Nut Butter Carrot Fries

I used to always buy the bags of baby carrots. Until I realized one day that it is much cheaper to buy regular carrots. You know, the carrots that look like they were literally just pulled from the ground. You know, the kind that you would imagine rabbits eating. Yes, those.

So we've been buying those carrots recently, and I find peeling them rather fun. I know, I have an odd obsession/liking toward kitchen gadgets. 

The problem: we're up to our eyeballs in carrots. We can only eat so many atop salads and dipped in hummus.

So when I heard that you could slice carrots, lather them in nut butter and bake in the oven to turn into fries, I was rather intrigued. 

My curiosity always gets the best of me when it comes to food, so I had to try these out. And now, I'm rather addicted!

Nut Butter Carrot Fries
Source: Oh She Glows and Meals & Miles


Ingredients:
3 medium carrots - sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons nut butter (I just used all-natural peanut butter)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the nut butter, oil and salt. Add sliced carrots and toss to coat. 


Place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes - you can flip them halfway through to prevent burning.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I'm sorry to have teased you with the picture of the sprouts and not the recipe. What was I thinking?! Well, now you have it and can enjoy it! 

My husband loves brussels sprouts. To be quite honest, I never had them until I had dinner with his family while dating and his mother made them. I cannot even begin to explain how nervous I was when I plopped some on my plate. I mean, what if I hated them?! I couldn't offend his mother! No worries, foodies...I loved them!

This is a great way to prepare sprouts - although I'm a little biased. I think every vegetable can, and should, be roasted in the oven. Such good flavor.

Oh, and I used a new gadget during this recipe. Review to come soon!


Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss sprouts with oil and minced garlic. Once well-coated, place sprouts on a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. 

Make sure sprouts are cut-side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and golden on edges.
 
Yield: 2 servings

Yellow Squash & Tomatoes

I love summer and the great fresh produce that comes along with it. The abundance of fruit and vegetables just excites me, as well as the pretty and vibrant colors. This makes for fun and creative recipes!

Speaking of vegetables, a vegetable must always be represented in all Ice Cream & Wine dinners, per the request of my husband. But he's gotten me hooked, as now I don't see a meal as complete unless there's a vegetable side dish. And we're talking legit vegetable side dishes...not ones doused in cream/butter/etc. 

I'm a big fan of cooked tomatoes, so when I saw this recipe featured on Katie's Cucina, I was immediately inspired.

Yellow Squash & Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small yellow squash, 1/4-inch sliced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. When heated, add yellow squash and cook for 8 minutes. 

Add in tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for additional 4 minutes until all vegetables are heated through. 

Yield: 4 servings

Watermelon-Feta Salad

Holy deliciousness. Foodies, I don't lie.

I know you're probably thinking, "watermelon and feta?" And what would you think if I told you this refreshing summer salad also includes kalamata olives and fresh mint? Crazy, I know.

This delightful summer salad was featured in the Lincoln Journal-Star a couple weeks ago. It had grabbed the attention of my mom, who wanted to make it while my sister and I were both home visiting. Genius.

I know this sounds like a completely odd combo - I'm not trying to persuade you to think otherwise. It is odd. But it's also very, very tasty. I promise.

So please, take a chance on this salad - I know you won't regret it!

Watermelon-Feta Salad

Source: Ellise Pierce, Beat the heat with watermelon

Ingredients:

2 pounds watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes

Handful of mint, roughly chopped

10 kalamata olives, pitted and halved

Small red onion (about two tablespoons), diced

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

7 ounces feta

Additional mint, for serving (if desired)

Pepper

Directions:

Combine the first 6 ingredients (through sea salt) in a bowl - tossing gently so the watermelon pieces stay whole. Refrigerate for an hour. Before serving, add the feta, additional mint (if desired), and pepper to taste.

Makes: 4 servings

Lime-Scented Mango-Strawberry Salad

I love fruit. I mix strawberries with my Greek yogurt in the mornings. I add frozen bananas to my delicious Green Monsters. I snack on clementines like it's my job. By the way, how cool would it be if I got paid to eat food? I'd be one happy career lady, that's for sure. I.must.figure.out.a.plan.

Anyway, I always love a cold, refreshing fruit salad. I think fruit salads can really balance out a menu. I asked around on some online message boards for a fruit salad recipe - I REALLY didn't want one with whipped cream (don't get me wrong, I do love that stuff!). Someone suggested this recipe, and I'm so glad they did. It tastes like summer!

