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Posts from the ‘Vegetables’ category

Shredded Broccoli Salad

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This past month I have been working 10-12 hour days, working weekends, and my boyfriend Mark has been visiting me so he was doing a lot of the cooking and the rest of the time we just made something quickly and I didn’t have time for photos and blogging. I should start having more time to myself in the evenings now that things are settling down and I’m excited to be back in the kitchen 🙂

This broccoli salad is very delicious and a lot healthier than a lot of broccoli salad recipes you might come across (which use far more mayonnaise, or sour cream, or sugar).

You can easily double this recipe if you want more leftovers or are serving a larger crowd. This should serve 2-4 people depending on if you’re using it as a side dish or eating a larger portion for lunch or whatever. The salad has delicious flavor and a good crunch with added nuts and can easily be modified to use whatever ingredients you prefer or have on hand.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lb broccoli (~ 1 medium head) (or equivalent bag of pre-shredded broccoli)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (could also substitute raisins, currants, grapes, other fresh or dried fruit)
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds (could also substitute or add sunflower seeds or other nuts)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tbs rice vinegar
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh ground pepper to taste (I love pepper so I used quite a bit)

Directions:

  • Using the grater disk attachment of a food processor, shred the whole head of broccoli in a food processor (including the stalk). You can also run the onion through the shredder disk or just finely chop it with a knife.
  • In a large bowl, combine the shredded broccoli, cranberries, onion, and almonds.
  • Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and fresh pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge so the flavors can mingle. You can also make this ahead and store overnight in the fridge before serving.

Recipe from The Kitchn

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries

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This recipe was jaw-droppingly amazing. The flavor of the butter and pecans is SO tasty on these shredded brussels sprouts. I’ve never tried shredding them before cooking but it turned out extremely well. I’ll probably try out some more recipes preparing them this way. Try this recipe! It’s incredible!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
  • 4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries (I used fresh ones just because I had them on hand, if you use fresh ones they are quite tart, I added them in at the same time as the sprouts to cook in the pan)

Directions:

  • Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thinnest slicing disk of a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you may slice thinly with a knife or a mandoline.
  • Set pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook, stirring continually, until the pecans darken in color and begin to give off a toasted aroma, approximately 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cranberries, toss and serve.

Sriracha Orange Glazed Green Beans

Sriracha Orange Glazed Green Beans

Sriracha Orange Glazed Green Beans

 

Green beans are such an easy vegetable to prepare (especially if you buy the ones where the ends have already been snapped off) and this sauce gives it a fun kick 🙂 This was tasty and was so easy to prepare! Also I have added a new tab to the top where most the recipes I’ve posted so far should be organized for easier sorting so you don’t have to scroll through whole blog posts and archives to find what you want.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of green beans (ends snipped and discarded)
  • Salt
  • 1/3 cup sweet orange marmalade
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sriracha

Direction:

  • Boil a pot of water that will fit your beans. Add 2 tsp salt to the water. Place the green beans in the water and cook for 5 minutes. When they are tender, strain them from the hot water and add the beans to a bowl of icy water to quickly stop them cooking further. Place in a serving bowl.
  • Stir together the marmalade, salt, soy sauce, and sriracha (adjust to desired spiciness)
  • Add the sauce to the cooked beans and toss to coat. Serve hot

 

Adapted from Simply Recipes

March Hare Salad

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This is a unique side dish that my parents made frequently when I was growing up. I believe it comes from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks. The combination of the cottage cheese with the crunch of the sunflower seeds and some of the veggies is very appealing. This is a very refreshing tasting and healthy side. This was the first thing I made when I got my new food processor because it helps a lot with all the chopping. We would always make a big batch of this and then have yummy leftovers for a few days.

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Ingredients:

  • ›3 cups (1.5 pints) cottage cheese (may be low fat)
  • ›2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • ›4 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds
  • ›1 carrot, grated or diced
  • ›1 tomato, diced
  • ›2 scallions (spring onions), sliced
  • ›1 small bell pepper – any color – diced
  • ›1 celery stick, diced
  • ›1 small cucumber – diced
  • ›1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
  • small handful alfalfa sprouts
  • ›juice of 1 lemon
  • ›salt and pepper to taste

Optional extras:

  • ›1/2 a diced apple
  • ›handful of raisins
  • ›hardboiled egg, chopped
  • ›3 or 4 cooked, chopped potatoes
  • ›1/2 cup black eyed beans

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate

Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic over Spinach

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I had some extra squash and I saw a recipe similar to this somewhere as I was browsing salad ideas. This is honestly one of the most amazingly delicious things I’ve eaten recently, and certainly one of the best salads I’ve ever had. I am completely in love with the taste of roasted garlic and the combination of that with the sweet butternut squash was amazing. I think any of the other ingredients could be substituted out (different nuts or toppings), but the garlic and squash have to stay. I want to make this again right now just thinking about it!

Ingredients:

  • ›2 -2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash
  • ›olive oil
  • 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
  • ›8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • ››kosher salt and pepper
  • ›4 cups spinach
  • ›Handful pine nuts, toasted
  • Handful dried cranberries

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Peel squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds from the center and discard. Cut squash into large chunks. Coat with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 45=60 minutes stir half way through, roast until well caramelized.
  • Coat shallots and garlic with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and spread on a second lined baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until well caramelized.
  • When squash, shallots, and garlic are done, toss with spinach, pine nuts, and cranberries. Serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

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I’ve been trying out a few different ways to cook cabbage and this is my favorite one I’ve found so far. My friend Garrett even proclaimed “you’ve made cabbage edible!” This is a great side dish! I served it with some delicious pork chops, which was a great combination.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 2-pound red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
  • 6 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 apples, diced

Directions:

  • Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add cabbage and sauté until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.
  • Add sugar, toss to coat evenly. Add vinegar and apples. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, simmer until cabbage is tender, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Apple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

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This has been my absolute favorite way to cook brussels sprouts lately. We always seem to have too many apples and I love finding ways to use them in savory dishes on top of making them into pies/crumbles/etc. This recipe is so simple with only a couple ingredients and should even win over brussels sprouts haters. The flavors are great especially if you like vinegar.

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Ingredients:

  • ›8 oz brussels sprouts
  • ›2 slices bacon
  • ›1 granny smith apple
  • 1 tbs apple cider vinegar

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 450 °F
  • Peel, core, and dice the apple, toss it with a splash of apple cider vinegar to prevent browning
  • Cut the brussels sprouts in half
  • Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook in a nonstick pan on medium heat for 6-7 minutes or until browned and crispy, stirring ocasionally
  • Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan
  • Add the brussels sprouts and apple to the still hot bacon fat and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat thoroughly, adding a little more olive oil if the pan is too dry.
  • Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 9-11 minutes, or until browned and caramelized.
  • Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining vinegar and the bacon pieces and stir together