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I've noticed that I tend to eat a lot of "X with potatoes", "X with rice", and "X with pasta". Which gets a little boring in the long run, not to mention sticking to the ribs. Are there any good sides that don't involve one of these three, or are interesting variations on them? Today I'm having cube steak and fried eggplant, which looks to be good, but Princesska says she doesn't like eggplant. Please give me your suggestions!
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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My spouse was diagnosed with Diabetes Type II, and we've cut back on carbs with a high glycemic index. Some things that have been good as sides:
Thin-sliced zucchini sauteed with tomato Sweet potato (is okay for him) Spaghetti squash Cole slaw Cold marinated vegetables (cauliflower, carrot, etc.) Lightly sauteed spinach with lemon juice Shredded seared butternut squash Green beens with roasted garlic Stuffed roasted green peppers with "Spanish rice" (tomato-based, made with brown rice) Baba ghanouj Grilled asparagus Steamed broccoli with a touch of cheddar
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I've started making mashed cauliflower with a bit of garlic and butter on occasion. The kids haven't figured out it's not potatoes yet, mostly because I've managed to keep them out of the kitchen when I'm cooking.
I love love love sweet potatoes and acorn squash. And french-cut green beans. And broccoli (which is especially funny because I could not stand the stuff until I was pregnant with the 10 year old).
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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This is by far your worst heresy yet KOM! Rice NEVER gets boring.
Have you considered having some sort of pastry on the side? Maybe some delicious french bread? Honestly if you get a good bread machine and make your own, it tastes FAR better then any loaf you can buy at the store.
Soups? Grilled cheese with tomato soup on the side is a winning combination.
Seriously though, about rice, most people do not realize it goes great with so much more then what is typically seen at a restaurant.
Rice + Stew = AMAZING (as in dish up a bowl of rice and spread the stew over it). Split pea, lentil, a hearty beef stew, all go GREAT with rice, it thickens em and makes it feel far more satisfying.
Most stroganoff goes great with rice, as does Swedish meatballs.
Also don't make the mistake of believing all rice is equal. Chinese rice is not Indian rice is not Mexican rice etc. Personally Chinese/Indian rice is the way to go, Ill put up with Mexican rice but honestly Chinese rice goes best with the above things I listed. It absorbs alot more taste and it just tastes better IMO. Try to get a hold of some Indian or Chinese rice if you can KOM and test the waters.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Have you tried couscous? It's quick and easy too.
Something we have recently found is boil-in-the-bag barley. In France is marketed as 'Ebli' and when we do over-the-border shoppong trips, we stock up.
My wife also makes a ratatouille with cougettes, peppers and onion which makes a great side dish for most types of X, although it's a little strong for fish.
You could also try Schwartz Pilau rice mix to spice up a bowl of rice, maybe adding a couple of cardomoms for the surprise factor...
posted
Couscous is good and easy to make. I'd also second some sort of pasty. Sometimes I make meat pie pastys and just freeze them. I make a couple dozen and then I'll snag one out of the freezer whenever I want a good side dish or a snack between meals.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Sauteed spinach, mashed cauliflower, steamed asparagus, and sliced zucchini or yellow squash all make good "beds" over which another dish can be placed.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I was listening to Jillian Michaels podcast the other day, and she had Bob Harper on a guest, and they were going on about how great any roasted vegetables are.
They were even talking brussel sprouts, which I would have never thought to roast, and comparing them favorably with potatoes. And that was swearing that she'd never liked brussel sprouts before.
Haven't tried it myself yet, but thought I'd toss it out there.
Posts: 1894 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I'm with BlackBlade; rice with everything. Blackeyed peas and rice, red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo and rice, rice and gravy, rice pudding, even just a bowl of rice and butter. mmmmmmmmmm How about tuna pie with a rice crust? Darn, I'm hungry now and it not even close to lunch.
Posts: 87 | Registered: Apr 2007
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I love rice, but [most forms of rice do] have a high glycemic index. So if you have a family history of diabetes or are working on lowering your simple carbs in your diet for other reasons, it is more problematic.
This has been devastating to the people of Asian descent here in Vancouver who have been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. No sushi rice? It is often a very rough transition.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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quote:Originally posted by baduffer: I'm with BlackBlade; rice with everything. Blackeyed peas and rice, red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo and rice, rice and gravy, rice pudding, even just a bowl of rice and butter. mmmmmmmmmm How about tuna pie with a rice crust? Darn, I'm hungry now and it not even close to lunch.
