Home » Kid-friendly Recipes » side dish » Page 4

Category: side dish

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

After asking on facebook for some vegetable ideas I tried a new recipe for brussels sprouts from Eat, Live, Run. It’s so simple and so delicious! We all loved it.

Basically you saute brussels sprouts and add a little brown sugar at the end. Who knew that could make them taste so amazing? We already love brussels sprouts. This was a great way to change it up a bit.

I did not use the garlic or the nuts. But that would be good too. I will definitely be making these again. I might even turn them into a one dish meal by adding a starch and protein (quinoa and nuts?, rice and chicken?, couscous and salmon?). My mind is whirling with variations already 🙂

I’ll be trying this method of vegetable preparation with other vegetables as well. I already did broccoli and kohlrabi last week. Yum!! Cauliflower would be a great addition as well.

Do you like brussels sprouts? If not would a little brown sugar make you change your mind?

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

12-14 large brussels sprouts
1 Tbsp olive oil (I used about 2 Tbsp. of butter and coconut oil)
1 clove garlic, minced (I just used a sprinkle of garlic powder)
pinch sea salt (or a lot if you’re like me:)
2 Tbsp brown cane sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (I’d use crispy nuts)

Slice each brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of feathery brussels sprout ribbons. Heat the olive oil/butter/coconut oil over medium high in a large skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another 4-5 minutes, until bright green and tender (I saute them a bit longer…my family likes them plenty soft). Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.

Corn Free "Cornbread"

I never had cornbread growing up (so sad). The first time I tried it was probably when I was in college. And I’ve loved it ever since!

Corn has been out of my diet for over a year now. And I miss cornbread. It’s my go-to accompaniment for chili. Corn muffins are great with just about any kind of soup. It’s easy and delicious.

So recently I decided to try a corn free version. I know it sounds crazy. But it can be done.

I used my usual cornbread recipe and made some modifications to remove the corn (including removing the baking powder…yes, that has cornstarch!). I also made it egg white free so that it’s better for me.

The result is a lightly sweetened cake that tastes almost just like cornbread. It even looks like cornbread…the egg yolks give it a nice golden color. All the picky eaters in my family loved it just as much as the original version.

It’s also very easy to make. Add the ingredients to a bowl, mix with a spoon, pour it in the pan and bake. My 18 month old helped me make it last night (he did some pouring, mixing and egg cracking…while I held him…the whole time…yes, it’s easy enough to make one handed while keeping a little one from spilling everything).

It makes a great pairing with chili. Or it’s a delicious breakfast topped with butter and honey or maple syrup. My personal favorite way to eat it is with lots of butter and a little sprinkle of sea salt. I love anything with a salty/sweet combo.

I have also added a soaked gluten free version. It is just as good as the original and easy on the tummy.

Can’t have corn? Try this corn free version of cornbread. You don’t have to go without anymore 🙂

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday.

Corn Free “Cornbread”

1/2 cup organic all purpose flour (or 1/2 cup white rice or tapioca flour)
1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour (or 1/2 cup amaranth flour)
1/3 – 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (depends how sweet you like it)
4 Tbsp. melted butter (you can also used coconut oil. It will give a little different texture)
1/2 cup milk or milk substitute
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4-5 egg yolks (more yolks will make it more moist and more yellow)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9″ round pie pan.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix. Add the butter and milk. Mix. Add the egg yolks. Mix.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden and baked through.

 

Soaked Gluten Free Corn Free Cornbread

1/2 cup tapioca or white rice flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1/2 cup milk or coconut milk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, yogurt, whey or kefir
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar

In a medium bowl combine the flour, milk and lemon juice. Cover and let sit for 24 hours.

Heat the oven to 400*F. Grease a 9″ round pie pan.

Add the sugar and oil to the flour mixture. Beat well.
Add the eggs and sea salt. Beat well.
Add the baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix until just combined.
Immediately pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Earlier this week I made another recipe from my Old Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes book. It is called Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples. Perfect for fall in Michigan!

It was quite easy to make and turned out really well. I cooked the sweet potatoes first thing in the morning. Then did the peeling and slicing when it was time to make dinner.

