Today’s brown bag installment is side dishes. What do you pack along with those leftovers or sandwiches?
Let’s start with the idea that we can improve on the standard “apple, chips, cookies.” We’ll do dessert tomorrow. And there’s nothing wrong with the apple, for sure. There are some “healthiER” versions of chips available now, and we’ll look at those. But let’s not leave out the Vegetable as a Side Dish.
Raw Veggies * carrots, celery, red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper, (okay, green pepper, too), jicama, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry or grape tomatoes. There are probably more.
Send them plain or with hummus, almond butter, or salad dressing (try Annie’s Goddess Dressing). Or make a batch of MaryL’s Ranch Dip – divine. (Thanks to member MaryL for this amazing recipe!)
MaryL’s Ranch Dip
Green * makes about 3/4 cup
1/2 box Morinu brand firm silken tofu
3 heaping Tablespoons of Vegenaise
1 large garlic clove
1 Tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 Tablespoons fresh)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
a few shakes of salt-free veggie seasoning (try Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute, Spike, or a similar one)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Blend in food processor* then add in enough soy milk or rice milk to thin to desired consistency.
*You can make this in a blender, but you’ll need to add a little milk right away, and scrape down the sides a lot.
Fruit * apples (sliced, quartered, or whole – any color or kind you like), oranges (try quartering them, peeling and sectioning them, or cutting an X in one end for easier peeling), clementines, tangerines, mango, papaya, grapes, berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), melon cubes (muskmelon or canteloupe, honeydew, watermelon, crenshaw, or whatever you can get), cherries, pineapple, star fruit, etc.
Whole fruit is excellent.
Make fruit kebobs for a little fun.
Make fruit salad. (Yum – fresh fruit salad, no dressing!)
Dried Fruit * raisins, prunes (hey! they’re good!), dates, apples, pineapple, mango, papaya, craisins, cherries. Try fruit leather – brands like Stretch Island have organic unsweetened leathers that are delish.
Mix dried fruit with some raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) or seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) and you’ll have a great snack mix to take care of the midafternoon slump, or the perfect after-school-and-before-practice snack.
“Chips” * There are two big problems with chips.
(1) They’re fried. So get the baked ones. Or make your own pita chips (easy!) or tortilla chips (same process). Try Veggie Booty. Try Snap Pea Crisps. Spend some time looking at the different products at the health food store, and read the labels!
(2) They’re too salty. Control the salt by making your own (find a recipe here). And definitely read the labels of anything you buy. Try a handful of Just Veggies for something completely different.