Man, I love me some read beans and rice. Put some sliced link sausage, cheddar cheese, green onions, cajun spices make a stew out of it and put it on rice, mmmmmm.......
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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cheddar cheese in red beans? I haven't seen that before. I usually just go with cooking them with a ham hock and the trinity with lots of hot sauce.
Posts: 87 | Registered: Apr 2007
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quote:Originally posted by baduffer: cheddar cheese in red beans? I haven't seen that before. I usually just go with cooking them with a ham hock and the trinity with lots of hot sauce.
Well you grade the cheese obviously. Blocks of cheese on rice, now that's just silly! Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I wanna see BlackBlade drive a road grader over his hunk of cheddar cheese!
quote:I love rice, but [most forms of rice do] have a high glycemic index. So if you have a family history of diabetes or are working on lowering your simple carbs in your diet for other reasons, it is more problematic.
I believe long grain and brown rice are lower in terms of glycemic index, so they can be a better choice than short grain rice. I love making rice pilaf with brown and wild (I know, not really "rice") rices, onion, mushroom and shredded carrots. When I make a really big batch, I turn the leftovers into soup (add some stock and/or evaporated skim milk and some broccoli). It's delicious.
quote:Originally posted by ludosti: I believe long grain and brown rice are lower in terms of glycemic index, so they can be a better choice than short grain rice. I love making rice pilaf with brown and wild rice, onion and shredded carrots.
Yep. We use brown rice every now and then.
So long as a given person doesn't have (or be at increased risk for) Type II Diabetes, and isn't working on decreasing simple carbs for any other reason, I don't think it's a problem to use regular rice. Plenty of people do just fine with it. I was pretty sure that we needed to make a household change to deal with my husband's dietary changes. It has been really much more fun and tasty than I expected.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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So this doesn't really help with the glycemic issues, but --- polenta!
Or as they call it in Romania -- mamaliga!
Cooked properly, it makes an awesome starch companion to all sorts of vegetables, meats and dairy products.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I love exotic side salads, especially in summer. They can get a little complicated (and expensive) but are fun with endless variety.
Posts: 4292 | Registered: Jan 2001
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Just do less carbs, period. Who said carbs were so great? I've been doing fairly low-carb for several weeks now. EVerybody has their own point at which it's too much, but you can reverse the effects quick and easy with a piece of fruit or some other carb if you get too low on carbs, IME.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
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I don't care about carbs; I want some variety in taste. I don't care about microclusters, either. Please suggest some good recipes suitable for a student budget, or go away.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Good recipe for a student budget: Cook frozen hamburger patty on skillet. Break up cooked hamburger onto frozen pizza. Cook pizza in oven.
Here’s another one: Boil macaroni in water. Drain water from macaroni. Stir in powdered cheese. Stir in butter and milk to taste.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Hmm. I see a lot of you suggesting steamed X. Now, I did have cooking lessons in school, but it was some time ago and anyway it was never my best subject. Could you please give some tips on how to steam things? I'm pretty good with frying, though.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Yeah, I'm not much of a cook, either. Sorry. I have a "steamer," which is basically a foldable metal collander that you put inside a saucepan, then you boil water under it and put the veggies on top. I've never had the veggies come out tasting very good, though.
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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I make pita pizzas. . . healthier than the real thing, and fast and easy.
Preheat broiler while assembling ingredients. Spread pita bread (preferably not the pocket kind) with hummus. Top as desired. Broil about 2 minutes. Done.
My favorite toppings:
Fresh tomato, basil, and feta cheese, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt, grind of pepper. (Those last three pretty much go on everything following.)
Blops of left-over sweet potatoes, rosemary, salt.
The hummus provides protien and you can pretty much put any leftovers on it, or anything else that just needs to be warmed up and not actually cooked. And since I keep hummus and pita around basically all the time, it's my feeling-lazy meal. You can also load it up more the hungrier you are.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Papa forgets to mention that you need to put a cover over the veggies while you're steaming, or all the steam will go away and not cook anything.
