Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Broccoli

A deliciously simple vegetable side of roasted broccoli flavored with parmesan, garlic and a dash of lemon juice.

Repost of original from 2/1/13 58 views and 1 +1. Better pictures, pinnable image, tweetables, and editing.

Leading up to Thanksgiving I'm going through my vegetable sides recipe posts.  To be honest, sides are my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner.  I'm looking for good sides to make this year and thought I'd re-share and update some of my favorite veggie sides.  Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Broccoli is a great side to serve for Thanksgiving.  It's not a usual Thanksgiving side but it should be.  It's simple and delicious and everyone will love it. Have everything ready and it can go in the oven once the turkey is out and resting.

Parm&Garlic #RoastedBroccoli for a #ThanksgivingSide  [Tweet this]

Many people need to eat more fruits and vegetables.  I know it's true for me.  This recipe makes eating your veggies easy.  Roasting makes broccoli sweet and tender.  The cheese adds a salty, cheese, and almost nutty flavor and, my favorite, makes the roasted broccoli crisper around the edges.  I love garlic and add it to almost everything so it's always a natural addition and makes this dish top the charts in flavor.  It's a great vegetable side dish for any meal.

Yummy way to get your #5aday Parm&Garlic #RoastedBroccoli   [Tweet this]

Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Cook time:  20 minutes
Servings:  2-4

Ingredients:

2-3 cups broccoli florets (about 1 large head)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp grated parmesan
juice from 1/2 lemon (optional)
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F

Place the broccoli in a large bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until broccoli is thoroughly coated. (the oil should help the spices and cheese to stick to the broccoli)

Lay out in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 450F for 15-20 minutes or until dark brown and crispy around the edges. (sometimes I stir about half way through, but not always, and it seems to turn out great either way.)

Serve hot (it's still great cold too).  Makes 2-4 servings but it's so tasty I've been known to eat it all by myself.

Enjoy.

For more vegetable sides check out:

Cumined Cauliflower and Broccoli

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Sauteed Kale       -

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Maple Glazed Carrots

A simple and tasty vegetable side dish of carrots roasted in maple syrup.  The perfect accompaniment to any meal.

**Updated post from original from 12/2012 (90 views): new pictures, minor editing, add tweetabe, like recipe links, rich pin.

Carrots are a great vegetable.  They add great color to brighten up even the blandest meal.  They are also very versatile.  They are great raw, steamed, stir-fried, and roasted.  What I love most about carrots is that they store well.   I have kept carrots in my refrigerator for over a week and they are still good.  This is a great recipe to keep in the arsenal.  It is warm, slightly sweet (the maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots), and very simple.

Carrots brighten even the blandest meal.  [Tweet this]

Maple Glazed Carrots

Cook time:  45-60 minutes (depending on the size of your carrots)
Servings:  4

Ingredients:

3-4 Large carrots peeled and cut bite-sized or baby carrots
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp dried thyme
coarse salt and pepper to taste
juice from 1/2 lemon, optional

This is really easy, you can make more or less just keep an equal ratio of oil/syrup.

Preheat oven to 400F

Toss the carrot pieces with oil and maple syrup.  Add thyme and salt and pepper and toss to combine evenly.  Then pour the carrot mixture into a baking dish.

Bake at 400, covered, for about 40 minutes or until tender.  Then remove cover and bake for about 15 minutes more until nicely browned.  Remove from oven and add lemon juice and stir.

Makes 3-4 servings.

This is a wonderful side dish.  You can use any sweetener or syrup you like such as honey, or it might be interesting to try agave nectar.  You can also use any oil, and any herb (fresh or dry) you have or like.  I think thyme tastes really good with carrots, but you could use rosemary, dill, oregano, or anything that smells good just be creative. The lemon juice is optional, but I think it brightens up the carrots, I like to add an acid to sweet sometimes.  I saw a recipe that uses balsamic vinegar, that would be great too.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

For more carrot side dishes check out:

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

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Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce

A sweet and spicy creamy peanut sauce that is a great dip for vegetables or spring rolls.

I have had this recipe pinned since I first saw it over a year ago from The Cafe Sucre Farine. Honey and sriracha.  I'm all about sweet and spicy so as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it.  As with many great recipe ideas I pin, I planned on making it right away but then I started thinking about another meal or dish and the recipe sat in Pinterest until I remembered it.  I have been trying to eat more vegetables for lunch and as snacks so when I was cutting celery and other veggies this recipe popped back into my head.  Peanut sauce is like a grown-up version of celery and peanut butter so it was a natural combination.  Eating veggies is a wonderful treat when they are dipped in this sauce.  It would make a great veggie platter for a Fourth of July cookout, or for any party.

Make a veggie platter for #thefourthofjuly w/ Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce.  [Tweet this]

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I fell in love with peanut sauce the first time I had spring rolls at a Thai restaurant when I lived in Houston.  There is just something about peanut sauce.  It's salty, sweet, sour, peanutty, and perfectly dippable.  Not only is it great for spring rolls, but it's also a great dip for vegetables and can be thinned for a great salad dressing.  Peanut sauce is pretty simple just peanut butter and water then add whatever flavors you like.  It's easy to add a little of this and that until it tastes just right.  Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce from The Cafe Sucre Farine is a great recipe.  I made a few adjustments like adding more sriracha (I like a bit more spice) and using only honey instead of honey and brown sugar.  I want to try it again using fish sauce instead of soy sauce just because I love fish sauce flavor (they are both used to add that salty component).  This recipe did not disappoint.  I loved it.  Veggies are so much better dipped in this sauce.

