Vegetables as Good as Ice Cream: Just Add Sour Cream

Three quick and easy vegetable recipes, each one pairing the vegetable with sour cream.

Cucumbers with sour cream? Yes!
Greens with sour cream? Yes, yes!
Beets with sour cream? Yes, yes, yes!
We'll ALL scream for sour cream!

The 1924 Olympic gold medalist Doug Larson once opined, “Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”

Me, I’ve long believed that if vegetables tasted anything like, say, ice cream or chocolate, we’d trip over each other at the farmers market.

Truth is, I may have to eat those words, er, those vegetables, for these three simple dishes, stirred with sour cream, are every bit as good as the creamiest Chunky Monkey or the finest Belgian chocolate.

ONTARIO GREENS

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 – 1-1/2 pounds fresh greens, washed, chopped

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• Salt & pepper

• 1/2 cup sour cream

Steam the greens about 10 minutes or until nearly cooked but still bright-colored. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet on MEDIUM HIGH. Add onion and garlic, sauté until soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in the greens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the sour cream, let warm briefly. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 165 Calories; 12g Tot Fat; 7g Sat Fat; 12g Carb; 3g Fiber; 380mg Sodium; 28mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers Old Points 4, PointsPlus 3 (and worth it!)

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.

NANA's CUCUMBERS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: Just over an hour
Serves 4

• 1 English cucumber
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh chive to taste, snipped
• Salt & pepper to taste

Slice cucumber in thin rounds. Layer with salt, let rest in a colander for an hour. Rinse well under running water. Combine with remaining ingredients and serve.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 75 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 5g Carb; 0g Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers Old Points 2, PointsPlus 2 (and worth it!)

BORSCHT BEETS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes
Serves 4

• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

• 1 pound cooked beets, chopped (see My Favorite Way to Roast Beets from A Veggie Venture)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Combine onion, vinegar, sugar and caraway in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over MEDIUM HIGH. Stir in remaining ingredients. Season and serve.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 152Cal; 6g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 22g Carb; 5g Fiber; 738mg Sodium; 13mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers Old Points 2.5, PointsPlus 4 (and worth it!)

Believe it or not, these recipes have been 'Alanna-sized' with reductions in fat and portion size and increases in low-calorie flavorings and nutrient-rich vegetables.

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More Vegetable Recipes

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Explore all of Kitchen Parade's vegetable recipes but of course, if I may say so myself, the best place on the internet for great vegetable recipes is my food blog A Veggie Venture.

~ more leafy green recipes ~
~ more cucumber recipes ~
~ more beet recipes ~

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~ beets ~
~ leafy greens ~

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