Category Archives: Side Dishes

cabbage with fennel and parm

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i was lucky enough to score a head of cabbage freshly picked from my coworkers garden and decided to saute it up for a simple summer side dish.

  • half a head of cabbage, shredded
  • 1 tsp brummel and brown
  • 1/2 tbs fennel seed
  • 1/2 tbs mustard seed
  • 1 tbs honey
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • grated parmesan

 

heat a skillet and add brummel and brown (you can use butter if you choose) once it’s melted, add your cabbage, fennel seed, mustard seed, salt and pepper.  cook about 10 minutes, add your honey and lemon and continue cooking another 10 minutes.  just before serving, top with grated parm.

carrot “fries”

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These are a fantastic alternative to sweet potato fries.  They don’t crisp up quite as much but they’re just as good! 

1 lb. baby carrots
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
generous pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Line a cookie sheet with foil, add carrots, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Toss to coat and spread evenly into a thin layer so that no carrots are overlapping – or else they’ll steam which you don’t want.  Roast for about 30 – 40 minutes, tossing them every 15 minutes or so.  Serve em up with your favorite condiments!

best oven baked fries

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being the health nut that i am, i’m always looking for new ways to make things that feel bad for me but really aren’t – like french fries.

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Sweet Potato and Beet Puree

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  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
  • 1 small package of beets*
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil 
  • 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/4 cup of IPA beer**
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Coat a casserole with nonstick spray.  Add your potatoes and beets and season generously with salt and pepper.  Toss them to coat.

Slice the top of your garlic bulb off and drizzle over your olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper.  Wrap bulb tightly in foil and place directly on oven rack.   You won’t be using the entire bulb for this recipe but don’t throw away the rest, save it to spread on toast or crackers – so good!

Roast for 40 mins or until beets and potatoes are fork tender.

Place potatoes, beets, 1/2 head of garlic, sour cream, beer, cumin, coriander and cayenne in food processor.  Pulse until you reach a puree and season to taste with salt and pepper.

*Beets take a long time to cook so we used these by Melissa’s.  They’re precooked so they roast up faster.  You could substitute fresh and just add to the roasting time or use canned and nix the roasting all together, just heat them in the microwave before adding to your food processor.

**We used Harpoon’s IPA but you could substitute if you’d like.  I would recommend sticking with an IPA though, so you achieve that slight bitterness that only an IPA can impart.

Simply Roasted Potatoes

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No bells or whistles here.  Just crispy, salty, starchy goodness. 

Preheat your oven to 425.

Depending on how small your potatoes are, halve or quarter them so they are all roughly the same size.  Place potatoes in a glass casserole and coat them with a fine mist of non stick spray, a good sprinkling of coarse sea salt and black pepper.  Toss to coat.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until they begin to crisp up and brown around the edges.

Then simply let them cool a bit and devour!

*  We used a fingerling/gourmet assortment but feel free to use whatever your favorite tater is.

Maple Roasted Parsnips

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parsnips

This is fast becoming my new favorite side dish.  Amazing things happen when the maple syrup cooks down… it becomes sticky and almost candy like.  I urge you to try this dish tonight!  Parsnips are very inexpensive and who doesn’t have some maple syrup on hand?  (Pssst…. if you don’t, you can substitute with honey!)

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Apple Cauliflower Puree with Chevre

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mashed

The secret here is the Honeycrisp apple.  The sweet, tartness of the apple combined with the earthiness of the caulfilower and the tangy goat cheese makes for one winning combination!

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Mojito Shrimp Salad

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mojitoshrimp

Light, clean, healthy and refreshing, this salad was inspired by one of my favorite cocktails.

  • 1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper
  • handful of fresh mint
  • large bowl of spring mix salad greens
  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Melt butter in a skillet over medium – high heat and add garlic.  Let the garlic cook for about a minute and add in shrimp, salt and pepper.

Cook shrimp until pink, about 3 – 5 minutes depending on size.

Empty contents of pan into large bowl of greens and toss with mint, olive oil, lime juice and zest.  Top off with a bit more salt and pepper.

Cucumber Relish Mahi Mahi with Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

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mahimahi

Fish gets a lively burst of flavor thanks to a cucumber relish and for all you brussel sprouts haters out there, try this recipe and I think you’ll change your mind.  The balsamic vinegar, once cooked down, thickens and becomes sweet and delicious!

