Woman of the House: August 2008

This week's recipe segment is actually several recipes for side dishes. After a few years of getting really bored of reheated canned veggies, I've come up with some snazzy ideas for quick and easy side dishes. I am a new fan of frozen vegetables. I keep them stocked in my freezer, and I always stock up whenever they're on sale (Kroger and some other grocery stores have 10 for $10 sales on them every so often...I LOVE those sales!).

I am a HUGE fan of roasted veggies. It really brings out the flavor of a lot of vegetables by coating them thinly with your choice of fat and then blasting them in a hot oven to bring out their sugars. Don't worry if they turn a bit black (Joshua says that's the good stuff anyway), though you do want to avoid burning them to a complete brittle mess. To me this is the easiest way to fix veggies too, because prep is easy and then you just put them in the oven and let it do the work. Then you can concentrate on your main dish that's probably on the stove top. And you can do multiple veggies at once, just keep track of how long each cooks.

This is more about method than particulars. Softer veggies (like zucchini) cook for shorter periods than harder or denser veggies (potatoes). You can make these vegetables elegant or everyday depending on seasoning and how you cut them (keep asparagus long and whole or chop yellow squash in smaller, chunkier pieces). Just remember that larger pieces will need to cook longer than small ones. Once you do this a couple of times, you'll have it down pat.

Roasted Vegetables

-Oil or melted butter, 2-4 tablespoons depending on how much veg you're cooking (I usually use olive oil because it can handle the higher temps, but if you use butter, you'll want to mix it with a little olive oil to keep it from burning); you want enough to lightly coat all the vegetables but they need not be drenched in oil

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper or garlic pepper

-1-2 teaspoons your choice dried herb (thyme, rosemary, sage, and herbs de provence work well...a seasoned salt like Tony Chachere's or seasoning blends like Greek seasoning, grill seasoning or Old Bay are also really good on potatoes)

-1-3 pounds zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or brussel sprouts (either fresh or frozen and thawed), sliced or chopped into the shape of your choice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet or similar pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place veggies on sheet pan and toss with seasonings and oil (you could also do this in a mixing bowl, but I'd rather keep dishwashing to a minimum).

Spread them out in an even layer on the pan, place in the oven, and cook until nicely browned and tender. Be sure to give them a good toss about halfway through the cooking time. Asparagus takes about 15 minutes; zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts about 20-25 minutes; and potatoes/sweet potatoes need to cook for 35-45 minutes.

*Note about the asparagus: you MUST trim the ends of fresh asparagus as they are woody and practically inedible (see photo above). Hold the asparagus at each end with both hands. Gently pull down towards the counter at the same time so that it bends in the middle a bit and the asparagus will snap where the woodiness ends and the good part begins. It sounds tedious, but you really do have to do it, and after you do it the first time you can do a pound in about two minutes. It is well worth it! Roasted asparagus is one of the best things ever!

*You could also add some sliced onion to any of the above mentioned veggies except for asparagus (it needs a little longer cooking time).

*Oven Fries option

Slice large potatoes (russets you'd use for baked potatoes work best) in half lengthwise; slice each half into 4 or 5 steak fry-shaped pieces. Cook them as stated above, but be sure to turn them each completely from one side to the other for even browning. These are as yummy as french fries, but much better for you! And you can season them any way you like.

Canned Green Beans

I really have gotten to where I don't like canned green beans that much anymore, but I still keep them around as a last minute side. To make them better (they always seem to taste like the can they came in unless you cook them for an hour), I do this.

Drain them of their canning liquid and cook them in an equivalent amount of chicken or beef broth over medium to medium-high heat for about ten minutes. If you have them, throw in some bacon bits (I like the Hormel ones that are real bacon and you have to keep in the fridge once you open them). Be sure to season with salt and, in this case, garlic pepper really does make a difference over plain black pepper.

Broccoli Cauliflower Pot

This is the only way I can get some people to eat cauliflower!

1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen broccoli, florets or pieces

1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen cauliflower

1 can broccoli cheese soup

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Cook veggies according to package instructions either on the stove or in the microwave (I cook mine in the microwave with a couple tablespoons water and plastic wrap over the bowl for about 7-10 minutes). In a saucepan large enough to easily hold all the veggies plus some, heat the soup, milk, and s&p over medium heat. When hot, add the veggies and toss to combine. If you really like cheese, you could add some shredded cheddar too.

Quick Parmesan Broccoli

Super fast and super yummy! This one makes about 4 servings, but you could easily make more or fewer than 4 servings for this; just use a little more or less butter and cheese.

about 2 cups frozen broccoli florets

1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and garlic pepper to taste

Cook broccoli in microwave or stove top according to package directions. Drain any excess water off and while still hot, toss in butter or margarine, cheese and seasonings.

Spicy Black Beans

These are great as a side dish with tacos or enchiladas or any other TexMex dinner.

I can black beans, undrained

1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced finely (depends on how hot you want it)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and garlic pepper to taste

1/2 cup frozen corn

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about ten minutes. Add frozen corn and cook another five minutes or so until hot.

*For a heartier side that makes more servings, you could add 1 cup cooked white rice and 1 can Rotel tomatoes.

Not a whole lot, but Rachel keeps herself awfully busy! And that in turn keeps Joshua and me very busy! It's amazing how babies can have toys all over the place to play with and then occupy themselves with getting into everything they shouldn't! She had a rough day yesterday. After pulling herself up by the dining room table leg, she smashed the side of her face into it. Then about ten minutes later pulled herself up using the dining room chair I was sitting in and promptly bonked her forehead onto the front edge of the seat. Then about an hour later she pulled a TV tray down on herself. And each incident came with much crying, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. She spent all evening making fussy noises while she played. You could tell she'd had a bad day, the same as an adult might whine about a rough day at work!

Here's some recent photos :)

Pulling herself up by Daddy's speakers