This got two thumbs up from the family. I used sweet potatoes from our garden and apples from my in-laws’ farm. It would be a great recipe for a large crowd, a holiday or a potluck. I only made a half recipe and we had plenty of leftovers.

This post is linked to Fight Back Friday and Fresh Bites Friday.

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

6 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups apple slices
1/2 cup rapadura (or organic cane brown sugar)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground mace (I don’t even know what mace is…I just used cinnamon)
1/4 cup butter

Wash and cook sweet potatoes in boiling water to cover until just tender. Peel and cut into crosswise slices 1/4 in. thick.

Butter a 2 qt. casserole and arrange one half of the sweet potatoes in the bottom. Then later one half of the apple slices. Sprinkle with one half of a mixture of the brown sugar, salt and mace. Dot with 2 Tbsp. butter. Repeat layering, ending with apples, seasoning and butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Last night I tried a new bread pudding recipe that I got from our local newspaper. It was submitted by Sharon Heethuis. It’s called Over the Top Blueberry Bread Pudding. If you make it exactly according to the recipe it would be quite over the top with a white chocolate sauce to pour over top! I scaled it back a little (no sauce, less chocolate). But it was still so good  (then again I’ve never met a bread pudding I didn’t like :P)! The main thing that makes it a bit more over the top is adding white chocolate chips. I know they aren’t healthy. But I did add a few. Blueberries are in season right now, so it’s the perfect time to make this. We all enjoyed it. I would definitely make it again. It would be great with some peaches added as well. Blueberries and peaches always go well together. You can absolutely make it without the chocolate chips…it just won’t be so over the top 🙂

I only made a half recipe. I’ll post the full recipe, with some healthier substitutes. You can make it gluten free by using gluten free bread. You could even try making it grain free using a nut butter, almond flour or coconut flour bread.

This makes a great breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert! I served it with scrambled eggs for dinner.

The pictures don’t really do it justice. I had to bake it in the toaster oven, so the top got a little dark.

Over The Top Blueberry Bread Pudding

3 eggs
4 cups cream (I used a combo of raw cream and milk)
1 cup cane sugar/sucanat (maple syrup or honey would probably work as well)
3 tsp. vanilla
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (12 oz.) package of white chocolate chips (you can omit this or use less)
1 loaf bread, cut into 1″ cubes (use whatever bread you like…we used fermented wheat bread. This is a great job for little kids…Rebecca loves to rip up all the bread)

Sauce:
1 (12 oz.) pkg. white chocolate chips
1 cup cream

In a large bowl combine the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. Stir in blueberries and chips. Stir in bread. Let stand for 15 minutes. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

For the sauce, place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the cream in saucepan just to a boil. Pour over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Serve with bread pudding.

You can add coconut and pineapple for variation. Drain pineapple before adding.

RR – Rice Balls

It’s time for this’s week’s Rebecca’s Recipe. Rebecca decided to have rice balls for dinner. I’ve never made or eaten a rice ball. But it sounded good. We came up with a very simple recipe that actually was really good! Even Justin really enjoyed them. They are basically a combination of rice, cheese, egg and seasoning. You can dip them in pretty much anything (salsa, spaghetti sauce, honey mustard, ketchup, pesto…whatever) or eat them plain. They are delicious either way. You can add variety by using different cheeses. I used garlic and onion last night. A sharp cheddar or parmesan would be great too. They reheat very well. I’ll make these again for sure! Another winning recipe from my little chef 🙂

Rice Balls

1 cup cooked rice (I used white rice since I’m experimenting with how my tummy handles it…you could use any kind of rice you like)
1 egg
1/2 cup finely grated cheese (I used garlic and onion)
seasoning of choice (I just used salt + the seasoning in my bread crumbs)
bread crumbs (use gluten free bread crumbs to make this gluten free)
oil for frying (I used coconut oil)

Cook rice and let cool partially (or cook the rice ahead of time/use leftovers and warm it slightly). Add egg, cheese and seasoning. Mix well. One at a time roll a small portion into a ball and cover with bread crumbs. They will be fragile, so I found it easiest to sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the rice ball in my hand and gently lay it in the pan.

Cook in hot oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in large skillet. Cook over medium heat on all sides until golden brown, about 15 minutes total. Serve plain or with dipping sauce. They would also be good on a salad.