Cucumber Relish

  • 1/2 seedless cucumber, cubed into about 1/4″
  • 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped finely (I use Campari, they are a small, vine ripe tomato)
  • 1 tbs red wine vinegar
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seed
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbs onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp dry mustard
  • salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Mahi Mahi

  • 2 Mahi Mahi fillets about 1″ in thickness
  • 2 tbs flour
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of onion powder
  • pinch of cayenne
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper

In a small bowl, add flour and spices and mix to combine.  You’re not going to dredge the fillets in the mixture, just sprinkle it on the fillets and rub in for a light coating.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Once heated, add fillets and cook 4 minutes each side.  To serve, top with a heaping tablespoon of cucumber relish.

Brussel Sprouts

  • 1/2 bag of frozen brussel sprouts (you can substitute fresh)
  • 1/2 small onion, sliced
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • parmesan curls for garnish
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbs olive oil

To steam my brussel sprouts, I love Glad Microwave Steaming Bags.   Throw your veggies in one of these and you’ve got an easy-peezy side dish that is ready in under 5 minutes!

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil.  Once heated, add in onions, salt and pepper.  Allow onions to cook about 5 minutes and add in balsamic vinegar, basil and cinnamon.  Cook onions down about 8 minutes more or until the vinegar begins to thicken and coat the onions.  Add in your steamed sprouts and toss to combine.  To serve, top with parmesan curls.

Buffalo Bites

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Buffalo Bites

I read online yesterday that The 44th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest submission deadline is April 20th.  Nothing like being under the gun to come up with a quick idea on the fly!  Tried this recipe out last night and they came out great.  I’m going to submit it today.  Wish me luck!

Contest rules state that you have to incorporate two ingredients from their suggested list into your recipe.   My two ingredients are the Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls and the Eggland’s Best Egg.

  • 1 8 0z can of Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
  • 2 cans Valley Fresh white meat chicken
  • 5 tbs Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce
  • 1 large Eggland’s Best Egg
  • 2/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese, plus a few tbs for topping each one before baking
  • 1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, add chicken and break up with a fork.  Add in hot sauce, mix to combine and set aside.

In a separate bowl, add sour cream, mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Set aside for dipping.

Place egg in a bowl along with a splash of water.  This will be used as your egg wash.

Coat a cookie sheet with a bit of non-stick spray.  Unroll each crescent onto the baking sheet. Take a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture and place in the center of the triangle.  Top chicken with a few crumbles of bleu cheese.  Take the shortest tip of the triangle and fold over the chicken.  Then fold in each side to form what looks like a little purse.  Pinch sides to prevent any filling from spilling out as it bakes.

Brush each buffalo bite with egg wash.

Bake on 375 for about 18 – 20 minutes or until nice and brown on top.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve with bleu cheese dipping sauce.

Sun-Dried Tomato Mac n’ Cheese

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macncheese

This recipe is a great way to make a meal out of mac’ n cheese.  The mushrooms in addition to the various cheeses, really pump up the protein to make for a hearty and fulfilling dish.

  • 1 box of penne pasta (I use Dreamfields low carb pasta)
  • 1/2 white onion, chopped
  • 1/2 sun dried tomatoes in herbs, julienned*
  • 1/2 container of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
  • 8 oz of gruyere cheese, grated
  • 8 oz of fontina cheese, grated
  • 8 oz of asiago cheese, grated
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk
  • 3 tbs flour
  • 3 tbs butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs*
  • 1/2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil for drizzling

I’ve realized through trial and error that this recipe is all in the prep.  The key is to get everything prepped and ready to go before hand so that you can seemlessly assemble your dish.

Start by preheating your oven to 375.

Grate all your cheeses.  I find the least labor intensive way to do this is in the food processor with the cheese grater attachment.   However, if you don’t have a food processor, skip the weights today and get to grating!   You will use most of the cheese for the sauce but reserve about 1/2 cup to top the mac with.

In a small bowl, mix your panko and Italian breadcrumbs and set aside.

Grab a big bowl and add to it your chopped onion, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes.  The sun-dried tomatoes already come julienned but run your knife through them just to break them up a bit more so that little specs of them stretch all through out the dish.   Add a tablespoon of the herb infused oil from the tomatoes to the mixture and toss it all to combine. 

