Side Dishes

Risotto with Brussels Sprouts & Browned Butter

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risotto and sprouts
 

Yes it has Brussels Sprouts and yes it is delicious!  How can we have Brussels Sprouts and delicious in the same sentence?  Did not think that was possible.  The Pioneer Woman does work miracles and I snagged this one from her on Facebook.  Holy moly.  Now, I did not use the European Style Super Premium Butter she used–just regular butter.  I can’t even imagine what it would taste like with the fancy stuff.  Next time I make this, I might try–if I can find it.  Let me just say that we were “testing” the sprouts before adding them in to the risotto and just those alone–after having been sauteed in the butter–was amazing.  One tip, though: be sure you have no leftovers.  When I reheated this a few days later the sprouts weren’t all that.  Just sayin’.

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup)  Land O’ Lakes European Style Super Premium Butter, or just regular butter 
2 cups trimmed and halved Brussels Sprouts (about half pound–I found these bagged and ready
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed (more if needed)
salt and pepper to taste
2 t. fresh thyme leaves (or you can adjust and use dried)
Parmesan cheese for serving
 
1.  Heat a large, high-sided skillet (nonstick is best) over medium-low heat.  Add butter and allow to melt completely.  Continue letting it heat to a very gentle bubble–swirling the pan to keep it from burning–until butter starts to brown.  There will be golden solids in the bottom of the pan and the liquid will be deep golden brown.  Pour half the browned butter into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
 
2.  Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and increase heat to medium. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until slightly tender.  Remove from pan and set aside. 
 
3.  Add the onion , garlic, and 1 T. of the browned butter to the skillet and stir, cooking for 3-4 minutes, until translucent and golden.  
 
4.  Add the rice and stir for 1 minute.  Add 1 cup of the warm broth, stirring while it absorbs.  Continue adding the warm broth a cup at a time, stirring after each addition until the broth is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.  Test for tenderness and add more broth if necessary.
 
5.  When the rice is tender but still has a slight al dente bite to it, stir in Brussels sprouts, thyme, salt, pepper, and the remaining browned butter.
 
6.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. 
 
 
 

Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Risotto with Brussels Sprouts & Browned Butter
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Ingredients
  1. 1 stick (1/2 cup) Land O’ Lakes European Style Super Premium Butter, or just regular butter
  2. 2 cups trimmed and halved Brussels Sprouts (about half pound–I found these bagged and ready
  3. 1 whole medium onion, diced
  4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1 cup Arborio Rice
  6. 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed (more if needed)
  7. salt and pepper to taste
  8. 2 t. fresh thyme leaves (or you can adjust and use dried)
  9. Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
  1. Heat a large, high-sided skillet (nonstick is best) over medium-low heat. Add butter and allow to melt completely. Continue letting it heat to a very gentle bubble–swirling the pan to keep it from burning–until butter starts to brown. There will be golden solids in the bottom of the pan and the liquid will be deep golden brown. Pour half the browned butter into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
  2. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and increase heat to medium. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until slightly tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Add the onion , garlic, and 1 T. of the browned butter to the skillet and stir, cooking for 3-4 minutes, until translucent and golden.
  4. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the warm broth, stirring while it absorbs. Continue adding the warm broth a cup at a time, stirring after each addition until the broth is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. Test for tenderness and add more broth if necessary.
  5. When the rice is tender but still has a slight al dente bite to it, stir in Brussels sprouts, thyme, salt, pepper, and the remaining browned butter.
  6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Mormon Mavens https://www.mormonmavens.com/

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes with Garlic & Thyme

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So how many great recipes have you gotten off of a food package?  Yeah, me too!  This one came in really handy.  I had to come up with a meal on the fly while in the meat section of Walmart.  I decided to get small red potatoes because they would cook fast and I did not have a lot of time after work to put this meal together.  As I was preparing to boil the potatoes–and I hate waiting for the water to boil–I saw this recipe on the bag and thought that roasting would be so much quicker.  And there you go–a tasty side dish that was not a lot of work.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. baby red potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
8 cloves garlic, chopped (I just used whatever minced garlic I had in the fridge.  I need to buy some more)
6 sprigs fresh thyme, or you can use dried thyme.