Steaming doesn't enhance the taste of the veggies at all. It's a very healthy and easy cooking method, but you need to add herbs, spices, or a sauce or something.
You can get a metal steaming basket like Pops mentioned, a bamboo steamer, or an electric steamer. Or you improvise with a collander.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Papa Moose: Yeah, I'm not much of a cook, either. Sorry. I have a "steamer," which is basically a foldable metal collander that you put inside a saucepan, then you boil water under it and put the veggies on top. I've never had the veggies come out tasting very good, though.
Steamed veggies are wonderful. How can they not come out good? Are you cooking them to mush or something?
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Yes, I love steamed veggies. You know, at restaurants and stuff. But I have yet to find the balance between not-cooked-enough and mush when I make them myself. So we just nuke 'em with a small bit of water in a bowl -- they taste sorta steamed that way. Broccoli, anyway.
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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The key, Papa Moose, is to not put too much water in the pot and to check on the vegetables often -- and remember that the ones are top are the least cooked of the lot so that you should take the veggies out just before the ones on top look/feel almost done(or if you have a large enough steamer you can do all the veggies in a single layer -- that's the best way to do that).
I know some people don't do salt. But sprinkle a little kosher salt on the veggies before serving (or after plating and before serving) and because of the texture of kosher salt, they'll taste better and actually have less salt content than other ways of adding salt to a dish.
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:Originally posted by ludosti: I love making rice pilaf with brown and wild (I know, not really "rice") rices, onion, mushroom and shredded carrots.
That's very similar to the way I make rice.
quote:Originally posted by Zalmoxis: So this doesn't really help with the glycemic issues, but --- polenta!
posted
I microwave steam, but with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice, sugar, and a tiny bit of salt as well as the water, also with a pat of butter if they will be served sauceless. Like this. That method is adaptable to steaming most veggies and tastes delicious. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Zeugma: A fun grain to try, if you can find it, is red quinoa... you cook it exactly like rice, but it looks neat and has all sorts of impressive nutritional qualities.
Regular quinoa, which is sort of yellowish-white in color, is also quite good. It has sort of a nutty taste, and complements tofu dishes (as well as meat or fish) very well.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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The problem with tofu is that the stores around here only sell it in huge packages which two people can't eat in one sitting.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I rarely see tofu in anything but small packages at Ralph's or Albertsons; I have to go to ethnic markets to find the big ones. Do you by any chance shop at Asian markets most of the time, KoM?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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"I don't care about carbs; I want some variety in taste. I don't care about microclusters, either. Please suggest some good recipes suitable for a student budget, or go away."
So sorry. I forgot what a jerk you are.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
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My current favorite thing is asparagus, like so: Preheat oven to 375. Rinse the asparagus and break the unripe ends off. Lay it in a glass baking dish and drizzle olive oil on top. Add salt and pepper to taste, and fresh lemon juice (half a lemon or a little less). Bake until cooked but still crunchy, usually about 10-15 min.
My previous favorite thing was sweet potatoes, like so: Preheat oven to 375. Peel sweet potatoes and slice very thin. Put slices in a big ziploc bag. Pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a couple tablespoons of Cajun spice mix. Shake until potatoes are pretty evenly coated. Line a baking dish with tinfoil (trust me, you don't want to clean it) and lay the potato slices so they're not clumpy -- you want as much surface area as possible exposed to air. Bake until the edge pieces are browning, maybe 20 min.
And my favorite rice is Trader Joe's "brown rice medley," with long grain brown rice, black barley, and daikon radish seeds -- love that it's a little crunchy.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: May 1999
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KoM, don't forget to compress your tofu to squeeze the liquid out of it before frying/baking it. When you do that, one package really is sized appropriately for two people.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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That's really not necessary with most extra firm tofu, and you only have to drain (rather than squeeze) many brands of firm tofu.
Unless you're making tofu "steaks." Then you start with extra firm, and compress it for several hours.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: IMO, there is no tofu dish which is not improved by squeezing the tofu a lot.
Tofu scramble; tofu w/ rice, veggies, and sauce (variations on this are the way we consume 75% of tofu); tofu cheesecake; tofu tiramisu; tofu chocolate silk pie . . .
It really matters what brand and consistency, though. And I always drain it. But with Hinoichi's firm and extra firm, squeezing really doesn't get out much liquid at all.
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