Put a large pot of salted water onto boil to cook your penne.  Only cook for about half the time though, it’ll finish cooking it in the oven.   Drain off and add to sun-dried tomato mixture.

Heat a large skillet over low heat.  Add 3 tbs of butter and allow to melt.  Once it is completely melted, start adding in your flour a little bit at a time and stir as you go.  Once all your flour is incorporated, allow it to cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until it turns a light brown color.  This is when you’ll start adding in your milk.  You need to add the milk in very slow and stir, stir, stir.  At first it will appear to look like wallpaper paste but don’t fret, this is how it should look.  Just keep adding your milk, a little at a time until the mixture starts to thin out.   Once it thins out completely and all of the flour mixture has been incorporated into the milk, you can add the rest of the milk.  Simmer for about 10 minutes and add in your cheeses.   Stir until all the cheese melts and forms a sauce.

Add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and toss to combine. 

Place into a large, oven safe baking dish and top with reserved cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes,  remove from oven, drizzle with olive oil and set your oven to broil.  Place under broiler for 3-4 minutes or until browned on top.

Tips:

  • You can find julienned, sun-dried tomatoes in herbs in the produce section of your local grocery store.
  • These are Japanese breadcrumbs and can be found in the International aisle of most grocery stores.

If you did the math on this one smartie, you know that this recipe calls for a staggering 24 oz of cheese!  That may sound like a lot, and it is, but keep in mind that a serving size is about a palm full so you shouldn’t feel guilty for indulging.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Roasted Romas

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Oven Roasted Romas

Kick up a pair of roma tomatoes with bleu cheese, garlic and red pepper for an instantly elegant side dish.  

Ingredients:

  •  2 fresh roma tomatoes
  •  1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
  •  2 cloves of garlic
  •  1 tbs fresh chopped parsley
  •  1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  •  1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
  •  1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line a cookie sheet or roll pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking oil.
  3. Cut your roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to gut’em of their seeds.
  4. Mince the two cloves of garlic.
  5. Roughly chop the parsly leaves.
  6. Assemble your filling by mixing the crumbled bleu cheese, the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and the chopped parsley saving about 1 tsp of parsley for garnish later.
  7. Divide the mixture and spoon equally into your hollowed out roma tomatoes.
  8. Pop the tomatoes into the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is all bubbly and slightly browned on top.
  9. Pull them out of the oven, sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley and serve piping hot.

The recipe serves two: to feed more just double the recipe.

Tips:

  • Parsley comes in curly and flat leaf varieties (also known as italian parsley).  Skip the voyage back to 80’s fine dining garnish and get the flat leaf variety if it’s available.
  • If you’re sensitive to spice, hold back a bit on the red pepper flakes, or cut them out completely…it’s yours to customize.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

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Oven Roasted Asparagus

Steam is for a spas and steamed asparagus is dull in color, flavor and texture.  Give oven-roasting a try and discover a new depth for a classic veggie.

Ingredients:

  •  1 Bunch of thin asparagus
  •  1/8 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  •  1 1/2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
  •  1 tsp Pepper

Instructions:

  1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. While the oven is preheating, break down your Asparagus.  Select a single stem and with one hand, hold the bottom of the asparagus.  Place your other hand at the middle and slowly start to bend the asparagus over until it snaps.  Use the broken asparagus as a guide for the rest of your stems and trim them accordingly.  Unless you’re into making your own vegetable stock, discard the bottoms.
  3. Toss the asparagus into a pyrex dish and pour over about 1/8th of a cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 
  4. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of Kosher or Sea Salt to taste. 
  5. Add about 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper to taste. 
  6. Toss the asparagus until all spears are well coated.  (ditch the tongs here and get your hands dirty).
  7. Roast the asparagus in the middle of your preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the tips of the asparagus just begin to get crispy.  (Remember, char and crispy are two different things)

Tips:

 Asparagus is sold in very thin and very thick stalks.  If your grocery store only has the thicker stalks in stock, then trim off the dark green flesh from the bottoms of your asparagus with a potato peeler to mitigate the fibrous texture.

 Accessorizing:

Feel free to customize this dish with your favorite accessory: chopped garlic, paprika, onion powder, or pitted kalamata olives would all make wonderful additions.