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!

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!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Creamy, cheesy, delicious pasta!  Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food!  I have made several different recipes which call for regular cheeses and they always come out dry and not creamy enough.  When I found this one, I was leary of the Velveeta in it. (I don't care for processed cheese!) But I figured that the Velveeta would probably make it nice and creamy. So I decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did!  I guess everything is okay in moderation!

 

Macaroni and Cheese

4 cups elbow noodles

4 T. butter

1 small onion, diced

2 T. flour

4 cups milk

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 lb. Velveeta cheese

Ritz crackers, crushed

Cook noodles as directed on package.  Drain and put in a 9x13 inch pan.  Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Add onion and saute for several minutes.  Add the flour and mix until smooth.  Add milk, salt, and pepper.  Stir until boiling (this could take 15-20 minutes--be careful not to burn).  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Cut cheese into chunks and stir in until smooth.  Add elbow noodles and mix together.  Pour into pan and top with crushed crackers.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

I halved this recipe and it easily fed four adults with some leftover.  I rate this recipe 4.5 stars.