Can a Veggie Dish Alone Be Filling?

Yes. It may take a little bit of work though. I am not a big fan of baking or frying (although for the sake of this blog I may, at some point do these things to post recipes for everyone else). I satuee everything. It's easy and quick, with the same amount of prep and clean-up. Often I do satuee up just some vegetables. Today for lunch, for example, I sautueed some spinach leaves, a bunch of snap peas, an orange pepper I chopped up, about half of an onion, a clove's worth of minced garlic (about two tablespoons) and three button mushrooms. I garnished it with some tomato slices on the side. I am currently full and content as I type to you.

The first thing you can do is double the portion size of some of the vegetables. Most are low in fat or fat free, low in calories, and high in nutrients and fiber. So stuff that skillet full! I'd watch some of the sweeter ones because even too much natural sugar isn't the best idea, and I eat a lot of fruit so I do need to watch. The second thing to do is season them. Choose your seasonings carefully of course, too much sodium will bloat you and isn't great for your heart. However, some sodium is perfectly acceptable. Seasonings trigger your taste buds into thinking you're eating more than you are and they fill you up quicker as a result. I used ginger, garlic, and oregano. I added it at different times in the sauteeing process to give the tastes layers. Third, if you are sauteeing, and not just boiling your veggies, you are probably doing so in a healthy but hearty oil. If you aren't, then you should be. I have always been partial to flaxseed oil, today I used extra virgin olive oil. Healthy oil helps you absorb nutrients better, brings out the flavor of the seasonings, adds a dash of flavor on it's own, and makes everything stick together as one dish. If you still think that your meal is not as filling as it should be, then try adding miso paste to your dish. It adds a soy-sauce like taste to your dish but is lower in sodium. Miso paste also adds nutrients and amino acids to your dish. I highly recommend it to almost anything, but not everyone likes the taste so use sparingly if you aren't sure.

Hope this helps!

Peace and love.