Source: All You - Lime-Scented Mango-Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:
3/4  cup  sugar
2  teaspoons  grated lime zest
1/4  cup  fresh lime juice
3  cups  trimmed, sliced strawberries (about 2 lb.)
3  cups  peeled, diced mangoes (2 to 3 large mangoes) - I used frozen, diced mangoes

Directions:

Combine sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in lime zest and juice; let cool to room temperature.

Mix strawberries with mangoes in a large bowl. Add syrup and gently stir until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Green Bean Casserole

I

I wish you could see the inside of it! 

Sadly I was too late with my camera to get that picture.

Growing up, I wasn't the biggest fan of Green Bean Casserole. I used to HATE mushrooms, so I would always have to pick them out. You see, a very popular green bean casserole uses cream of mushroom soup. Ick. You will notice that two of my recipes on Ice Cream & Wine use "cream of somethings," but that's it...just two. And to be honest, I'll probably be adjusting those recipes soon to swap those ingredients out. I'm just not a fan of that processed gooeyness.

So anyway, I knew that I had to have green bean casserole at my Easter dinner (yes, friends, I'm still talking about Easter!). What to do, what to do? After searching on All Recipes, I found a great one - one that did not include cream of mushroom soup. (This recipe does use canned green beans - just be sure to get the "no sodium added" kind!) I knew my mom was very hesitant about this, but in the end she LOVED it. This casserole is absolutely amazing - to be honest, I'm sad I only had one serving during Easter! My dad and husband finished it off! :)

Source: All Recipes - Grandma's Green Bean Casserole 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup sour cream - I used low fat  
3 (14.5 oz.) cans of French style green beans, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese - I used about 1.5 cups
1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers (such as Ritz)
1 tablespoon butter, melted


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans and stir to coat. 

Transfer the mixture to a 2.5 quart baking dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss the crumbled crackers and butter. Sprinkle over the cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes - or until top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Scalloped Pototoes & Onions

Mmm...potatoes. Seriously I could eat a baked potato (or sweet potato) with every. single. meal. So classic but so delicious. We all know I'm a big fan of food that is extremely versatile - think pasta, chicken and add potatoes to that list! Fried, mashed, scalloped, baked - even made into a potato salad. The possibilities are truly endless!

I hosted (!) Easter dinner this year. Let it be known that this holiday was quite exciting in many ways. Number one, this was my first Easter as a WIFE - yay! Number two, this was the first holiday that I hosted. Number three, this was our first holiday in Baltimore (we found wonderful reasons to leave for Thanksgiving & Christmas!). And number four, my parents flew all the way from Nebraska to Baltimore to spend it with me and my husband. So fun!

I spent months OK weeks figuring out the menu. It had to be perfect and all traditional Easter dinner components had to be represented. I was at odds trying to decide the cooking method for my potato dish. I stumbled upon a great recipe on All Recipes (love that website) and was instantly sold. I present to you Scalloped Potatoes & Onions - enjoy this at your next holiday dinner (or comforting weeknight meal!).

Source: All Recipes - Scalloped Potatoes & Onions

Ingredients:
5 large potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped onion - I used white
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons mayo
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Paprika

Directions:
Set oven to 325 degrees. In a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish, layer the potatoes and onion. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add broth, mayo, salt & pepper. Cook while stirring for about 2 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. 

Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake for 2 hours, or until tender.

Lemon-Scented Sugar Snap Peas

 

For some reason or another, whenever peas roll into our weekly menu I always grab the bag of fresh snow peas at the grocery store. Well, I got crazy this past week and bought sugar snap peas - whoa! I was looking for a way to prepare these peas that would compliment this wonderful tilapia recipe and stumbled upon this one. It caught my eye because of the lemon, and I was going to be using a fresh lemon with the fish, so it just worked out perfectly. I like it when that happens! Just like all of the other recipes I post, this is a simple one to follow. I like it best when vegetables are served with minimal preparation - they just taste so fresh and delicious. Enjoy!

Source: Southern Living - Lemon-Scented Sugar Snap Peas

*I cut this recipe in half when I made it (for 2 people). Below is the original and serves 4-6. 

