New Veggie Recipe Discoveries!

Ahhhh, the lovely holidays are already over. I'm sure most of us found ourselves surrounded by endless cookies, candies, and sweets. And I'm sure we all thoroughly enjoyed them! However, now its time to get in shape and make 2013 the healthiest year of our lives! In between all of these unhealthy treasures, I also was able to stumble upon some healthy new recipes thanks to some healthy cooking with my best friend and sister :)

While I oddly LOVE vegetables, I feel like most people cannot stand them. So try these new recipes as a snack or side with a meal and find a way to enjoy vegetables.

Garlic Zucchini

Yum. Totally found an obsession for zucchini this month. I've already made it 5 times, including when I cooked my family's Christmas Eve dinner! It makes a delicious afternoon snack as well! If you're making a serving for just yourself, thinly slice 1 medium zucchini, mince 2 garlic gloves, a few dashes of pepper, and add 2/3 T. extra light olive oil to a small saucepan that you can cover, on medium heat. Allow this concoction to sizzle for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. And enjoy! Your house will smell amazing, and your tastebuds will be satisfied for only ~120 calories! Tossing some yellow squash is yummy too.

Finished product. Scarf it down.

Brussel Sprouts

Well, this recipe is not that creative. However my sister Paige introduced me to brussel sprouts today! I don't think I've ever had them before... but they were delicious! Kind of reminded me of asparagus. All we did was add a few brussel sprouts to a pan, covering the bottom of the pan with water and allowing the brussel sprouts to steam for about 7 minutes.... and all we added was pepper. They were super filling, and a nice change from the normal vegetables I eat. Exciting, huh? Well, the point of this blog is to motivate you to TRY NEW THINGS! So now that Paige inspired me, I am inspiring you.

Coriander Cauliflower

Now this was an exciting moment for me (wow I'm a nerd). I haven't had cauliflower in forever, and I don't recall ever spicing anything with coriander! Thanks to Kate, I discovered this. Dice up the cauliflower head, put on a cookie sheet with a light drizzle of olive oil, preheat your oven to 425, and sprinkle the cauliflower with coriander and pepper. Take them out after 18 minutes, and they should be soft, slightly browned, and ready to be eaten!

Baked Sweet Potato

I love sweet potatoes! Tonight I had them baked for the first time. Usually I create my own version of sweet potato fries (see below) but this was a nice twist! Poke several holes in the sweet potato (so it doesn't explode), microwave it for about 2 minutes to beginning softening it up, cover it in tin foil, then put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes- 1 hour. It literally doesn't need anything on it! Keep it simple and healthy. Avoid the salt and butter! It honestly tastes like nature's candy- leave it that way and enjoy! Thanks Mom and Dad :)

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

 These have become part of my weekly menu. They are sweet and spicy and addicting. I often make them the main part of my meal since they are so filling (plus I like to eat them all!) Take a medium sweet potato, peel it, and dice it into small pieces. I usually cut eat slice into fours so that it cooks faster. Put them in a metal pan or on a small cookie sheet, and drizzle them with 1 T. olive oil. Sprinkle cajun seasoning and a touch of pepper, coating the sweet potatoes evenly! Bake them at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, stirring them half way through. You can taste-test them to make sure they are soft enough, and I like mine a bit crispy so I turn on the broiler for an extra few minutes. Thanks to my bestie and old roomate Svenja for introducing these to me... my life feels more complete.

Well, that is all for today! I hope I've inspired you to try a few new vegetables. After all, I've already tried 4 new recipes in the last week.... now it is your turn! Enjoy!

Morgan