Kale Chips

I've heard of this recipe before, and found several versions of it online.  I decided to try it tonight as a side dish.

I took small pieces of kale out of a big bag of kale, and spread them on a cookie sheet.  I drizzled olive oil over them, and topped with sea salt.

Bake at 300 for 15-20 or until crispy.

Curried Quinoa

Prepare Quinoa according to package directions.
Coat bottom of wok or pan with sesame oil.
Add frozen peas & carrots and prepared quinoa.
Stir in 1tbsp peanut butter and a few shakes of soy sauce.
Stir to combine.

Prepare sauce:
heat 1 can of coconut milk with your choice of spices.  (I used ground ginger, turmeric, curry powder and cardamom)
Add sauce mixture to quinoa mixture one ladleful at a time.  (Similar to the preparation of risotto)

Oven Roasted Broccolini with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

I've never used broccolini before and I was eager to try it out.  Here's my first attempt at using it as a side dish:

1 pkg broccolini
1/2 cup Sun Dried tomato pesto.  (I pulsed mine in the food processor with about a tsp of olive oil for about a minute to smooth the sauce a bit)
Pour sauce over broccolini and put in fridge until ready to use

Preheat oven to 375.

Put broccolini and sauce on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and seasonings of your choice. I used Dean & Jacobs Spicy Garlic
Bake for 15-20 minutes

Pull-Apart Bread (looks like a Bloomin' Onion)

I got this recipe from Pinterest.  It was originally from this blog.

I used some substitutions.  I couldn't find thinly sliced Monterey Jack cheese, and the line at the deli was insane,  so I opted for Sargento's thinly sliced Provolone cheese.  The recipe called for 12-16 oz, so I bought 2 7 oz packs.  I didn't even use the whole first pack, because I couldn't fit anymore cheese in the slits.  Stop and Shop was out of scallions, so I used the chopped (dried) chives from the spice cabinet.  I also used sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds.

I was thinking about it and there are so many options for fillings.  You could do a pizza bread, a cinnamon apple bread, or any kind of cheese.  The possibilities are endless!

Roasted Beets

Wrap beets (skin on) in tinfoil with some olive oil and sea salt
Roast at 375 for 1 hour

When they come out of the oven, peel off the skin.  Cut into pieces or serve as is.

I didn't think I liked beets, but cooking them this way makes them taste pretty yummy!

Another Variation on Roasted Asparagus

A few weeks back, I posted about my favorite cooking method for Asparagus.  I like to oven roast it.  Tonight,  I thought I'd try it with some different flavor enhancements.  Instead of olive oil, I used a lemon orange cooking oil.  For the spices, I used a Dean and Jacob's grinder.  I have quite a few of them in my spice cabinet.  The Royal Thai flavor is excellent!  Beyond that, the cooking method is the same.

Balsamic Butter Vegetables

This recipe was inspired by the bagged version of Balsamic Veggies from Trader Joe's.  My version didn't quite live up to the expectations that TJ's set, but I'll keep trying to perfect the flavor.  If anyone has any ideas (besides the obvious "just buy theirs") let me know!

traderjoes365.blogspot.com

1/2 bag of frozen mixed veggies (or you could use fresh ones)
1 tbsp. butter
splash balsamic vinegar
spices (I like Tuscan Kitchen's Pasta & Veggies)

1. Melt the butter in a frying pan.
2. Add the veggies
3. sprinkle in the spices
4. add the vinegar
5. cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes

Risotto

I love risotto.  I've made it on my own a couple times, and can't wait to try more recipes.

simplyrecipes.com

Rachael Ray's Butternut Squash Risotto

I also made this one recently, and it was excellent.

Green Beans Almondine

16 oz green beans (I prefer the fresh ones as opposed to the canned)
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp lemon juice
dash salt

1. Cook green beans until tender
2. toast almonds in melted butter
3. stir in lemon juice and salt
4. add mixture to green beans and toss to combine

seriouseats.com

Cranberry and Pumpkin Muffin Stuffing

4 day old Muffins (2 Cranberry -- I always use Cranberry Orange Walnut, 2 Pumpkin) Cut into cubes
2 medium leeks, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 tbsp butter
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp poultry seasoning (I like Bell's)
1 cup chicken stock

1. Heat a skillet to melt the butter
2. Saute the leeks and celery
3. Add the muffin crumbles and toast them in the pan
4. Add the seasonings
5. Moisten with the chicken stock and reduce heat to low

I got this idea when I made Rachael Ray's Lemon Poppy Muffin Stuffing.  I just swapped out the lemon poppy muffins for the pumpkin and cranberry when I made it for thanksgiving.

Almost ready for Thanksgiving dinner!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

When I was in college, I used to watch Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals all the time.  I have a few of her cookbooks, and this Tomato Cucumber Salad is one of my favorite summer side dishes.  I know it's January, but it's my blog, and I'll post a summer recipe if I want to!  (also-- no one says that you can't have this all year round anyway!)  This one is from Rachael's Express Lane Meals book.

Ingredients:

1 Shallot, finely chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced into half moons
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

1. In a shallow bowl, combine shallot, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper
2. In a steady stream, whisk in the olive oil
3. add the grape tomatoes.  Mash some of them with a fork so the juices become part of the dressing
4. add cucumbers and toss to combine

For a variation, you may want to try this Indian version.  I had lunch at an Indian buffet today, and one of the employees was sitting by the bar, making these fresh to order.

The tomatoes and cucumbers were cut into cubes.  He tossed them with cilantro, onion chutney, raita, tamarind sauce and mint chutney.  He topped the mixture with what looked like pieces of papadums, followed by more raita, and a swirl of tamarind sauce.  It was very refreshing, and a nice addition to my lunch.

Roasted Asparagus

When cooking vegetables, I prefer to cook them in the oven, rather than boil them.  I don't know why, but they just taste better that way.

Rinse the asparagus, and snap off the ends.
Place them on a single layer on a baking pan, and pour some olive oil over them
season with a grinder seasoning blend  (I like Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning)

Cook in the oven preheated to 450 for about 10 minutes, or until the ends are crispy. (I like to add some fresh lime juice at this stage)

Voila!  A tasty (and veggie-ful!) side dish.  (That's creamy chicken piccata pasta toss in the background.  I'll post about that soon)