Archive for the ‘SIDES’ Category
Sauteed Daikon Greens
I found this recipe doing research if daikon greens are edible, and they certainly are, see, I try and learn something every day. We have daikon growing in the garden and harvested some today, 15 Sep 2017 and I prepared this for a side dish last night. Lemon or lime juice is key here.
Ingredients
- 2-3 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 medium onion, cut into thin half moons
- pinch sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2-3 bunches daikon greens, 1 bunch is from 1 daikon, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice, or lime juice
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- splash oyster sauce
Instructions
- Wash and sort the greens, 1 bunch is from 1 daikon, however remove the larger older leaves and discard those. The remaining leaves you have, chop into 1 inch pieces.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat with the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sea salt. Saute stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until onion starts getting translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add the greens and stir to coat with the oil and mixed into the onions. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water, cover and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1-2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice, splash of oyster sauce to taste. Serve as a side. I took the photo after several servings were take out of the pan.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Pan Fried Enoki Mushrooms & Bacon
Enoki mushrooms are long and slender with very small caps, in the US these would be known as Golden mushrooms. Enoki goes well in soups also as they maintain their crispiness well. This is a make as much as you want recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 package Enoki mushrooms
- 1 package bacon
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Trim off the root end of the mushroom bundle(s) and quickly rinse them.
- Divide the mushrooms into smaller bundles.
- Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap half a slice of bacon around the middle of a mushroom bundle and secure with a toothpick.
- When you have all the bundles of mushrooms you want, heat a non stick pan to medium heat with a splash of olive oil, then as the bacon cooks you will have enough oil in the pan.
- Add the mushroom bundles to the pan, turning as needed to cook the bacon through.
- When the bacon is cooked, they are ready to serve and enjoy as a side dish or appetizer. I had some leftover bacon so I just cooked that as well.
Notes
Low cost.
From a family member.
Sauteed Mushrooms
This comes from a good friend and respected chef. Think button, Cremini, or small Shiitake mushrooms. No serving size is given as I am just winged this with what I had on hand for the first try at this. I made these on 26 Aug 2017 and they are excellent!
Ingredients
- fresh mushrooms, button, Cremini, or small Shiitake
- garlic salt, to taste
- lemon pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Cut off the stems of the mushrooms (button and Cremini) flush with the bottom of the mushroom. For Shiitake mushrooms, small size it would be ok to do the same, for larger Shiitake, remove the stem completely. Quickly rinse and dry the mushrooms with paper towels.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Once oil is hot, add mushrooms in a single layer, stem side down. Sprinkle with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Cook until bottoms are browned about 5 minutes, then flip over, season again with garlic salt and lemon pepper and cook until browned on the second side, also about 5 minutes. Squeeze or dribble in the lemon or lime juice and sprinkle on the parsley and mix together and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve as an appetizer or side dish.
Notes
I will price this when I pick up mushrooms again, this is easily low cost per serving though.
Inspired by the recipe Sauteed Mushrooms from Natasha's Kitchen.
Lebanese Lentils, Rice, and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)
This recipe was recommend from a good friend, and I received a bag of brown lentils as well from my good friend. I am looking forward to making this dish. I will use this as a side for say some ribs or chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentils, or green, sorted and rinsed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, OR 3/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked, use a mortar
- 3 medium red onions, thinly sliced
- sea salt, as needed
- ¾ cup basmati rice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1 inch cinnamon stick, OR 1/8 teaspoon ground
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, optional
- squeeze fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the sorted and rinsed lentils into a medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- As the lentils are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat with the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
- Then to the skillet add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You will know they are done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel lined plate, these are for garnish later.
- In the skillet, sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne, and then add the cinnamon stick, saute about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often but gently until some rice grains start to brown. Add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of sea salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. If there is still too much water in the skillet, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
- Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with cold yogurt as an additional side.
Roasted Beets & Sauteed Beet Greens
This is a 2 for 1 side dish, roasted beets and the greens, excellent way to use the entire vegetable. I can only buy beets in Tesco, they have already been topped, so no greens for me, but that is going to change as I just bought beet seeds and I will be grown my own soon.
Ingredients
- 500 grams fresh beets, with greens
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens about 1 inch above the beet. Place the beets in a small baking dish and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife can easily slide into the largest beet. Time will vary with the age and size of the beets. You can also just boil the boils until knife tender.
- Once the beets are done, cut the stem end off, and peel them under running tap water. Slice the beets and add to a serving bowl.
- Rinse the greens, removing any large stems, and set aside.
- When the beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute to just soften. Tear the greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the greens as is, and the roasted slice beets with either tossed with the red wine vinegar or just butter and salt and pepper.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Green Beans & Mushrooms
Perfect side dish and even got the thumbs up from my mother in law, and she does not give that out easily. Takes just a bit longer than most green bean recipes as you will need to steam some items and saute other items, but for the most part, you can do both at the same time. For those viewers not in Asia, a long bean is just a green bean but can be 1-3 feet long. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 250 grams fresh long beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 fresh carrots, see Step 1
- 1 onion, sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced, shiitaki or button would be good
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Cut the carrots into 1 inch pieces, then cut each piece into strips about equal in diameter to the beans.
- Steam the long (green) beans for about 3-5 minutes until tender to the bite, depending on how crisp and tender you like the beans. Remove and set aside. (You can steam the carrots for about 1-2 minutes, then add the beans and steam together until crisp, which is what I did.)