Veggies are so much tastier dipped in Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce.  [Tweet this]

Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce

Modified slightly from The Cafe Sucre Farine

Cook time:  10 minutes
Servings:  5

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp sriracha (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp hot chili oil
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 1/4 cups water

Combine all of the ingredients (if you are unsure about how much spice you can handle start with 3 tsp of sriracha and add more at the end if you'd like it spicier) in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Stir continuously while bringing to a boil and boil until the sauce is your desired consistency (about 5 minutes).  If the sauce gets too thick add a little more water to thin it.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  Makes about five 1/2-cup serving.

Enjoy.

If you'd like to try another peanut sauce check out:

Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is great with veggies alone but check out these recipes that would be great with some peanut sauce too:

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Smoked Marlin Lettuce Boats

Larb (Minced Meat Salad)

You may also be interested in How to roll a spring roll:

How to Roll a Spring Roll

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Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Tender orange carrots cooked in a butter, brown sugar, and dill sauce.  A colorful and flavorful vegetable side dish.

I was looking for a new winter vegetable side dish when my husband remembered his mom making this when he was younger.  He didn't know the exact recipe so I looked it up online and made a few adjustments.  I first tried it at Christmas with our Swedish Meatballs and fell in love.  Then I had to make it again to go with other winter meals like Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie and Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish.  This is a wonderful warm vegetable side and I love the orange color.  It's like sunshine on a plate.

It's like sunshine on a plate [Tweet this]

Everyone knows carrots are good for eyes, but they are also delicious.  Carrots have a natural sweetness that can be enhanced with the addition of any type of sweetener and this recipe does just that. The carrots are tossed in butter, brown sugar, and dried dill then baked until tender.  The sugar brings out the sweetness, but it's not too sweet.  This is a great way to cook carrots that will brighten up any plate.  You can use sliced carrots or even baby carrots for a simple and quick vegetable side that tastes and looks great.

Everyone knows carrots are good for eyes but they are also delicious. [Tweet this]

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots (either sliced or baby carrots)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
a few shakes of dried dill

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and then mix in the brown sugar.

Toss the carrots (at room temperature--if they are cold just out of the fridge the melted butter will solidify again and be more difficult to coat the carrots) with the butter mixture until all the carrots are coated.

Sprinkle with some dill and toss more adding more dill as needed until all the carrots are coated with some dill.

Pour everything into a covered baking dish, cover, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes-1 hour until tender.  Sliced carrots take less time than baby carrots (it all depends on the size of the carrot).

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Swedish Meatballs       -----

Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie

Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish

For more carrot side dish recipes check out:

Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad

Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

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Sauteed Kale

Warm kale sauteed until tender and flavored with onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.

Kale is a great winter green.  It's thick and hardy, deep green, and very nutritious.  Kale can be used many ways too.  Most often I just use it in salads but when it's chilly out I want warm food.  So, I made sauteed kale.  It's so simple and delicious, and just a small portion is packed with nutrients.

Kale is a great winter green.  It's thick and hardy, deep green, and very nutritious. [Tweet this]

Kale is a thick and hardy green that is related to cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and collard greens.  When I bring my kale home I prepare it by first removing the leafy part from the thick stem.  You can use a knife, but I just tear it by hand off the stem them into bite sized pieces.  I rinse it and dry it in a salad spinner then store it in a gallon sized zipper bags (it's usually enough to fill 1 1/2 bags) with a napkin to absorb extra moisture.  Once it's washed I have kale that's ready to use when and how I want.  I can toss a few hand fulls with dressing for a salad or add it to soups or stir fries.  Raw kale is great, but I love cooking it because it reduces so one serving of cooked kale gives you more than you could possibly eat of it raw as a salad.  That's more fiber and nutrients per serving and it's delicious.

Sauteed Kale

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil (sometimes I use bacon grease for more flavor)
1 shallot (or 1/4 red onion), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale leaves, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat oil, over medium heat, in a stock pot (or large skillet).  Add the shallot and saute until tender.

Add the garlic, stirring, until fragrant then immediately add all of the kale (it will fill the pan and maybe spill over but just pack it in) and cover with a lid.

Once the kale has reduced by about half add the vinegar and pepper flakes (if using) and stir.  Continue stirring and cooking until the kale is cooked to your liking and most of the excess liquid has cooked off (kale looses a lot of liquid as it cooks).

Serve immediately, but it's even good cold.

Sauteed kale makes a great side for just about any meal try it with Lamb & Guinness Shepherd's Pie or Tater Tot Hot Dish.

Enjoy.

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Baked Vegetable Spring Rolls

Crispy spring rolls filled with cabbage, daikon, and carrot, then baked instead of fried.

I made these to accompany my Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice and they really helped to complete the meal.  This was my first attempt at crispy spring rolls and I wanted to bake them instead of frying.  Baking is not only healthier, but I find it easier.  I just rolled these and popped them in the oven for about 20 minutes.  They turned out quite crispy and they seemed to stay that way longer than fried ones.  Remember my Asian Slaw?  I ate that for about a week and had plenty of leftovers so I used those leftovers as my filling for these spring rolls.  Talk about easy, the only prep work these needed was to be rolled and in no time I had delicious and healthy, vegetarian, spring rolls.  I can't wait to try these again, maybe with meat...or not.

Ingredients:

Spring roll wrappers
left over Asian Slaw

Pull the spring roll wrappers out of the freezer 1 hour before using, to allow to thaw.

When thawed, gently peel off one wrapper at a time.  Lay the wrapper flat, on your cooking surface, with one point facing you.  Keep the rest of the wrappers covered with a damp towel.

Place a spoon full of slaw on the wrapper off center, closer to you.  Then roll up, sealing the end with a bit of water or egg.  Continue until you run out of filling, or make as many rolls as you want.

Place rolls seam side down on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 400F.  Turn the rolls over halfway through baking.

I made a simple sweet and sour dipping sauce for mine that was ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar.  Use whatever you like.

Enjoy.

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