In need of NEW side dishes....?

Question

I've got the meats down pat but sick of making plan veggies or mashed potatoes. Like everyone I don't have a lot of time and I'm not an expert cook. But anything simple people might enjoy would be nice. Just make sure it's a side dish. No entrees please!

WOW! I'm impressed by the amount of answers in such a little time. Some of these look great! Some of them take longer to prepare than the chicken itself! lol

um...what's a cous cous? lol

Answer 1

Defrost frozen spinach or use fresh.
Steam spinach in a small amount of a water in a pot with the lid on. Boil 2 eggs. Slice the eggs so that you can see the yolk in the middle surrounded by white. Top each serving of spinach with 3 to 4 slices of boiled egg.

Oven Roasted potatoes
Coat quartered new potatoes with a mixture of olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan and bake at 375o turning every few minutes until brown on all sides.

Cucumber Salad
Cut cucumber into bize sized chunks.
Cut tomatoes into similar size chunks.
Chop a small Vidalia onion
Mix all together with salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and parsley. Make sure that all veggies are well coated.

Answer 2

Cous cous. Takes less than 15 minutes to make. Requires no skill. Just boil water or a can of broth. Add a bit of olive oil or butter. Dump in the cous cous, stir, cover and take it off the burner. Let it sit for 10 or 12 minutes. Serve.

Answer 3

Ok, I'm going to share a recipe with you that very few people do. If you do it exactly you will blow people away with the results.

First, go to the store and purchase Walla Walla Sweet Onions. Get big ones. When you get home you will peel the outer skin of the onion off. Then cut the onion in half.

With a small to medium sized melon baller scoop out the onion in the center "flat side up" until you have a fifty cent piece sized carved out. Score the onion. "taking your sharp knife just cut down Thur the flat side about 1/2 to 1 inch deep.

Next, take a Beef Bullion cube and place into the area scooped out. Take soft butter and fill the hole with the bullion cube in it. Put as much soft butter as possible.

Take two sheets of tin foil and wrap the onion very tightly.

It is very important to double wrap the onion.

Place your tin foil wrapped onion flat side up on your Bar-B-Q and let cook for thirty minutes. It is almost impossible to over cook the onions.

When you take them off unwrap in a large serving bowl and listen to your guests rave about the taste.

Answer 4

confetti cous cous:
cook off 1 lb of cous cous in some strong chicken broth.
after it is cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan andput it in the freezer to cool
very small dice 1/4 cup each of carrots, red and yellow peppers, scallions, celery and purple cabbage.
heat some peanut oil in a saute pan and saute your carrots and cabbage first, adding the other veggies in 5 minutes.
cook till aldente, and toss in with the cous cous.
put in some small salad shrimp if you like...

serve hot or cold. this is a very tasty and healthful side dish.
i like to squeeze a quarter of a fresh lemon on each serving!!

Answer 5

This is really easy and good. Heat a Tbsp of olive oil in a pot and stir in minced garlic and ginger. Add 1 cup of basmati rice. Stir well to coat for a minute. Add 1 Tbsp curry powder, stir well to coat for a minute or two. Add 2 cups chicken broth. Stir well and slap a lid on it and simmer for 20 minutes. A little before the time is up you can add baby shrimp, green onions, frozen peas, cilantro, whatever. (Actually all of those are good in the same dish.) I could live off it.

Answer 6

Best thing to do is take those old basics and doctor them up, instead of plain boiled veggies; stir-fry them up with some good seasoning and oil. Instead of mashed potatoes; make a red potato salad or twice-baked potatoes.

Here are a few recipes I found that you might enjoy =)


Baked Asparagus with Parmesan ( yummy and simple)

1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil - divided use
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons soft white bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 450*F (230*C).
Toss asparagus spears in 1 to 2 teaspoon olive oil and arrange in baking pan .
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
Bake uncovered until asparagus is just tender, about 15 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.

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Mexican Corn (serve with tacos or chicken)

1 onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups tomato puree (or tomato sauce)
3 cups fresh or frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon chili powder and/or 1/2 cup diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C). Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
Saute onion in hot oil until golden yellow. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

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Vegetable Stuffed Peppers(serve with chicken or pork)

1 (15-ounce) can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
6 green bell peppers
3 cups corn
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cut off tops of green peppers, leaving a hole about 2 inches in diameter and remove seeds and inner ribs. Immerse peppers in boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove peppers and place upside down on paper towels. Drain and cool.
In a medium size bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
Divide filling evenly among prepared peppers.
Put filled peppers (filled side up) in a baking dish. Pour a little water into dish.
Bake peppers at 375°F for 20 minutes

Answer 7

Have you ever tried the scalloped potatoes in a box? It turns out excellent and everyone will think you made it from scratch. There are different flavors, my personal favorite is the bacon and cheddar cheese. You can find it in the side dishes section of your grocery store.

Answer 8

Dress up some old favorites!

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

4 lb. potatoes
3/4 cup sour cream
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tbsp. chives
2 green onions, sliced
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup Cheddar cheese

Peel, chop and cook potatoes until tender; drain. Mash in bowl. Mix sour cream, 3/4 of the bacon, chives, 1/2 of the green onions and butter. Mix with a hand mixer until mixed well. Pour into an oven safe bowl. Top with cheese, remaining bacon, and onions. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

6 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons salad oil
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Rub sweet potato skins with salad oil. Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until soft.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine cream cheese, brown sugar, margarine, vanilla, salt and pepper.
Cut potatoes in half and scoop flesh into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix well and fold in walnuts. Spoon mixture into potato skins.
Bake for 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Corn Caserole

2 eggs
1/2 c. water
2 cans cream style corn
1 c. cornbread mix (Jiffy)
1 tbsp. dehydrated onion
Salt & pepper to taste
1 stick butter

Melt butter in casserole dish. Combine all other ingredients and pour into casserole with melted butter. (Do not mix.) Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Vegetable Stir Fry

3 med. carrots, cut diagonally into 1/4" slices
1 c. broccoli florets
1 c. cauliflower florets
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp. water
1 1/2 c. pea pods
1 med. red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" strips
1/4 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt

Spray large nonstick skillet or wok with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and garlic. Stir fry 2 minutes. Add water. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add pea pods, bell peppers, onion, salt, basil and pepper. Stir fry about 2 minutes or until cooking liquid is absorbed and vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir Fried Green Beans

1-2 lbs. fresh green beans
soy sauce
sesame seeds
butter

Wash and remove ends from the beans. I use a wok but a large frying pan may also be used. Heat pan on medium-high. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter in pan and add the green beans. Splash soy sauce to coat beans. Stir continuously. Add sesame seeds and cook for 7-10 minutes.

Answer 9

you could jaz up your mashed potatoes with some easy things like chedder and bacon bits or garlic herb or a simple salad works too you can check out this site for more ideas http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Side-Dish/Main.aspx

Answer 10

cauliflower & cream cheese sauce.
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I boil fresh cauliflower
drain. and add melted in microwave
1 minute or heated in a sauce pan-1 package
cream cheese(low fat or regular)
and 1/2 stick butter or margerine.
and serve it really good
I even get my kids to eat theses veggies.