Meatless Monday: Pan-seared Asparagus

Today I'm keeping it simple with this easy, yet dinner crowd-pleasing, side dish. Sometimes you just want something that tastes gourmet, even though it only took you a few minutes to prepare it. Search no further- this is it, and it can be done with other vegetables too.

Pan-seared Asparagus
(serves 6-8)

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and rinsed
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once heated sprinkle some of the salt and pepper over the oil, then place the asparagus spears on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pepper and thyme, then cover, cooking for about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir the spears around, allowing to cook on each side for a period of time until slightly blackened. During the last minute of cooking, toss the lemon juice in and stir the spears around once more. The object is to cook them well enough so that they are crisp, yet soft in the middle. Serve hot with extra seasoning if desired, with some rice and eggplant or other main course. Although this is Meatless Monday, I must add that this side dish goes excellent alongside steak.

Thyme is quite lovely with asparagus, and even better with the added lemon juice. It really brings out its flavor while subduing some of its sharpness. Thyme is full of vitamin K, antioxidants, and iron, as well as antimicrobials that have been used for years to help preserve foods. Fir this dish, you can use it fresh or dried, it will taste good either way. Although, its beneficial properties will be more preserved if used fresh.

Over the weekend we attended a young relative's birthday party, and I was pleased to see Lily pass over her pizza for raw veggies and ranch dip. This was especially good for her since- as you may have read in a previous post -she's been fighting a nasty cold for the past nearly week and a half. We even considered not taking her to the party, but she was having fun with the rest of the group bouncing around at Bounce U! All that's left of the cold now is a cough.

Choosing veggies over pizza

Affirming the values of healthy eating habits for children is a lesson that can last far into adulthood. It is so important for kids to eat healthy and balanced, and including fresh fruits and vegetables in the daily diet is a must. Variety is best, but sometimes there will be types of veggies that they just don't like, or won't even try, such as brussel sprouts. I believe it's important to never give up, and just keep trying new ways to serve it, and even when that doesn't seem to be working, give it a break then try again some other time. Taste buds grow and develop along with your child, and one day they may hate broccoli, then the next thing you know they're asking for seconds!

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 

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Meatless Monday: Israeli Coucous

Hello! I hope everyone had a nice weekend! I mostly did- my poor little Lily had a little head cold, but it's mostly gone now. We mostly just relaxed and got chores done and hung out in the pool. Yes, it was that kind of weekend.

Today I'm sharing a simple side dish recipe that you could easily turn into the main course. They had this tasty coucous dish on sale at Shop Rite last week, so I decided to give it a try. Was super easy to make and yummy too, definitely something we'll be enjoying again in the future.

Israeli Couscous Side Dish
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients

1 package Israeli couscous
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Half a lemon, sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley or fresh chopped parsley

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a medium sized pot over low heat. Once fragrant and slightly browned, add the dry couscous and stir together to coat. Add water according to package instructions and bring to a boil. Mix in the salt, pepper, and parsley. Juice the lemon slices into the couscous, then throw the rinds in and cook for 10-12 minutes or until water is completely absorbed. Serve with fish, salad or whatever you'd like.

Dry couscous just put into the pot

After water has been absorbed

Lily and I had ours with fish sticks :)

YUM

This is something every kid should enjoy, even babies old enough to eat pasta. You could make it in any of these ways as well:

• butter and Parmesan
• mixed herbs
• chilled with cucumber and mint

 If you can't find this type of couscous, regular couscous or pearl-shaped pasta would work just as well. Enjoy and have a happy Meatless Monday!
By the way- what are your 4th of July plans? Have a nice holiday!

Meatless Monday: Cauliflower Side Dish

I tried this unique side dish the other day when I stumbled across this recipe on Turtles and Tails. The 3 main ingredients that caught my eye were: paprika, coconut oil, and cocoa...on cauliflower! I had to give this one a try...

Cocoa-toasted Cauliflower
(makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic (powder or fresh)
2 tbsp. melted coconut oil
 
Chop the cauliflower up into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the coconut oil and mix well, until it forms a thin sauce. Toss with the cauliflower until the cauliflower is well coated. Spread the pieces onto a aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet, then place into oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with something just as savory!

I think they kid of look like little brains. Funny thing is, cauliflower is good for the brain too!

To be honest, this wasn't as flavor-packed as I thought it was going to be. Next time I will double the amounts of seasoning, but for the sake of honoring the original recipe, I kept the amounts the same. Give it a try this way, or be bold and use extra cocoa and paprika!

You may have been surprised like I was when I first read the ingredients for this recipe- cocoa powder is not commonly used on vegetables. But, it worked quite well with the blandness of the cauliflower, I even made the leftovers extra crispy and ate them like popcorn!

Cocoa powder is rich in good-for-you antioxidants, even more so than the average glass of red wine! It is also good for your heart, helps prevent diabetes (in it's raw form), controls blood pressure, and- you'll especially like this! -helps to treat pms! I guess that's why we all crave it during that time of the month...now you have an excuse to binge on Godiva!

For this recipe, I'd also recommend using an extra rich, high grade cocoa powder to really bring out the flavor as much as possible. Use organic in every way possible, and I also wouldn't recommend substituting a different type of oil for the coconut oil, but if you must, butter would probably work well too, although it wouldn't be as healthy and low-fat.  

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday recipe! Please link up any meat-free dish you'd like below. Link as many as you want! Grab a button and spread the word! Thanks for stopping by :)

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Meatless Monday Side Dish: Sauteed Kale

As promised!

I call this recipe “Basic Sauteed Kale” because it is a fairly common recipe and you may already know it. But, I know enough people who are unfamiliar with it- mostly people who’ve never even attempted to cook kale in any way, shape or form before –so, I felt it was worth posting about. The red pepper flake and red wine vinegar really make this green sing, and it’s hardy enough to be eaten as a main course rather than just a side dish. Stir in some grilled tofu or chicken to beef it up if you want, or easily make it into a soup by adding 4-6 cups of broth.

Basic Sauteed Kale

yum

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (approx. 1 lb)

½ cup water

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar or ½ tbsp red wine + ½ tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp red pepper flake

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

½ lemon cut into wedges

Chop kale and remove ribs; you can either discard ribs (hopefully in a compost out back!) or save for later to add to a soup or stew. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a deep pan then add the kale, stirring until lightly cooked and still bright green. Add the water and cover, cooking over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the kale is nice soft. Open the pan and push the kale to one side, then add the rest of the olive oil and the red wine vinegar to the bare side of the pan and sauté the garlic with the red pepper flake, salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Mix in with the kale until well coated then remove from heat and serve.

It is really delicious, but tends to get stuck in my teeth very easily, just to warn you. Keep toothpicks handy if serving to guests! Please refer to my prior Green Goddess Soup post for health info on kale; it’s a super food!Enjoy, and let me know how it goes in the comments if you try it!