Balsamic Green Beans and Mushrooms

This is just a quick and easy side dish that goes well with almost any entrée. It’s our go to for pot luck side dishes as it is so simple to make and warms up well. The balsamic is the key to the dish though so I don’t have any replacement recommendations. I have found a really good balsamic dressing that makes   perfect sauce for these but almost any brand will work. This makes about 4-6 servings.

1 lb fresh green beans

8 oz sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic, minced
¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing

• In a large skillet, sauté green beans, mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil for about 15 minutes or until beans are crisp tender.
• Add in salt, pepper and dressing. Stir until well combined. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• You could also slow roast these in the oven. To do this: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until dressing coats vegetables. Spread into a large baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• You could also cook these in the crock-pot but I haven’t tried that yet.

Gluten Free Chive-Onion Dinner Rolls

If you remember from some of my very first posts, I love bread and I had to have it at every meal. Now, it’s more of a small craving and I only need it occasionally to satisfy me. I have found some decent tasting freezer rolls that are gluten free. However, I wanted to make some of my own. These turned out pretty good. The dough is a good base and I will be using it more to make different variations. I liked the addition of the chives and onions to give the rolls added flavor. This makes about 8-10 rolls

¾ cup white rice flour

¾ cup brown rice flour
½ cup potato starch
½ cup tapioca starch
1 pkg yeast
1 cup warm water
1 egg
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp fresh chives
1 tsp red onion, finely chopped

• In a small bowl, combine warm water and yeast; let sit for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flours, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum and sea salt.
• Over medium speed, mix together dry ingredients and yeast mixture.
• Add in egg, vinegar and olive oil. Blend for about 4 minutes.
• While mixture is blending, add in chives and onion.
• Separate dough into small balls (about 8-10) and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour. Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes.

Mushrooms, Onions & Swiss Chard

Happy 1st day of October! Wow - that snuck up on me fast! :)

Swiss chard is a very nutritious food. It is full of vitamins and nutrients. It has similar flavor characteristics to kale and spinach. It’s actually a good combination of the two. Kale has a very strong, distinct flavor and has a very tough texture. While spinach is more of a light, soft vegetable. I find Swiss chard to be flavorful and rather chewy but if you cook it right, the texture is as nice as the flavor. This dish is similar to sautéed spinach but packs an extra punch of flavor. The vinegar really brings out the flavors of the chard. It is a quick and easy way to get a ton of healthy nutrients. It pairs well with chicken or beef.

2 cups Swiss chard, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped into thin strips
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

• In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add in chard, mushrooms, onion, garlic, pepper and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add in white wine vinegar and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender and the chard is soft. Serve immediately.

Brie Peach Stackers

These little treats are awesome. They are a perfect blend of salty and sweet. It makes a perfect side dish to a grilled meat and a small salad. The basil really compliments the balsamic dressing and tomato. The salty brie really brings out the tartness and flavor of the sweet peach. Throwing it all on the grill gives it a little extra flavor as well. They can get a little messy and hard to eat but so worth it!

1 peach, sliced into about ¼ inch slices (peeled and pit removed)

1 tomato, sliced into about ¼ inch slices
6 basil leaves
6 thin slices of brie cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

• On a grill (or inside on a skillet), cook one side of peach slices for about 2 minutes – just enough to get it a little soft but it will still hold it’s shape.
• Flip peach slices over and top with brie, basil and tomato.
• Close grill lid or cover skillet and cook for abouter 3-5 minutes or until brie is starting to melt.
• Put peach stacks onto a serving plate and drizzle over about ½-1 tsp of balsamic dressing. Serve immediately.

Skillet Summer Medley

This recipe is another little accident. I was trying to think of a good side dish to serve with some chicken and also try to use up some of our garden produce. I had plenty of these items and just decided to throw it together. It turned out great! I never would have thought to mix them together but it worked! It’s a very quick & easy dish also!

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 cup corn, fresh or canned
1 cup okra, diced
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in diced veggies and stir until coated with the olive oil.
• While cooking, sprinkle over the garlic salt, ginger, paprika and pepper. Sauté in the skillet for about 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Cucumer Radish Salad

If you haven’t noticed by my posts so far – we have an abundance of cucumbers. My plant finally put on but it was late. It’s been a solid summer for cucumbers. Anyway – this side is a crisp, cool, refreshing salad that’s very easy to throw together and looks good enough to take to a BBQ.

1 large cucumber

4 small radishes
1 small bell pepper
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ tsp ground peppercorns
¼ tsp finely minced garlic
¼ tsp salt

• Using a mandolin, thinly slice cucumber, radishes and bell pepper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic and salt.
• Combine vegetables in a bowl and drizzle dressing over salad.
• Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.