Do you ever find yourself perusing the fresh foods section of the grocery store, wondering what the heck you’re to do with all those great-looking veggies?
You know you are supposed to eat more of them, you hear about the benefits to that all the time, but just don’t know how to fix them?
Today, I’m going to give you a few ideas on how to make easy and fast veggie sides for dinner. No, not the pop-in-the-micro kind! Those can be a great backup plan, but let’s explore these dishes and let you decide which ones sound truly delicious to you!
Here are a few ideas to try
Greens Made Easy
Cooking greens used to intimidate me, but after a couple practice tries, this dish is now a constant go-to in this house!
Besides being rich with benefits, like iron, antioxidants, and minerals, collard greens are also very tasty and filling. I even get a couple of the kids to dig into this one!
How to make them:
Ingredients:
1 head collard greens,
half fresh lemon, squeezed over the greens
ready-made real bacon bits
¼ sweet onion, diced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
Slice up the greens in thin ribbons of about ½ inch thick, and 3-4 inches long, set aside.
Place large sauté pan or wok over medium to high heat, add oil to pan.
Add onions, garlic to hot oil, sauté for about a minute.
Add in the greens and bacon bits, allowing the greens to wilt for about 2 minutes.
Squeeze the fresh lemon over the wilted greens, stir one or two more times, remove from heat. Serve!
Sweet Potato “Fries”
A favorite at our place, and we were so glad to discover that sweet potatoes are a super-food, packed with many healthy benefits!
Carotene (which is Vitamin A and gives the potato it’s orange color), and minerals like magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron give this great-tasting treat it’s superpower!
We love it many ways, but the oven-roasted “fries” are a fave of the pickier eaters around our place!
Ingredients:
1-2 large sweet potatoes, sliced into thin strips (1/4 inch by 2-3 inches)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Himalayan pink salt (or ANY salt to your taste)
Fresh cracked pepper
Instructions:
Roll the fries in the olive oil until coated gently
Salt and pepper them, then roast at a high heat (375-425 degrees, depending on your oven) for about 10-15 minutes, or until crispy and done.
Too easy, too delicious, very healthy as a side dish or snack!
Black Bean & Sweet Corn Salsa
Over time, corn (esp sweet corn!) has gotten a bad rap in the health-eating industry ... but you may be happy to know, it is STILL healthy (as is most every other God-made food!)
Because it is a veggie higher in sugar content, it is better to eat it it in small amounts. We mainly enjoy corn as one ingredient in a dish instead of the main dish.
Corn contains many health benefits for your body, like lutein (which fights macular degeneration in our eyes!) as well as several vitamins and minerals such as magnesium and phospherous.
Ingredients:
1 cup sweet corn (you can use frozen, just allow it to thaw)
1 can rinsed and drained black beans
¼ sweet onion, diced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp Italian dressing OR 2 fresh limes, squeezed & stirred into mixture
Instructions:
Mix all the ingredients together.
Refrigerate for two hours or more before serving for flavors to mix and blend.
Hopefully you are encouraged now to try these yummy, easy and yes, healthy dishes in your own kitchen.
Healthy veggies sides can (and should!) be vibrant, easy and enjoyed by the whole family! Let me know what you think of these helpful ideas in the comments below.