My Lime Green Kitchen

Archive for the ‘Side Dish’ Category

Even if you think you don’t like brussel sprouts, you might want to try this dish.

Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds brussel sprouts
3 – 4 oz. prosciutto, cut into narrow strips
4 T. butter, divided
2 T. minced garlic
3 T. flour
2-1/2 cups Half & Half
1-1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Quarter brussel sprouts and remove as much core as can be easily removed.

Melt 2 T. butter in large skillet. Saute prosciutto til it begins to get crispy. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Add the brussel sprouts and cook another 8 – 10 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.  Sprinkle the flour over the dish, stir and cook another 5 minutes.

Add the cream, bring to a simmer and slowly simmer, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper and 1 cup of cheese.

Pour into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Pesto:

2 cups as full as you can fill them of washed basil leaves (mash them down and get as many as you can in the cup)
1/4 – 3/8 cup olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 T. chopped garlic
1 T. Fruit Fresh or lemon juice

In a food processor, chop/blend the olive oil, cheese, pine nuts and garlic.

Add the basil leaves and Fruit Fresh and process til desired consistency. I like mine just barely chopped up.

Put into small containers and freeze. I often freeze mine in ice cube trays but they seem to have disappeared. Once it’s frozen, dump them into a zipper freezer bag. For this batch, I filled the little 1/2 cup containers I had and then I sprayed Pam on plastic wrap and wrapped up 1/2 cup amounts.

Then the little packets went into the freezer bag.

This recipe is not low fat, nor is it low cal, though you could probably make some adjustments.  But, it’s very good, very easy and leftovers are even better!

Ingredients:

2 cans Veg-all
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can sliced Water Chestnuts
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 pkg. of Ritz Crackers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Saute onion in butter. Mix all ingredients except butter and Ritz Crackers. Crush crackers and brown in butter. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Chad isn’t much of a carrots fan and he loved these.  He even asked for them another night.

Dilly Sweet Carrots

Ingredients:

3 c. sliced carrots
3 T. butter
3 T. brown sugar
2 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Gently boil carrots in salted water til al dente.  Drain.

Add remaining ingredients, simmering slowly til butter and sugar are melted.

Serve them hot (vs. chilled).

Surprise anyone who thinks they don’t like carrots. Even Chad loves this dish!

Carrot Souffle

2 pounds carrots, chopped
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. To the carrots add melted butter, white sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well and transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

This is a recipe I’ve been making for 20+ years.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken this as a  covered dish to a potluck and it’s always a hit.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. dillweed
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 c. butter
2 medium onions (use Vidalia or sweet onions if you have them), chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
1 – 14.75 oz. can cream style corn (I used a package of corn I froze during the summer)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 – 8.5 oz. package cornbread or corn muffin mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Melt butter. Saute onions in butter til clear.

In a small bowl, combine dill weed, sour cream, milk and salt. Stir in onions and 1 cup cheese. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, cornbread mix, corn and Tabasco.

Pour into a greased 12″ x 9″ baking dish.

Spoon onion mixture over top.

Bake uncovered at 350°  for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and continue baking an additional 25 minutes or until top is set and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Very flavorful!  Easy to make ahead, have in the fridge and bake right before serving.

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

1 spaghetti squash, about 1 1/2 lbs.
1 med. green pepper, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 tsp. basil leaves, crushed
1 tsp. oregano leaves, crushed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. each of marjoram, thyme, and sage
2 tbsp. Italian olive oil
3 to 4 med. tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Wash squash, prick with fork. Cook in 400 degree oven until tender, about 40 minutes.

Cook and stir green pepper and onion with seasoning in oil over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Cut squash into halves, remove seeds and fibrous strings. Remove spaghetti-like squash strands with two forks. Toss with butter and cheese. Spoon tomato mixture over squash.

If you love basil, you should like this recipe and it’s real easy.

Cut however many potatoes you want into small chunks. Brown them (I used bacon fat but I’m betting some of you are squealing in horror after reading that!). Season them but don’t put as much salt as you might otherwise.

Lightly toast some pine nuts.

Dump the pine nuts in with the potatoes.

Squirt in some Pesto. As much or as little as you’d like. We like a lot! If you can’t find this at your local store, you can order it from Amazon.com. That’s what I have to do.

Mix it all up. Yummmm!