Vegetable Fried Rice

Pin It Looking for a quick and delicious side dish?  Look no further.  This fried rice is super fast and easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your fridge right now.  And if you don't you can definitely substitute with what you have.

Vegetable Fried Rice
2 cups cooked rice
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen edamame
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3-5 Tbsp soy sauce
Optional: dash of soyaki sauce
green onions for garnish

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add vegetables and stir fry until starting to get brown and tender.
2. Add egg to skillet and stir vigorously until cooked and broken into bits.
3. Stir in rice and soy sauce.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until heated through.

Tiny Steakhouse Potatoes

Pin It I love teeny tiny tiny potatoes from Trader Joe's.  They cook so fast and they look good on your plate.  I had a bag that I was just planning on roasting with Albert's go-to seasoning Season All, but wanted to switch it up a bit.  We were having steak for dinner so my steak seasoning was already out on the counter.  I sprinkled some on the potatoes before baking.  I loved the smokey, peppery flavor that it gave the potatoes.  Dip them in a little steak sauce or ketchup and they are amazing!

 

 

Tiny Steakhouse Potatoes
1 lb Teeny Tiny Potatoes, or potatoes cut into small chunks
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp steak seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle with steak seasoning.
4. Bake 25-35 minutes or until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.   (I test mine by poking them with a fork) I also recommend turning the potatoes half way through baking to ensure they are crispy on all sides.

Lentil Stir Fry

Pin It Lentils have always scared me.  They are ugly, flat beans.  I was just never tempted to cook them or eat them until my husband and I went out to dinner for our anniversary this year.  We went to a fancy restaurant with a fancy menu and extensive wine list.  It was absolutely amazing!  I really wanted to have the salmon as my dinner, but the side dish that it was served with was....lentils.  I probably could have substituted something else, but I decided that if this upscale place thought lentils were acceptable, I could at least try them.  I'm so glad I did!  They made them in a stir fry loaded with lots of fresh veggies and it was surprisingly delicious.  I liked it so much I actually went out and bought lentils so I could recreate it at home.  I'm looking for other ways to incorporate lentils into my meals, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Lentil Stir Fry
1 cup uncooked lentils
1/4 cup edamame
1/2 cup snow pea pods
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce or Island Soyaki sauce

1. Cook lentils according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok heat oil.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant. (Don't let it burn)
3. Add edamame, carrots, peas and onion to the skillet.  Cook until starting to brown and get tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Carefully stir in cooked lentils.  Pour soy sauce/soyaki over veggies and toss to coat.

Loaded Smashed Potatoes

Pin It I was on a baked potato kick and made them multiple times in one week.  Then my husband spoke up and asked for a little variety.  That's where these puppies came from.  I used the same technique as smashed potatoes, and just added some toppings.  They were phenomenal.  I could have made an entire meal of just these potatoes (and I just might one of these days).

Loaded Smashed Potatoes
*makes 6 side dish servings
2 large baking potatoes, cut into thirds (so you have 3 thick round chunks)
butter
seasoned salt
shredded cheddar
bacon bits
green onions, chopped

1. Boil potatoes until fork tender.  Transfer potatoes to a foil lined broiler pan.
2. Smash each potato flat with a potato masher.
3. Place a small dab of butter on each potato, season with seasoned salt.
4. Sprinkle on cheddar and bacon bits.
5. Place under broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
6. Top with green onions before serving.

**These were delicious served with sour cream

My Favorite Pasta Salad

Pin It My first job was working for a catering company.  This was their most popular side dish.  I made it so much that I memorized the recipe.  It has since become my family's go-to pasta salad for wedding showers, baby showers, picnics, potlucks, birthday parties, pretty much any family event includes this pasta salad.  Pictures don't do this salad justice.  It has a pretty presentation and it pleases everyone.  It is tangy, sweet, salty and crisp.  This is also an amazing lunch for the days to follow (If you are lucky enough to have leftovers)

This recipe was shared at Strut Your Stuff Saturday.

