Three Favorite Sides

I like to saute fresh or frozen veggies. It's an easy, healthy side dish that goes with most main dishes. Here are two of my favorite methods for preparing them.

Favorite Squash - I get tons of compliments when I serve these
Yellow and Zucchini Squash
Red bell pepper (optional)
Onion (optional)
Olive Oil
McCormick Salt-Free All-Purpose Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper
Salt
Black Pepper

Wash and slice squash, peppers and onions. Toss in olive oil. This can be cooked one of four ways. Add seasonings at your discretion, and experiment with other seasonings if you'd like.

• Saute in a skillet - add seasonings to taste and saute until done, but not mushy.
• Broil in the oven - Place on cookie sheet; sprinkle seasonings on top of veggies. Broil until browned and then turn and broil on other side until brown (sprinkle with seasonings after turning). Best when extra-crispy.
• Roast in oven - my oven has a convection roast setting, which I love. Sprinkle with seasonings and roast somewhere between 400 and 450 degrees, for about 20 minutes or until done.
• Grill - this may be the best option, since my hubby gets to do it :) In this case, slice squash lengthwise so the pieces are bigger (less pieces to flip, and less likely to fall through the grill). Make sure they get nice and burned! YUM! The good thing about these last three options is that you can omit seasonings as necessary (i.e. leave off red pepper for those who don't like spicy foods).

Stir-Fry Veggies
Spray a skillet with non-stick spray; cut up and saute a couple of pieces of turkey bacon with some chopped onion, and minced garlic if desired. Add 1 bag of frozen stir-fry or mixed veggies (I love all the different stir fry veggie combinations available in the frozen section), drizzle some olive oil, and add seasonings (i.e. crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, McCormick Salt-Free All-Purpose Seasoning), and saute until done. Voila! Easy, scrumptious side dish!

And last but not least, a very simple, yet very delicious recipe for potatoes...

Red Potatoes

red potatoes
olive oil drizzled on top
a few pats of butter
sprinkle sea salt all over

Bake or roast on high temp (around 450 degrees) for about 15-20 mins. Stir and cook for another 20-30 mins on 375 degrees until they are desired crispiness.