Courses: Sides

Brussels Sprouts Sauté

Brussels Sprouts Sauté

Who can resist the cuteness of a little Brussels sprout??  They look and taste sort of like a mini cabbage but my kids need a little convincing of their virtuous qualities. Call it a baby cabbage and they’re at least partially sold… call it baby anything and they suddenly 

Pear and Parsnip Sauté

Pear and Parsnip Sauté

My dad always enjoyed the weird (read: not kid friendly) vegetables like parsnips, asparagus and eggplant.  They might be the only veggies I actually saw him eat that weren’t potatoes now that I’m thinking about it.  Now that I’m older I realize those veggies aren’t all 

Baked Turnip Fries with Miso Butter

Baked Turnip Fries with Miso Butter

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School starts on Tuesday and my two girls are getting a little bit excited and a little bit nervous about their transition to a new school this year.  It’ll be the first time they are riding the bus as well so they’ve been a bit anxious about the change.  I know it’ll go just fine.  We just need to get the first day or two out of the way.  I feel better knowing that each of them knows at least one kid that will be in their class so there will be a familiar face to say “hello” to in the morning.  Plus, both of their teachers seem wonderful and excited about what they do.  This past week, I’ve been packing in all of the “lasts” for the summer before school starts.  The last beach date, the last big latenight bonfire (with s’mores, of course) and the last time the girls will accompany me to the farmer’s market for the year.  It’s been so fun having the farmer’s market as a tool to teach my daughters about their food choices and sustainability giving them a social experience and a lesson in budgeting their dollars since they always want to get either the hand squeezed lemonade or the kettle corn made right there on site.  It has been a good summer and I feel so very humbled and blessed with all that God has provided for me and my family this summer. 

My garden has also blessed me with a bounty of turnips which I’ve never grown before.  I typically pair them with potatoes and mash them together for mashed root veggies and gravy.  It gives the mashed taters just a hint of peppery goodness but not so much that anyone really notices.  For a change this time, I decided to try making them into fries. Turnip fries won’t get as crispy as regular potatoes but I’ve found that if you soak the fries in cold water for 30 minutes prior to baking, it removes some of the starch which helps them get more crisp.  For seasoning, a combination of miso paste and butter brushed on the fries compliments the unique turnip flavor perfectly.   Another alternative that’s delicious is to toss in olive oil and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning for a spicy bite.  

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Baked Turnip Fries with Miso Butter
 
Prep time
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Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sides
Cuisine: vegetarian
Ingredients
  • 3-4 medium turnips
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste
  • water for soaking
  • cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Peel turnips and cut them into long thin fingers.
  2. Fill a mixing bowl with cold water and place fries in the water for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  4. Drain water and dry fries on a kitchen towel.
  5. Soften butter and blend with miso paste until smooth.
  6. Toss fries in miso butter mixture or brush on fries with a basting brush.
  7. Spread fries onto an ungreased baking sheet in a single layer.
  8. Bake for about 20 minutes turning fries a couple times during baking.

 

One-Pot Vegetable Curried Rice

One-Pot Vegetable Curried Rice

I’m ready to shake things up a bit and add a lovely little spice to the table with a vegetable curried rice.  Even better, you only need one pot! There is a particular order to go about this if you want to keep it all 

Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Growing up I’d gladly have mashed potatoes and gravy with every meal.  Oh, who am I kidding… I’d gladly do that now!   Here’s the kicker: the way I used to make them had loads of butter and heavy cream and man, were they delicious!  Since 

Sesame Citrus Bok Choy

Sesame Citrus Bok Choy

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Amid all the chaos and being ill, we did indeed get our house listed last week. Oy. Now comes the not so easy task of keeping it clean.  If only I could just have the kids live outside until the house sells. I jest, of course, but how nice would it be to not have to continually wipe down every mirror and window every day.  What is it about a clean shiny surface that makes kids want to smear their fingers all over it (or lick it) within two minutes of wiping it clean??   Anyway, let’s talk about something that will get you into the clean plate club… this sesame citrus bok choy for example.

