Sides | Simple By Cindy

Crunchy Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries

May. 2
2016

Quinoa is a grain that is healthy, high in protein and is gluten-free. It is a nutritious, nutty grain that cooks quickly and combines easily with a variety of ingredients.

This side dish is simply scrumptious. The combination of sweet potato, cranberries and nuts is a mouth-watering experience. These ingredients elevate the quinoa to a whole new level! Healthy grains never tasted so delicious.

I like to cut my vegetables smaller than what the recipe called for, so they are not too over-powering. I also used chicken broth instead of water, because it gives it so much more flavor. The flavors in this recipe are yummy, in a wonderful, gentle way.

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Shoyer and serves 8.

This is another one of my “must try”recipes. I know your family will love it as much as mine did!

Ingredients for the Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 scallions, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

Preheat oven to 350.

Place pine nuts on baking sheet and place in oven for 8 minutes. SET YOUR TIMER! They can burn easily, so you have to watch them!

Place quinoa in a small saucepan with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until all of the chicken broth has evaporated. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa sit, covered for at least 1/2 hour. The quinoa may be cooked 2 days in advance and stored-covered in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 500.

Place the sweet potato cubes in a roasting pan and toss with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the cubes can be pierced with a fork. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tbsp. olive oil with the vinegar, honey, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Use a whisk to break apart any clumps of quinoa that may have formed as it cooled and transfer to a large bowl. Add the dressing and whisk well.

Add the sweet potatoes, pine nuts, cranberries, and scallions and mix gently.

Serve at room temperature.

It’s that simple!

Couscous with White Wine

Apr. 29
2016

I am always looking for a great couscous recipe.

This savory recipe for couscous combines garlic, carrots, shallots and white wine. The result is a quick, delicious side dish that could accompany any entree.

What is not to love about couscous? It is a delightful addition to salads, roasted vegetables, or stews. There are so many ways to prepare it. You can pair it with just about anything. Almonds, red pepper, tomatoes, shrimp, chicken-the possibilities are endless.

Couscous is so versatile and easy to make. It should definitely be on your menu this week!

This recipe was simple and prepared within minutes. It’s a go-to for any weeknight dinner, but is just as appealing and appropriate for company.

This recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light, serves 4.

Ingredients for Couscous

1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cups finely diced carrots
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup of good dry white wine
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup of hot cooked couscous
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Make couscous according to package directions.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add 1 tbsp. oil to pan. Add carrots and shallots. Cook for 5 minutes until carrots are softened, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and wine. Cook for 30 seconds.

Take off of the heat.

Add couscous; toss together.

It’s that simple!

Broccoli Salad

Apr. 25
2016

Until recently, I had always bought this salad at my grocery store or local deli. After some research, I finally decided to try and make it myself.

I looked through several recipes until I finally came across one with ingredients that I knew would combine well together. Broccoli salad is usually interpreted as a “healthy” choice compared to other salads. It can be, when paired with a light dressing instead of the usual “drowning” of most salad dressings. This is true for most salads.

I prefer to lightly “dress” my salads so they are just glistening, as opposed to creating a heavy, thick liquid that is visually unappealing as well as unappetizing. It is important to add the dressing in very slowly. Stop pouring it in when the salad has been lightly coated. You can always place some dressing on the side for those guests who like it that way.

People who usually gravitate towards gloppy, soggy greens need to be enlightened on how pleasurable a nice, beautiful simple salad can be.

I wanted to make sure this salad had all the right amounts of ingredients to ensure a perfect outcome. Many salad dressing recipes with mayonnaise are very heavy. So I used less mayo for this and added some greek yogurt.This was a perfect combination— sweet and tangy.

I used a food processor to slice my broccoli. DON’T! I think cutting the broccoli into small bits would have been prettier! My mistake! If you decide to use the processor to save time, no worries.

It still tasted scrumptious!

Ingredients for Broccoli Salad

1/2 cup of red onion, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
5 tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
3/4 tsp, kosher salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups coarsely chopped broccoli (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup of almonds, toasted
1 cup of dried cranberries

Soak red onion in cold water for 5 minutes, drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, stirring well with a whisk.

Stir in red onion, broccoli, almonds and cranberries.

Cover and chill 1 hour before serving.

It’s that simple!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange Essence

Apr. 18
2016

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a yam and a sweet potato? I have always wondered about it but could never find the answer.

I finally researched it and I trust that I will put that question to rest.

Sweet potatoes and true yams are very different and distinct kinds of vegetables.

A yam is native to Africa. It can be very small or ridiculously large in size. Yams usually have a cylindrical shape and have blackish, brown bark-like skin. They are purple or reddish on the inside.

Yams are much starchier and drier than sweet potatoes. True yams are hard to find as they are not sold in many grocery stores. They can often be found in international and specialty markets.

Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, come in many varieties. Their skin color can range from white to red, purple or brown. Their flesh can be white, yellow, or orange. They have an elongated shape with tapered ends.

There are two different types of sweet potatoes in the United States:

Firm sweet potatoes, which have golden skin and paler flesh.
Soft sweet potatoes, which have copper skin and orange flesh.

So why is your grocery store calling a sweet potato a yam?

The grocery store wants to differentiate between the soft and the firm sweet potato.

The ‘”soft” sweet potatoes slightly resemble the yams, so they adopted the name and that is what you see labeled as “yams” in your market.

So the “yam” you are buying is just a soft sweet potato.

So now you know.

Onto my recipe for today!

Pretty much any sweet potato recipe catches my eye. I just love them!

This recipe intrigued me because of the fresh orange juice and orange zest mixed with the sweet potatoes. The combination of ingredients seemed like they would be perfect together.

And, they certainly were.

The result was a savory, aromatic and flavorful experience with every forkful!

I hope this post solves the challenging question of the difference between a yam and a sweet potato.

It also gives you a delightful, new sweet potato recipe to try!

Enjoy!

Today’s hint; Buy the whole nutmegs in your grocery store. When you need nutmeg for a recipe, take one out and use a “zester” to grate them. This will ensure you have fresh ground nutmeg every time!

Ingredients for the Mashed Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each) peeled and cut into large dices
1/4 cup of buttermilk, warmed slightly
1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, optional

Steam the potatoes in a large covered pan fitted with a steamer basket until they are tender about 8-12 minutes.

In a large bowl mash the potatoes with the buttermilk and orange juice.

Stir in the zest, salt and nutmeg.

Serve the potatoes topped with butter, if desired.

It’s that simple!

Caramelized Spicy Green Beans

Apr. 13
2016

This dish, courtesy of myrecipes.com is a hit! The fresh green beans with soy sauce, brown sugar and crushed red pepper is delight for your taste buds!

I can’t say enough about this recipe. It takes only minutes to prepare this flavorful, healthy side dish.

The green beans are tossed with a sweet and spicy mix ( although not too spicy) that would be a great accompaniment to any meal.

Just be careful not to overcook the green beans. They need to be a beautiful bright green color and nice and crunchy! I also doubled the sauce to make sure every last bit of those lovely green beans were coated.

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Ingredients for Caramelized Spicy Green Beans

1 pound fresh haricots verts (french green beans)
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 medium-size sweet onion, sliced into thin strips
1 tsp. peanut oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp. set aside.