WLS Friendly Veggie Hash – Two Ways!
February 9, 2016When I think of the word 'hash' one thing comes to mind - Hormel canned corned beef hash. My Daddy used to pop open a can, scoop it into a skillet, heat it up, and spoon it onto a piece of loaf bread, fold the bread in half (like a pocketbook as we say), and eat it. I used to eat corned beef hash with him as a 'snack' on Saturdays when we would be home together. However, since those times with my Daddy, I have learned that the word 'hash' can mean a million different things.
For those of us who eat in smaller amounts, I like to think that we are trying to get the most bang for our buck...the most nutrition in the fewest calories. A hash can be a great way to do that, and there are so many different ways to make one. Hashes are just mixes of almost anything!
History of My Veggie Hash Recipes - Two Ways
I originally got this idea, not from the corned beef hash memory, but from my husband. I met my husband back in 2002 and we married in early 2003. He is from Tunis, Tunisia, which is located at the tip of North Africa between Morocco and Algeria, and right on top of Libya. He grew up eating Mediterranean/Arab cuisine, and has shown me another way of eating.
I had the distinct pleasure of living there for a few years and his mother taught me how to cook. She made so many different, easy, healthy dishes that I had never considered. The downfall to most of them was that people in that region of the world will consume salads and dinner entrees with bread (usually a baguette, but in other Arab countries people would use pita or a version of pita bread) as the eating vessel instead of a spoon or fork. To accommodate my WLS way of eating, I would just leave the bread out. My mother-in-law made several different hash-like dishes, some of them are spicy and some aren't.
I wanted to share a couple of my favorites that you can eat with a spoon instead of bread. I usually prepare these in large amounts on the weekends so I can portion them as my lunches and dinners for the week. My mother-in-law would call all versions of these 'hashes,' 'slata m'foura' which basically means 'cooked salad.'
Veggie Hash (Eggplant Style) Recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 medium sized eggplant cut into cubes
1 purple onion diced
1 anaheim or cubanelle pepper diced
1 turnip diced
1/2 sweet potato diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of pepper
2 fresh, smashed, chopped cloves of garlic
Directions
1. Cut all ingredients as directed. I usually dice the whole sweet potato and just use half to cut carbs. I put the other half in the freezer to use in another recipe the next week.
2. Add the olive oil to a medium-heat skillet and make sure it's well-oiled. I like to pour all of my cut ingredients into a mixing bowl and just mix them up together with my hands before putting them into the skillet.
3. I add the salt and pepper and hand-mix all ingredients.
4. Add the mix to the warm skillet and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft (this is when you'll know everything is cooked through).
TIP: Don't add the garlic in until there's about 5 cooking minutes left. Garlic can burn easily in a skillet and the fresh flavor gets lost. The cilantro really gives this dish a nice flavor; you can add in things like lemon juice or other spices if you like.
Nutritional Breakdown
Calories: 47; Fat: 0.2 g ; Carbs: 11 g; Protein: 1.2 g ; Sugar: 4.8 g ; Fiber: 3.1 g
Veggie Hash (Apple Beet Style) Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients
1/2 cup beets, cooked and chopped (I bought a bag of frozen, sliced beets and baked them for about 15 minutes)
1 purple onion diced
1 anaheim or cubanelle pepper diced
1 turnip diced
1 sweet potato with 1/2 of it diced
1/2 Gala apple, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of pepper
2 fresh, smashed, chopped cloves of garlic (optional, if you want the garlic taste)
Directions
1. Cut all ingredients as directed.
2. For the other 1/2 of the sweet potato, it can be used in this dish.
3. Add the olive oil to a medium-heat skillet and make sure it's well-oiled.
4. I like to pour all of my cut ingredients into a mixing bowl and just mix them up together with my hands before putting them into the skillet.
5. I add the salt and pepper and hand-mix all ingredients.
6. Add the mix to the warm skillet and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft (this is when you'll know everything is cooked through).
TIP: Don't add the garlic in until there's about 5 cooking minutes or so left. Garlic can burn easily in a skillet and the fresh flavor gets lost. The cilantro really gives this dish a nice flavor; you can add in things like lemon juice or other spices if you like.
Nutritional Breakdown
Calories: 71; Fat: 5.3 g ; Carbs: 5.9 g; Protein: 0.4 g ; Sugar: 2.6 g ; Fiber: 1 g
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR April Parker had RNY gastric bypass June 10, 2009. She has since lost 165 pounds and is close to her goal, which is 150. Growing up with such deeply rooted emotional relationship with food, April is still learning how to implement all the do's and dont's that can save her life and transform her way of thinking from being an emotional and binge eater to a more conscientious decision-maker. April is a 6th Grade Science teacher in Union County, NC.Read more article by April! |
| Recipe Disclaimer: If you have specific dietary restrictions, allergies or a nutrition plan that you are following, make sure to read the ingredient list prior to consumption. All information on ObesityHelp.com is intended for informational purposes only. The information is not intended to be a replacement or substitute for consultation with a qualified medical professional. Please contact a medical professional with any questions and concerns. |
