So far we have focused on the main course. Sides and vegetables (at least in our kitchen) are often considered a necessary evil. This doesn't need to be the case. Since green things are generally loathe in this house, I don't yet have much in the "fun vegetable" department. I realize that they can be made to taste fairly good, and would like more ideas. I'm hoping that this post will serve as a launching pad of sorts. Post comments with any good ideas you may have. The only favor I ask is that no one post anything like "oh my, but broccoli is so delicious just by itself!!" It isn't. If that's your (wrong) opinion, you don't need a recipe and you should just keep your thoughts to yourself.
Tonight we had our standby. Green beans with garlic and balsamic vinegar. There isn't even a recipe, you just steam or boil some green beans until they are not quite done, then fry some diced garlic in olive oil for about 30 seconds. Toss in the beans, cook for another minute on low heat. Put it all on a plate and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. It's about as easy as it gets, and even Hannah likes it.
Another fun thing to do with beans is to cook them with butter and lemon juice. Again, steam the beans until they are nearly done but still a bit crisp. While they steam, melt some butter in a pan. The amount is about 1 tablespoon of butter per fistful of beans, but it doesn't much matter. any extra will just be left in the pan. When the butter is hot, add a diced clove of garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds, then add the beans and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for each tablespoon of butter. Add a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper and cook until the beans are done to your liking, probably around 2 minutes.
Another go-to is zucchini. Anyone who knows me would have a hard time believing that I eat zucchini, but it's true. The first time I made this Hannah ate the entire zucchini and asked for more. And, as usual, it involves vinegar. It goes like this: wash and slice a zucchini as thin as possible. Line a cookie sheet with foil and smear some olive oil all around. Arrange the slices on the foil and drizzle some olive oil over the top (not much, maybe one drop per slice.) Bake in the oven until they are tender, about 5 minutes. A toaster oven is perfect for this, but I am too lazy to find one on Craigslist.
When they are tender, use a spatula to move them to a plate. They are going to overlap on the plate, which is fine. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (again, about one drop per) and grate some parmesan cheese over them. Done.
So there are my two thoughts for the day, now come on all you people who aren't even reading this! Let's hear your ideas.
Tonight we had our standby. Green beans with garlic and balsamic vinegar. There isn't even a recipe, you just steam or boil some green beans until they are not quite done, then fry some diced garlic in olive oil for about 30 seconds. Toss in the beans, cook for another minute on low heat. Put it all on a plate and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. It's about as easy as it gets, and even Hannah likes it.
Another fun thing to do with beans is to cook them with butter and lemon juice. Again, steam the beans until they are nearly done but still a bit crisp. While they steam, melt some butter in a pan. The amount is about 1 tablespoon of butter per fistful of beans, but it doesn't much matter. any extra will just be left in the pan. When the butter is hot, add a diced clove of garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds, then add the beans and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for each tablespoon of butter. Add a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper and cook until the beans are done to your liking, probably around 2 minutes.
Another go-to is zucchini. Anyone who knows me would have a hard time believing that I eat zucchini, but it's true. The first time I made this Hannah ate the entire zucchini and asked for more. And, as usual, it involves vinegar. It goes like this: wash and slice a zucchini as thin as possible. Line a cookie sheet with foil and smear some olive oil all around. Arrange the slices on the foil and drizzle some olive oil over the top (not much, maybe one drop per slice.) Bake in the oven until they are tender, about 5 minutes. A toaster oven is perfect for this, but I am too lazy to find one on Craigslist.
When they are tender, use a spatula to move them to a plate. They are going to overlap on the plate, which is fine. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (again, about one drop per) and grate some parmesan cheese over them. Done.
So there are my two thoughts for the day, now come on all you people who aren't even reading this! Let's hear your ideas.
Not only am I impressed you guys now eat vegetables on their own as a formal side dish, but I am definitely feeling inspired to try these!
ReplyDelete