Sauteed Summer Vegetables

Another awesome veggie side from Skinnytaste!




Click HERE for the recipe!

Zucchini Pasta with a Creamy Lemon Sauce

Another site I've come to love is the Novice Chef. This was delicious and a perfect side! You can find the recipe HERE.

Baby Squash

Yum! They were selling a bag of these baby squash at Costco, and I was so happy with how they turned out! I just sauteed them in little olive oil, salt and pepper and put some feta cheese on top. Super easy and super yummy!

Green Papaya Salad

If you've ever had this at a Thai Restaurant, you'll know it is DELICIOUS! We have a ton of Papaya growing in our yard, so I thought it'd be fun to make the salad before they ripened. My kids had a ton of fun picking the papayas fresh for me, too (they LOVE getting my herbs and any garden pickin' I need... so helpful!)

I used THIS recipe (thanks Bobby Flay), but I subbed pine nuts for peanuts!

Chicken, Blueberry and Corn Salad

YUM! I saw this on Pioneer Woman's cooking show and had to make it- the perfect summer dinner!!

Click HERE for the recipe! (I served mine over butter lettuce bowls!)

Beet Salad

So, I accidentally grabbed 4 (really large!) beets at the store instead of turnips (oops!) and didn't want them to go to waste. I love Skinnytaste's recipes, so I thought I'd give this one a try! It wasn't something I would probably die to have again, but if you are looking for something to replace traditional potatoes, here's a good option! HERE is the link!

Skinny Chicken "Fried" Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and "Fried" Okra

SO, we were hungry for some of our favorite comfort Southern food from good ol' Georgia. This was a good compromise!!

Here is the Chicken: (I just used breast fillets instead of the other parts of the chicken) http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/07/oven-fried-chicken.html

Mashed Potatoes: http://davisfamilydining.blogspot.com/2012/03/mashed-cauliflower.html

(White Gravy came from a Seasoning Packet at the Store)

Okra: http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.com/2012/03/oven-fried-okra.html

Deluxe Mac and Cheese

I have been so bad about taking pictures of our new recipes, and then of course haven't been putting them up on the blog! Trying to turn that around... so the pictures may not be the best quality, but at least I'll have the recipes to share!

I tried this off pinterest- my daughter LOVES mac and cheese, and I thought this would be a fun way to make it a little more healthy. It didn't turn out to be my favorite, but the family ate it up! Click HERE for the link!

Three-Bean Salad

I didn't get a picture of this, but we loved it! A nice variety to a vegetable side!

INGREDIENTS:
1 red bell pepper
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame
8 oz green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 cups coked, shelled fresh chickpeas
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 minced shallots
3 TBL fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 TBL oregano leaves
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1 TBL olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat broiler to high. Cut bell pepper in half, discard seed and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and chop. Cook edamame and green beans in boiling water for 4 minutes; rinse with cold water, and drain. Combine bell pepper, edamame mixture, chickpeas, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine shallots and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over bean mixture, too.

Baked Avocado Salsa

We have 3 avocado trees and since it is officially avocado season- we are SWIMMING in them! It's awesome- so I've been trying every recipe I can that includes avocados! This was super yummy, and we loved it as a salsa or topping! Click HERE for the link.

Zucchini Boats

I found this on pinterest- and had some zucchini from a local Farmer's Market and also bought some organic marinara sauce there, too! These were delicious!! Click HERE for the recipe.

Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz green beans, steamed

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp stone-ground mustard

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the last 5 ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well. Add to the green beans and toss well to coat. 

Grilled Potatoes

These are SO good- just like fries! I have some purple potatoes because I used a bag of variety- but they all turned out great! Click HERE for the recipe!

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad

I found this on Pinterest- thought it would be a light, yummy side to our turkey burgers! It was good- click HERE for the recipe.

No-Potato Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 head cauliflower
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3-4 TBL)
1 TBL parsley, finely chopped
2 eggs, hard boiled and diced
2 TBL grapeseed oil
1 TBL dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
Chop cauliflower into small florets (1/2 inch). Steam cauliflower until fork tender (not more or a stronger cauliflower taste develops). Allow cauliflower to cool then place in a large bowl. Add celery, onion, parsley and egg. Stir in oil, mustard and salt. Serve.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo

This caught my eye online because I love goat cheese, pasta and roasted red peppers! I added spinach to ours, as well. HERE is the original link.

Bean and Veggie Salad

This is a little bit of a fresher take on the Vegetable Salad I've made before- I liked the ingredients in this one, but the flavor fell a little shy. I think next time I'll use these ingredients, but go back to my Granny's dressing. I found the recipe on Echoes of Laugher, but I did use the entire cans of beans- she mentions freezing half of each can, but we're getting ready to move and I don't need to store anything up!

Kale Chips, Take 2

I found some new ideas on how to make these on Pinterest. One good suggestion was to hold each stem and run your fingers down, stripping the stem of all the edible parts! WAY easier than what I had done the last time (it might be obvious to some on how to do this, but I'm new to Kale!).

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch Kale
Pine nuts
Olive Oil
Sea Salt/Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Clean (let soak in a clean sink of water) and prepare kale (tear the bigger pieces into smaller ones). Heat the olive oil in a skillet and let heat up. As you add the kale, it should sizzle and pop (and wilt slightly). Add in the pine nuts, seat salt and red pepper flakes. When finished cooking (5-7 minutes) remove from heat and top with parmesan shavings.

*I ended up putting these on a cookie sheet in the oven for a little before I added the Parmesan cheese because I had added too much olive oil and my kale wasn't crisping up like I wanted in the skillet.

Cauliflower Fiesta Rice

I made this to go along with the Collard Green Burritos- I have been wanting to try to rice my cauliflower, and this was the perfect opportunity!

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of cauliflower
Olive Oil
1 can of black beans
Cilantro
Green Onions
Cilantro
Chili Powder
Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Canned Tomatoes/Chiles (I just used a little that was left over from my burritos)

DIRECTIONS:
Rinse and cut up the head of cauliflower. Put pieces into a food processor until they are 'rice like' texture. (Do not steam or cook!) In a skillet, heat up some olive oil and minced garlic. Add in the cauliflower, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add in the seasonings (I didn't measure any of the spices- just kept adding until it tasted right) or you could add in some salsa. It turned out really yummy- I definitely like this as much as the real thing!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is a new spin on hash brown casserole! The more veggies I can get into my kids, the better! I found the recipe HERE but I had to use a different cheese mix, because I didn't have cheddar on hand. Either way, it turned out great!

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds.  Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes.  In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl.  Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 375º for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown on top.