I adore bread, potatoes, corn, and rice as much as every other American, but let\u2019s face it: Most of us could use some inspiration to eat fewer carbs and more veggies. One way to significantly up your veg quota is to swap all or some of your standard starch for a veggie-based pseudo-carb. I\u2019m not talking about weird processed vegetable cellulose packaged gunk. Let\u2019s stick to real, whole foods!<\/p>\n

Why swap your starch for veggies? You\u2019ll get more nutrients and antioxidants with fewer calories, better meet the recommended five-to-nine servings of produce per day, and you can make delicious paleo- and gluten-free-friendly foods. And sometimes you just need to figure out what to do with the extra zucchini or carrots before they go bad.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re at the height of harvest season on the cusp of summer-to-autumn offerings, it\u2019s the perfect time to branch out with farm-fresh goodies. Here are a few ideas to get you going. I highly recommend checking out the linked recipes \u2013 the pictures alone will have your mouth watering!!<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 Open-Faced \u201cSandwich\u201d<\/h3>\n
Swap that bread out for a\u00a0halved avocado<\/b>\u00a0(sliced into diced squares inside the shell) or a\u00a0hollowed-out bell pepper<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\n
Avocado Cup Salads with Black Bean Confetti<\/a><\/li>\n
Avocado Cup Salads with Cucumbers, Radishes and Ginger-Miso Dressing<\/a><\/li>\n
Healthy Tuna Stuffed Bell Peppers<\/a><\/li>\n
Sweet Potato Toast<\/a><\/li>\n
More Bread-Free Sandwich Recipes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Pasta<\/h3>\n
Of course,\u00a0spaghetti squash<\/b>\u00a0is always nice. But if you want something faster, you can turn any raw semi-solid veggie (think:\u00a0\u00a0carrots, sweet potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, beets\u2026) into noodles<\/b>\u00a0that you can leave raw or slightly cook before adding your sauce and toppings. Local nutritionist\u00a0Traci Komorek\u00a0recommends\u00a0this fancy machine<\/a>, and I found this pencil-sharpener-like\u00a0 spiral slicer<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0 Things are Cooking<\/a>\u00a0in Concord (which does an ok job). Also use\u00a0strips of grilled eggplant or zucchini<\/b>\u00a0in place of pasta for lasagna and stuffed-rolled Italian rollatini.<\/p>\n
\n
Lemon Garlic Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes<\/a><\/li>\n
Spaghetti Squash & Pork Stir Fry<\/a><\/li>\n
More Veggie Noodle Inspirations<\/a><\/li>\n
Eggplant Rollatini<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The Taco<\/h3>\n
For a fresh, crisp taco, simply pile your ingredients into a\u00a0sturdy lettuce boat<\/b>\u00a0(ie: Boston bibb or romaine) \u2013 delicious for both Asian and Tex-Mex taco fillings! For a heartier or piping hot taco, consider using a\u00a0cabbage leaf.<\/b><\/p>\n
\n
Five-Spice Turkey Lettuce Wraps<\/a><\/li>\n
Korean Style Beef & Cabbage Tacos<\/a><\/li>\n
Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
That\u2019s a Wrap!<\/h3>\n
On the same line as the veggie taco, we\u2019ve got gorgeous greens standing in for the sandwich wrap. Try wide, sturdy\u00a0collard greens<\/b>\u00a0or more tender\u00a0chard leaves<\/b>. Some people blanch the leaves first while others leave them raw \u2013 see what works best for you. You can go in between and soak them in warm water with vinegar for about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
\n
The Step-by-Step Collard Wrap<\/a><\/li>\n
Quinoa Collard Wrap<\/a><\/li>\n
Sweet & Spicy Swiss Chard Wrap<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Pizza Crust<\/h3>\n
Not to dis the greasy spoon pizza, but you can craft some pretty darn tasty flour-free variations! Try a roasted\/grilled\/seared\u00a0portobello mushroom<\/b>(layered with gooey cheese and fresh tomatoes, oh my!) or one of the creative\u00a0cauliflower crusts<\/b>\u00a0that the GF world is RAVING about.<\/p>\n
\n
The Best Cauliflower Crust Pizza<\/a><\/li>\n
Portobello Pizza<\/a><\/li>\n
More Flour-Free Crust Ideas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Chips & Crunchy Snacks<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s all the rage, and home-cooked is sooo yummy! Try any one of the many\u00a0kale chips<\/b>\u00a0recipes out there. Also try roasting\u00a0sliced beets<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0chickpeas<\/b>with some seasoning for a tasty snack that crunches. If you have a dehydrator, you can even play around with making your own\u00a0flax crackers<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\n
Flawless Kale Chips<\/a><\/li>\n
Crispy Oven-Baked Beet Chips<\/a><\/li>\n
Spicy Oven-Roasted Chickpeas<\/a><\/li>\n
Raw Flax Crackers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
I hope you\u2019ve been inspired \u2013 enjoy!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This post was originally written for the Concord Food Co-op and has been re-used with permission.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
Maria sees clients and teaches classes at Wintergreen Botanicals Herbal Clinic & Education Center in Allenstown.<\/i><\/p>\n
The statements made on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, prescribe, recommend, or offer medical advice. Please see your health care practitioner for help regarding choices and to avoid herb-drug interactions.<\/i><\/p>\n
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I adore bread, potatoes, corn, and rice as much as every other American, but let\u2019s face it: Most of us could use some inspiration to eat fewer carbs and more veggies. One way to significantly up your veg quota is to swap all or some of your standard starch for a veggie-based pseudo-carb. I\u2019m not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[22,28,27,31,26,20,24,21,25,29,30,19,18,23],"class_list":["post-1634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-recipes","tag-aip","tag-avocado","tag-cauliflower","tag-chickpeas","tag-crust","tag-low-carb","tag-noodles","tag-paleo","tag-pasta","tag-pizza","tag-snacks","tag-starch","tag-vegetables","tag-veggie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5153,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1634\/revisions\/5153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

The Taco<\/h3>\nFor a fresh, crisp taco, simply pile your ingredients into a\u00a0sturdy lettuce boat<\/b>\u00a0(ie: Boston bibb or romaine) \u2013 delicious for both Asian and Tex-Mex taco fillings! For a heartier or piping hot taco, consider using a\u00a0cabbage leaf.<\/b><\/p>\n