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!