Archives for posts with tag: side dish

Fattoush Salad

January 11, 2016 //
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I love salads. I have a knack for making tasty ones. I really need to be better about posting them. This is one of my current favorite salads. I have been making it quite frequently. A few people have asked for the recipe, so why not get some motivation to sit down and post it. One kid is having his afternoon snack and the other is cleaning up (playing with?) his play doh mess from earlier today. The dishes are done. I vacuumed and washed the kitchen floor this morning. And if I don’t glance over to my left I can pretend the family room isn’t covered in toys and wipes that the toddler took out of the package. Oh what was I doing? That’s right, sharing my Fattoush recipe!

I kind of wing some of the ingredients. A salad by nature can be created that way. I don’t always use the exact measurements for the veggies I include. I am always always always generous with my leafy greens.

fattoush

  • 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
  • sprinkle of salt and fresh black pepper
  • 1 to 1 1/2 packages of Baby Romaine, finely chopped
  • 2-4 vine ripe tomatoes, depending on size. Diced
  • 1-2 cucumbers. Diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 1 container of feta cheese

Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt/pepper in a large bowl. Add all of the greens and veggies. Sprinkle with the sumac and mix well. Top with feta cheese and mix well again. I really mix it a lot to get the dressing covering all of the veggies. I know there is no feta in the photo, I added it at the party. Recently I added it before we left for a party and it was just as tasty.

You can also serve this with pita and chicken. I have served it with chicken shawarma. Very tasty. It is a stand alone dish or a beautiful and delicious side dish.

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Categories Uncategorized

Roasted Purple Cauliflower and Red Potatoes

April 12, 2015 //
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Jackson begs me to buy cauliflower all of the time. He is also known for just tossing a bag of fresh green beans into our cart without knowing if I had it on my list! When he saw that I was cooking the purple cauliflower he stopped in his tracks to exclaim his joy. If your veggies are this fun of a color, what’s not to love? This recipe is a great side dish. I made my Lemon Pepper Chicken to go along with this dish. I skipped the pasta and the green beans. I didn’t have and green beans. I added two shortly zoodled zucchinis and a couple handfuls of spinach instead. They went together very well!

I was supposed to get this posted yesterday but I have found my laptop to be in use all of the time lately. Jackson has discovered AbcMouse. A wonderful learning site. We signed him up the other day. It is the first thing he asks to do in the morning. Yesterday he started his morning at 6am. Very early for my chronically late sleeper. That is my normal writing time. Better late than never, though. Hope you get to squeeze this yummy side dish into your week.

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Roasted Purple Cauliflower and Red Potatoes

  • 1/2 head purple cauliflower (approximately)
  • 4-5 medium/small red potatoes
  • 2 Tbsp lemon olive oil. I used this
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 405

Cut up potatoes into bite size pieces. Break apart cauliflower florets. Add all to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, Italian seasoning, and sea salt. Mix/toss well until all pieces are coated. Pour onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for around 30 minutes.  Serve!

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Categories Recipes, Side Dishes

Lemon Honey Chicken Over Peppers

March 18, 2015 //
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Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day. My feeds were filled with images of corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. I went back and forth on what I should make for dinner. Ultimately I decided I wasn’t in the mood for corned beef. I did not really want a big heavy meal. I have had a slight cold or sinus infection this week. Nothing to knock me off my feet, but enough to be a touch annoying. Jackson does not recall having corned beef before. He has. I wasn’t really in the mood to try to convince him to try a brand new meat. Or cabbage! Sometimes he is not a big fan of change.

We went to the grocery store and I did show him what corned beef looks like. He said he wanted chicken for dinner. He didn’t have to twist my arm. I still wanted to have fun with St. Patrick’s Day though! I decided to make it about COLOR!

There are two recipes in this post. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!! A day late, but with two recipes in hand 😉

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Lemon Honey Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp & 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard (look for one that has the least ingredients. Mine just has mustard, vinegar, sea salt)
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Several handfuls chopped spinach

Heat olive oil and garlic in a large pan for a couple minutes. Add chicken, and begin to cook. Add lemon juice, honey, mustard, oregano, and sea salt. Bring the sauce to a nice bubble, cooking chicken through. Reduce to a simmer so the sauce reduces and gets a little thicker. Add spinach and cook until wilted. My spinach was in there a touch too long. You can add it a minute or two before serving so it stays a brighter green.

Sautéed Orange and Green Peppers

  • 1 orange pepper, diced
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • Drizzle of olive oil

Combine the peppers in a medium sized pan. Drizzle some olive oil over them. Cook until tender.

I served the chicken over the peppers and it was a nice combination!

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Categories Chicken, Recipes, Side Dishes

Balsamic Vinaigrette

March 15, 2015 //
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I love nothing more than a delicious, bright, crisp, veggie filled salad. I am the person who quite literally will get a craving for a salad. Leafy greens are where it’s at! This salad and dressing I brought to a family party yesterday. I have previously made the dressing for other parties. At my son’s 4th birthday it was gone. Not a drop was left.

I do not consume store bought dressing anymore. Unless I am out at a restaurant. In my home though, I always prepare a dressing myself when I want one. They are actually very simple to make. There are no gross added ingredients. The sodium and sugar levels are in check. They are still flavorful! They are fresh!

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Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard seed

I combine all of the ingredients in an Oxo Salad Dressing Shaker. Close that bad boy up and shake well to mix. It is that simple. It is such a tasty recipe.

I do love the dressing shaker. Be warned though, it can pour out a little quickly. So drizzle with caution.

Salad

This is truly up to you and your tastes. For this salad I added spinach, arugula, radishes, purple/yellow/orange carrots, and cucumber. The last time I made this salad/dressing combo for a party I made it with spinach, arugula, orange carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The dressing is tasty on any kind of leafy green/veggie combination.

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Categories Recipes, Side Dishes