Side Dishes - what's your favorite?

OptimisticlyOptimistic
OptimisticlyOptimistic Posts: 162 Member
in Recipes
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. :o)

Thanks!
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Replies

  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    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
    OH_matt Posts: 228 Member
    sauteed squash with red onions. takes about 5 minutes.
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    Baked potatoes!! I need the potassium!
  • ReclaimingSarah
    ReclaimingSarah Posts: 250 Member
    Sauteed zucchini with soy sauce. YUM!
  • maddieprice87
    maddieprice87 Posts: 56 Member
    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
    castell5 Posts: 234 Member
    Steamed asparagus
  • wizbeth1218
    wizbeth1218 Posts: 358 Member
    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
    wizbeth1218 Posts: 358 Member
    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
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
    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
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    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
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    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
    tooliebell Posts: 177 Member
    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
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    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
    semeyer Posts: 282 Member
    Baked sweet potatoes. Throw them in the oven and voila! BEST SIDE EVER! :love:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    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
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    Green beans cooked in olive oil until they are just shy of burned then add Dale's marinade-just a splash
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    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
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
    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
    tyrantduck Posts: 387 Member
    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
    dtf88 Posts: 53
    Big fan of the rice/corn/black beans medley
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
    Any veggie steamed :) Worth investing in a steamer, it's so easy!
  • cbk93
    cbk93 Posts: 35
    Baked sweet potato, grilled veggies, asparagus, broccoli. One of my favorite sides..fresh green beans, mushrooms, and onions sauteed in olive oil.
  • libbymcbain
    libbymcbain Posts: 206 Member
    Roast cauliflower.

    Break 160g of cauliflower per person into florets. Place 1 tsp of olive oil per person in roasting tin, add cracked black pepper to taste, toss cauliflower to lightly coat. Roast for 30mins (ish) at 200C. It's best with light brown crispy edges. When cooked, season with gomasio.
  • Sarah0866
    Sarah0866 Posts: 291 Member
    Brussel sprouts sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and a little bit of grated parmesan cheese on top :) yum!
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    Sweet potatoes are by far my fave. One of my favorite ways to make them - it's really easy - is to chop up a large sweet potato into one inch cubes (leave the skin on!), throw 'em in a bowl and drizzle the cubes with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Take a spatula or large spoon and stir the cubes up so the oil covers them completely and well. Then season with whatever you like - I like a little paprika and rosemary, but have also made them sweeter by tossing the cubes in hazelnut oil and dashing some cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice on them. Then stir them up again.

    Line a cookie sheet with some non-stick aluminum foil and dump the oiled, seasoned cubes onto the cookie sheet, and cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. Then throw them in the oven for a half hour or so at 400 degrees.

    OH MY STARS. Yummy yummy yummy.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    steamed veggies is my go-to
  • Izanami66
    Izanami66 Posts: 181 Member
    Sweet potatoes are by far my fave. One of my favorite ways to make them - it's really easy - is to chop up a large sweet potato into one inch cubes (leave the skin on!), throw 'em in a bowl and drizzle the cubes with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Take a spatula or large spoon and stir the cubes up so the oil covers them completely and well. Then season with whatever you like - I like a little paprika and rosemary, but have also made them sweeter by tossing the cubes in hazelnut oil and dashing some cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice on them. Then stir them up again.

    Line a cookie sheet with some non-stick aluminum foil and dump the oiled, seasoned cubes onto the cookie sheet, and cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. Then throw them in the oven for a half hour or so at 400 degrees.

    OH MY STARS. Yummy yummy yummy.

    :love: Sounds amazing! My bf is a sweet potato fiend, but we've never made them like this. He'll love it! Great thread! I was kinda tired of the same old salads, steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, rice, etc., but this thread has reminded me of other wonderous sides to be had. Can't wait to make this and the maple syrup acorn squash... mmmm...
  • Strobins05
    Strobins05 Posts: 716
    Big fan of the rice/corn/black beans medley

    ^^^ this and some Cilantro, walla!:flowerforyou:
  • sherisse69
    sherisse69 Posts: 795 Member
    Sweet potatoes are by far my fave. One of my favorite ways to make them - it's really easy - is to chop up a large sweet potato into one inch cubes (leave the skin on!), throw 'em in a bowl and drizzle the cubes with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Take a spatula or large spoon and stir the cubes up so the oil covers them completely and well. Then season with whatever you like - I like a little paprika and rosemary, but have also made them sweeter by tossing the cubes in hazelnut oil and dashing some cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice on them. Then stir them up again.

    Line a cookie sheet with some non-stick aluminum foil and dump the oiled, seasoned cubes onto the cookie sheet, and cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. Then throw them in the oven for a half hour or so at 400 degrees.

    OH MY STARS. Yummy yummy yummy.


    ^^^ Dani!!! Every darn time I see your pic I want a darned BURGER!!!!! LOL
  • mizkoukla
    mizkoukla Posts: 11
    POTATOES!!!
    POTATOES!

    tumblr_medmdclZCF1qehgb5o2_500.gif

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