Low-calorie, freezable, Shavuos side dishes?

TranquilityAndPeace

Tue, May 15 2012, 9:16 pm

Are there any low-calorie side dishes that can be made in advance? I often make roasted veggies and stir-fried veggies, but these get mushy when frozen.

I'm not interested in kugels and quiches which usually have oil and eggs and flour added to the vegetables; I want really low-calorie foods to serve along with meat that can be prepared on Sunday and frozen for a week!

TIA!

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, May 15 2012, 9:23 pm

This is for your zany blog: ice Tongue Out

Seriously, that's what my husband eats all Shavuos because it's always 100 degrees outside.
Low calorie and must be frozen in advance Tongue Out

Other than that, not sure my low calorie things freeze well, and the ones that do freeze well I'm pretty sure aren't low calorie.

TranquilityAndPeace

Tue, May 15 2012, 9:25 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

This is for your zany blog: ice Tongue Out

Seriously, that's what my husband eats all Shavuos because it's always 100 degrees outside.
Low calorie and must be frozen in advance Tongue Out

Other than that, not sure my low calorie things freeze well, and the ones that do freeze well I'm pretty sure aren't low calorie.

The weather is still relatively mild here in Baltimore; although I do remember always being incredibly hot on Shavuos, so I don't know why this year should be different?

How about some kind of ices made of Crystal Light ice cubes?

SS6099

Tue, May 15 2012, 9:26 pm

What about vegetable kugel muffins made as follows:
1 2lb bag frozen veg mix (could be broccoli or cauliflower, or a mix)
3 egg whites
1 T mayo
salt and pepper
whole wheat breadcrumbs
Cook vegetables until soft. Drain and mash, mix with other ingredients and bake in either muffin tins or a 9" round pan for about 45 minutes.
Yum and super low-cal. This will be on my yom tov table! Kids love it!
If you want to make it fresh, you could use zucchini, and add to the mix some sauteed onions in pam. Zucchini doesn't freeze well though but hte other veggies do.

Tova

Tue, May 15 2012, 9:30 pm

Last year Shavuos was particularly brutal - I think there was even a heat advisory in effect? Which makes it very hard because I like/need to spend Shavuos morning outside w/ the kids so my husband can catch up on rest.

On topic, I think almost by definition the freezable stuff is the kugels and quiches and desserts...the carb and fat heavy stuff.

TranquilityAndPeace

Tue, May 15 2012, 9:35 pm

ds6099 wrote:

This looks promising, thanks! But I always thought we're not supposed to freeze mayo? Or is it okay to freeze it after it's been baked?

Also- anything with eggplant or mushrooms that can be frozen? Those are favorites over here. TIA!

Tova- maybe we'll be lucky this shavuos, a perfect 70 degrees, partly sunny?

SS6099

Tue, May 15 2012, 10:14 pm

Eggplant is also a very watery vegetable and as far as I'm concerned, doesn't freeze well. Lemme know if I'm wrong.
Mushrooms are yum. The squash kugel recipe actually calls for sauteed mushrooms and onions, but again, can't be frozen.
Why don't you add sauteed mushrooms and onions to the frozen vegetable version? You could use canned mushrooms and sautee it in pam. I actually made this version for shabbos and it was gobbled up so quickly by the kids (!!!!) I couldn't believe it!

TranquilityAndPeace

Wed, May 16 2012, 8:42 am

ds6099 wrote:

You have flexible kids! The only vegetable my kids ever gobble up would be potatoes! (fried in oil!)

ra_mom wrote:

If you're only freezing for one week, you can undercook a saute and freeze it. I've done it for short period freezing times.

This is a good idea, thanks!

Any other ideas?

zzzz

Sun, May 20 2012, 8:10 pm

ds6099 wrote:

How much breadcrumbs does this recipe call for?

SS6099

Sun, May 20 2012, 8:26 pm

If you make it as a kugel (9" round), I use about 1/4-1/2 cup, depending on your preference as to how firm you want it. If you make cupcakes, you really don't need much at all- I just sprinkle some on top and bottom (if that) since the cupcake holders holds it firm and it doesn't fall apart.

TranquilityAndPeace

Sun, May 20 2012, 8:30 pm

I just noticed these souffles in the freezer in the store today. I think they were called Healthy Delight?

There were spinach, broccoli, zucchini, butternut squash flavors. The ingredients said egg whites, the vegetable, and spices. So it was really a big airy pile of egg whites mixed with vegetables and spices - great way to keep the calories down- it's mostly air!

Anyway, I bought a big container of egg whites and I'm going to try my own recipe to see if I can recreate those. Oh, they were about $4 per box, which was one serving!