Side Dishes - what's your favorite?

OptimisticlyOptimistic

I'm looking for some healthy side dish ideas. What's your favorite? You get a cookie if it's quick and easy to make. )

Thanks!

just4nessa

I like rice with chopped scallions and a splash of chicken broth (instead of butter), or brown rice with chopped black olives and chicken broth. Quick, easy and tasty.

OH_matt

sauteed squash with red onions. takes about 5 minutes.

JanaCanada

Baked potatoes!! I need the potassium!

ReclaimingSarah

Sauteed zucchini with soy sauce. YUM!

maddieprice87

Mashed carrot and swede (or just swede) with black pepper and a little light butter! Way less calorific than mashed potato and really yummy

Also, I like chopping 120-150g new potatoes up, seasoning them, and baking in the oven for 30 minutes- they seem to go a long way and they make good guilt free roast potatoes

castell5

Steamed asparagus

wizbeth1218

Steamed broccoli. We eat the heck outta some broccoli.

And steamed zucchini spears. Something about cutting it into spears makes it yummier to me.

And the over roasted asparagus I mentioned already. Here's the link:
http://www.makedinnereasy.com/oven-roasted-asparagus.html

Oh, and I don't want the cookie.

wizbeth1218

Here's another one that my family loves loves loves:
http://www.makedinnereasy.com/orzo-pasta-salad.html

I have no idea about the nutritional content and it would prolly need to be modified. I know we don't put anywhere close to the amount of dressing (oil & vinegar) mentioned in the recipe. But we love the flavor of the salad!

trophywife24

I'm perfectly obsessed with potatoes. Potatoes with the skin still on, chopped, "fried" in a little bit of olive oil, with garlic, paprika, parsley and sprinkled with a little bit of grated parm at the end is absolute perfection to me.

bathsheba_c

Salads:
Chopped tomato and red onion with a bit of olive oil and salt. Try not to overdo the onion.
Chopped tomato and cucumber with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Chopped red onion is also good in this if you want it fancier.

Starches:
Rub small potatoes, such as fingerlings, in olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt and bake.
Beat an egg into buckwheat groats. Toast on high heat until dry. Add hot water and cook.
Chop an onion and fry until translucent. Add whole wheat Israeli couscous and toast in the onions. Add hot water and cook.

Captain_Tightpants

Steamed brocolli, throw some shredded cheese on there for the last minute of steaming

Asparagus, sauteed in sea salt and olive oil

Pine nut Couscous

Baby carrots, glazed in a little butter and brown sugar

Basmati rice, steamed with cinnamon stick, cloves and cardomoms (for Indian)

Baby red potatoes, roasted with olive oil and italian herbs

tooliebell

Sauteed zucchini and onions. Baked sweet potatoes. Baked sweet potato fries (peel, cut the size of fry you like, spray with PAM, and bake depending on size). Red potatoes, zucchini, onions and tomotoes roasted in the oven.

Hungry now!

jlapey

Pretty much any vegetable roasted (beets, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are my favorites) with grape seed oil, salt and pepper. Super easy and if you line the pan with foil, cleanup is super easy too. Just throw the foil away.

I'll have a chewy pecan cookie, thank you.

semeyer

Baked sweet potatoes. Throw them in the oven and voila! BEST SIDE EVER!

LorinaLynn

Maybe not the healthiest, but delicious... Make macaroni & cheese, however you best like it, but stir in some Bush's Grillin' Beans. Add some french fried onions on top, and bake a few minutes until crunchy. OMG... so good!

I did it once because I didn't want to dirty yet another pot heating the beans, and it was the happiest accident ever.

Keto_T

Green beans cooked in olive oil until they are just shy of burned then add Dale's marinade-just a splash

DoomCakes

Mashed Sweet Potato's

Microwave 2-4 medium sized sweet potato's (about 12 minutes total, flip over half way, microwave till soft)
Peel the sweet potato's and chop them into cubes.
Place in a bowl, add a bit of butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and some splenda for sweetness.
Mash it with a hand masher (or mixer if preferred!)
Serve!

It's sweet and not too high in anything. Doubles as a side and desert almost!

newcs

Not quick but very easy (more starchy):

Acorn squash (cut in half, scoop out seeds, put in a little butter and maple syrup, bake at 400-450 until fork tender)
Sweet potatoes (wrap in foil, bake at 400-450 until fork tender...I eat them plain but serve with butter, brown sugar, whatever suits you)
Baked brown rice (bring 2.5c water, 1T unsalted butter and 1t kosher salt to a boil, stir, pour over 1.5c brown rice in a loaf pan, cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 1hr)
Butternut squash (peel, cube, boil until fork tender, mash with a little butter and salt)

For veggies:

Broccoli (wash, cut, steam until bright green, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper or use a pepper garlic grinder)
Asparagus or green beans (wash, cut tough ends, spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, bake at 375 until fork tender but slightly crisp)
Spinach (sautee minced garlic and/or onions in a little oil, rinse spinach but do not fully dry, add spinach to pan and wilt, add salt & pepper)

tyrantduck

asparagus cooked in the following manner:

in a pan with olive oil and a little bit of butter, seasoning salt (the orange colored stuff, not regular salt), minced garlic, and a dash of liquid smoke. don't forget to cut the hard stems off the asparagus before you cook it. it comes out FANTASTIC. everything is added to taste so you can use however much or however little you like. just cook until the asparagus is slightly wilted/wrinkled.

dtf88

Big fan of the rice/corn/black beans medley