Type II diabetics, so the standard potato or rice sides are out. Any ideas? (organic greens and assorted cheese will precede the main course).

creamed spinach also have had great reviews for 'faux mashed potatoes' -- steam/drain cauliflower, mash with potato masher, add butter & salt also a squash casserole would work... (btw, DH is Type II....so I've had to have creative menus)

Yes, spinach is sort of one of the classic ones. I also do some sauteed mushrooms. How about some onion rings?

I would suggest asparagus. It can be steamed, although I prefer roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

acorn or butternut squash
fauxtatos (mashed cauliflower)
cauliflower "rice"

I have a cookbook with a recipe for Cauliflower roasted with smoked paprika and chile powder. I can go find it if you'd like

Thanks for everyone's suggestions so far, especially for the recipes (missydarlin, I'd love to see that recipe, the spicing sounds delicious).

My usual practice is to throw some portabella mushroom pieces into the grilling pan with the steaks (the only seasonings I use are garlic pepper and a small amount of Worcestershire sauce).

well poo... I loaned that book to my sister and she's out of town for a month. The recipe actually calls for cocoa powder.. not chile powder to go along with the smoked paprika.

Here's the closest I could find on the web.

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized chunks of approximately equal size.
~1 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika (sweet, not hot, though if you wanted to throw in a bit of a hot chile powder, I bet that would be nice.)
~1/2 tsp. ground cumin
olive oil, salt, and pepper

Steps
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Toss the cauliflower in a bowl with enough olive oil to lightly coat. Add the spices and salt and pepper to taste, and toss to coat.
Roast in a baking pan in the oven until tender and lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes or so. (My cauliflower took about 25 to 30 minutes).

I think if you tossed in a tsp of cocoa powder into that mix.. you'd be pretty close.

I know of at least 2 other FTers with that cookbook (Gluten-Free Girl) so maybe they'll chime in.

How about another steak

Grilled veggies are always nice, try some zucchini, or perhaps make some kabobs with onion, zucchini, bell peppers, and garlic.

Corn on the cob is nice too

She's pretty darn close.

I would suggest checking out Shauna's blog and look at the recipes for other suggestions. I know that cauliflower is used by lots of people looking to get that mashed potato consistency without the potatoes.

lala

would roasting some veggies (squashes), drizzling with olive oil, thyme and good balsamic make a good side with a low GI that would work for them. I would also consider a bit of slow roasted tomatoes to punch up the flavor.

Dang, after a week in Greenland I am seriously in need of veggies.

lala

How about spaghetti squash with a low-sugar marinara or even a light pesto?

I'll second the asparagus....if the individual stalks are big enough, I'll saute it on the grill with the steaks, or if not, in a pan with some olive oil. Certainly not to the point where it's super-wilted and limp....I can't stand it when it's mushy.

I'm also a big fan or sauteed or steamed broccoli - that's another favorite in our house.

Last but not least, I had a fantastic side of quick-steamed sugar snap peas this past weekend at a dinner party. They were steamed just enough to warm them up and that's it - they were still nice and crunchy.

Hope this helps....

Lobster tail. Or crablegs. Either one makes a nice non-starch side to a steak dinner! ^ ^

I'll second the creamed spinach. However, if you want to go decadent:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2005-02-01/recipe.php

This stuff is Heaven on Earth

Adjust the recipe to suit your needs

btw, the recipe suggests the truffle oil is optional...don't believe it.

Creamed spinach is a great test of your prowess. I love it, I suck at making it, but I keep trying.

With asparagus, I crush a few cloves of garlic, add a teaspoon of coarse sea salt, a generous grind of black pepper, and a heap of very verdant, spicy olive oil. Toss, reserve tossing tailings, and grill asparagus. When done, toss back in the bowl, serve immediately.

Cheers,

-Andrew