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  
  2. Combine all ingredients in baking dish and mix well.
  3. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned.
  4. Stir gently a couple of times during cooking time.
  5. Remove from oven and serve warm.
NOTE:  I am going to add some chopped onion next time.  I think that would be really yummy.


SOURCE:  Melissa’s Baby Red Potatoes, package recipe. Check out their site HERE.

Lemon Mashed Potatoes

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When I was a kid, my mom used to make lemon potatoes. She would cut and par-boil her potatoes and then pour lemon juice over them and add some dried parsley. I decided to alter the recipe a bit and came up with this yummy version of lemon mashed potatoes. It is a great side dish to go along with fish and I like to make them with my halibut cakes. They have a lot of lemon flavor without being too sour.

Lemon Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
1 C. Milk
1/4 C. Butter
1/3-1/2 C. Lemon juice
2 tsp. Lemon zest
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Chopped fresh parsley (or a little bit of dried parsley)
Pepper to taste 

Directions:
1. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until tender. 10-20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes, add in the butter and milk and mash with a masher until you reach your desired consistency.
3. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Serves about 6-8

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

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Brussels Sprouts get a bad wrap, but if cooked right, they are delicious. This is a simply sauteed then slightly steamed recipe to get some good carmelization and still cook them through.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, washed and cut in half
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
S and P to taste
1/2 C. water

In a large saute pan with a tight fitting lid, heat up olive oil and butter over med/high heat. Add cleaned Brussels sprouts. Flip them so the cut side is down. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Saute in olive oil and butter til cut side is golden brown, just a few minutes. Stir the Brussels sprouts around, then add water to the pan and cover with the lid. Continue cooking (add more water if needed) until sprouts are tender crisp, about 10 minutes or so. Remove lid and let excess water evaporate. Remove from pan, add more S and P if needed, serve.

Long Grain & Wild Rice with Cranberries & Pecans

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Have you tried any items off of Applebee’s new Pub Diet?  Seriously, you should at least try the Cedar Grilled Lemon Chicken, Granny Smith Apple Relish, Lemon Olive Oil Vinaigrette, Quinoa Cranberry Pecan Rice Blend.  Yes that was a mouthful–a mouthful of deliciousness! That rice was to die for.  I could not even concentrate on the dinner conversation.  I am attempting to replicate that recipe right here.  My recipe is good, but it is not the real deal.  Plus, I didn’t use quinoa.  Not sure what kind Applebee’s had in their rice. I will try this recipe again, after I have done some more field studies, i.e., gone back to Applebee’s for more. Also, while putting this recipe together I found a quick way to toast pecans.  Yummy.  Future post. Stay-tuned.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Long Grain & Wild Rice Blend (I thought the wild rice was a nice addition)
Dried cranberries
Pecans, toasted (you can leave them halved or chop coarsely)
Olive oil
Cranberry Juice Cocktail (little tip from the waiter)

1.  Cook the rice according to package directions and taste preferences.  I used my rice cooker for this because at the end of steaming, I added about 1/4 cup of cranberry juice cocktail and let it steam a bit more.  The waiter told me about that little step when I was raving about the rice.
2.  Add in desired amount of dried cranberries, and the toasted pecans.  Fluff the rice and evenly distribute the other ingredients.


Mushroom Marsala Risotto

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I found this recipe a couple years ago. It takes some time (like most Risottos) and is a labor of love, but it is so very very worth it! It is absolutely delicious. It is one of my favorite things to eat. I normally double the recipe too.

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1 cup Marsala wine, divided
3-4 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 cups cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano (I used a lovely grana padano cheese)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced (additional whole leaves for garnish, if desired)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or saute pan over medium heat until foaming subsides.

Add shallots and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes.

Add garlic, tomato paste, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a separate medium saucepan until simmering.
Add the Arborio rice to the skillet and toast until opaque around the edges, 3-5 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup of the Marsala wine and cook, stirring often, until absorbed, approximately 5 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of the broth, and stir occasionally until almost absorbed, 8-12 minutes.