My Favorite Pasta Salad
Dressing:
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1/2 Tbsp dry mustard
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined- about 2 minutes.

Pour over:
2 lbs cooked pasta (I prefer bowtie or spiral because it holds the dressing well)
1 jar pimientos
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced (any color)
2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 cup mini pepperoni slices or sliced salami ***optional

Notes-
*This tastes best when refrigerated for a few hours before serving to let the flavors blend.
*Don't pour all of the dressing over the pasta at first because it will soak in while it sits.  Pour extra dressing on right before serving.
*Make a double batch of dressing and use it for salads or for your leftovers

Garden Vegetable Quinoa

Pin It I'm always looking for interesting side dishes for dinner.  While I do love baked potatoes and pasta, I get bored.  I had a box of quinoa and had just gone to the farmer's market and inspiration struck.  I chopped up some veggies and tossed them with quinoa.  Simple, delicious and healthy.  Use any fresh vegetables that you have on hand.  Next time I make this I plan on adding some asparagus, squash and eggplant.   A great summer side dish!

Garden Vegetable Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package directions
2 cups diced fresh vegetables (I used onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes)
olive oil
garlic powder
salt and pepper

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Saute vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until starting to get tender. 
3. Season veggies with salt, pepper and garlic.
4. Stir quinoa in with veggies.  Allow to cook for about 3 minutes or until quinoa is heated through and flavors combine.

Smashed Potatoes

Pin It I try to avoid packaged pasta and potato dishes because of the ridiculous amount of salt and preservatives in them, but cooking potatoes as a side dish can get kind of boring.  You can only eat so many baked, mashed or roasted potatoes.  When I found this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to try it.  Besides being creative this side dish will not heat up your kitchen because you do not have to bake these at all.  Just a short trip to the broiler and you are done.  This is more of a method than a recipe.  Feel free to use any seasonings or toppings that you want.

Smashed Potatoes
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
6-8 small Yukon gold potatoes (depending on the size of your crowd)
olive oil
shredded parmesan cheese
garlic salt

1. Place your potatoes in a large pot, covered with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
2. Drain potatoes and place them on a foil covered broiler pan.  Smash potatoes down with a potato masher so they become flat and spread out.
3. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garlic salt (or any seasonings you want).
4. Place potatoes under the broiler on low for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Mexican Beans

Pin It Now I'm not claiming that these are authentic by any means, but they are delcious and we have them with all of our Mexican inspired meals.  In about 10 minutes you can have a flavorful side dish that is more exciting than canned refried beans or plain black beans.

Mexican Beans
3 strips bacon, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 30 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup salsa - any variety
1/2 can beer - any variety
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp taco seasoning

1. In a sauce pan brown bacon.  Remove bacon from pan and cook onions in bacon drippings until browned and translucent.
2. Add beans, salsa, beer and seasonings.  Return bacon to pan.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
3. Using a potato masher, lightly mash beans (I only press down about 3 times) just to break up some of the beans and give the sauce a thicker texture***this step completely optional.

Sweet and Spicy Slaw

Pin It This recipe was also found in the Penzeys catalog.  You can request your own catalog on their website.  It is always full of great recipes with appetizing photos.   I made this for our Mother's Day bbq yesterday.  It was quite the crowd pleaser and super simple to whip together.  It's sweet, tangy, spicy and crunchy.  Great for any outdoor gathering.

Sweet and Spicy Slaw
2 lbs green cabbage (1/2 large or 1 small)
3 carrots
1 medium white onion
**If you do not have a food processor you can use bagged slaw mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the cabbage into chunks.  Peel and cut the onion and carrots into pieces.  Using a food processor with the grater attachment, push the veggies through the chute and grate.  Toss in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices.  Toss the dressing with the veggies.
3. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Picnic Potato Salad

Pin It Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  My sister and I are in charge of dinner this year.  She got dessert and salad and I got everything else.  Since the weather is so nice we decided on a bbq theme.  I found this recipe in the Penzey's catalog.  If you don't know about Penzey's Spices, check out their website.  They have every spice imaginable, plus some awesome blends, like Arizona Dreaming, that I used in this recipe.  This is a great recipe for anyone who doesn't like mustard potato salad.  It's tangy, sweet, crunchy, creamy all at the same time.  A great side dish for any summertime gathering.
Check out the Patriotic Weekend Potluck for some awesome recipes for any gathering!

