OT: Sides

Battleborn

I have always believed that the meat is the star of good BBQ, however, my wife is all about the sides. The thing that makes it difficult is we both have different taste in the sides. I like the traditional "full fat" sides and she wants me to make "healthy" sides. So, my question is, do any of you make sides that are on the healthier side that taste as good as regular?

kl8ton

There is almost no such thing as a healthy side that tastes as good as regular full fat sides.  :-)

kl8ton

Your wife sounds like my wife.  Can you compromise?  You get your meals and she gets her meals?  We have mostly healthy meals for every day life.  Green smoothies, oatmeal, home made soups with little to no meat, salads, etc.  I don't feel guilty for eating a fully loaded meal when I get to use the egg.

Battleborn

Absolutely, I am the cook in this relationship. My wife could burn rice in a full pot of water. I try my best to accommodate her. I think I am going to try to grill some cauliflower tonight to go with our ribs. Hopefully it turns out well. 

kl8ton

Ahhh.

My wife makes most everything as she is home with the kids all day.  I have the weekends.  I usually do a big breakfast Saturday and some kind of meat for a dinner here or there.  We are not good at coordinating meat with sides unless it is a fully planned out party.  I think our kids are lucky that we both like to cook.

BigWader

We seem to do well with this kind of side... I eat it as a stand alone for lunch or dinner sometimes...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/213638/southwestern-quinoa-salad/

If your wife likes this kind of thing the possibilities with Quinoa, or Cous Cous, or Orzo are endless.

Battleborn

We use quinoa a lot these days. I actually made a Mediterranean chicken breast on top of some flavored quinoa last night. Turned out pretty good. I need to try Cous Cous. 

gdenby

"Healthy" has come to mean low fat. Turns our, low fat is not "healthy." Healthy is low sugar and carbs. Trad sides like mac-cheese and corn bread are probably not the best choice if you want to limit weight gain.

Beans and greens, pretty good, but no best reason to Egg them.

I've been working on grilled onions (leeks etc.), carrots, celeriac, daikon (radishes) seem like they should eventually turn out nice.

Yeah, grilled cauliflower is currently a favorite. I've been massively unimpressed by my attempts at grilled Romain, but have seen some nice pics of grilled Napa and Savoy cabbage done the same way.

Tried spaghetti squash 1 time. Not a total failure. May do it again.

tarheelmatt

A few sides we do: 

Braised kale
Saute spinach
Braised cabbage
Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
Sous Vide sweet potatoes or baked or roasted
Salad 
Vinaigrette style slaw
Qunioa 
Brussels sprouts 
Mushrooms/stuffed
Tomatoes
Peppers/stuffed
Asian brown rice
Saute zucchini, squash, and onion
Stewed zucchini
Stewed squash
Roasted butter nut squash 
Spaghetti squash 

fishlessman

lots of vinegar coleslaws out there, i dont like sugar in my slaw. shrimp lejon with prosciutto instead of bacon would be healthier right, tastes better too. something different would be roasted fresh beats and fennel. i do alot of pork loins in the summer with a sqaush and zuchinni casserole once those veggies are out, google ratatouille and add onions, stewed tomatoes, and a ton of cheddar. ratatouille would work as well. if you do kabobs or kafta, think tebouleh, hummus, and red onion shovels. then theres stuffed tomatoes.

Battleborn

@fishlessman that plate looks amazing!

NonaScott

I saw a recipe for cabbage steaks on FB the other day that I bet would be really good on the egg.