Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook

Chapter 17: Completing the Meal: Vegetables and Side Dishes 261

When cooking vegetables, the variety and size of the vegetables matter

greatly. You want to use pieces of vegetables that take the same amount of

cook time. Hard vegetables like potatoes and carrots should be cut smaller

and faster-cooking veggies like broccoli and squash should be cut into larger

pieces so when they’re all cooked together they finish cooking at the same

time.

For best results, store vegetables in a cool, dark place. The best spot is in

your refrigerator crisper drawer. The exception here is tomatoes; store these

at room temperature. If you’re not sure of the best way to store your veggies,

look at how they’re displayed at the store. You won’t find tomatoes in the

cooler and you won’t find lettuce in unchilled cases.

T Three Bean Salad

This salad is easy to make and really tastes great. It’s packed with protein and plenty of

fresh dill, garlic, and lemon juice. This salad tastes best when made a day ahead of time.

To turn this into a main dish, add shrimp or cooked chicken.

Stage: Regular foods

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 6 servings (^1 ⁄ 2 cup each)

(^1) ⁄ 2 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup no-salt-added kidney beans, drained
and rinsed
1 cup no-salt-added black beans, drained and
rinsed
(^1) ⁄ 2 small onion, chopped fine
(^1) ⁄ 4 cup thinly sliced green olives
One 4-ounce can mushrooms, drained
(^1) ⁄ 4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
(^1) ⁄ 4 cup fresh lemon juice
Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Per serving: Calories 90 (From Fat 30); Fat 3g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 320mg; Carbohydrate 13g
(Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 4g; Sugar 2g.