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I have to get creative with sides so we aren't eating the same things every week (is that an oxymoron?? Bueller?). Besides your standard salad and rice/potatoes combo, I have found a few new sides that I think taste incredible!
Side 1: Steamfresh green beans
After cooking the beans in the microwave, add some lemon juice, sea salt, and goat cheese. TO DIE FOR. No lie.
Side 2: Steamed broccoli
Same deal as above-steam the broccoli and add some lemon juice, sea salt, Mrs. Dash, and goat cheese. Soo good.
These two sides can dress up any boring dinner (like grilled chicken with mac-n-cheese or rice). I swear it's the addition of the goat cheese. That stuff rocks my face off!
Side 3: Mashed Cauliflower (from my sis)
This side is my new fave! It's incredibly similar to homemade mashed potatoes-and who doesn't like those? Now, I promise you you absolutely cannot tell it's cauliflower! Take 1 head cauli, floret it, add 2 small new/red potatoes (not sure what it would be like without the potatoes). After about 10 minutes of boiling, test for fork tenderness. Mash with potato masher, add some milk, salt, pepper, and butter. The end. Tastes JUST like freakin all mashed potatoes.
Side 4: Creamed spinach (from my ma)
Duh. Who doesn't like creamed spinach? This is so easy and a great way to get a HUGE helping of folic acid! Cook a chopped frozen spinach package, drain WELL, add some butter and about 1/2 a thing of low fat cream cheese. Stir well. Eat the crap out of it.
Side 5: Roasted broccoli (from b.e.g.)
Floret some fresh broccoli. Lay it on a cookie sheet. Drizzle EVOO, sea/kosher salt, pepper, other spices on it, shake it around. Cook on 400 for about 20 minutes. So good and nutty! You can do this with fresh green beans too-I haven't tried it, but b.e.g. swears by it!
While we're back in this newborn/infant stage of life, dinner needs to be super easy. People have stopped bringing meals, and I've used all 7 of my frozen meals up. So, for now, we are on the meat/starch/veg train every night.
For starches, we always have something easy like box mac, rice, couscous, quinoa, or a potato dish. Although with the new cauliflower recipe listed above, we will be having that as a starch. My next goal is to have more veggie dinners, less meat. We both LOVE veggies, so maybe some things like squash, beans, tomatoes, etc. for dinner. Also, I will eventually get out of this branch and get back into more "home cooking," "experimental cooking" fun stuff.
What are some sides you like grubbing on? Please share, we're always looking for new things to try!
Honey Mint Carrots...steam carrots, put about a Tbsp on honey and 1/4 tsp of mint...toss in bowl. Yummmm. Also...steam green beans, toss with garlic and balsamic...goat cheese would rock also. Another yummmm. These are both Chad approved also. :)
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm...we LOVE goat cheese on broccoli AND asparagus. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, kosher salt, and a few crumbles of goat cheese and bake in oven on 350 for about ten minutes....oh SOOOO good!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try your cauliflower this week. :)
All of those sound good! I love pan roasted asparagus, drizzled with lemon juice, and sea salt. We also tend to eat a lot of just sauteed spinach with a few basil leaves thrown in too.
ReplyDeleteI've started posting my menus again so you'll see lots of these pop up:
ReplyDeleteRoasted asparagus w/olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and fresh ground pepper
Steamed asparagus w/fresh grated parmesan cheese and crushed garlic & butter croutons (could use breadcrumbs instead)
Cooked carrots w/chives and a touch of butter
Italian green beans: steamed greenbeans with feta, roasted garlic and diced tomatos
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted Broccoli
Grilled Onion Salad: have this recipe linked in pinterest, will also be blogging soon.
Grilled corn on the cob with seasoned butter (made of butter, diced red onions, parmesan cheese and minced garlic)
Homemade bruschetta: diced tomatos & onion, chopped fresh basil and minced garlic with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Also, any vegetable served with a homemade cheese sauce (I make a white sauce and then added grated cheddar cheese)
Great ideas - thanks for sharing! And I think I might be the only weirdo who doesn't like creamed spinach. I blame my mom - she made some nasty spinach when I was a kid and made me eat it. It's ruined all spinach (except fresh) for me. Hahah.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of adding goat cheese to veggies. I loooovee goat cheese.
I have been making a lot of corn on the cob this summer because it's so fresh and inexpensive. I also like green beans sauteed with some thinly sliced onions and bacon and a splash of chicken broth. Gives them some great flavor.
LOVE this post! I'm going to try ALL of your recipes:)
ReplyDeleteI do the cauliflower without any potatoes in it. I just boil/steam the cauli, put it in the food processor and add milk and a tablespoon of margarine and blend it until I like the consistency. Add more milk as needed, but maybe like 1/4 to 1/2 cup is good enough. It's really good!
ReplyDelete