I love side dishes!  Sometimes, like appetizers, I’d rather make a meal of them than of a main course.  I’d love for everyone to share some with me-especially ones that can be taken for brown bag lunches the next day.

Here are a couple of our favorites, that I even make more of deliberately, just so I can divvy up the extras for those said workday mid-day meals:

Steamed broccoli with Lemon/Garlic dressing

broccoli florets (I just fill the top of my microwave steamer)
2 tbsps of olive oil
3 tbsps of fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
shot of hot sauce (optional)

Steam the broccoli until tender crisp. Drain and place in a large bowl.  mix all the dressing ingredients and toss with hot broccoli.  

This is delicious cold and sprinkled with some toasted sesame seeds or slivered almonds!

I recently tried the above roasted and it is also very tasty.  Simply toss the broccoli with the mixed dressing and place on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 for about 20–25 minutes.

Speaking of roasting veggies-they taste great cold and then you don’t stink up your lunch room.  I personally don’t mind the aroma of hot broccoli or cauliflower, but one of my office mates claims it crosses his eyes- so beware of scent-sensitives co-workers!

Some of the seasonings that work great with most root veggies:

1 tsp-to 1 tbsp of your favorite steak seasoning (I love montreal steak seasoning, personally)
1 tbsp cumin
olive oil spray (if you‘re watching your weight)
or 1–2 tbsps of olive oil.

adjust the amounts to fit how many vegetables you are doing.  Toss everything in a big bowl and then pour out onto a large cookie sheet that you’ve lined with foil. This makes clean-up a breeze!  Heat the oven to 400 and roast for 20–30 minutes.

This rub is great for broccoli, carrots and cauliflower.  I’d imagine it also would taste great on rutabagas, parsnips, turnips and potatoes as well.

For squashes I like to use a bit less spice so I usually stick with the garlic and salt mixture.  I also have an abundance of rosemary and several mints out in the backyard so I use these herbs on them.

Remember, with roasting veggies, a little “singing” is a tasty thing.  It brings out the sweetness and nuttiness of whatever is in the oven.

We’ll talk more about some other side dishes next week-but I’d love to hear from all of you as to what some of your family/household’s favorites are!