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Delicious sides.

I'm always looking for new sides to have with my dishes. When I was younger always seemed to make the same sides over and over again. When I began cooking I decided that I was going to change my meals up as soon as possible. I mean, since I've began blogging I haven't made the same meal more than five times. Well, to be honest, I'm not even sure if I've made the same meal that many times because I always change something about the recipe. Whether it be the spices, the vegetables, the grains, anything really I like to cange it to see how it will taste.

Each of these side dishes are absolutely fantastic. They are different and unique and just oh so flavourful. The first one I attempted was for the Sesame Carrots and Green Beans. I love carrots, and beans have recently become a favourite of mine as well. I loved the sweet dressing that went along with this, it really brought out the flavours of each of the vegetables. While eating this, every bite was thoroughly satisfactory, so delicious, and it was healthy and it just made it so much better.

The second I tried was the Carrot French Fries. I had never heard of making carrots into fries before, but I was so drawn to the recipe, simple ingredients, and the results looked really good. When I ate it, holy moly I was sent to a different dimension. This tasted exactly like sweet potato fries, really, it tasted so similar to sweet potato fries if I were blind folded and needed to say what vegetable it is I'm not sure if I could tell the difference. The sugars in the carrot thoroughly resembled those of the sweet potato, and when they were baked the starches came out and made them almost resemble a fry. I loved them, they were so simple, and it would be so simple to switch up the flavours to match it with whatever you are pairing it with.

The last side I tried was for Spinach Mushroom Stacks. They were so good, I ended up making mine vegan by using vegan cheese, but I made one for my mom with old cheddar and she absolutely devoured it. She still talks about it, and it's been a while now since I've made it. She keeps asking me to make it again because she loved it so much. It was simple to make, refreshing flavours, and gooey melted cheese on top was divine. I enjoyed this, and it would be perfect with rice, a nice salad, risotto, and just so much, it was great.

Sesame Carrots and Green Beans

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:Bold

  • 1/2 lb green beans, trimmed
  • 1/2lb baby carrots, sliced lengthwise in halves or quarters
  • 1-2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions:

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

Steam carrots and beans for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, salt, pepper with 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil.

Put a wok on very high heat. Once it's hot, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Stir in the beans and carrots and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the seasoning mixture and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Take off the heat. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds. Transfer to serving dish. Serve immediately.

Carrot French Fries

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:
  • 6 large carrots
  • 2 tbsp EVOO
  • 1/2 tsp seal salt
Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut each carrot into 2-inch long sections. Cut each section into thin sticks. In a large bowl toss carrot sticks with olive oil and salt. Spread out carrot sticks on parchment paper or a baking sheet.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until carrots are browned

Spinach Mushroom Stacks

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:
  • 1 portobello mushroom
  • a handful of fresh spinach
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 slice of havarti cheese (I used vegan Italian cheese)

Directions:

Trim the stem off your mushroom and rinse well. You can grill the mushroom or pan fry it with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. At the same time, saute the garlic and spinach with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. To assemble, place mushroom down, add the slice of cheese and top with a pile of spinach.

What are some of your favourite side dishes?

1 comment:

Calvin F said...

Thank you for beinng you