Cobb Style Rice Bowls

Last night I made my other Rachael Ray recipe that’s been sitting in my recipe pile for several years. It’s a very simple dish and really can be quite versatile depending on your tastes. I made it mostly according to the recipe. But I don’t have any kale. I just sauteed some leaf lettuce from our garden instead. And I used chopped walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. We all really enjoyed this. Justin and Rebecca would rather not have the tomatoes. They just don’t care for them. I think they are crazy 🙂  This is a great light summer meal. If I make it again I think I’ll increase the amount of dressing on the rice. We could hardly taste it, and I used a half recipe of dressing for 1/5 the amount of rice.

Cobb Style Rice Bowls
4 servings (RR servings…probably more for most people)

8 slices bacon
1 bunch kale, stemmed and thinly sliced (4 cups packed)
1 Tbsp. EVOO (I used coconut oil)
1 pt. grape tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar (I used red wine…all I had)*
1 Tbsp. sugar
5 cups cooked brown rice (I used white rice)
1 avocado, thinly sliced (I cut it in chunks)
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds (I used chopped crispy walnuts)

In a large, heavy skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper towel and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the grease. Add the kale and 3 tablespoons water; cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat until tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 8 minutes. 

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon salt until dissolved; stir into the rice.* (I would make a lot more dressing for the rice to give it enough flavor)

To serve, divide the rice among 4 bowls and layer with the kale, tomatoes, avocado, bacon and sunflower seeds.

Caesar Dressing

I’ve never really been a huge fan of caesar salads. I never really cared for the dressing. But my tastes have changed a lot in the last few years. So recently when I was looking through NT I saw a recipe for caesar dressing. I decided to give it a shot. It was super easy to make. And it tastes pretty good. Justin and I both like it. I wouldn’t want to eat it all the time, but definitely good once in a while to have something different. It did turn out quite thick. So I’d probably add a little more oil or vinegar next time. There was one other reason I wanted to try this…it has anchovies! I’ve never eaten one (that I know of). But I’ve wanted to try them for a long time. You can’t tell they are in the dressing. They just add a little nutty flavor to it. I have some left now. I hope to use them some other way soon. I want to cook with them. The NT recipe says to use a blender to make this. I used a glass jar and my immersion blender. So quick and less mess. The dressing stays in the jar you mix it in.

We used this last night for caesar salads with bacon, chicken, avocado, Parmesan and homemade garlic croutons. A very refreshing dinner for the last day of winter…that was in the 80’s 🙂

Caesar Dressing

1/2 – 1 tsp. dijon mustard (I just used yellow mustard)
1 Tbsp. raw wine vinegar (I used white vinegar)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup EVOO
1 Tbsp. expeller-expressed flax oil (I didn’t add this)
1 egg yolk
2 anchovy filets
1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Or place in a wide mouth pint jar and mix with an immersion blender.

Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin

I don’t often make Rachael Ray recipes. In my opinion most of them have too many ingredients, require too many steps and generate too many dirty dishes. The food may be good, but it’s just not my style of cooking. I did, however, make one of her recipes for dinner last night – roasted cauliflower au gratin.  I saw her make it on her show recently and it looked so good! And it was. I think I could have eaten the whole thing myself 😛  The whole family enjoyed it. I served it as our main dish. It would make a great side dish. Or you could add bacon, chicken or ham to make it a more complete main dish. As always it did require some work and some clean up. But I prepped it in the morning and got the kitchen cleaned up. So when it was time for dinner all I had to do was pop it in the toaster oven. No time in the kitchen and no mess to clean up after dinner. Perfect for a summer-like winter day 🙂  This is definitely a keeper recipe! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I only used 1 head of cauliflower. I also used a combo of milk, kefir and chicken broth for the cream sauce and didn’t make a full batch since I was using less cauliflower. I’ll post the original recipe with my mods in ().

