Veggie Recipes & Side Dishes

Scroll down for healthy & savory veggie recipes & side dishes

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

August 26, 2014 by Kay 3 Comments

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon are cute little bundles of roasted green beans wrapped in bacon and basted with a tasty sauce.

Green beans are in abundance right now and I wanted to come up with a recipe that would be Dinner Party beautiful. Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon certainly is special enough to serve at a dinner party but are easy enough to make for a week night meal.

I used pepper crusted bacon in this recipe and it really added an additional level of flavor that I loved. I also used smaller green beans so they would roast at the same temperature and time as the bacon.

Serve the Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon along side some grilled chicken breasts, a burger or your favorite steak.

Enjoy!

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

Rating: 41

Yield: 6 Servings

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh green beans
10-12 slices of bacon, I used black pepper crusted
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Wash and thoroughly dry green beans. Bundle together about 5-8 green beans, this will depend on your size of beans and the amount of beans you get for one pound. Wrap a slice of bacon around the bundle of green beans. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down on the baking sheet to hold it together. Repeat with remaining green beans.
Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper and whisk until melted and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, just until bacon gets crispy.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/green-beans-wrapped-bacon/

Cut the ends of the green beans, rinse and pat dry.

Wrap 5-8 green beans inside a slice of bacon.

When done wrapping, mix the sauce and baste the bundles.

I love roasted green beans.

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

I used pepper crusted bacon.

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon

Green Beans Wrapped in Bacon.

The bacon gets nice and crisp.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

August 21, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Broccoli Rice Casserole is a comforting side dish filled with broccoli, rice and cheese and is sure to please even the finicky eaters!

As I sit and write this I am looking at my two cats, Oscars and Olives taking an afternoon nap. Oh, the life a cat leads. On long days like today I envy them, wishing I could snuggle up and take a nap. Unfortunately, that won’t happen today.

I just got home from work (my paying job) and am sitting down to work on my blog (my non-paying job). Don’t get me wrong, I love working on the blog but some days after getting home from work my mind is a bit blank and creativity is hard to come by.

I am also busy canning cucumbers this week. I am making dill pickles and sweet pickle relish. I received the best cucumbers for pickling from The Berry Dairy, the perfect height for pint sized jars and very little seeds, two things I find very important when canning dill pickle spears and relish.

Broccoli Rice Casserole can easily be made gluten free if that is a diet you follow. The cheese sauce used in Broccoli Rice Casserole is extra special because it uses two kinds of cheese, gouda and cheddar cheese. To the cheese sauce you add sauteed broccoli & onion and cooked rice. The casserole is topped with more cheese and baked until its bubbly and brown.

Feel free to serve this dish along side some grilled chicken or pork chops.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Rating: 51

Yield: 6 Servings

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 ½ - 4 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp. water
1 ½ tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. gluten free flour, or regular flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup half & half
1 cup milk, I used skim
1 cup gouda cheese, divided
¾ cup cheddar cheese divided
1 cup rice, cooked

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion. Cook the onion for 6-8 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and start to brown.
Add the broccoli and water to the pan, cook another 5 minutes, until the broccoli turns a bright green. Put the broccoli mixture in a bowl and set aside.
Add the pan back on the burner and add the butter to melt. Lower the temperature to medium and whisk in the flour, let cook for 2-3 minutes, working any lumps out of the mixture. Let the mixture come to a boil and once it is thick, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in ½ cup of the gouda cheese and ¼ cup of the cheddar cheese.
Stir in the broccoli mixture and the rice. Pour the casserole into a 2.5 quart baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Cook for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese starts to turn brown. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/broccoli-rice-casserole/

Saute the broccoli and onion.

Gouda & Cheddar Cheese is added to the sauce.

Stir in the rice, broccoli and onion mixture.

Add the mixture to your baking dish.

Top with more cheese!

Bake until golden brown.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Real Comfort Food

Every bite is delicious.

Snap Beans with Lemons & Capers

July 23, 2014 by Kay 1 Comment

Snap Beans with Lemon & Capers is a crisp side dish with tender green and yellow beans tossed in lemon juice & capers.

Are you familiar with capers? Capers are pickled flower buds. Tiny capers are picked from a shrub-like bush (Capparis spinosa), long before the buds ever flower. The capers are then dried in the sun and later brined or packed in salt. Capers are the perfect salt factor in Snap Beans with Lemon & Capers and compliment the beans and lemon juice nicely.

This dish is served more as a salad than a side dish. The snap beans are immersed in ice water after they boil to keep them crisp and cold. I used green and yellow beans in this recipe, feel free to use what ever combination you have on hand.

This definitely is a healthy recipe. I tend to make green beans with bacon mixed in, but I must say this is a nice alternative. If you are looking for a dish to make on a hot summer day, Snap Beans with Lemon & Capers is a good choice.

Enjoy!

Snap Beans with Lemons & Capers

Rating: 41

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Snap Beans with Lemons & Capers

Ingredients

3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. capers, coarsley chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. green or yellow beans, trimmed

Instructions

Whisk together oil, capers, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; set aside. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil; add beans and cook till tender, 3–4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain beans and toss with vinaigrette; adjust seasoning to taste and garnish with zest.

Notes

Adapted from Saveur.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/snap-beans-lemons-capers/

Green Beans with Lemon & Capers

I love the vibrant colors.

Capers add the salt factor in this dish.

Serve with lemon slices.

Perfect summer side dish/salad.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato

July 13, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Cheesy Broccoli Potato is packed full of nutrients, broccoli & cheese and can be eaten as a main course or a side dish.

I am a huge fan of broccoli cheese soup, but in the summer I don’t always like to eat hot soup. Cheesy Broccoli Potato is a close 2nd to broccoli cheese soup. You have the creaminess of the potato, topped with butter, broccoli and cheddar cheese. Put it in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly and it’s ready to eat.

When I bake potatoes I like to do a bunch at a time. Aside from eating the baked potato like in this recipe, I also like them for my lunch, to make American Fries or twice baked potato or use them a baked potato soup.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Broccoli Potato

Rating: 41

Yield: 2 Potatoes

Cheesy Broccoli Potato

Ingredients

2 cups broccoli, in small pieces
2 Russet potatoes, baked & hot
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup of cheese

Instructions

Place the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tbsp. of water. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Check the broccoli, if it's bright green it is done, otherwise put it back in the microwave for 1 minute.
Take your potatoes and cut in half the long way. Spread 1 tbsp. of butter on each potato.
Spoon half of the broccoli on one of the potatoes and repeat with the second.
Top each potato with 1/4 cup of cheese.
Microwave each potatoes for approx. 2 1/2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. The time will vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/cheesy-broccoli-potato/