Green Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

As a wife and mother who works outside the home, I am always looking for ideas for dishes that are simple to prepare, but yet look and taste like a lot of preparation went into them.  This is one of those type side dishes!  

I LOVE pine nuts...so anytime I can come up with a way to introduce them into a recipe, I am all for it! They are very costly so I use them sparingly, but they are certainly a nice addition to this dish. 

Another plus to this dish is that it is a nice replacement for the traditional Green Bean Casserole that my son can't have due to his Gluten intolerance. 

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped 

1/3 cup pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on an 18" x 12" baking pan.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until desired doneness, stirring twice.

ENJOY!

Oven Roasted Broccoli

I LOVE roasted vegetables!  I like to roast eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and squash and I am sure that if you follow this blog for very long, you will see more roasted vegetable recipes.

This week we had roasted broccoli with dinner and it was so yummy I decided to share with all of ya'll.

Oven roasted vegetables are so healthy and so simple to make! Perfect for a weeknight dinner when you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

1 red onion

2 cups broccoli florets

3-4 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper
Peel onion and cut into wedges.

Cut broccoli into florets.

Spread broccoli and onion on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss broccoli and onion to coat with oil.  Season well with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes or until broccoli and onion are tender and cooked to desired doneness; stirring half way through cooking time.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is definitely one of my favorite "comfort foods". I had a craving yesterday for some good ole' homemade Mac n' Cheese to go with a pot of Baby Lima Beans and a pan of Southern Buttermilk Cornbread. YUM! It doesn't get much better than this!

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese ( approx. 1/2 lb.)

4 beaten eggs

1/2 stick margarine, melted

1 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions. (I use Whole Wheat macaroni, but any kind of pasta is fine.)

Grate cheddar cheese.

Add cheddar cheese to cooked macaroni.

Add all remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.

Pour into greased casserole dish.

Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

*Note: Prior to serving, I sprinkle additional cheddar cheese on top and place back into the oven just until cheese is melted.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I LOVE Sweet Potato Fries and they are such a healthier alternative to french fries. These are especially healthy as they are BAKED using Olive Oil.  Even if you don't like Sweet Potatoes I believe you will like these!

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

Sweet Potato(s)

Seasonings of your choice

Peel sweet potato with vegetable peeler.

Cut the sweet potato in half and then cut into slices.

Cut each slice into "fries".

Place "fries" in a medium bowl with olive oil and seasonings of your choice.  (I sprinkled mine with Paprika and Garlic Salt.  They are also good with Paprika and Rosemary, or just plain salt and pepper.)

Place on cooking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 375-400 degrees for approximately 20 - 30 minutes -- turning half way through cooking time.

Remove to serving platter. Serve immediately.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

1 onion, chopped

1 stick butter or margarine

2 pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli, cooked

1 small jar Cheez Whiz

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 cup Minute Rice

Saute chopped onion in butter in skillet.

Cook chopped broccoli according to directions and drain well.

Place butter and sauteed onions in large mixing bowl. Add drained broccoli, Cheez Whiz and cream of mushroom  soup.

Stir together until well combined.

Add milk, rice and water and mix thoroughly.

Pour into casserole dish.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

Squash Casserole

4-5 yellow squash, sliced (approx. 3 cups of cooked squash)

1 large onion, chopped 

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cheese

Approximately 10 saltine crackers, crumbled

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon butter

Slice squash into thin slices.

Chop onion.

Place squash and onion in skillet with 3 Tablespoons of water. 

Cook squash, covered, until squash and onion are both tender.

Drain squash and onion and place in large mixing bowl.

Add crumbled crackers, eggs, milk, butter and salt.

Mix all ingredients together well.

Pour mixture into casserole dish.

  

Cover with cheese.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mimi's Note:  Can also add some shredded cheddar cheese inside the casserole, too, if desired.

Mashed Cauliflower

My family loves these "mashed potatoes" and my husband says he actually likes them better than "real" mashed potatoes. Even people that are not normally big fans of  cauliflower usually like these!  

I first learned of mashing cauliflower from my South Beach Diet cookbook.  The recipe in there calls for Fat free half and half and "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray, but I prefer to use "real" ingredients without high fructose corn syrup and other additives.  (If you prefer the SB Diet version, substitute 1 oz. "I can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray for the butter and 1 oz. Fat Free Half and Half for regular Half and Half.) They are very good either way!  

1 head of cauliflower

3-4 Tablespoons butter

3-4 Tablespoons half and half

Salt 

Pepper

Remove all leaves and the stem on the head of cauliflower. (I knock the stem part on the divider in my double sink and the entire stem will come off of the head.)

Cut cauliflower into florets.

Place florets in salted boiling water and cook until fork tender; about 10 minutes.

Remove from burner and drain cauliflower in colander until well-drained.

Pour cauliflower florets into bowl of food processor.  

Pulse and grind cauliflower until all pieces are mashed well; stopping to scrape down sides as needed.

Gradually add butter and half and half to mashed cauliflower while pulsing -- until mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour mashed cauliflower back into your pan. Keep warm on Low heat until ready to serve.