betsyschro

Hi everyone- summer is coming for those of us in the USA- and I want to find some vegetable medleys to make in big batches and take for lunch at work. (Also good to add chicken/tuna to for dinner at night!)

I've done some searches on the Internet, but just wondering, do you have a favorite? Yummy low-cal sauce/dressing? A special go to? Delicious/filling option for veggies!

patcee

My hands down fav,easy & good protein is a bean salad. Don't knock it till you've tried it. My version is to drain 3 cans of beans....white,black,kidney etc.Mix in a bowl with fine diced veggies that don't get all mushy....no brocolli or cukes.
Celery,peppers & onion works good.You can use your choice of Italian salad dressing or make your own.I don't want a ton of dressing. Using rice vinegar,olive oil & seasonings works for me.Just start with a couple Tbl of the vinegar,1 Tbl of olive oil...add garic powder,ital seasoning,S&P.Mix gently,cover tightly & refrigerate for several hrs or overnight,then taste & adjust seasonings.

This keeps great,tastes so good & it's easy to add a bit of protein or LF mozzarella cheese.Nice served on shredded cabbage/lettuce mix with home grown tomato slice.

almeeker

My favorite salad is taco, with either chicken, beef or Greek yogurt for protein. I make the meat in advance (usually browned and then stewed with salsa and will keep in the fridge for a week) and then chop up lettuce and tomatoes as I go. I also like to do a raw salsa with fresh veggies and beans, which is a really nice addition to a taco salad. Basically you take a can of beans (black or red), add in chopped tomato, onion, banana pepper (fresh or canned), green pepper, red pepper and a packet of taco seasoning, stir and chill for several hours. To keep the calories lower I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and cheese, and I usually don't eat it with tortilla chips, and if I do I limit them to 10 or less.

dear_abby

I put this one on "latin confetti salad" which is a good protein, but a lot of calories, It would be good anytime you want the creamy type dressing.

2 Cups fat free yogurt
1 cup diced peeled seeded cucumber
1 Cub chopped cilantro
2 T Lime juice
Blend all in food processor

The confetti salad -
Can black beans
can corn
chopped red onion
chopped peppers
chopped celery
chopped avacados

You get the idea, keep it going.
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Incredibly basic "Lydian Cucumbers" (named for my sister, Lydia)

Wash and slice thin one cucumber, 3 T Rice wine vinegar, some fresh dill, and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix it up, soak the cucumber while you make dinner.
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Enjoy,

Abby

betsyschro

These all sound great! Thank you for your input!

I like the thought of the bean salad but am always worried about the carbs. I guess the amount of protein would help you feel full before you consume too many. I have made a veggie salad recipe but the only beans in it are chickpeas... yummy and filling.

And I hadn't even thought about taco salad! Great idea! (And I used to make lean turkey tacos all the time, so why not?) Also love that cucumber recipe, but I add tomatoes.

dear_abby

Wild rice is very efficient, you get a lot of fluff for not too much carbs - it is expensive, get some relatives in Minnesota to ship it to you (if you don't have any relatives there, your loss, they are nice people), might try with another grain too.

This is carb rich, but yummy, and makes a complete lunch.


½ cup wild rice (1/2 cup before cooking) cooked
1 can Chick peas
1 can black beans
1 small (8.5 oz) can corn (or use fresh or frozen)
1 carrot (chop fine)
1 Onion (red!)
3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
Chop the onion very fine, and marinate in lemon juice – an hour will really tame the onion!

Drain beans and corn, combine everything except the dressing, look in your fridge for other nice veggies!


Make the dressing,

put all but the oil in the blender, mix well, then slowly pour the oil in while the blender is running.
Pour dressing over the salad, it can sit around a long time!

pinenutcasserole

Cooked/cooled green lentils, red onion, feta, cherry tomatoes, olive oil. You can add other legumes and herbs or garlic. And, a handful of brown rice to complete the protein within that meal.