Side Dishes Archives | Page 13 of 14

Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

February 28, 2015May 17, 2018 Chelsea 5 Comments

I love how versatile food can be. Seriously, real food can be so, so simple, but it can also be used for a never-ending variety of meals. I’ve recently discovered how versatile spaghetti squash can be. Case in point: Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein.

This recipe makes a lot of food, which is always awesome because then you get to use the leftovers. And let me tell ya, the leftovers are almost better than the original recipe. Don’t you just love when food tastes better the second time around?! Obviously, this would pair extremely well with my Eggroll in a Bowl, and that makes an equally epic amount of food.

Curried Delicata Squash

December 31, 2014July 30, 2020 Chelsea 3 Comments

First off, Happy New Year’s Eve! Hopefully 2015 is filled with awesome things for you!

I discovered two spectacular components of this Curried Delicata Squash only a few short months ago — curry powder and delicata squash. Weird, right?

I didn’t eat my first curry until I was 24 years old (in 2014), and I can easily say that I was missing out on something wonderful my entire life. I grew up loving squash, but my mom always bought acorn or buttercup squash for us to share, and smaller squash varieties like delicata or sweet dumpling were “gourds” that were bought for decoration. I honestly shudder to think of all the delicious and versatile squash that’s bought to rot each year because people think it looks pretty but don’t know how to prepare it!

Hopefully, this recipe will get someone out there to try eating delicata squash instead of discarding it as a kitchen decoration.

Browned Butter Sage Sweet Potatoes and Apples

December 17, 2014July 30, 2020 Chelsea 4 Comments

In the winter, warm side dishes like these Sage Sweet Potatoes and Apples are total favorites of mine. I mean, is there anything about that recipe name that doesn’t scream comfort food?

Winter can be a struggle for me. Let’s just say that Seasonal Affective Disorder is definitely a thing, and it affects a lot of people whether they realize it or not. I certainly recognize it this winter. I feel incredibly lazy, and most of the time I just want to lie around. It’s just not a fun time.

To make it worse, I live in North Dakota.

That may not immediately inspire empathy, but hear me out. Normally this time of year, we’re dealing with -20 degree weather. Every. Single. Day.

Creamy Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Apple Salad

December 1, 2014July 30, 2020 Chelsea 15 Comments

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with brussels sprouts for a long time.

I grew up thinking they were gross simply because every kid I knew hate them. (Did they actually ever try them, or did they hate them for the same reasons I did? The world will never know.) I really shouldn’t have let this influence my brussels sprouts opinion, because I loved a lot of veggies other kids hated…broccoli, squash, peas, asparagus.

Fast forward to my early paleo days, where I thought hey, I’m healthy now, I must love brussels sprouts. So I bought some to try. First bite, and I didn’t think they were so bad. Second bite? Bleh. Nope. Newsflash, self: being “healthy” does not mean you like all “healthy” foods.

So, I decided that I just mustn’t like little green bulbs, and didn’t buy them again.

Until, of course, I stumbled upon a recipe that totally changed my thoughts on brussels sprouts.

Baked Plantain Fries

November 18, 2014July 30, 2020 Chelsea 18 Comments

Fact: plantains are freaking awesome.

I had my first experience with plantains when I was a kid and my mom had decided we needed to branch out and try new kinds of produce. Unfortunately, this was pre-Internet-for-everything, so the only inkling of how to use a plantain was from the label at the grocery store: “Like A Banana!” Okay, sure thing. You can probably imagine how well we liked green plantains after our first taste-test.

Needless to say, I’m glad I gave plantains another chance a year or two ago. I can’t seem to survive without them in my apartment. And though I’m totally fine just frying plantains, I like to experiment sometimes, too. Thus, I made Baked Plantain Fries, and they make me happy.