That does not look like a sad “I’m doing Weight Watchers” kind of meal, does it? What we have here is one serving of this recipe for Swiss chard, spinach and brown rice gratin, plus a heaping mound of zucchini rounds.
Dan doesn’t like chard, spinach or brown rice, and he was unenthusiastic about the prospect of having it for dinner. But because, like a lot of husbands I suspect, he preferred trying it to actually cooking for himself, he ate it. And guess what? My beloved leafy green hater ended up liking it a lot, though he says a generously grated blanket of Romano cheese over the top improves it.
The only thing I did differently than the recipe instructs was that I used a plain cooked brown rice instead of brown basmati, which I’m sure would have been lovely. I just didn’t have it. Even if you aren’t wild about greens but have them from a CSA or want to eat them because they are so phenomenally healthy, try this one out.
Good as it was, it didn’t feel like a fully rounded meal to me, so I wanted to add something without adding many points. Continuing my experiment in cooking oil reduction, I heated my my nonstick skillet and filmed it with 1/2 teaspoon oil oil. I cut my two CSA zucchini into coins, sprinkled each side with salt and a little cayenne, and seared them on each side for 3 minutes.
Even with so little oil, they browned beautifully and made a sweet, fresh tasting complement to the gratin.
Today for lunch I cubed another zucchini, sauteed it over high heat in 1 teaspoon of oil and then tossed it with 2 teaspoons sambal oelek, a tablespoon of soy sauce and a tablespoons of water before add 1/2 cup cooked brown rice to the pan.
It was a big, satisfying, super spicy lunch that was only 3 points. I will definitely be making it again. Maybe next time with green beans, eggplant or broccoli.
Tell me in the comments: What are your favorite ways to eat your vegetables?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t like zucchini, but we’re growing it in my community garden. I’ve had some luck shredding it, adding an egg and ~ 1/4 c flour, salt & pepper, and then frying it in patties in a non-stick pan. I have no idea how good/bad that may be, but I think that so long as I keep the oil low – it’s not bad.
I tried something new (for me, anyway) yesterday. I was craving pad thai, but had neither the money for takeout, nor the calories to spare, nor any noodles in the house. I used a vegetable peeler and shaved off strips of cucumber to use as the noodly-base for pad thai. Then I just threw some olive oil, peanuts, sprouts, and a ton of fresh cilantro in a bowl. Salted and tossed, it was surprisingly refreshing … not a pad thai replica, but it satisfied my craving and was a nice cold lunch.
Maybe it’s related to the whole ‘unemployment yields entrepreneurs’ ideology … budget and diets yield creative recipes.
slathered with butter, as you can’t absorb the fat soluble vitamins without it!