- Steam the carrots for about 3-8 minutes, depending on the size and how crisp and tender you like carrots. Remove and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, add the mushrooms and cook until almost tender, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stir in the carrots and green beans, salt, seasoned salt, and white pepper. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to heat everything through. (Mushrooms I used was a 150 gram package of Shimeji mushrooms, chopped.)
- Serve as a side dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Seasoned Salt.
Variants: Substitute daikon for the carrot. Add 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary or thyme, or both.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Traditional New Mexico Sopaipillas
These sound real good, these get hollow when you fry them, perfect for butter and honey.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 512 grams all purpose flour, 4 cups if no scale is used
- 4 tablespoons shortening, (1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- shortening, for frying
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and cut in shortening.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add water to dry ingredients and work into the dough.
- Knead dough until smooth, cover, and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Heat 2 inches of shortening in a heavy pan at high heat, about 205 C is what you are looking for.
- Roll dough to a 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured board. Cut dough into 4 inch squares and fry until golden on both sides, turning once. If shortening is hot enough, the sopaipillas will puff and become hollow shortly after being placed in the shortening. If you can’t get them to rise, try spooning the hot oil over the top of them.
- Drain on paper towels. Serve as a side or at the end of a Mexican meal, have butter and honey available as well.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Jerry Juliana.
United States.
United States.
Banana with Coconut Milk Sauce
This is one of the more different Thai dishes, not eaten with rice, but with a chili sauce. Used is banana buds, banana stalk, and Chinese eggplant, sauce is simply coconut milk and shallots with sugar and salt. The chili sauce is just chilies, shallots, shrimp paste, and a locally made liquid best described as lime vinegar, I am still working out what that is. Lot of ingredients, few steps. The Chili sauce is made ahead. The Coconut Milk sauce can be made while the vegetables are boiling.
Ingredients
- 2 fresh banana buds, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 handfuls fresh banana stalk, cut into 2-3 in narrow strips
- 2 handfuls fresh Chinese eggplant, whole, stem end cut off
For the Coconut Milk Sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk, one 250 ml carton is fine
- 4-6 shallots, peeled and smashed
- pinch salt, or to taste
- 1-3 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
For the Chili Sauce
- handful red Bird's Eye chilies, thinly sliced
- handful orange Bird's Eye chilies, thinly sliced
- handul yellow chilies, thinly sliced
- 3-4 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons shrimp paste, or to taste
- vinegar, see Chili Sauce step 2
Instructions
- Add the banana buds, stalk, and Chinese eggplant to a pot, fill with water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and drain and set aside.
For the Coconut Milk Sauce
- While the vegetables are boiling, heat a non stick pan over medium heat, add the shallots and the coconut milk and let it heat up, when bubbly, reduce heat to a low simmer, and a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar, stir and taste, add more sugar as needed. Let this simmer for just a few minutes then remove from heat.
- Arrange the vegetables on a plate, and spoon the Coconut Milk sauce over the top.
For the Chili Sauce
- Add the slice chilies and shallots to a large bowl. Step daughter was in charge of slicing the chilies, she just chopped them, what you see in this photo could have been sliced thinner.
- To the bowl add the shrimp paste and mix that in, then add the liquid best described as lime vinegar (I am actively researching what this liquid is). You are looking for a near soupy consistency. This is used as a dip for the banana buds, stalks, and the eggplant.
- Served. There is a pork with red chili paste dish, that is eaten with the rice and lime leaves, and there is the plate of cooked banana buds and stalk with the coconut milk sauce spooned over that, and the large bowl of chili sauce. Perfect, low cost meal.
Notes
Low cost.
Watched my wife, Rrayada Thayer make this.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Grilled Cheese Croutons
These sound easy and perfect for a nice bowl of tomato soup or tossed in a salad. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, OR dried basil
- 6 slices sandwich bread, wheat bread is also a good choice
- 3 slices Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick skillet over medium low heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter and thyme, spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place the slices in the hot skillet buttered side down. Top each slice with cheese, top with remaining slices buttered side up.
- Cook until toasted on the bottom, flip and cook the other side until toasted.
- Remove sandwiches from the skillet and let cool slightly then cut them into 1 inch squares. Use in soups, top of salads, etc.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)
Absolutely brilliant combination of flavors. I made this on 29 June 2017 as a side dish to a chicken meal I made. You can make this as spicy as you want it, and let me tell you, local homemade red chili paste in a village, is spicy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups potatoes, cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili paste, more or less to taste, go with 1/4 tsp if you cannot handle spicy
- 50 grams fresh coriander leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish, (2 oz)
- ½ cup lemon juice, or lime juice, either one is fine
Instructions
- Cube your potatoes, I used 2½ medium sized potatoes for just over 3 cups.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes with 1 teaspoon of salt added.
- Prep the other ingredients while the potatoes are boiling. Shown here my garlic, coriander, chili paste (1 teaspoon of that was used, a small bag lasts a while), and the lime juice. I use lime juice as it is everywhere, lemon juice on the other hand is not that easy to find, they can be used interchangeably.
- Take drained potatoes and fry in oil, drain on paper towels.
- Heat olive oil in a non stick, large skillet, add garlic and chili paste, cook for just a minute or two then add coriander and lemon (lime) juice, cook for a few minutes.
- Add the potatoes. The potatoes will cook through and the liquid will be absorbed.
- Cook until starting to browned, when the liquid is absorbed, the potatoes will be tender. Ready to serve. This is an excellent side dish.