Working 1 ladle of broth at at time, continue to add broth, stirring constantly.  Add the next ladle when the broth is almost completely absorbed.

After you have been cooking the risotto for 10 minutes, stir in the mushrooms.  Continue to cook risotto, stirring constantly, until it is al dente, a total of 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 1/4 cup of Marsala wine, Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese, basil, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary.

Garnish with basil leaves.  Serve immediately.

Source

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

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Okay, I admit it.  I’ve never tried spaghetti squash before this.  But I’ve always wanted to.  It always looks so cool….all those little curly fibers.  But I never had motivation to try it until I had to go wheat-free.  You know, rice pasta is nice and all, but it’s a little bland.  So I was really hoping for something interesting here.  I got it, and it’s pretty versatile to boot.  You can serve it with a sauce like you would pasta or just top it with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil, or serve it as a side with salt, pepper, and butter or ghee.

And it’s just so stinkin’ fun to scrape all those little fibers!!!  Seriously, I giggled.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut a spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and loose flesh and discard.  Place cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for one hour.

Remove from oven and carefully turn the squash halves over to cool.

When it has cooled enough for you to handle it, take a fork and scrape the squash flesh towards the middle.  (This would be so fun for kids to help with!)

You just made spaghetti!!  Now wasn’t that fun?!

Fideo Pronto

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This is a super-easy dish to throw together when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands–so basically any day of the week.  It can be a main ( throw in some grilled chicken or whatever meat you want) or side dish.  The recipe is from a box of broken up vermicelli that I used to be able to get in El Paso, Texas at my local grocery store.  Now I buy the vermicelli in a bag, in the Hispanic Foods section, and the recipe is not on there.

This is also a good way to get some veggies into your kids, and a good way to use leftovers.

 
Ingredients:
1 7-oz. pkg. vermicelli, broken up
1 15-oz. can of diced tomatoes, any flavor, with juice
1 tsp. sugar
1-2 T. olive oil
any veggies you want to add (we like fresh spinach, green chilies,  fresh broccoli…)
salt to taste
 
1.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add vermicelli and stir-fry until golden brown.  Be careful to not burn this.  The vermicelli will continue to brown quickly.
 
2.  Add the tomatoes with the juice and the rest of your ingredients.  Bring to a light boil, reduce heat and let simmer about 5 minutes or so.  You want the vermicelli to be a little chewy, but not crunchy.
 
 

Black Bean Salad With Citrus Dressing

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I like to serve this as a side dish to many of my mexican main dish favorites.

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans
1 can corn
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved or diced
1/3 c. red onion, chopped
3/4 c. loosely packed cilantro, stems removed
1 avocado, chopped

Dressing:

juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 t. cumin
1/2 t. agave or honey
1/8 t. salt

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients except avocado.
2.  Mix the dressing ingredients and pour over salad and toss.
3.  Chop and add the avocado right before serving.

Source:  adapted from the gardengrazer.com

No-Fry Fries

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I love homemade fries.  But I don’t make them anymore for two reasons:  (1) fried food is unhealthy, and (2) frying stuff makes my whole house smell gross.  I’ve seen this recipe bounce around Pinterest enough to know that these fries must be pretty good.  So I figured I’d give ’em a try.  I’m not normally a crispy fry person, but I must say with these I prefer them crunchier.

Ingredients:
2 large Russet potatoes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse sea salt or kosher salt

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut potatoes into 1/3″ thick fries.  (Cut in half first, then cut each half into 1/3″ slices, then cut each slice into fries.)
2.  Place in a bowl of very cold water and stir them around with your hand.  Strain in a colander and place on a cookie sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel.  Use another clean towel to dry the fries well.
3.  Remove the towels.  Drizzle olive oil over the fries and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and toss again.  Spread the fries out evenly.
4.  Bake until browned, turning halfway through…..25-35 minutes, depending on your oven and preference.

Source:  this is all over Pinterest and is supposedly from Gwyneth Paltrow