Picnic Potato Salad
6 cups cubed red potatoes
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup  light Miracle Whip
1/2 cup dill pickles, chopped
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp Arizona Dreaming seasoning
1 tsp sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.  Drain and cool.
2. Meanwhile mix Miracle Whip, pickles, sugar, and spices.
3. Add pickles, eggs, onions and cooled potatoes and toss to coat.
4. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Fancy Baked Potatoes

Pin It Since Albert has such simple taste in food I am always trying to find interesting ways to cook the food he loves.  Potatoes are high up on his list of favorite foods.  I saw some pictures of these potatoes on Pinterest and decided to put my own spin on them.  These are elegant enough for a nice dinner, but easy enough to whip up on a week night.

Fancy Baked Potatoes
4 baking potatoes
2 Tbsp butter, melted
garlic salt**
pepper**
Italian seasoning**
olive oil

1. Wash potatoes.  Cut 1/4 inch slices almost to the bottom, but not quite, so you get the fan effect.  (I had trouble not going all the way through on some of the potatoes so we had fanned potato chunks, but they were still pretty)
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Arrange potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Pour melted butter over potato tops, making sure it drips between the slices.  Generously season with garlic salt, Italian seasoning and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender (baking time will differ depending on the size of your potatoes)
** Feel free to season with any spices you want. 

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

Pin It I'm always looking for new ways to cook vegetables.  I saw a recipe for a cauliflower gratin, but it was super unhealthy and totally defeated the whole purpose of eating veggies.  So this is my healthier spin on that recipe.  We had this as a side dish with steak and baked potatoes.  It really would go well with any meal: chicken, pork, pasta...

Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower
* 2 servings
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
5 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp panko break crumbs
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place cauliflower in a saucepan with water.  Bring to a boil and cook about 5 minutes, until tender.  ***you can skip this step if  you want to bake the dish for about double the time.  I did this to save a little time.
3. Drain cauliflower and toss with olive oil, garlic and 2 Tbsp cheese. 
4. Place in an oven safe dish.  Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.  Spray top with cooking spray to aid in browing.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes until top is golden brown.

Toasted Coconut Lime Rice

Pin It This might be my new "go-to" side dish for light dinners.  I've never been a huge fan of cilantro lime rice so I decided to make a variation.  I'm happy to say that this turned out fabulous!  The toasted coconut gives a great texture and nutty flavor, while the lime gives just the right amount of tartness.  It pairs great with fish, shrimp, chicken, Mexican inspired, Thai food....you name it.  The minimal ingredients make this a super easy and healthy recipe. 

Toasted Coconut Lime Rice
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup sweentened shredded coconut
juice and zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper
garlic powder (optional)

1. Toast coconut.  Place coconut in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir frequently until golden brown.  Watch it carefully.  As soon as you start to see golden pieces you have about 30 seconds before it's done.  (It can go from beautifully golden to black in a matter of seconds!)  Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Cook rice according to package directions and place in a serving bowl.
3. Zest lime into the toasted coconut.  Squeeze lime juice on to the cooked rice.
4. Toss coconut mixture with rice, reserving a few tablespoons of coconut for serving.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Feel free to add a sprinkling of garlic powder as well.

Potato "Chips"

Pin It Another potato side dish.  This is also another one of those super simple, almost too easy to write a post about, recipes.  However, this is one of Albert's favorite side dishes.  These potatoes go with chicken , pork, steak...pretty much everything.  They are also super easy to whip up because the ingredients are usually already in my kitchen.  The recipe can be adjusted to feed one or a crowd. Feel free to add some extra seasonings as well.  Since Albert has a simple palate, seasoned salt is all he likes. Enjoy!

