Stupidly simple sides for weeknights?

therese

Well-known member
I need ideas for accompaniments--fast, kid-friendly, few ingredients--to serve with weeknight dinners. Not even so much recipes as ideas for doctoring up rice/couscous/potatoes/noodles so we aren't eating the same side dishes every night. Quick vegetable preparations are welcome too.

Search and Hall of Fame didn't yield much. TIA.

Therese

 
I was at a girlfriends for dinner the other night, She wanted to make a side of roasted veggies

but didn't have time to let them roast. So, she took her sweet potato, onion, parsnip and garlic, sliced them all in her food processor so they were fairly thin, doused them in olive oil, salt and pepper, tossed them around a bit. Then into a 450° oven for about 20 minutes. They were fabulous!

 
Oh Barbara - this does, indeed, sound fabulous!

I was also going to give my panini maker (brushed with olive oil)a try with thin sweet potato and regular potato slices.

I use it now for cooking bacon - it's great. Have never actually made a sandwich on it (I'm not a lunch eater and I think it was a prize we won for something:)

 
foil packets of veggies are fun for the kids too. combine whatever sounds good.

I add a dash of italian or tuscan dressing and some parmesan cheese sometimes. yummy.

 
Really? I never thought about that. Do you freeze them and then wrap

each tight with foil or wrap? Do you defrost them before reheating or straight into the oven frozen? I love this idea because they are a bit time consuming to put together and would love to make a bunch up at one time and then have on hand.

 
My Favorite Broccoli, made this last night and just loved it. Simple as can be to make. I'm making

it again tonight. I needed to add a little more than 2 teaspoons of water to get it as tender as I wanted it without browning, but the time was about right.

* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *

My Favorite Broccoli

Recipe By : The Seattle Times
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories : Side Dish


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 lb broccoli
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp water
1 medium clove garlic, minced

1. Trim broccoli and cut into florets. Put in a colander and rinse well. (Do
not pat dry.)

2. Put olive oil, salt and crushed pepper flakes into a heavy skillet and
place over medium heat. When hot, add broccoli, cover and cook 2 minutes.
(Turn heat to medium-low if necessary to keep broccoli from browning.) Stir
in water and garlic. Cover and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until
just tender. Serve the broccoli hot or cold.

Recipe Source: The Seattle Times


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060426&slug=broccoli26

 
REC: Zucchini Farfalle - this is from orchid and is really yummy!

Zucchini w/Farfalle
Posted by Orchid (in T&T)

Serving Size : 6

1/4 cup olive oil
4 small zucchini -- cut in 1 1/2" sticks
1 1/2 large onion -- chopped
3/4 clove garlic -- minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 pound farfalle -- al dente
3/8 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Saute zucchini in oil quickly over high heat until golden. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
Add onion and saute until golden. Add garlic and cook and 1 minute more. Stir in cream, increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced by 1/3. Add noodles, zucchini, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly until heated thru. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan.

 
I'm thinking...no. They have a lot of fat in them and they heated up well.

I don't tend to remember to remove things from the freezer in time for dinner.

 
Zucchini and Summer Squash Ribbon Salad

I had this at a dinner party the other night, it was a nice presentation plus delicious as well. I tried making it myself last night and I couldn't believe how easy it is, and very adaptable as well.

You take 3 Zucchini, 3 Summer Squash, and with a vegetable peeler, you make ribbons out of the squash. You can save the core for another dish, such as an omelet the next morning. Take the ribbons, add minced garlic, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Mix in shreds of parmesan. For variations, you can add sliced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, kalamata olives, etc. I added fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Let it marinate for 20 minutes, and voila your dish is done!

See link for another version of the recipe and for photo.

http://www.yumsugar.com/391935

 
I did this as well and it worked great.

This is the basic recipe and method I used. They were really good and made a great after school snack for the kids. I will have to make these again soon. I was really surprised at how nicely they froze. I added bacon also.

Make-Ahead Twice-Baked Potatoes Recipe #57062

Great to keep in the freezer for busy days or unexpected company! When baking potatoes are on special, I buy a 10-15 pound bag and make about 30-35 of these creamy, delicious potatoes for the freezer. A wonderful side-dish with steaks, roasts, seafood, pork and meatloaf. For variety, sprinkle top of potatoes with real bacon pieces just before serving. To have a meatless lunch, I often heat one of these potatoes in the microwave or toaster oven.
by BeachGirl
2¼ hours | 45 min prep

SERVES 12

5 lbs large baking potatoes
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup skim milk (approximate) or milk or half-and-half
3 ounces fat free cream cheese or cream cheese
2 teaspoons salt or salt substitute
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup) or extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Wash potatoes and pat dry.
Place potatoes, not touching, on a large baking sheet.
You may need two baking sheets.
Spray potatoes generously with non-stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle outside of potatoes with a little salt.
Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes "give" when gently squeezed, indicating they are done.
In large mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper and mix well.
With a serrated knife, cut baked potatoes in half lengthwise, being careful to leave skins unbroken.
With large spoon, scoop out the inside of potatoes, leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the inside of the skin.
Place potato skin shells, skin side down, on the baking sheet used to bake the potatoes.
Put scooped out potato in mixing bowl as you remove it and mix to combine with butter mixture, adding skim milk as needed to make potatoes the consistency of slightly stiff mashed potatoes.
You may need a little more or less milk to get the final desired consistency.
Using the palm of your hand to support the potato shell while filling, spoon and press potato mixture into each half potato shell.
Return filled shell to baking sheet.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese and pat cheese to make it adhere to the potatoes.
TO SERVE IMMEDIATELY: Return baking pan of potatoes to oven and bake about 15-25 minutes until potatoes are hot and cheese is melted.
TO FREEZE FOR LATER USE: Cover potatoes with plastic wrap and place baking sheet in freezer, leaving several hours until potatoes are completely frozen.
Remove potatoes from freezer and wrap each potato in a resealable plastic sandwich bag.
Place wrapped potatoes into one or more gallon resealable freezer bags.
Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
TO COOK FROZEN POTATOES: Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place potatoes on baking sheet and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Bake about 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or more until potatoes are hot.
Do not over bake.
This method keeps the potato skins firm and crisp.
If time is short, place potatoes in microwave and cook on high about 10 minutes.
Remove and then place in 350°F oven to finish cooking.
IN A BIG HURRY: These potatoes can be completely heated from frozen state in the microwave, heating them just until they are hot.
Potato skins will be softer than if cooked in the oven.
OR, they can be defrosted in the microwave and reheated, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Make-Ahead-Twice-Baked-Potatoes-57062

 
Raw Broccoli Salad from Tea and Cookies

RAW BROCCOLI SALAD from Tea and Cookies

Tea says "...I don’t like raw broccoli, and for the most part that’s true. This salad is the one exception. I do like raw broccoli when it’s chopped in little bits and jazzed up with an Asian-style dressing. I eat this salad a lot. It’s good even with broccoli that isn’t the “best broccoli" in the market. Maybe you’ll like it too."

2 cup broccoli

1 tbs + 1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Wash and chop the broccoli, including the small leaves if they are not too bitter. Peel the bigger steams, if the skin is tough. You want to chop them rather fine.

I took this salad to book club yesterday and it was devoured. So fresh and accompanies anything!

 
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