 

Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin

2 large heads cauliflower
3 Tbsp. EVOO
Salt

For the Topping:
2 Tbsp. EVOO
3 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, grated (I used about 2 tsp. minced garlic)
Zest of 1 lemon (I didn’t add this)
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped (I used 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used a combo of whole wheat bread crumbs and crushed pretzels)

For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk (I used a combo of milk, kefir and chicken broth)
Salt and black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Chop cauliflower into medium to large bite-size florets. Toss cauliflower with EVOO and salt. Roast on a baking sheet until just barely tender but slightly crispy, about 15 minutes.
*I roasted my cauliflower the way I always do – lots of EVOO and salt. I roast it for more like 40 minutes.

For the topping, in a large skillet over medium heat, add EVOO and butter. When butter melts, add the garlic, lemon zest and parsley, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add breadcrumbs and toast until golden. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to smell slightly nutty. Stir in milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and reserve
Mix the cauliflower and sauce in a casserole dish, then dollop with ricotta.
*At this point I covered it and stuck it in the fridge. If you are baking it immediately:

 Bake 15 minutes at 375, until golden brown. Finish it with a sprinkling of the breadcrumb mixture and a squeeze of lemon juice over top.

If you are baking it later:
Bake, covered, at 350 for about 35 minutes. Remove cover. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake another 10 minutes.

Baked Spinach (grain free, egg free, nut free, GAPS-legal)

I made quite a spread for our Christmas brunch this week. But I did take one item off the menu because I just didn’t have time to prepare it. So I made it for dinner last night – baked spinach. I found the recipe on Breakfast and Brunch Recipes. It is super easy. I really liked it. I think I ate half the pan last night 😛  Justin thought it would be better as a dip than as a side dish, but still thought it was good. This can be GAPS legal if you use homemade raw sour cream. It’s a great way to get more veggies in your diet. As expected Rebecca didn’t eat much…too stringy. But she did really like the flavor. Preparing this was even easier for me last night. I had a bunch of leftover ranch veggie dip (just a mix of sour cream and homemade ranch mix). So I just mixed that into the spinach instead of sour cream and separate seasoning. For cheese I used a mix of parmesan, sharp cheddar and mont. jack. I only made a half recipe.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager.

Baked Spinach

3 packages, frozen, chopped spinach (10-ounce package size)
2 cups sour cream
1 package dried onion soup mix (I used homemade ranch dressing mix)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, or more (I used more than this. Any kind of cheese will work)

Take the spinach out of the freezer the night before. When it has been thawed, place it between layers of paper towels and squeeze the water out of it until dry.

Mix together the spinach, sour cream and soup mix. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and stir until well combined.

Grease a 9″ x 9″ square baking dish. Press the spinach mixture flat with a spoon or spatula.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 6.

Crockpot Pork and Beans (grain free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, GAPS-legal)

For lunch yesterday we had another new recipe for pork and beans from Cheeseslave. This is a very easy crockpot meal. And it is so good!! All three of us loved it. Although Abram wasn’t too happy about me eating so many beans. He’s not a happy camper right now. I guess I won’t be eating this again for a while. Aside from that it’s a great recipe. I didn’t follow the directions completely. I simplified it a bit and made less. For meat I used cut up bacon and cut pieces of leftover pork chops. I’ll post it the way I made it. This is a great, healthy recipe for baked beans. You could use just the bacon or probably even leave the meat out. I love that you use broth to add extra nutrition. I also stirred some coconut oil into my dish for more healthy fat. This would be great served with corn bread or over rice. You could even add in other vegetables for a more complete meal.

Crockpot Pork and Beans

2 cups dried navy beans
1/2 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 cups chicken broth or stock
meat – ham hock, diced bacon, cut up pork, grass-fed hot dogs (whatever you have on hand)
1/4 cup ketchup (I used homemade fermented ketchup…GAPS legal)
2 Tbsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup total sweetener (honey, maple syrup, molasses…any combo…I used honey…GAPS-legal)
sea salt to taste

Soak beans in water and whey for 7-24 hours. Drain. Rinse. Cook beans in water for about 30 minutes, until just starting to soften (skim foam from water when it comes to a boil). Drain.

Add butter, coconut oil and onion to crockpot. Turn to high. Let fat melt. Add beans and remaining ingredients (except hot dogs). Cook on high 6-10 hours. Add more stock if it gets too dry. Add sliced hot dogs (if using) about an hour before serving. Remove ham hock if using.