Potato "Chips"
* 2 servings
1 large baking potato, sliced into thin rounds
1 tbsp onion, finely minced
olive oil
seasoned salt

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about 2 tbsp olive oil tothe bottom of the pan.
2. Add onions to the pan and cook for about a minute.
3. Place the potatoes in a single layer (some overlapping is ok) and sprinkle generously with seasoned salt.
4. Let potatoes cook, without turning, for about 5 minutes.  Then flip and let cook, undisturbed for another 5 minutes.  The not flipping part is the key to crispy potatoes.
5. If your potatoes are not crispy enough for your liking, continue flipping and waiting until they are your desired crispiness.

Seafood Pasta Salad

Pin It It has been unseasonably warm the past few weeks.  Because of that I decided to bring a taste of summer in my lunch one day.  I just couldn't eat heavy comfort food when the weather was so nice.  This pasta salad is a great light lunch or side dish for a potluck.  Feel free to substitute or add your favorite veggies or seafood.  I think this would be great with shrimp or lobster.

Seafood Pasta Salad
1 12oz box whole wheat pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
1 8 oz package imitation crab meat
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dill
salt and pepper

1. Cook, drain and cool pasta and place in a large bowl.  Add crab, peas, celery and onions.
2. Mix mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, zest, garlic, dill and salt and pepper.  Pour over pasta mixture.  Mix to cover.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note - This can be made a day or two ahead.  It tastes great as leftovers.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Pin It We had twice baked potatoes at our wedding reception.  We both love them, but I rarely make them because they are too time consuming for a weeknight meal.  I had extra time this weekend so I whipped up a batch.  These are super simple, but a little time consuming.  They make a great side with potato chip chicken.

Twice Baked Potatoes
4 large baking potates
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T butter
3 T milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
3 slices bacon, crumbled
2 green onions, chopped or 1 T dried chives
1-2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Wrap potatoes in foil and bake for 45-55 minutes, until cooked through.
2. Once potatoes are cooked, allow to cool slightly until you can handle them.  (or use a towel to hold the potatoes).
3. Slice potatoes in hald lengthwise.  Scrape out the insides of the potatoes into a bowl, being careful to save 4 of the halves to refill.
4. Mix sour cream, butter, milk, bacon, cheese and green onions into the potatoes until well combined and smooth.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic.
5. Spoon mixture into 4 potato halves.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until heated through.

Keep Your Man Happy Potatoes

Pin It This recipe is so easy I'm almost embarassed to post it, however, these are Albert's absolute favorite potatoes.  He eats at least three servings everytime I make them.

Keep Your Man Happy Potatoes
3-4 medium/large red potatoes, diced
Season All Seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a baking sheet generously with cooking spray.
3. Put potatoes on pan and generously sprinkle with Season All.  Toss to coat.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, turning potatoes about halfway through.

Island Soyaki Fried Rice

Pin It Happy New Year everyone!  One of my favorite stores is Trader Joe's.  They just have such unique foods and sauces.  I used a little help from their Island Soyaki Sauce.  This is a great side dish for Trader Joe's orange chicken or you can add some chicken or shrimp and make it a meal.

Island Soyaki Fried Rice
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 egg
1/2 cup Island Soyaki sauce ( or a mixture of 1/4 c soy sauce and 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce)
green onions
**feel free to add any other veggies or meats that you would like such as bean sprouts, chicken, shrimp, or even pineapple)

1. Heat up a skillet/wok over medium high heat on your stove.  Add onions, carrots and peas and cook until starting to brown.
2. Add egg to pan and quickly stir it to cook the egg (so it breaks into small pieces like scrambled eggs)
3. Add Soyaki Sauce and heat to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and stir in rice.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Top with chopped green onions before serving.