Category: Sides

Quick Sautéed Kale and Carrots

Posted on by Lisa P

This is the easiest way (IMO) to sauté kale so it’s not completely boring. Since kale can be somewhat bitter we add sweet veggies like carrots and onions to balance the flavors. Feel free to swap the carrots with parsnips, yellow or red bell peppers, or even red cabbage if you like.

Serves: 2 people with a bit left over
Hand on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp olive or coconut oil
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1 medium to large carrot
  • 1/4 C chopped onion (optional)
  • salt and pepper

Continue reading “Quick Sautéed Kale and Carrots” →

Dirty Quinoa

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 3-4 people
Hands-on time: 15-20 min
Total time: 30 min

This recipe for “dirty” quinoa is adapted from the dirty rice I used to make all the time when I was single and cooking was a low priority.  I also used to chop up hotdogs and throw them in to make a meal, but um I don’t do that anymore. Now it’s just clean, whole, unprocessed food for me.  I sure wish they made a natural hotdog flavor I could add to a dish to get my hotdog fix.  Anyway, enough about hot dogs, let’s make some dirty quinoa!

Ingredients

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Classic Rice and Beans

Posted on by Lisa P

Use the beans recipe here, but make the below adjustments.

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/classic-black-beans-and-rice-46221

Adjustments:

  1. Don’t use sazon, it has MSG in it, just add some adobo seasoning instead, or a mix of garlic powder, paprika and salt.
  2. Double the recipe
  3. This will taste way better if you use beans you’ve cooked from dried and stored in your freezer using this recipe.  Home cooked beans are always better than canned.
  4. Serve over long grain brown rice, not white rice.

Easy Crunchy Cucumber Salad

Posted on by Lisa P

1 stalk celery
3-4 mini english cucumbers or pickling cucumbers
1/2 tsp garlic salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil (or to taste)
1 tsp red wine vinegar (or to taste)
(Or 2 tsp white wine vinegar)

1. Peel the cucumbers leaving a few thin strips of green on them for color. Trim off the ends. Slice thinly.
2. Wash and thinly slice the celery.
3. Add all ingredients to a zip lock bag and shake. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while you make the rest of your dinner. Either in the frig or on the counter.

Right before serving, pour the salad into a nice bowl and top with a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley (optional).

Enjoy!

(Sorry, forgot to take a picture, will add it next time I make this!)

Crunchy Cucumber Salad for 2

Posted on by Lisa P

This cucumber salad is made with miniature English cucumbers. They’re not expensive and you don’t have to peel them. This makes a great little side salad, and it’s crunchy enough to hold up til tomorrow so you can have the leftovers lunch.

3 miniature cucumbers or similar amount of pickling cucumbers
1 small shallot or piece of sweet onion
1/2 medium tomato (or more to your liking)
oil and vinegar
Italian seasoning blend

  1. Prep your space:  Get out a medium cutting board, a knife, and a small bowl. If your garbage can is not nearby, have a little plastic bag open next to your work space for scraps.  Grab your steel and give your knife a quick sharpening.
  2. Wash the cucumbers since you’ll be leaving the skin on. Wash the tomato too if you haven’t already.
  3. Cut the ends of the cukes off, and then slice them at a diagonal, very thinly.  About an eighth of an inch or less.  Toss them into the bowl.
  4. Peel the shallot and cut off the hard end. If using onion obviously you can skip that part.  Slice as thinly as possible.  A very sharp knife makes all the difference here.  Scrape the pieces up with your knife and bang them in the bowl as well.
  5. Cut the tomato into smallish wedges.  Into the bowl they go.
  6. Shake some Italian seasoning onto the vegetables.  This is where you have to judge for yourself how much seasoning you like.  If you’re not sure, start with 1/4 tsp, mix it in, and look at it.  That’s about as much as I use, but you might like more or less.  It’s OK to guess, the world won’t end if you add a little too much.
  7. I use olive oil and white wine vinegar, but you could use regular oil and apple cider vinegar.  It’s a different flavor in the end, but we’re not talking gourmet here, we’re just trying to get dinner on the table.  About a tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon or so of oil should do it.  Mix it up, taste one, and add more if you like.
  8. Put the bowl (with spoon) into the frig to sit while you make the rest of your meal.  Maybe you could stir it once or twice if you remember.

This is my favorite summer go-to salad.  Hope you enjoy it!

Step 2:
Miniature English Cucumbers

Step 6:
Crunchy Cucumber Salad

Yield: 2 Cups
Prep time: 10 minutes
Calories: Hardly any

Quick Kale & Cabbage Fry Recipe

Posted on by Lisa P

Toss this easy kale recipe together as a nutritious side, while your main protein dish bakes or braises.

1 T olive oil
1/2 small cabbage
1/2 red pepper
1 medium shallot or 1/4 C sliced sweet onion
1 1-inch piece of jalapeño (optional)
2-3 sun dried tomatoes (optional)
1 medium carrot
1 bunch kale
seasonings Continue reading “Quick Kale & Cabbage Fry Recipe” →