Put a Little Veg in Your Life

We have so many delicious, seasonal vegetables available this time of year, what I’m about to suggest isn’t even that radical. Or painful. A little switch here, an easy swap there and removing starchy, heavy ingredients and replacing them with light, nutritious vegetables is easier than you’d think. One way to lower the calorie count without sacrificing flavor is to replace simple carbohydrates like rice, potatoes and pasta with complex carbs like vegetables — the more cruciferous and colorful, the better. Think yellow, green and orange!

We’re not talking about trying to “sneak” vegetables into a meal so that our loved ones can eat healthier. No, these are bold moves, where veggies take center stage and they’re so tasty, no one will mind. The slightly crunchy texture of spaghetti squash instead of refined, white pasta is a good modification that offers a new spin on a classic dish and results in cutting more than half the calories in the process. Other easy swaps would be choosing brown rice instead of white, whole-wheat pasta instead of refined and sweet potatoes over white potatoes.

Once you make the switch and veggify your favorite meals, you will feel better for likely doubling your vegetable intake in a meal, and you might find you prefer dishes prepared this way. These veggie substitutes will be so tasty, you’ll come back for seconds.

Cauliflower is low in calories but high in fiber and water, making it a good veggie for weight loss.

Cauliflower Dirty Rice

1 pound ground beef
4 cups of cauliflower rice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium white onion
1 green bell pepper
2 celery stalks
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Cajun/Creole seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped green onions for garnish

1. Heat medium Dutch oven and cook beef with a sprinkle of salt and pepper until browned. Remove, drain grease and set aside. Pour out any grease from pan, leaving a thin layer to cook vegetables.
2. Chop onion, pepper, and celery and add to same pan. Sauté trinity until soft, about 3 minutes and then add cauliflower rice. Combine and cook for 2 minutes. Add beef to sautéed vegetables and cauliflower rice and mix. Then, add Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, more black pepper, garlic powder and bay leaf.
3. Heat one cup of water and add bouillon cube until dissolved. Pour half of this liquid in with the beef and vegetables and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Serve and top with green onions. Serves 4.

Roasted Chicken and Veggies

3½-4 pound whole chicken
Salt and pepper
6 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 cups brusselssprouts, cut in half
1 onion, peeled and cut in quarters
1 red or orange bell pepper
2 shallots, peeled and halved
1 lemon, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt, inside and outside. Set aside for an hour or as long as overnight in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
2. Preheat oven to 450º.  In a large bowl, toss potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, onion, bell pepper, lemon and shallots with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place vegetables in a roasting pan.
3. Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon of oil, tie legs with string, and season with salt and black pepper. Place in the center of the vegetables. Roast for 55-60 minutes, stirring the vegetables once or twice until breast reaches 160º. Remove chicken to a platter. Roast vegetables about 10 minutes more or until caramelized and then remove from oven.

Carve chicken and serve with vegetables. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

Blackened Redfish and Sautéed Spinach

4 large redfish fillets (or six smaller ones)
1½ sticks of butter, melted
6 tablespoons Cajun/Creole seasoning
Water
3 teaspoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Blackened Redfish: Heat a large skillet (cast iron if you have one) over high heat until very hot (8-10 minutes). While that is heating, pour melted butter into a flat dish and Cajun/Creole seasoning mix into another dish. Dip each filet into the butter first and then into the seasoning. Put seasoned fish into hot skillet and cook until a crust forms, or about two minutes. Turn fish over and cook for another two minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of water and cook for another minute but do not cover. Take fish from skillet and keep warm.

Spinach: Heat a large skillet over high heat and when hot, add olive oil and garlic. Sauté for 1-2 minutes and add spinach. Toss to coat with oil and garlic. Cook just until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Serve each filet over a bed of sautéed spinach. Serves 4.

Shrimp Zoodles

4 medium zucchini
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
¼ cup white wine or chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Cajun/Creole seasoning
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to garnish

1. Wash and cut the ends of the zucchini. Make the noodles using a spiralizer and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the hot pan, season with salt and pepper cook for 1 minute. Try to cook in one layer so they will get crispy. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, and crushed pepper to the pan. Turn shrimp and cook for another minute until done. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, and wine or stock to the pan. Bring to a simmer while stirring. After two minutes, add zucchini noodles to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, just until tender.
4. Return the cooked shrimp to the pan and stir through. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 4

Asparagus Au Gratin

1 pound fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1¼ cup grated Gruyére cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Fill a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add asparagus and cook just until bright green (about 3-4 minutes). Remove, drain and place in a baking dish.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until slightly brown. Add flour a little at a time and whisk until thick or about 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and cook, continuously whisking until thickened. Add mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir until mixed. Add Parmesan and mix until smooth.
3. Pour sauce over the asparagus in the dish and add Gruyére. Bake until the top browns, about 15 minutes. Serves 4.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, roasted
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons whole milk
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
Fried shallots

Add cauliflower to a pot of boiling salted water. Boil until tender (about 9-10 minutes). Remove from pot, drain and place in a food processor. Add butter, milk, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Purée until smooth. Plate and top with fried shallots. Serves 4.

Brown Butter and Sage Spaghetti Squash

1 large spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup butter
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried sage)

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Cut the spaghetti squash length-wise and scoop out seeds until clean. Rub oil on inside and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place skin-side up on a baking-tray and cook for 35-40 minutes.
2. Once cooled, use a fork and drag along each side of the squash until strings form. Place in bowl.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir often so it doesn’t burn. Once the butter foams, it will begin to turn brown. Add the sage and stir. Before the butter turns too dark, remove from heat and pour over spaghetti squash. Serves 4.

Did you know? Often mistaken for a veggie, eggplants are a fruit– to be more precise– they are actually a berry!

Eggplant Lasagna

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 leaves fresh basil chopped or 1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper
1½ cups low-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, with ¼ held out to sprinkle on top of lasagna

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Cover two large baking pans with cooking spray. Place eggplant slices on the pans in a single layer and then roast for about 15 minutes or until tender.
3. In a large skillet, sauté onion in oil until soft and then add garlic and beef. Continue cooking until the beef becomes browned (about 8 minutes).  Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring from time to time, for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
4. Mix egg and ricotta in a bowl and set to the side.
5. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, spread ¾ cup of sauce. Place eggplant slices over the sauce in a single layer. Add ricotta mixture to cover and lightly sprinkle with mozzarella. Then add another layer of eggplant slices, top with sauce, ricotta and mozzarella. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Finish with mozzarella layer.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until sauce bubbles. Wait 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6.