Ethiopian Saute

I had a bunch of random vegetables on their way downhill this evening so I decided to make use of them. But I wasn’t in the mood for my usual herb topped roasted veggies or soy infused stir fry so I wasn’t sure what to do. That’s when I came across this recipe for Ethiopian saute! I switched up some of the ingredients based on what I needed to get rid of in my fridge but I stuck to the spices recommended and it turned out great. The only change I might make for next time is to lower the lemon juice a teensy bit and up the spice quantity – it was a little too much on the citrusy side for my personal tastes. But on the whole – definitely something worth trying!

Ethiopian Saute

Ingredients:

- Vegetables of your choosing (I used about 1/2 cup each of broccoli, chopped carrots and sliced red onions, 1 cup of chopped mushrooms and 2 cups of torn spinach)

- 1 tablespoon oil (I used grapeseed oil but any will do)

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine

- 2 teaspoons of itty bitty pinches of coriander, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, paprika, ginger and salt – combined in a small container

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium-low heat. Add in vegetables according to cooking preference (I did onions and carrots, then broccoli and garlic, then mushrooms and spinach right at the end).

2. Sprinkle in lemon juice/white wine and spices. Distribute spices well.

3. There isn’t even a step 3 – it’s that easy! Eat up!

 

Potato, Sweet Potato & Carrot Mash

This is a very yummy side dish…and extremely healthy as well. A big thanks to Today’s Nest for the original recipe. And if this kind of dish interests you, take a look at the blog,  What Would Cathy Eat? where she is doing a healthy Thanksgiving challenge to find more nutritional alternatives to typical holiday fare. Yummy!

Potato, Sweet Potato & Carrot Mash

Serves 3 or 4

Ingredients:

- 1 large potato

- 1/2 a large sweet potato (or more if you want the dish to come out a bit sweeter)

- 1 large carrot

- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

- 3 tablespoons milk (I used soy milk because I find it gives it a deeper flavor)

- salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Peel carrots and sweet potatoes. Chop into 1 inch cubes. Place in a pot of water and bring to a boil.

2. While they cook, peel and chop the potato into 1 inch cubes. Add potatoes to pot.

3. After 20-25 minutes, veggies should break apart easily when poked with a fork. Once this occurs, remove pot from heat and drain veggies.

4. Mash veggies until they begin to form a chunky puree. Add in milk and butter and continue mashing until smooth.

5. Sprinkle in salt and serve.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This is my favorite dish to bring to a potluck or cook as a side dish for a special family meal. It’s really easy but with just the right quantities it can standout as spectacular.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 6 potatoes

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1/4 cup butter or margarine (I think Becel margarine gives it the best flavor)

- Salt (to taste – I like lots!)

Directions:

 1. Peel potatoes and cut in half. Boil in a pot of water.

 

2. Once potatoes come apart when poked with a fork they can be drained and returned to the pot. Mash them well.

 3. Add milk, margarine/butter and salt and continue to mash until well combined. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!

Note: The final amounts of margarine/butter, milk and salt are completely up to you – but I will say that the more margarine and salt there is the better I like them!!

Sweet Potato Fries

These are my favorite snack/side dish because they’re so yummy and also super good for you. Plus they’re very easy to make. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

- Sweet potatoes (about half a sweet potato per person – or more if you have healthy appetites!)

- Olive oil

- Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Peel skin off the potatoes. Chop potatoes into thin strips (try to make them as even as possible so they require the same amount of cooking time).

3. Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil until evenly coated. Add salt and combine thoroughly. You can also add any other herbs or spices you’d like (pepper, cayenne, etc).

4. Lay potatoes flat on cooking pan and place in oven.

5. After 20-25 minutes you can remove the pan, flip the potatoes and return them to the oven.

6. After another 10-15 minutes (so about 40 minutes total cooking time) they should be evenly cooked. There will likely be some crispy sides and some tender sides but that’s okay – the variety just makes them even more fun! They are best served right away but can also be kept in the fridge and reheated later if you have leftovers.

Useful tip: When you have a free moment chop up a bunch of them and keep them in an air tight container in the fridge. For the rest of the week you’ll be able to grab the amount you need and toss them in the oven for a convenient side dish.

Enjoy!!

Feta Pomegranate Salad

This pomegranate salad makes for an excellent starter or side dish. Plus, adding some grilled chicken will quickly turn it into a hearty meal if that’s what you’re searching for. It’s very easy to make and serves 4-5 people comfortably.  Healthy, simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

- 1 head of red lettuce

- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

- 1/4 cup crumbled feta

- seeds from half a pomegranate

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon sugar, splenda or honey

 

Directions:

1. Combine lettuce, onion, feta and pomegranate in large salad bowl.

2. Put oil, vinegar, salt and sugar in a small tupperware container. Put the lid on and shake well.

3. Slowly pour dressing over salad bit by bit while mixing until desired amount has been added. Once everything’s evenly distributed it’s ready to go!

Dressed up roasted sweet potatoes

I love roast sweet potatoes because if you cut them thinly enough they end up tasting like sweet potato fries which are so yummy to snack on. But every once in a while I want to make use of these delicious taters as a classier side dish – and so I give you: Dressed up roasted sweet potatoes! I was inspired by another blogger’s recipe to break away from my usual sweet potato fries and I am very glad I did. Hope you find it to be the perfect complimentary side dish!

Dressed up sweet potatoes (Serves 1):

Ingredients:

- 1 cup chopped sweet potatoes (cubed to be just under an inch)

- 1 green onion stalk (sliced to 1 inch long pieces)

- 1 tablespoon sesame oil

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Toss cubed sweet potato in oils on a cooking tray. Place in oven for 15 minutes.

3. Add in green onions and mix well so everything is thoroughly oil coated.

4. Return to oven for another 20-30 minutes. Check every 5-10 minutes to stir and allow all sides of cubes to cook evenly.

5. When the sweet potatoes are a desired crispiness you can remove and serve.

Roasted Vegetables

I love roasting vegetables because there are absolutely no rules as to which ones you put in. It’s the perfect way to use up some veggies that are just about to pass their prime. For this particular batch I threw in some mushrooms that were about to go bad, baby carrots that looked too funky to eat raw and half a red onion I had no other use for. The recipe for roasted vegetables is very simple:

Ingredients:

- Chopped veggies of any kind (Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, etc.)

- 1-3 tablespoons of olive oil (depending on how many people you’re serving)

- Seasonings (my favorites are salt, basil and rosemary but feel free to experiment)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place chopped veggies on a tray and pour oil on top. Sprinkle on seasonings. Combine well with either your hands or a utensil of choice.

3. Place in oven for 20-30 minutes until veggies are at desired tenderness. Remove and serve. Perfect as a great side dish or healthy snack!