Side Dishes | STEPHANIE'S SLICE OF LIFE

Category: Side Dishes
- Creamy Rice With Asparagus
  
  Posted at 9:32 am by StephMo
  
  Jun 28th
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  This is a delicious and easy side dish that incorporates a starch and veggies into one. It’s a two-fer! I am one of those people that was raised to always have a starch and a vegetable with a protein, are any of you like that as well?
  
  I cut this recipe out of a magazine and glued it to an index card many, many years ago. It’s been awhile since I used my glue sticks and scissors for recipes, so this one goes quite a ways back. I think it may have been a Cooking Light recipe, but I can’t be sure. I’ve tweaked it a tiny bit over the years, but it is pretty much as it was published and it is delicious.
  
  While I did purchase the asparagus, I was pretty excited to head outside and pick the basil and chives. This is my first year growing any type of vegetable or herbs. I pretty much feel like a farmer with my 2′ x 4′ raised garden bed. It might be time for a tractor? Anyway, on to the recipe…
  
  Ingredients:
  
  3 cups water
  
  1/2 tsp. salt, divided
  
  1 bunch of asparagus
  
  1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
  
  1 tbsp. butter
  
  2 eggs
  
  3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  
  1 – 2 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
  
  1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
  
  1 tsp. lemon juice
  
  1/4 tsp. pepper
  
  Bring the 3 cups of water and a 1/4 tsp. salt to a boil.
  
  Cut the asparagus into 1/2″ – 1″ pieces. Add to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the water with a slotted spoon, rinse under cold water. Set aside.
  
  Add the rice and butter to the water, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Set aside.
  
  In a small mixing bowl whisk the eggs together with 1/4 tsp. salt. Add the cheese, chives, basil, lemon juice, and pepper. Stir well.
  
  Stir the cheese/egg mixture into the rice. Add the asparagus and cook over low heat for 1 minute or until heated through.
  
  Look at how creamy and delicious that looks! Enjoy!
  Creamy Rice With Asparagus
  
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  Ingredients
  
  3 cups water
  1/2 tsp salt, divided
  1 bunch asparagus
  1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
  1 tbsp butter
  2 eggs
  3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  1-2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
  1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  1 tsp lemon juice
  1/4 tsp pepper
  
  Instructions
  
  Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Cut asparagus into 1/2" – 1" pieces, add to water. Continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with a slotted spoon, run under cold water, set aside.
  Add the rice and butter to the water. Simmer covered for 15 -20 minutes or until cooked. Set aside.
  In a small mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and salt. Add the cheese, basil, chives, lemon juice, and pepper. Mix well.
  Stir the cheese/egg mixture into the hot rice. Add the asparagus. Mix well. Cook over low heat for 1 minute or until heated through.
  Posted in Side Dishes | Tagged asparagus recipe, blogger, creamy rice with asparagus, food blog, food blogger, Recipes, rice dish, rice side dish, side dish recipe, stephanie's slice of life
- Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts
  
  Posted at 9:32 am by StephMo
  
  May 25th
  
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  This is a quick, easy, and best of all one pan dish that tastes delicious! Unlike most gnocchi recipes, these are cooked in a frying pan until they get a crisp brown butter coating to mimic their crisp brown buttery brussels sprout friends. Butter really does make everything better, and a brown butter sauce kicks it up another notch. I made this as a side dish, but it can be a meal in itself.
  
  Ingredients:
  
  1 lb brussel sprouts
  
  1 -2 tsp lemon juice
  
  4 tbsp olive oil
  
  Red pepper flakes
  
  Salt and pepper to taste
  
  1 package of gnocchi
  
  4 tbsp butter
  
  1 tsp honey
  
  Shredded parmesan cheese
  
  Clean the brussels sprouts, cut off the bottoms, and cut them in half.
  
  Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the brussels sprouts flat side down. Season with salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Cook for 5 minutes without stirring until the bottoms are brown.
  
  Sprinkle the sprouts with red pepper flakes, and stir. I only use a little as I don’t like my food spicy, but use as much as you like. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, they should be tender and crisp.
  
  Remove sprouts from the pan and set aside.
  
  Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan. Add the gnocchi making sure they are all separated. Cook covered and without stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the bottoms are brown.
  
  Add the butter and honey to the pan, and season with pepper. Give them a good stir.
  
  Continue cooking while stirring for another few minutes until the butter is foamy and a golden color.
  
  Add the brussels sprouts back into the pan and cook for a few minutes until they are warmed through.
  
  Top with some shredded parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
  
  Posted in Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts, Side Dishes | Tagged brussels sprouts, brussels sprouts recipe, food blog, food blogger, gnocchi and brussels sprouts, Recipes, side dish recipes, stephanie's slice of life
- Ratatouille
  
  Posted at 10:22 am by StephMo
  
  Mar 22nd
  
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  Ratatouille, a French vegetable stew, got a little boost in popularity from the Disney movie about a rat that becomes a chef. Very cute movie if you haven’t seen it. The vegetables were sliced, and looked not only beautiful but delicious. I recently watched the movie again and it put the idea of making this dish in my head.
  
  The sliced beautiful ratatouille in the movie is not the ratatouille I remember pushing around on my plate from my childhood. I remember my mother making a ratatouille when I was younger with chopped up vegetables and it having a very strong eggplant taste, which I am not the biggest fan of. While I did anticipate enjoying this dish more than the one my mother made, I was really only making it because I liked the look of it and it was something fun for my daughter and I to make together.
  
  Well, to my surprise I absolutely loved the taste and went back for more. The sauce and spices mixed with the thinly sliced vegetables was incredible. It is a little time consuming, but worth the effort. Sadly once again I was rushed taking photos because my family was waiting for dinner so it doesn’t look as “pretty” as all the other photos you may see on-line, but it is the taste that really matters, right?
  
  Ingredients:
  
  2 mini eggplants
  
  1 large zucchini
  
  1 large yellow squash
  
  3 plum tomatoes
  
  2 tbsp olive oil
  
  1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  
  1/2 small onion, chopped
  
  28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  
  salt
  
  pepper
  
  basil
  
  parsley
  
  1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  
  When shopping for the vegetables try to find them as close in size as you can. For the yellow squash I only used the fatter part of the squash, and saved the rest to eat at a later time. Mini eggplants are a must as a regular size would make slices much too large.
  
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  
  To prepare the sauce saute the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and continue sauting for one minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, spices, and vinegar and bring to a simmering boil. I didn’t measure the spices, if I were going to guess maybe 1/2 – 1 tsp of each.
  
  Let the sauce cook on a low simmer for about 15 minutes.
  
  While the sauce is cooking slice the vegetables. Try to slice them thin, maybe 1/8 of an inch.
  
  Pour the sauce into a casserole dish. I used a pie plate which was a little too small for all of the sauce. I ended up not using all of it, and hindsight should have used a little less.
  
  Arrange the vegetables in the sauce.
  
  Brush with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
  
  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
  
  Now, you can either be done or add a little cheese like I did. I grated some Gruyere and sprinkled it on top and continued baking for a few minutes until the cheese was melted.
  
  So good!
  
  Posted in Ratatouille, Side Dishes | Tagged food blog, food blogger, layered ratatouille, ratatouille, ratatouille recipe, stephanie's slice of life
- Mexican Street Corn
  
  Posted at 7:32 pm by StephMo
  
  Dec 1st
  
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  Mexican Street Corn is traditionally made with corn on the cob. If you have ever been to Mexico you may have seen street vendors selling it from a cart. This easy recipe is a spin off using frozen corn and it makes a perfect side dish with tacos, or anything.
  
  Tonight we had pork tacos for Taco Tuesday and this was so delicious not only as a side, but actually in the tacos. I love when I make tacos for dinner on a Tuesday without realizing it, it makes me feel like I am much more together than I really am. So whether your taco dinner happens to fall on a Tuesday or not, give this dish a try as I’m sure you will love it.
  
  Ingredients:
  
  4 cups frozen corn
  
  2 tbsp. butter
  
  1/4 cup mayonaise
  
  1/4 cup sour cream
  
  1 tsp. cumin
  
  1/2 tsp. chili powder
  
  Lime
  
  1/4 cup cojita cheese
  
  Scallions
  
  Mix together the mayo, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, and the juice of a lime in a bowl. Set aside.
  
  Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
  
  Add the frozen corn and cook until it is heated through while stirring frequently.
  
  Turn off the heat and stir in the mayo mixture. Add the cojita cheese and stir until melted.
  
  Serve with extra cheese if you prefer and topped with sliced scallions. Yum, yum!
  
  Posted in Mexican Street Corn, Side Dishes | Tagged corn, corn recipe, easy side dishes, food blog, food blogger, mexican street corn, mexican street corn recipe, Recipes, stephanie's slice of life
- Cauliflower Salad
  
  Posted at 4:32 pm by StephMo
  
  Aug 12th
  
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  If you are looking for a healthier alternative to potato salad, try using cauliflower. I have made mashed cauliflower numerous times but never thought to use cauliflower in place of potatoes for potato salad until last night. It went perfectly with my homemade pulled pork and was delicious! The added bonus was my son that won’t eat potatoes ate the cauliflower, Mom for the win!
  
  I mixed together all the same ingredients I would for my potato salad except used cauliflower in place of potatoes. If you feel like using potatoes, these measurements were for one head of cauliflower so you may need to increase them depending on how many potatoes you use.
  
  Ingredients:
  
  1 head of cauliflower
  
  1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
  1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
  
  1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  
  Celery – shopped
  
  1 hard boiled egg
  
  Red onion – chopped
  
  Salt and pepper to taste
  
  Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl and set aside.
  
  Cut up the cauliflower florets into small bite size pieces. Chop the celery, onion, and egg and put aside.
  
  Bring water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the cauliflower and keep boiling for about 4-5 minutes or until it is slightly soft. Drain the cauliflower and run under cold water in a colander to cool.
  
  Add the cauliflower, celery, red onion, and egg to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour or so for best flavor.
  
  Yum!!
  
  Posted in Cauliflower Salad, Salads, Side Dishes | Tagged cauliflower, cauliflower recipe, cauliflower recipes, cauliflower salad, cauliflower salad recipe, cookout food, cookout recipes, food blog, food blogger, potato salad recipe, Recipes, side dish
- Classic Potato Latkes
  
  Posted at 10:05 am by StephMo
  
  Feb 11th
  
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  Potato latkes are considered a traditional Jewish food served on Hanukkah, and even though I am not Jewish, they are something that I grew up having. One of the perks of your mother and grandmother growing up in the old West End of Boston which was a melting pot of nationalities. My grandmother’s best friend was Jewish and I would bet that is where this recipe originated.
  
  You may not be familiar with potato latkes, as many people are not. They look something like a potato pancake, and are often referred to as a pancake, but to me they are quite different. The difference between a potato pancake and a latke are that pancakes are basically when you take your left over mashed potatoes and fry them in a pan, which I also grew up having. Latkes look like a pancake but are crispy and made with shredded potato. They are not something I make often, but they are delicious!
  
  They are a little time consuming because you have to grate the potatoes, but they are very easy to make. They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and make a great side dish!
  
  Ingredients:
  
  6 russet potatoes
  
  Yellow onion
  
  1 egg lightly beaten
  
  1 tsp. salt
  
  3 tbsp. flour
  
  1/2 tsp. baking powder
  
  Vegetable oil
  
  Heat 1/4″ of oil in a frying pan on medium heat until it is hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle.
  
  Peel potatoes, and use a grater to grate them. They will be very wet so I put them in a colander to drain the liquid before combining with the other ingredients.
  
  While you are draining the potatoes, grate some onion. I don’t use that much because I have to sneak it in there so my son doesn’t notice. Maybe about 1/4 cup?
  
  Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
  
  Drop by tablespoonfuls in to the oil and flatten with a spatula.
  
  Cook until brown, flip and cook the other side.
  
  Drain on a plate lined with papertowels.
  
  Serve warm plain, or with the traditional side of sour cream and applesauce. Yum!
  
  Posted in Dinners, Potato Latkes | Tagged food blog, food blogger, hanukkah recipes, jewish food, latke recipe, latkes, potato latke recipe, potato latkes, potato pancake recipe, potato pancakes, Recipes
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