Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Turnips, carrots and celery have a calorie density of around a third of potatoes. So to increase the veggie part of your meal, just make the veggies part of your mashed potatoes. Take 1/4 to 1/2 of your potatoes and replace them with the other root veggies. Adding carrots makes it sweeter, celery adds a vegetable-stock flavor to it, turnips do not change the taste very much.

So if you have problems losing weight, make this your staple starch.

Great idea. My wife makes a great turnip/carrot mash. I'm still losing fat eating mashed potatoes and baked fries every day. My first instinct is that people aren't adhering to the diet (they are often unaware or in denial of some of their choices). So reducing starch wouldn't be my first choice. Also make sure you're still satiated if you cut back on starch as that can lead to snacking.

I have a sensitivity to nightshades, so I'll roast turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, carrots, cabbage and onions together. You can eat this as a stew by making a gravy with a little cornstarch and water, or mash together as a side dish.
Kate

Yes, you should not overdo it. I add carrots and a bit of celery for taste mostly. This is also a way to conform to the guidelines while still eating nothing but a large plate of mashed tubers and gravy.

Breadman wrote:Yes, you should not overdo it. I add carrots and a bit of celery for taste mostly. This is also a way to conform to the guidelines while still eating nothing but a large plate of mashed tubers and gravy.

I do this for myself, too, except I sometimes add to the mash steamed butternut squash, which is really good also! My family doesn't like the mash mixtures, preferring the straight up potato mashers, so I have to do it for my lunch whenever I want it.

Oh, I'll have to try adding squash, then.

I started doing this after reading this post and really enjoy it. Thanks for the idea!

Katydid, do you roast them covered or uncovered? With liquid? With spices? For how long?
Thanks!

I roast them covered with two layers of aluminum foil so that they don't dry out. I use dehydrated onion, garlic, pepper and rosemary as seasonings. I sprinkle the vegetables with a little water or vegetable broth at the beginning so that the spices stick. As the vegetables heat up, they release their own water. I roast them for an hour at 375 F; I turn the pan and give it a good shake every 15 minutes of so.
Kate

Thanks! I'd like to try that.

Try adding beets for sweetness and color. -Jeff

After experimenting with this idea, I think my favorite combination is to boil cauliflower and parsnips separately because of different cooking times, then mashing them together. Really nice flavor. Last time, I added in some celery and it was even better.



I edited this to say that I'm so grateful to Dr. McDougall for providing me with a way to love vegetables and thrive on vegetables!

Cristina wrote:After experimenting with this idea, I think my favorite combination is to boil cauliflower and parsnips separately because of different cooking times, then mashing them together. Really nice flavor. Last time, I added in some celery and it was even better.

I edited this to say that I'm so grateful to Dr. McDougall for providing me with a way to love vegetables and thrive on vegetables!

Cristina, what a nice thought! I agree with you--I always neglected vegetables in all my meals before finding Dr. M., no matter how hard I tried to eat "nutritiously," and now, of course, that's all I eat (if you count potatoes and grains as vegetables), and I love it!! Thank you always, Dr. McDougall!!

Using beets makes pink potatoes.

LynnCS wrote:

Breadman wrote:Yes, you should not overdo it. I add carrots and a bit of celery for taste mostly. This is also a way to conform to the guidelines while still eating nothing but a large plate of mashed tubers and gravy.

Hi Breadman. What do you mean by "you should not overdo it." Thanks.

If you use too much other stuff in your mashed potatoes, it can ruin the texture, flavor and calorie density of the mix and stop being mashed potatoes. You can find something else that's super tasty, though.