Side dishes are a problem
 

I’m Type 2 Diabetic so side dishes can be a problem for me. I limit potatoes, pasta & other starch but hard to avoid altogether. I steam a lot of vegetables (boring). Tonight we’re having Broccoli-Corn Bake (corn is starch I know)

Cook 1 10 oz package chopped broccoli enough to separate. Drain & squeeze water out. In bowl, combine broccoli, 1 can cream style corn, 1 beaten egg, 1 Tblsp minced onion, 1 Tblsp melted butter & dash of black pepper. Put in small sprayed oven dish. Combine 1/2 cup crushed saltines with 1 Tblsp melted butter & spoon on top. Bake 350 uncovered for 40 minutes. Chopped spinach works in place of broccoli. This can be mixed up & refrigerated to bake later.

Any side dishes you wish to share here ?

I have a problem as well, I just love rice and pasta and grains and bread and cake and all that -- but I really have to watch what I eat or my glucose levels get out of control. Beans do have carbs but are low gylcemic index. Most of what they don't want us to have is in the corn, but this is a manageable amount.

For a summer side dish, black bean salsa/salad: Rrinse can of small black beans, add 1-2 ears corn (raw, slice the kernels off the cob, you can parboil just a bit but best on the less cooked side), chopped onion to taste (I use sweet onions and use quite a lot up to a whole one, you would most likely do a full bunch of green onions, or half or less of a strong onion). Some colorful green, red, yellow peppers cut up into confetti. If you want to add some hot peppers here's your chance, again to taste. Finely chopped cilantro. Finish with some crumbled cotija (or feta or similar hardish salty non-melty type cheese) Squeeze a couple of limes over everything, add an optional tablespoon or two of oil, stir it and call it good. It stays nice for several days.

When I had to change my eating style, I had to look at things differently. When I was a working single mom, I didn't have the time to chop up vegetables but was too cheap (and the offerings are much more plentiful now) and such, now I buy a lot of the pre-prepped things. Like right now in the fridge that I need to use up in next couple of days is some zucchini turned into noodles, and a bunch of cut up peppers. I have found that I don't want to rice cauliflower (although don't mind eating it as a potato substitute at all), or make vegetables into noodles myself. Sometimes when I'm dealing with my various issues, like a bad stretch of depression, the amount of work (which at other times seems minimal) involved in prepping my ingredients meant that if I didn't do them as soon as I came home, chances were about 50/50 I wouldn't actually use those vegetables and I would waste money by throwing them out limp and sad. I decided that if I had to spend a little more to not give myself the excuses to end up with fast food, that was a better way to spend my money and probably less of a hit buying prepared fresh ingredients than I was letting perfectly good things go to waste.

I make a bean corn salad but this has nice variations so I’m looking forward to trying it. Thanks for this !

I think someone on this Board posted this recipe:I like English cucumbers but any will work. This goes good with beef.

Remove most of peeling from 2 cucumbers & slice. I like them thin but not super thin. Layer with sliced onions.

Heat to boiling 1/2 cup white vinegar & 1/4 cup white sugar to dissolve sugar. Add salt & pepper
Pour over cucumbers & onions. Refrigerate a day or two then serve.

Sweet potatoes make a good side - mashed or baked. No carbs. I've also made a sweet potato salad that was a nice side. Cole or veggie slaw is nice in summer. I don't use mayo for that but just a vinaigrette.

I agree that these make a good side. However, if you google the nutrition, it says about 15g of carbs per 39g serving, which is less than 1.5 oz... I could never limit myself to a serving that small. :)

Cauliflower rice is awesome. I purchase the frozen bags and microwave them but there are recipes where you can make your own. I have totally substituted it for real rice in recipes. It works great.

one of my favorite things to do with "sides" is to add them to my main dish...for example if I decide just to do scrambled eggs for dinner....I throw in veggies too...like onion, red and green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, spinach….whatever I have on hand....I find it really a good idea to keep frozen veggies on hand to make this easy....I like the mixed type best but do try to pick out the lower carb mixes. If I am making something that calls for a vegetable to be added, I try to add more vegetables then it calls for. I am lucky that I like plain foods so I can microwave frozen veggies and just add them in or leave them as a side with a little butter, salt, and pepper. I am growing thyme, oregano, cilantro, chives, tarragon, parsley and mint this summer so will be adding those to the veggies too to change things up a bit.

Instead of steaming veggies, I often do a quick stir fry. Throw in some garlic, ginger and a bit of soy sauce and I don't even miss the potato or rice.