Ingredients:

2  pounds  fresh sugar snap peas
2  tablespoons  butter or margarine
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind
3/4  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cook peas in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. (I skipped this plunging step, and it worked out just fine!)

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add peas, and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and remaining ingredients. Sauté 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

This is probably one of my favorite ways to eat vegetables. I absolutely love asparagus, and so does my husband - it just works out perfectly! This is super easy, but it looks and tastes like it's gourmet (my favorite!). I serve this with pretty much any main main dish - chicken, turkey, fish - it's all good. And let's be honest, what isn't good with a heaping handful of parmesan cheese?

*Pictured above with The Best Turkey Burger.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus

olive oil

salt & pepper

garlic powder

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I use shredded, not grated) - be generous!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil - this makes clean up a breeze! Trim the bottoms off the asparagus and place on baking sheet. Drizzle oil over the asparagus - toss to coat. Line them up in a single layer on the pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese over the asparagus. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Mmm.

Balsamic Garlic Green Beans

I needed a quick side dish, and I had just bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar. I LOVE balsamic vinegar and believe that any vegetable tastes amazing with it. I broke into a package of frozen green beans - and ta da! - a yummy side dish.

Ingredients:

1 small package frozen green beans

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Cook green beans according to package - I placed them in a skillet with a little bit of water, brought it to a boil, cooked for 5 minutes, then drained the water. Add to the skillet the balsamic vinegar and garlic - cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

Parmesan Orzo

I found this recipe over on Stephanie Cooks - she claims it's her favorite side dish of all time. I love her blog and thought I'd give this dish a try. I've never made anything with orzo before, so I was very excited. It was divine - so easy to make and so easy to enjoy!

Original recipe: Stephanie Cooks' Parmesan Orzo

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo
1 1/4 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
A few shakes of parsley
A few shakes of garlic powder
1/2 cup of freshly shredded parmesan cheese (more or less depending on your taste)

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, heat butter and dry orzo over medium/high heat until pasta toasted (just some of it).
2. Pour in the broth and seasonings. Cook on medium heat. The orzo will absorb the broth. Once most of the broth is absorbed, remove from the heat.
3. Mix in the parmesan cheese and stir until smooth and creamy.
4. Sprinkle with additional cheese when serving if you like.

Butternut Squash Casserole

I use the word "casserole" lightly - I don't think this is necessarily a casserole, but it's the best way to describe it! My husband and I always have a vegetable side dish with every meal - this has forced me to become creative. I found some great butternut squash at our local Trader Joe's (pre-cut) - and wanted to spice it up a bit. After searching around online, I found a few recipes that looked yummy....so I combined them all. This is super easy, so enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. butternut squash (peeled and cubed)

1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Hawaiian Red Sea Salt)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian 4-cheese blend)

Directions:

Set oven to 425. Mix together squash, onion, salt, pepper and melted butter - place into 9x9 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, milk and cheese. Pour over mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes.

 

Macaroni Salad

This is a great side dish to make - especially during the summer. It's very refreshing! Beware: it makes a LOT...which is good because it is quite delicious!

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz.) "salad macaroni" (although you can use any type of pasta)

3/4 C. chopped celery

1 small can pineapple tidbits

1 small can sliced black olives

1 cup cubed colby cheese

1 small package (2 oz.) slivered almonds (toasted)

3/4 C. mayo 

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta, drain and rinse in cold water.

2. Pour the juice from the pineapple tidbits into a small bowl. Mix juice with 3/4 cup mayonnaise. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, pineapple tidbits, black olives, colby cheese and almonds.

4. Pour mayo/juice mixture over pasta. Stir well.

*You may add milk to reach desired consistency.

Gourmet Mac & Cheese

I love that delicious-goodness that comes from a blue box - always have, always will. Since I'm now a grown-up (22 & married makes me a grown-up, correct?), I have decided to branch out and try variations of this childhood favorite. I found a great recipe on Allrecipes.com (love that site), and made some minor changes to it. Super rich and creamy - amazing!

*Adapted from Chuck's Famous Mac and Cheese on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

8 oz. package elbow macaroni

8 oz. package shredded sharp cheddar cheese

12 oz. container cottage cheese

8 oz. container sour cream

1/2 cup Italian cheese blend (parmesan, asiago, fontina)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta - cook until done and drain. In a 2.5-quart baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Italian cheese, salt and pepper. You may sprinkle additional cheese on top before baking.Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.