From the Armstrong Kitchen Side Dishes

Transcription

1 RECIPE LIST: Cilantro-Lime & Pineapple Quinoa Flavorful Bok-Choy Guacamole Grilled Asparagus Nuts over Broccoli and Cauliflower Roasted Brussel Sprouts Roasted Butternut Squash Serious Summer Squash

2 Cilantro-Lime & Pineapple Quinoa (KEEN-wah) (Great with Mexican fare) Ingredients Quinoa Diced green & red peppers Diced red onion For spice: add jalapeno Cilantro Pineapple Lime (or Lime juice) Directions Cook quinoa according to package directions. Dice peppers, onions, (jalapeno), cilantro, and pineapple. Once quinoa is cooked add all other ingredients and combine by fluffing with fork. Do not mash. Health/Nutrition Facts Combining all ingredients provides a quality dish that is high in all the following: Protein (all 9 essential amino acids), Fiber, Magnesium, Iron, Potassium, Calcium, Vitamins A, B, C, & E.

3 Flavorful Bok choy (aka Chinese white cabbage) *Goes great with fish or shrimp or chicken (grilled or baked) Ingredients 1 head of bok choy (chopped).5-1 cup yellow onion 4-6 cloves of garlic.5 cup Sliced almonds Salt to taste Pepper to taste Coriander 2 tbl spoons Olive oil Soy sauce 3 tbl spoons (more or less for desired flavor) Optional (1 cup frozen peas) Directions Saute onions and garlic in olive oil with a little salt and pepper and coriander until onions are soft don t let them brown too much. Add the cabbage, more oil, remainder of coriander, and a little more salt and pepper (and peas if using). Cook until white stalks soften and leaves darken. Add almonds toward the end and sauté for a bit longer. Low calorie nutrient rich dish (you can eat the whole thing and not over do your numbers but get loads of vitamins K, C, & A, as well as tons of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. It also contains glucosinolates, sulfur-containing compounds associated with reduced cancer risk.

4 Grilled Asparagus Ingredients Olive Oil Garlic (either powder or minced but I like a lot) Onion powder Salt Pepper Directions Drizzle with olive oil and pour on seasonings. Grill until some burnt marks show up. Should be tender but not mushy, maintaining a slight crunch in the stalk with the heads very soft. I like to break my stems instead of cutting them because then I know how much to take off. If you start at the bottom and just bend up the stalk until it snaps, you will be able to enjoy the whole thing instead of chewing a ball of dental floss! Health Benefits: Vitamins K & E; Fiber promotes good digestion; Natural Diuretic flushes excess fluid; Folic Acid 4 stalks contain about 22% of daily recommended value; Antioxidants fights free radicals (waste by-products from chemical reactions in the body) {Live Science}

5 Nuts Over Broccoli & Cauliflower This is the perfect addition to any cookout this summer or Sunday afternoon gathering. It s sure to be a crowd favorite and you won t take home leftovers. It s pretty quick and easy. INGREDIENTS 2 Cups of Chopped Broccoli 2 Cups of Chopped Cauliflower ½ Cup Yellow Onion diced 1 Green Pepper diced 1 Cup dried Cranberries ½ Cup Sunflower seeds (I used ranch flavored for added flavor but regular will work just fine) ½ Cup Pepitas (roasted & salted are perfect) ½ Cup slivered or sliced almonds ¼ - ½ cup Olive Oil Vinaigrette (I used Wishbone brand just because it s what I had) 2 tbsp garlic powder Salt & Pepper to liking DIRECTIONS Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces. Diced the pepper and onion. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until all is coated and mixed well together. Best served cold.

6 Guacamole I waited tables at On the Border in college and first learned the art of guacamole making through the dreaded menu item of Guac Live (where the server will make a batch from scratch using two fresh avocados and other ingredients.) I hated doing these for two reasons. One, I didn t not like the stuff personally. The second reason is because it took time to do and that was something I usually didn t have much of. So be sure to tip your servers well (even if their service sucks it could change their night or even their life), but especially if you ask them to whip up a bowl of guacamole in front of you. Since those days a lot has changed. I now enjoy guacamole and even avocados and I like to make it for people to enjoy. I have grown a little creative with and want to share one of my inventions. (It is not totally original, but I didn t follow a recipe when making it so it s definitely my spin.) INGREDIENTS 2 avocados ½ orange bell pepper ½ red bell pepper ½ yellow bell pepper ½ green bell pepper 1 Roma tomato 1 jalapeño (more or less for desired heat) ½ bunch cilantro 2 mangos 1-2 lime Salt to taste INSTRUCTIONS Unlike On the Border Days, I have a much more efficient methodology using a food processor. Simply add all the ingredients (accept the avocado) to the container. (Mine is a 6 quart and can hold everything at once.) Make sure to put the cilantro in the middle of your loading procedure so it gets thoroughly blended. I run it until everything is well mixed but not pureed. Then add avocado and run again, just enough to blend it throughout. Serve and enjoy. Goes great on fish or chicken or just by itself, in a corner, with a spoon, straight from the bowl!!!

7 Serious Summer Squash Ingredients 2 lbs yellow squash and/or zucchini (1/4 slices) 1 cup almond flour 2 Tbs onion powder 2 Tbs garlic powder 2 Tbs dried parsley 1 Tbs chili powder Salt & Pepper as needed 4 eggs Instructions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with olive/coconut/oil of choice. Evenly slice veggies. Beat eggs in a separate bowl. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, ensuring there are no chunks. Dip veggies in eggs then coat with dry mix. Place on pan in a single layer. (Depending on girth of veggies you will probably need a couple of pans.) You may have to mix up more dry mix depending on how thickly you coat your veggies and how much you cook. Bake pan for minutes checking halfway through and flipping. The almond flour coating should brown up nicely and veggies should be tender. If you slice them too thin they have a tendency to burn so be careful on your slicing. Notes You can mix the egg and almond flour batter leftovers and fry in a pan for a low carb side biscuit.

8 This is one of the dishes we are making for one of our family gatherings. It is so worth the work. INGREDIENTS Roasted Brussels Sprouts: 3 cups Brussels sprouts ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon Salt to taste Roasted Butternut Squash: 1 1/2 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes (Yields about 4 cups of uncooked cubed butternut squash) 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons maple syrup ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Other Ingredients: 2 cups pecan halves (I ll roast mine a little to give them a little more flavor) 1 cup dried cranberries (I ll use UNSWEETENED) 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (optional, but I ll use as the sweetener to offset the cranberries) DIRECTIONS Roasted Brussels sprouts: 1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 2. Make sure Brussels sprouts have trimmed ends and yellow leaves are removed. Then, slice all Brussels sprouts in half. In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt (to taste), and toss to combine. Place onto a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down, and roast in the oven at 400 F for about minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, turn them over for even browning, the cut sides should be nicely and partially charred but not blackened. Roasted butternut squash: 1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 2. In a medium bowl, combine cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded),1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix. 3. Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for minutes, turning once half-way through baking, until softened. 4. Note: You can roast both Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on 2 separate baking sheets at the same time, on the same rack in the oven that s what I did. Assembly: 1. In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, pecans, and cranberries, and mix to combine. (OPTIONAL): For more sweetness, add 2 or 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, if desired do not add all maple syrup at once, start with 2 tablespoons, then add more, if desired, and toss with the salad ingredients to combine. NOTES This is only for 6 servings, so you ll need to double or triple it if you re feeding a crowd! Taken from Juliasalbum.com