KaoutarIf you are trying to eat healthier in this new course and you have tired of rice and lettuce salad to accompany fish or grilled chicken, we leave the nine best original sides to accompany your diet.
Zoodles or zucchini vegetable spaghetti
To get out of rice or noodles as a simple garnish, we can make some zoodles or zucchini vegetable spaghetti that have much fewer calories and carbohydrates.
With a spiralizer or, with a mandolin or a simple peeler, we cut thin strips of zucchini previously washed and with its skin. Then we just have to sauté them in a little olive oil and garlic, season to taste, and dish ready to consume.
We can serve them with fresh figs and cheese, with cream or in its replacement beaten fresh cheese or with sautéed tomatoes and goat cheese.
Baked eggplants
A very simple recipe that we can make in the oven to accompany meats or vegetarian burgers is baked eggplants.
To make them we need an eggplant for every two people, herbs to taste, a pinch of salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Preheat the oven and spread on aluminum foil or baking paper the eggplant cut in half.
Cut the pulp with a knife leaving some “X” printing presses in it and season with herbs and salt before sprinkling with olive oil and closing the paper forming a small package that we take to the oven.
In just 20 minutes we can have ready this simple but very tasty garnish that we can combine with sauce to make some Eggplants a la siciliana, or serve with mozzarella or yogurt sauce.
Grated carrot salad
To get out of the classic lettuce and tomato salad, we can opt for grated carrot, fresh and very tasty, which we recommend serving with a few drops of lemon juice.
It is an option that supports many variants and that we can elaborate in minutes. For example, we can serve it with orange for a sweet touch, with piquillos and raisins or with goat cheese and nuts. And an option that at home likes a lot is combined with fresh corn kernels.
Roasted cabbages
Broccoli and cauliflower that we always serve steamed, Brussels sprouts, white cabbage, and others are also good options to prepare baked and serve with meat or fish or some tasty roasted cabbages.
We can opt for Brussels sprouts alone, or combine these with cauliflower and broccoli. Wash each flower or cabbage very well and dry them lightly with a clean and dry canvas.
In a bowl mix them with different spices and extra virgin olive oil and then bake for about 40 minutes or until they are tender and golden.
We can serve them with yogurt sauce, paprika, nuts, turmeric, pistachio vinaigrette, or with a few drops of lemon juice and salt.
Steamed asparagus
It is a recipe that I love for its simplicity and flavor. In addition, we take advantage of all the nutrients of asparagus by steaming them.
We start by peeling the outer layer of each asparagus by pulling out thin strips with a pellet or a good knife, from just below the tips. Wash and press the lower end to fold each asparagus gently, the asparagus itself will break by the hardest part that we must discard.
In a pot with boiling water in which we can place an accessory suitable for steam or steamer, we arrange the asparagus and cover. Cook for about 10-20 minutes, checking the asparagus halfway through the time.
We can serve with yogurt and lemon sauce, with béchamel sauce, gratin, or with a poached egg.
Steamed potatoes
To take better advantage of the nutrients of the potatoes, we propose to steam them in microwaves, so that we will obtain a garnish in minutes, very nutritious and perfect for lovers of this vegetable.
We will need to wash the potatoes and dry them well. If they are new and small the skin will not be a problem. Cut into thin slices, less than a finger thick, and place on a deep plate. Add a splash of olive oil, herbs to taste, and salt. Put them in the appropriate microwave basket or case or wrap them in film paper.
We will cook at maximum power for approximately 10 minutes, being able to remove them before if we find them tender but al dente.
We can serve them with fish or accompany some lean meat.
Grilled vegetables
To make in grill or grill, we can cut slices of half a centimeter thick of different vegetables previously washed and in some cases with skin.
Heat a grill, griddle, or grill, sprinkle with olive oil, and on this, we can place slices of eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, tomatoes, leeks, asparagus, or similar. They should be vegetables whose cooking is relatively fast and we recommend turning around halfway through cooking (approximately 5 minutes).
We can season with various spices and salt to taste and serve. It is also possible to make baked vegetables if we want to include potatoes, carrots, or other root vegetables.
Roasted peppers
We can make roasted peppers with any specimen that we want. We will wash each whole pepper very well and dry it before placing it on an oven plate and sprinkle it with extra virgin olive oil, smearing each piece well with it.
At moderate to high temperature we will bake for 25-30 minutes turning over mid-cooking. Remove from the oven and peel easily as the skin will come off easily.
Cut the roasted peppers into strips and we can serve them in a salad if we wish.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are one of the foods that we can find in season during the autumn and that is made in minutes if, after washing, we place them in a hot pan with extra virgin olive oil.
We recommend sautéing them without salt and then seasoning to taste so that they do not dehydrate too much. We can prepare them with Brussels sprouts, with pak choi and oyster sauce, with carrots and chestnuts, with green beans, or simply alone with pepper and salt.
