Today I made a homemade Vegetable Soup with lots and lots of vegetables. I added some cannelloni and kidney beans for some protein. Boy was it delicious and filling.
I didn't realize how much I made until I tried to refrigerate it. I had to use 3 containers, so I froze one for next week.
I found this article online with lots of suggestions for adding vegetables to your diet, so I thought I would share it here....
15 Tips to get more vegetables in your diet
Tip No. 1: Add veggies you almost like to dishes you already love.
Layer zucchini slices, chopped spinach, or cooked carrots into lasagna. Stir
broccoli florets into macaroni and cheese. Toss whatever veggies you like
(tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus) into an omelet or
quesadilla.
Tip No. 2: Try them in soup.
Embellish your favorite soups with added veggies. Some homemade soups
already contain a nice amount of vegetables, but most canned and commercial
choices can stand to have their veggie quota bumped up. I love adding carrots
to chicken noodle soup, and edamame or green beans to minestrone. Just add the
raw or frozen vegetables while you are cooking or heating the soup.
Tip No. 3: Slip them into salads.
Load your salads with all the veggies you enjoy (or at least tolerate). The
options include cucumber, grated carrots, zucchini, green beans, onions,
radishes, jicama, tomato, broccoli or cauliflower florets. You can even use
spinach leaves instead of lettuce.
Tip No. 4: Serve them raw.
Raw veggies can be more appetizing than their cooked counterparts to people
who aren't crazy about vegetables. The flavors of raw veggies can be milder
than those of cooked ones. And the texture is crispy, rather than mushy.
Tip No. 5: Take raw vegetables skinny dipping.
There's nothing like a little light ranch dressing or onion dip to make a
platter of raw veggies disappear. Make it super easy by using bottled light
ranch, bleu cheese, or Italian dressing. To make light onion dip, stir onion
soup mix into some fat-free or light sour cream.
Tip No. 6: Sneak them into spaghetti and pizza.
Most people like spaghetti and pizza, which makes them a good place to sneak
in some vegetables. Chop any vegetables your family likes (zucchini, onions,
eggplant, broccoli, celery, carrots) and add them to the spaghetti sauce. The
smaller you chop them, the less likely anyone will notice that they're there.
Vegetables can also be a tempting topping for your pizza, adding fiber and
nutrients. Any combination of the following will work well: fresh tomato,
onion, bell pepper, mushroom, zucchini, artichoke hearts, fresh basil leaves,
and chopped spinach.
Tip No. 7: Drink your vegetables.
There are several good veggie juices on the market (V-8 or carrot juice),
even veggie-fruit juice blends that taste great. Or, create your own veggie
blend juice by blending some carrot juice with a fruit juice (like mango,
tangerine, or orange juice).
Tip No. 8: Increase the fun factor.
Let's face it: some vegetables are just more fun to eat than others. Corn on
the cob (especially when grilled) continues to be fun into adulthood. So are
veggie kabobs, and celery sticks filled with natural peanut butter or light
cream cheese. And a zucchini half, tomato, bell pepper, or portobello mushroom
stuffed with a savory filling can be as elegant as it is fun.
Tip No. 9: Grill, baby, grill!
After you take your meat off the grill, why waste the hot coals? You'll be
amazed at how great grilled veggies taste. Before grilling, just brush veggies
lightly with canola or olive oil, light Italian dressing, or the same marinade
you're using for your meat (make sure to use marinade that hasn't touched the
raw meat). Large pieces can go straight onto the grill (portobello mushrooms,
zucchini halves, large pieces of eggplant, asparagus spears). String smaller
pieces onto a skewer for a veggie kabob.
Tip No. 10: Know how to cook the stronger flavored veggies.
The strongest tasting (and smelling) vegetables are those in the cruciferous
family, along with some greens, and raw eggplant. Keep in mind that generally,
the longer you cook these veggies, the stronger their odor and flavor will be.
The exception is eggplant, which becomes milder with cooking.
Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels
sprouts. Some research has found that people who dislike cruciferous vegetables
tend to have a sensitivity for tasting a substance known as PROP (a bitter
tasting component).
To cut the bitterness of these veggies, there a few tricks you can have up
your sleeve. Add a little olive oil (or other fat) when stir-frying or
sauteing; add something salty or sour (like a drizzle of light soy sauce,
balsamic vinegar, lemon, or shredded Parmesan); or glaze the vegetables with
something sweet (a small spoonful of honey or orange marmalade).
Tip No. 11: Try them where you least expect them.
You might be surprised at how well vegetables can complement the featured
ingredients in many of your favorite foods. Roasted red pepper, roasted or
sun-dried tomato, and/or grilled eggplant all work well in hot or cold
sandwiches. Raw tomato, spinach leaves, fresh basil, grated carrots, sprouts,
sliced or grated zucchini, shredded cabbage (green or purple) go well in
sandwiches, wraps, and pitas. Add grated or finely chopped vegetables to meat
loaf, pasta fillings (such as manicotti), and fillings for Mexican entree
fillings like tacos, enchiladas, and flautas.
Tip No. 12: Be sensitive to textural turn-offs.
If your experience is mostly with canned or overcooked vegetables, give them
a "fresh" start. You might be more willing to eat vegetables prepared
in more texturally pleasing ways (lightly cooked stir-fry veggies, raw veggies,
or veggies lightly cooked in a steamer or microwave, just to the point where
they're slightly tender but still have a nice crunch. Minimal cooking also
keeps the color is bright and appealing. Consider a bright green asparagus
spear, cooked just until crisp-tender. Then think about overcooked or canned
asparagus, which is beyond soft in texture and has an olive green color.
Tip No. 13: Even fast-food vegetables count.
You can even get vegetables at your favorite fast-food chain -- as long as
you like salads, that is. Look for side salads or salads made with grilled
chicken and choose the light or reduced-calorie dressing. Use half of the
packet of dressing (it's plenty), and you'll be adding just about 25-50
calories and 0-4 grams of fat to your salad.
Tip No. 14: Don't reward your kids (or yourself) for eating vegetables.
"Studies suggest that when we are rewarded for eating something, then
the reward becomes the treat and we will not see the food itself as
enjoyable," notes Collins. When this is standard table practice for
vegetables, we're taught indirectly that the vegetables are the punishment we
have to get through to reach our reward.
Tip No. 15: It's all about the cheese.
When all else fails, you can always sprinkle a little grated, reduced-fat
cheese over the top. If cheese sauce is more your style, drizzle it over
vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower and suddenly, it's a whole different
ball game. Here's a recipe for Lower Fat 3-Cheese Sauce.
3-Cheese Sauce
Drizzle this creamy sauce over steamed veggies for a tasty change of
pace.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of flour
1 1/4 cups of low-fat milk or fat-free half-and-half
2 ounces of part-skim Jarlsberg (or reduced-fat Swiss) cheese, grated
2 1/2 ounces of reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
Preparation:
1. In a small saucepan, blend flour with 2 tablespoons of the milk or
half-and-half to form a smooth paste. Using a wire whisk, slowly blend in
remaining milk until smooth. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly,
until thickened.
2. Reduce heat and add cheeses, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir until well
blended and cheese has melted.
3. Remove from heat and use as desired.
Yield:
6 servings
Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 99 calories, 9 g
protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 4.8
g fat (3 g saturated fat, 1.4 g monounsaturated fat, 0.2 g polyunsaturated
fat), 15 mg
cholesterol, 0.1 g fiber, 177 mg
sodium. Calories from fat: 44%.
