Simple Easy Side Dishes that I love!

A great side dish can just make a meal sing and sometimes can be even more exciting than the entree. I tend to focus a lot on sharing recipes for entrees and realized the other day that I have some super simple, healthy, and delicious side dishes I have come up with that deserve a post as well.
I love veggies and a typical dinner in my home usually includes some type of protein and a veggie side dish. I don't make a lot of starches at dinner time and actually try to avoid too many carbs as a general rule. I know it could seem easier sometimes to open up a box of rice or instant mashed potatoes but these side dishes are just as quick and better for you.
Nick and I both love asparagus. I have found that my favorite way to cook it is to roast it in the oven.

Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Clean and trim asparagus and place on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Mix around the spears to make sure each is coated with a little oil and seasoning. Cooking time will vary depending on your oven and the size of your spears so I would check on them after 10 mins and then continue cooking until you reach desired doneness. I love to get mine a little crispy!
You can enjoy the asparagus just like that and it tastes great but you could also squirt a little lemon juice on them or drizzle a little soy sauce on them depending on what your entree is.

 I came up with this next recipe one night when I noticed we had some tomatoes that were getting soft and needed to be eaten.

Roasted Italian Tomato Slices

tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
shredded motz, Parmesan, and or cheddar
oregano

preheat oven to 350. Clean a couple small tomatoes and cut into thick slices. Spray a cookie sheet or baking pan with cooking spray and arrange the slices on the sheet. Drizzle a little olive on each slice. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese on each slice and it almost doesn't matter what type of cheese you use. I have tried all kinds and they always taste really yummy. Then top each slice with a little oregano.
Cook slices in the oven for about 10 mins and then check on them. Continue cooking until the cheese is nice and melty and maybe even a little browned.

I adore brussel sprouts and make them really often with a piece of grilled chicken. That is a summer meal go to. I also love that you can season these brussel sprout several different ways and they just suck up the flavor.

Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts
olive oil
salt and pepper
minced garlic
red wine vin
optional: lemon, Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese, wine wine

Clean brussels and chop each one in half long ways. Place brussels in a skillet on med heat with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and minced garlic. Cook brussels until they begin to get bright green and a little softer then add a little vinegar and any or all of the optional ingredients. Turn up the heat to high and stir often. The goal is to get a little brown crust on the veggies but to not completely over cook them.
enjoy! The picture below shows the brussel sprouts with some grilled chicken and a little guacamole.

This next one is super simple and very summery!

Herb and Feta Cucumber slices

1 Cucumber
Any Oil based Salad Dressing like a vinaigrette, Caesar, or Italian
feta
salt and pepper

Take your cucumber and clean and peel it. Slice up and either put in a bowl or right on your dinner plates. drizzle with your favorite Italian style salad dressing. Sprinkle feta on top and season with a little salt and pepper. Done!

I just came up with this next one last week and Nick and I both were crazy about it! This one has more fat than the other recipes above but its still pretty healthy and it has avocado in it which is a super food.

Avocado and Crab Salad

1 avocado
1 cup imitation crab meat
light mayo or sour cream
lemon
minced onion flakes
old bay
minced garlic or garlic powder

Slice avocado in half, remove seed, and scoop out chunks into a bowl. Add 1 cup of chopped imitation crab meat. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the bowl then add old bay and garlic and how much just depends on your taste. Next shake about 1 tablespoon of minced onion flakes into bowl and then a tablespoon of mayo or sour cream. You can add more if you like the salad wetter. Mix and taste and add more spices, lemon, and/or mayo if you like until you get it just right. chill the salad for about 30 mins.
You can serve as a side dish or put over salad greens and eat as your entree. Add bacon if you are feeling crazy.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and I will share more healthy and easy side dishes soon!