I have received several emails and comments recently asking what I usually serve as side dishes and vegetables.
Well, I wish I could say that I was super creative when it comes to side dishes, but the reality is I am not. It is not so much that I am not creative, but that I often lack the time.
All too often we have salad, frozen vegetables, or even sometimes a can of green beans. Now there is nothing wrong with any of those things, but I will admit that they are not very exciting.
However what they lack for in excitement they make up for in the fact that they are quick and easy to put on the table. Just keeping it real here. 🙂
I do have a few side dishes that I do make often because they are pretty quick and easy to make.
We love roasted vegetables and in the spring we love roasted asparagus.
Roasted carrots are another favorite in our house all year long.
We also love roasted cauliflower. Yes, we like roasted vegetables.
A recent favorite is fried cabbage and I have been surprised at how much my family loves this.
And have you ever tried fried corn? We love fried corn and my kids would eat this every night if I fixed it.
For other side dishes we often eat Mexican rice or seasoned black beans with Mexican type mmeals.
And if I need a potato type side dish we love oven potatoes, parmesan potatoes, or buttermilk mashed potatoes.
Writing this post and reading through my archives made me realize that I really do need to share more side dishes and vegetables. We have many favorites that I have never shared with you all. I will work on trying to fix that.
What are your favorite side dishes and vegetables to serve? I would love to hear some of your ideas because I am guessing you all may be more creative than I am.
My last minute, quick side dish is a carrot salad: throw a handful of carrots through the grater on my food processor, make a vinegrette that matches the meal(rice vinegar and sesame oil for Asian, lemon juice and Tabasco for a Mexican meal), add some extras if I have them on hand(cilantro, pumpkin seeds). I bring this to potlucks as well and get a ton of complements!
Roasted kale “chips”. Kale is a green that 5 of us would never eat until we tried it this way. Rinse and chop a large bunch of kale (it shrinks when you bake it – we need 2 large cookie sheets full). Toss with 1 TBL of oil (your choice) and spread out over cookie/baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper and just a bit of salt.
Bake at about 400 for 7 minutes, stir up the kale and continue to bake until most pieces of kale have browned edges.
All four of my kids (ages 7 – 19) devour this.
My sides usually look the same as yours:) I usually try to keep them simple for several reasons. One it takes less time and money but they are usually healthier too. (less ingredients to add fat/calories) We really like grilled or roasted veggies without much added to them except a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I have tried more involved side dish recipes, casseroles almost, and while they are good for special occasions, they’re not every day foods for us.
Oh, I love sides, and usually have one from each category;
Salad with chopped apple, cranberrries, cashews, coleslaw with raisins, Caesar salad, broccoli grape salad, steamed beans or broccoli and cauliflower mix, sautéed asparagus.
Sweet potatoe salad or sweet potato fries, risotto, rice.
I also like to add some strawberries, grapes, canned peaches, or snap peas to snack on.
Rolls, biscuits, or cheesy garlic bread for hubby.