Side Salad Dinner

Like summer tapas. 

The possibilities are endless, here are a few to get you started. 

Brussels Sprouts with Dried Cherries and Pistachios

Brussels Sprouts

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Dried Cherries

Pistachios

Coat the Brussels sprouts  with olive oil and roast at 425 for 10 minutes. Toss with remaining ingredients.

 

Sesame Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers (thinly sliced

Sesame Seeds

Sesame Oil

Truffle Salt

Toss all ingredients 

 

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

Quinoa 
Sweet Potato
Chicken Broth
Cinnamon
Honey
Put desired amount of quinoa and chopped sweet potato in a pot add chicken broth until covered. Bring to boil and cook until quinoa is sprouted and sweet potato is soft. Drizzle with honey and cinnamon to taste. Serve hot.

 

If you have enough of them who needs a main dish?

Roasted Veggies with Dressings

Really we believe you can roast just about any veggie out there! My picky husband Phil has been converted to broccoli and green beans that have been roasted. Delicious hot out of the oven or cold over a salad!

Basic Roasted Veggie Recipe with Dressings!:

2 potatoes – cut into 1 inch pieces
2 carrots – peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
1 beet - peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion – peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pepper or 1 broccoli stock or fresh green beans.  (Go crazy and try roasting something new, rarely have we gone wrong….maybe skip the cucumber but otherwise go for it)

Dressing Ideas:

Basic Dressing:
1/8 cup olive oil
4 Tablesoopns balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Asian Dressing (Adapted from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites)
1/3 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 fresh pressed garlic cloves

Caribbean Dressing (Adapted from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites)
3 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 tablespoon grape seed oil
2 tablespoons red whine vinegar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar (or 4-6 drops dark liquid stevia)
½ teaspoon driend thyme
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
1 large pressed fresh garlic
dash of cayenne if you would like some extra spice

Other Dressing Ideas:
Store Bought Curry 
Fresh Lemon Juice with Olive Oil and Parmesan Cheese


Preheat oven to 450 (or 425 convention). Place all root veggies on a metal baking tray. Place all other veggies on different metal baking tray.   Cook root veggies first for 15 minutes, then flip, stir them and put back in the oven. Add second tray with other veggies into the oven. Add dressings and cook both trays for another 10-15 minutes.  Veggies should turn out crispy not burnt! 

Fast Food Chicken Dinner

It's not technically fast food but as much effort when into this as driving to a fast food restaurant would.

Argue with me, go ahead. 

Steamed artichokes, baked sweet potatoes and slow cooker rosemary chicken.

 

Chicken: Put a whole roasting chicken in the slow cooker, cut fresh rosemary on top (dried will work as well), drizzle a little olive oil on top and salt. Set to low for about 8 hours.

Then go about your day. When you get home as everybody is getting homework started put a few sweet potatoes in the convection/toaster oven at 400 degrees.

Boil a couple inches of water in a big pot, squeeze some lemon in, put 4 artichokes in to steam. (Cut off the stem and leave tips first.)

Your now have about 45 minutes to set the table, pour some drinks, hang up the 800 coats your family inexplicably wore today, put lunch boxes away, silently question what was going through their heads as they chose what to eat and what to refuse today, refocus wandering 5 year olds who are supposed to be doing their homework, throw the laundry you forgot about in the washer into the dryer, wipe down the kids' bathroom because it ALWAYS needs to be wiped down and since you were too lazy to run upstairs use your own bathroom you used the kids' and now you are compelled to acknowledge its need,  find the gym bag that has not been unpacked for one too many days, throw its contents into the now free washer, where it will sit for too long once again, and sit down and have a relaxing glass of wine with your husband while he tells you amusing and witty quips about his day. (You did notice I said pour drinkS at the beginning of this.....) 

But I digress.  Often.

Be sure to put cinnamon on the table to season the sweet potatoes. (My kids have confused it with sugar and think they're getting away with something when they do this.)

For the artichokes serve yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, and a squeeze of mustard (I dislike mustard immensely but you can't taste it in this.) mixed in little individual bowls which everyone can season to taste. 

(Hot sauce or cinnamon work well.)

Salsa is a good dip as well.