Veggie thread
 

Obvisouly veggies are an integral part of a meal but generally they are done in a generic manner of boiling/steaming/roasting with perhaps a little butter thrown on for measure. No wonder kids hate their veggies.

So how about some of your favorite veggie dishes? Some updates on the old broccoli and cheese or your version of a green bean casserole?

I tried a new recipe last night with some green beans and it came out most excellent. Even my kids were gobbling it up. Now it does include Balsamic vinegar and you can use the cheaper brands with good results but if you happen to have a good "middle priced" vinegar you will obviously see better results.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter (NOT MARGARINE)
1 Cup sliced shallots
1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar
2 Teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (you can sub 3/4 teaspoon dried)
1 Teaspoon grated lemon rind
3/4 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (I use a 4 pepper blend)
2LBS fresh green beans, trimmed

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over med-hi heat. When melted add the shallots and saute until golden (about 4-5 mins). Stir in the vinegar and reduce for about 1 1/2 minutes (90 seconds). Remove from the heat and add the lemon rind, thyme, salt & pepper

2. Cook the beans in boiling water for about 3 minutes (until crisp but done) and then drain. When I drain them I like to splash them with cold water to help stop the cooking process but not so cold/long that the beans themselves get cold (maybe 10 seconds).

3. In a large bowl toss the beans with the balsamic-shalllot mixture and serve.

You're looking for veggie side dishes, not main courses, correct?

Side dishes preferred but if you have a great main dish lets have it.

I "discovered" sweet potatoes recently and will get some recipes up. While I have had sweet pot's before they have always been the traditional candied yams or just baked but I had some really interesting menu's last week that included a few versions.

This is a nice warm salad using sweet potatoes you might enjoy brewmonkey.

Sorry, you'll have to do the changes from metric into whatever strange measuring system y'all use...:D

Sweet potato and macadamia nut salad

200g orange sweet potato, peeled
1 tablespn olive oil
150g mixed lettuse leaves
50g baby english spinach
1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes (about 100g)
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

Dressing:
2 tablespns macadamia nut oil (or olive oil if you can't get it)
1 tablespn balsamic vinegar (again, best you can get)
1/2 tspn salt (optional)

Cut sweet potato into 1/4in slices, brush with oil and roast in hot oven for 20 mins or until tender and golden.

Place lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and cucumber in serving bowl.

Combine dressing ingrediants, drizzle over salad and toss gently.

Top with sweet potato and macadamia nuts. Serves 6.

Great salad for BBQ.

Continuing the Balsamic vinegar theme, this makes a great and quick dessert.

2-3 big punnets of strawberries
5 tablespns castor suger
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 vanilla pod, seeds removed
400g mascapone cheese
handful of fresh mint leaves

wash strawberries and remove stalks, place in bowl, sprinkle with suger then balsamic vinegar. Stir well and marinate in fridge for up to 2 hrs.

Mix the vanilla seeds with the mascapone cheese and sweeten to taste with a little sugar.

to serve, place a big tablespoon of cheese on plate, then a heap of strawberries and some juice, then garnish with mint leaves.

Roasted red potatoes and asparagus
 

1-1½ pounds small red potatoes (or about 10 to 15)
2 bunches asparagus (preferably small and thin)
1 large yellow onion
1 to 2 cloves garlic
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter (½ stick)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 500° F.

Wash but do not peel potatoes. Cut potatoes into quarters, and place in baking pan. I usually use a medium to large size aluminum foil baking pan.

Peel onion, slice in half, and then cut halves into eights. Coarsely chop the garlic cloves. Combine the onion and garlic with the potato in the baking pan. Sprinkle oregano and basil evenly over the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables, then place the pan in the oven.

Cook until the potatoes are tender to the fork (about 15 minutes, maybe a little longer). Take pan out of the oven. Turn the potatoes and onions. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Arrange the asparagus evenly on top of the potatoes. Cut the butter into pats and place atop the asparagus. Put the pan back into the oven and bake for another 7-10 minutes, until the asparagus is cooked but still crunchy. Turn and spoon pan juices on top and serve.

Fast, simple and tasty, but it’ll make your pee smell funny for a couple of hours if, like me, you have the “asparagus enzyme.”