Thought I'd share a few veggie dishes. Whether you like stove-top, oven or slow cooker, I've got a vegetable recipe for you! With the cold weather fully upon us now, I always welcome a nice hot vegetable dish with dinner. These recipes are fairly simple and so easy to change them up and make it your own.
Beans with Mushrooms and Bacon
2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
8 slices bacon
3 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup chopped shallots
⅛ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
¼ tsp. salt
1. In large saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil. Add green beans, cover and cook 2 minutes. Remove beans from water and immediately plunge into ice water until cold. Drain and set aside
2. In 12-inch non-stick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside. Reserve 1 to 2 tbsp. drippings in skillet.
3. Add mushrooms and shallots to drippings; cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently until shallots are tender. Add green beans and pepper flakes; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in crumbled bacon, pepper and salt.
Cooking Tip: Substitute sugar-snap peas for green beans
Roasted Fall Vegetables
1-½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
3 cups fresh Brussels sprouts, cut in half
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large red onion, cut into 10 wedges
Cooking spray
1. Heat oven to 450º. Spray broiler pan with cooking spray
2. In large bowl, gently toss all ingredients except cooking spray. Pour into broiler pan. Spray vegetable mixture with cooking spray.
3. Roast, uncovered 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once, until vegetables are tender and browned.
Apricot-Glazed Carrots
1 bag Green Giant ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots
1 medium onion, cut in half, sliced
¼ tsp. salt
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup apricot preserves
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1. Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add carrots and onion to slow cooker, sprinkle with salt.
2. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 9 to 10 hours.
3. Discard liquide in slow cooker. In small bowl, mix honey and preserves; pour over carrots in slow cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover, cook 10 to 15 minutes or until hot. Carrots can be kept on Low heat setting up to 2 hours; stir occasionally. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Cooking Tip: Carrots that are about the same size cook more evenly, so cut larger carrots in half, lengthwise
I sure hope these recipes have inspired you to try something new with these everyday vegetables. Thanks for stopping by! Mangia!