, about 20 min or so. Season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and top with shaved parmesan. Preferably not that nasty allegedly parmesan-flavoured powder out of a cardboard tin, which is not parmesan.
You can vary according to what you like, what's in season, etc. The essentials are pantry residents, so you can always have the ingredients on hand. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid so leftovers will be mushier than the original cooking, but still tasty.
Favourite summer salad:
1 tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato or several cherry tomatoes, chopped finely
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
olive oil
salt & pepper
lemon juice
Dump the chickpeas in a bowl. Add the finely chopped tomato. In a mortar & pestle, grind the coriander & cumin until you have a rough powder, tip that in. Add chili, salt & pepper, a healthy dash of olive oil and lemon juice (if you use real, 1 lemon works, otherwise a good squirt from the bottle of lemon juice is fine), stir to mix. YUM.
A lazy dinner for me is to put some rice in the rice cooker, nuke some frozen veg in the microwave (usually mix of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, beans/snow peas). Mix the veg with some cubed tofu. In a small bowl, mix up soy sauce, chilli, peanut butter, a bit of sesame oil - this varies according to what asian-type sauces you have around, sometimes have added hoisin/oyster sauce too. Pour that over veg & tofu, have on top of rice. Easy.
As others have said, protein helps with the fullness. Beans/chickpeas, whole grains, quinoa, tofu, nuts, all these things will help fill you up and are vego and good for you.
posted by Athanassiel at 7:21 PM on June 19, 2013
Best answer: A big bowl of gazpacho is surprisingly filling. It can be topped with cut up hard boiled eggs, cooked shrimp or pieces of chicken, feta cheese and olives or avocado slices. I make a big batch and eat it throughout the week.
posted by lemonwheel at 12:07 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by lemonwheel at 12:07 AM on June 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by scody at 11:36 PM on June 18, 2013