Easy Veggie Medley

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare veggies.  It seems to go great with almost anything!  I believe my Mom came up with the recipe... It is quick and easy! (Seems to be the theme of my cooking this week!)  I am 8 months pregnant, so quick and easy is what I need right now!

These are the raw veggies.  Red potatoes, carrots, onions.  I always add zucchini and yellow squash, but I forgot to get it when I was at the store.  :(   Season it up with whatever sounds good! I will put what I used in the recipe below.

Just out of the oven!  Mmm...this is comfort food!! Warm and full of flavor!  

They were steaming so much my camera lens kept fogging up!  Even without the zucchini and squash it was delicious!

EASY VEGGIE MEDLEY

Red potatoes, quartered

Whole baby carrots, or peeled carrots chunked

Red or white onion, sliced

Zucchini, halved and thickly sliced

Yellow Squash, halved and thickly sliced

Olive oil

Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Lawry's All Purpose Seasoning

Dill Weed

Water

Place all veggies in an oven-proof dish.  Drizzle with a decent amount of olive oil.  (Not a ton so it is really oily, but enough to coat the veggies).  Sprinkle with desired seasonings.  Salt, pepper and dill weed would be great if that is all you have!  I really like the addition of the dill though, so don't skip out on that!  Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of water and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  

Note:  The potatoes take a lot longer to cook than the squash, so  you can add the squash in about 20 minutes into the cooking process.  I have done it both ways :)  If you add the squash in the beginning, just cut it as large as the potatoes and it will be fine!

Chef's Salad

I wouldn't call this a recipe.  

Just an idea for an easy lunch or dinner!  Sometimes a person just needs ideas!! :) 

Basically I cleaned out the refrigerator!

We had some leftover lunch meat that needed to be used up, so instead of another sandwich, we did a salad!

I probably could have made it look a little nicer, but I was starving!  So I just piled it up high!

Here is the "salad bar"

Romaine.  It speaks for itself! I love it! Crunchy, mild, and full of fiber! Yum!

Carrots, broccoli, red onion, chopped boiled eggs, turkey breast, roast beef, and ham.  

(I try to buy low sodium deli meats if at all possible...too much sodium is not a good thing!)

Also some freshly grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese. 

 I always buy block cheese.  It is usually cheaper plus it tastes so much better!  And it really doesn't take much time to grate!  But if you want to use the pre-shredded kind...don't let me stop you!! :)

And some Croutons...Sunflower Seeds would be my pick, but I was out of them.

Usually I make my salad dressings from scratch, but this one is really good!

Add on the dressing and you have a delicious meal!

(I very much enjoyed it!)

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I LOVE stir-fry!  It's just so yummy!!  I am constantly trying out new stir-fry recipes, and this one is a keeper for sure!  A few great things about this recipe:  It was really quick and easy to make....took about 20 minutes, I had everything on hand, and it has great restaurant flavor!  

I found it on www.foodnetwork.com.  I typed in chicken stir-fry and LOTS of recipes came up!  This one had 5 stars and 265 reviews, so I figured it must be good!  One person even reviewed that her hubby thought it was leftovers from PF Chang's!

Mmm! I love it garnished with toasted sesame seeds and green onion! Adds a nice little crunch!

These aren't the greatest pictures, but unfortunately my camera got a little water on it at the beach and it is no longer functioning. :(  This is the best I could do with my phone!

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI STIR-FRY

• Marinate the chicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients 

• 1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed
• 3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• About 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 to 6 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• Garnish: toasted sesame seeds, optional
• Serving suggestion: Jasmine rice

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.


Get the skillet good and hot again, and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes if using. Stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates and garnish with sesame seeds; serve with rice.


Notes: The garlic and ginger can be chopped together in a minichopper to save time.
Scallion greens can also be used to garnish, if you like that extra onion-y flavor and you want to use up the scallions.

The broccoli stems are used (love all that fiber) to add textural contrast and also to help bulk up the dish, and why waste them?

I reduced the amount of broccoli and added some thinly sliced carrots (I cut them into coins).  I added them with the broccoli stems and they came out great!  I also reduced the amount of salt and used pineapple juice instead of dry sherry.  You could also use orange juice if you prefer.  I just did a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and that gave it the perfect kick. And definitely use Jasmine rice! It is so tasty! 

Creamy Vegetable Bow Tie Toss

Wow! A month has gone by since my last post! Too much has been happening, I guess! First my computer was full of viruses and was in-operable.  Then we were out of town for a while.  And so on and so forth!

This hot pasta dish is a WONDERFUL side dish! Full of flavor! And it can use up that garden produce you will be yielding soon, if you have a garden that is!  If you don't have a garden, get a few pots and plant some parsley, thyme, and basil!  They are easy to grow and nice to have on your back porch!

Creamy, fresh, and fabulous!

Cook the veggies until crisp-tender! 

The tasty sauce with fresh basil and parsley.

The recipe calls for bow tie pasta, but all I had on hand was rotini. Anything works!

                         Creamy Vegetable Bow Tie Toss

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted)
• 2 cups cut fresh asparagus (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 medium sweet onions, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned
• 1/3 cup butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup prepared ranch dip
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute vegetables in butter for 5 minutes. Stir in broth;cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dip, Parmesan cheese,parsley, basil and salt; stir into skillet and heat through. Drainpasta; add to the skillet and toss to coat.  Yield: 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 253 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 30 mg cholesterol, 324 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 8 g protein.

 

Roasted Asparagus

Springtime = Asparagus!  I have never liked asparagus until I tried it this way.  It is so tasty I could eat a whole pound of it!  (Haven't tried it, but I bet I could!) I have made it so many times in the past few weeks my husband said, "Enough with the asparagus!" It apparently isn't his favorite vegetable! He does eat it though!

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

desired amount of asparagus

olive oil

salt

pepper

Parmesan cheese

Wash asparagus and hold the the ends.  Bend until each stalk snaps.  It will snap in the perfect place so you won't have "woodiness" (aka: tough stalks).  Lay stalks on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top.  Roast in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until bright green and tender.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes

These are the perfect side dish for your Easter Dinner....or any meal!  They are great because you can make them the day before, and just pop them in the oven the next day about a half hour before your meal!  I think they are some of the best potatoes I have had...but try them out and you decide!  They also make excellent leftovers!

I don't even have words to describe these potatoes! Five stars for sure!

After the potatoes are cooked and cooled, you shred them and spread in a baking dish.  I use my food processor to shred them.  An electric salad shooter would work too! Or just a regular grater! They don't have to be perfect shreds....if they crumble some, that's okay!

Then you mix in some shredded cheddar cheese.

The good stuff! Butter, sour cream, onion, salt, pepper, and parsley. 

You add the sauce to the pan, and using a fork mix it all in until all the potatoes are coated. 

At this point you can top with extra cheese if you have any, then bake.  Or if they are for the next day, cover and put in the refrigerator.

CHEESY POTATOES

6 large potatoes

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. parsley flakes

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Peel potatoes and boil whole until tender.  Cool.  To melted butter, add sour cream, onion, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Heat until warm and stir to combine.  Grate potatoes and spread in a greased 9x13 pan.  Add cheese, fluffing with fork to spread out evenly as you mix.  Pour sour cream mixture over and fluff into potatoes until evenly distributed.  More grated cheese can be added to the top if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  These can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.  Bake before serving.

If you wish to make these potatoes healthier:  Reduce the amount of butter by several tablespoons, use light sour cream, less salt, and use less cheese.  I have made them this way with great results!