Everyday veg/sides

[CuriousRunner]

When It comes to a basic week day meat dinner that’s served with veg and potatoes I’m totally in a rut when it comes to the veg! It’s SOOOO boring. I do a circle of peas, boiled broccoli or sautéd white cabbage.

Help me with some inspiration please!

Green beans, mangetout, sugarsnaps
Salad - leaves, cuc, tomatoes etc, with or without coleslaw - potato salad is good and could replace the potato part of your meal
Roast vegetables, e.g. red onion, courgette, aubergines, red/yellow/orange peppers, squash, mushrooms - particularly good if you replace the potatoes with rice or couscous or similar
Mushrooms
Carrots
Parsnips

Peas - tinned are so different to frozen

Fried peppers and mushrooms and tomatoes go well with many kinds of meat dinner

a bag of carrot and turnip boiled and mashed

switch the peas for green beans or broad beans

switch in some cauliflower for the brocill and cabbage

roasted veg - a mix of squash carrots onions turnips parsnips

How could I forget cauliflower!

I've actually rarely had a vegetable I didn't like.

You need this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Side-sourcebook-inspiring-side-dishes/dp/140887315X

If its an ovenable meal then I'll do the veg in the oven. More out of lazyness.
Mediterranean veg - roughly chop peppers, cherry toms, courgettes, red onion... Whatever, olive oil, herbs and seasoning.
Roast cauli or squash.
Parchment parcels with carrots, coriander, smidge of butter. Or long stem broccoli, smidge of miso.

I also seldom do a meat + starch + veg as three separate dishes, it's so faffy - why my least favourite meal to do is a roast dinner. I much prefer traybakes or one-pot meals which make it much more interesting to incorporate the veg into things.

It's much easier on the mental load (and the washing up) to roast everything together - here's a great formula:

www.kierstenhickman.com/sheet-pan-dinners-formula/

Try roasting instead of boiling your veg? Roasted broccoli/cauliflower/carrots/parsnips are all good.
Asian style broccoli - steam your broccoli over your rice or potatoes. Fry some ginger and garlic, add your broccoli, add soy. Add chilli if you like it spicy. A splash of sesame oil.

Leeks, peas, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes all play well in white sauce, add cheese. Breadcrumb the top, or add some nuts, if you want texture.

Ratatouille

Fry courgette slices until almost black, that makes them tastier

Roasted butternut squash

Add seeds/nuts to add a different flavour.

Roasted tenderstem with a bit of oil, salt and paprika is delicious.
Stirfried Bok Choi with a tiny bit of sesame oil and soy sauce
Roasted aubergine
Roasted butternut Squash

tbh I like most green veg boiled with a tiny bit of butter and a good pinch of good salt

Also, switch up the potatoes. Use sweet potatoes instead. Or root veg mash like carrots, swede and potatoes.

I think it's often in how you cook them. I might steam veggies one day with a bit of butter, then the next I'll do a big pile of greens that I've just lightly oiled and saltd and fry in very hot pan with no added fat to get that chargrilled vibe. If I'm feeling super energised, I might make a little dressing - tahini and yoghurt, or a hot honey/lemon/garlic/chilli option. Or I'll roast them on the side - I just bought fraozen mixed med vegetables to speed this process up courtesy of Jamie Oliver recommendation!

If we are eating fish, I often do a quick stir fry with whatever veg are lying around, garlic, ginger and chilli and then add just lime juice and soy sauce at the end.

We are loving creamy beans as a side dish. Depending on exactly what's on hand but basically bit of oil with garlic and rosemary to heat through, add some fresh tomatoes, then the beans (with juices) and warm through. Ad some creme fraiche/cream/cream cheese for extra creaminess and a bit of lemon juice and seasoning. I usually toss in a couple of handfuls of spinach too but you could add some slice asparagus or mange tout, or cabbage probably.

Roasted cauliflower is delicious.

Rather than veg and potatoes, I go through phases of doing some sort of pilaf-ish style rice with veggies included. Might just be onions and peas with some spices. Or sometimes I do a veggie risotto as a side dish to whatever we're having - butternut or pea usually.

I'll do homemade baked beans - so basically whatever tinned beans I have to hand in a tomato sauce with a bit of maple syrup, some smoked paprika, some courgette or peppers, chilli, and some spinach if I have some. Goes surprisingly well with lots of things, is quick, and keeps for a while in the fridge. Have it on toast with a poached egg for breakfast.

Red cabbage coleslaw made with a lime and chilli dressing and some coriander, mint or basil.

Thank you. Some great suggestions here. I don’t know how I’d become so blinkered 🤦‍♀️ But don’t get me started on an SEN teen that won’t eat xyz but also has zero suggestions either! 🤷‍♀️

I do broccoli with thinly sliced garlic and red chilli or roasted with preserved lemons, feta, chilli
Cabbage is great with Marmite butter: shred the cabbage, add Marmite & butter
Kale roasted for 6 mins with olive oil, Chinese five spice, sugar, sesame seeds
Carrots glazed with a honey, dijon, olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar mix
White beans are great with cooked crushed garlic, lemon zest & rosemary
Peas with wholegrain mustard & honey or just chopped mint

I'll link some of the recipes
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-purple-sprouting-broccoli-feta-preserved-lemon

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/white-bean-mash

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-courgette

https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/baked-crispy-kale.html

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/honey-mustard-steamed-green-medley

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/honey-roasted-carrots-parsnips

green beans
mange tout
baby corn
corn on the cob
roasted veg - red onion, garlic, peppers, courgette, tomatoes and herbs you can put new potatoes in too
roasted carrots & parsnips
sweet potato mash / wedges
roasted butternut squash
cauliflower
cauliflower cheese
roasted cauliflower
kale
spring greens
braised red cabbage
sprouts
salad & coleslaw

Thanks for the book recommendation @Xiaoxiong I've just bought that.

We have peas, mangetout, celery, pepper, sweetcorn, courgette, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, turnip (big purple ones not the nasty little white ones) parsnips on the go.
Loads of pulses go in stews and casseroles at this time of the year chickpeas, lentils, beans: canellini, haricot black, and good old baked.
I love mushrooms aubergine and squash but no one else does

Broad beans, runner beans, green beans, sugar snap peas, mange tout, cauliflower, savoy cabbage, cavolo nero, curly kale, red cabbage, sprouts, carrots, swede, parsnips, sweet potato, courgettes, marrow, asparagus, mushrooms in garlic butter, butter beans, leeks, spinach, sweetcorn.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/the-best-winter-veg-coleslaw/

Any veg with a GB sticker on it is my strategy!
Forces a change as the year goes on, fewer airmiles cheaper and fresher.

Currently for example cabbage, broccoli, leeks, carrots, cauliflower.

Parsnips, swede and Brussels soon.

Good old Scottish favourite:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rumbledethumps_87486

Could also do bubble and squeak or colcannon if that's more familiar to you.