Sesame citrus bok choy is a lovely little side dish to accompany pretty much everything. It has a light fragrant sauce that is Asian inspired but can easily befriend your favorite burger as its sidekick for dinner.  With a touch of rice vinegar, orange and a sweet mirin (rice wine), the sauce has just the right amount of tang to satisfy anyone looking for a slightly sweet and sour vibe. Top it with some toasted sesame seeds for a bit of extra crunch! Chopsticks optional.

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Sesame Citrus Bok Choy
 
Prep time
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Author:
Recipe type: Sides
Cuisine: vegetarian, vegan
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 bunches bok choy, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon mirin (rice wine)
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon pink himalayan salt (or to taste - use just a pinch for low sodium)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
  1. Combine orange zest, juice, mirin, vinegar, salt, and cilantro in small bowl and set aside.
  2. In a large frying pan or wok, sauté garlic in sesame oil just until fragrant.
  3. Add bok choy and stir fry until wilted, about 2 minutes.
  4. Pour orange juice mixture over bok choy and stir fry until tender, 3-5 minutes.
  5. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
for low sodium, use just a pinch of salt = 118 mg per serving
Nutrition Information
Calories: 52 Fat: 4g Carbohydrates: 4g Sodium: 370mg* Fiber: 1g Protein: 2g

 

Oven Fries with Sour Cream Chive Sauce

Oven Fries with Sour Cream Chive Sauce

  My two girls are off school for a few days which means my house is much more chaotic.  It also means the volume is amped up tenfold with random singing (or fighting) among children. They were sent outside after a heated game of Monopoly Jr. to 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Happy Friday!!  This post will be super quick… and the recipe for baked sweet potato fries is nearly as quick to make.  A lot of you are partaking in whole foods or other healthy eating challenges now that the holiday has past so here’s a delicious side 

Shitake Green Beans

Shitake Green Beans

 

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I hope all of you had a fantastic weekend!  The family and I went out camping this past weekend to enjoy the weather and each other’s company.  It’s so awesome having a campground within 15 minutes from our house.  Not only is it convenient, but we were able to have friends and some additional family come hang out on Saturday for a bonfire and chit chat.  It was such a relaxing weekend.

Now for the goodies! My garden is still giving me a good weekly meal of green beans so I decided what better to pair them with than shitake mushrooms! I used to have MAJOR texture issues with biting into mushrooms (and I still can’t fathom biting into a large portabella cap) but smaller fried varieties I’ve come to appreciate and can handle their texture. Maybe because I just love how darn good they taste.

Shitake Green Beans start with sautéing the shitakes in either olive oil or if you want to increase their flavor profile, try sautéing in sesame oil.  Yum!

shitake green beans

Sauté these guys at least until they give up their extra moisture.  I like them best when they just start to crisp a little.  While that’s happening, boil some water and give the beans a quick bath until they are tender crisp.  Then you simply toss them all together with the rest of the ingredients. Simple. Delicious. Shitake Green Beans…

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Shitake Green Beans
 
Prep time
Cook time
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Author:
Recipe type: Sides
Cuisine: Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil or sesame oil
  • 12-16 oz fresh green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1 green onion, roughly chopped
  • ¼ tsp pink himalayan salt (try using smoked salt if you have it)
  • pepper, to taste
  • parmesan (optional) garnish (omit for low sodium)
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan, start some water boiling. Once water is boiling, add green beans and cook until tendercrisp. About 4-5 minutes.
  2. Place oil and shitake mushrooms in a medium frying pan and sauté until the shrooms give up most of their moisture or even start to crisp a little.
  3. Add chopped green onion to the mushrooms and give a quick stir.
  4. Once beans are cooked, drain and add beans to the pan with the mushrooms and onion.
  5. Toss with salt and pepper.
  6. Top with grated parmesan if desired and serve.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 67 Fat: 4g Carbohydrates: 8g Sodium: 117mg Fiber: 3g Protein: 2g

 

 

Lemon Tarragon Asparagus

Lemon Tarragon Asparagus

  Hey!!!  You know how I said I had this nice little urban garden in my last post and was sharing my herbs with my neighbor? Well, I decided this time not to share and to keep the extra tarragon to make this light lemon tarragon