The Hungry Wife

Sweet potatoes are amazing, and I love to make them all the time.  They are a perfect side dish, full of vitamins and flavor.  One problem I have with sweet potatoes is that I always seem to prepare them the same way; baked, mashed with some butter and cinnamon, and maybe some brown sugar added in if I’m feeling like I want more sweetness.  Gingered Sweet Potatoes is a great alternative way to present sweet potatoes.
Gingered Sweet Potatoes, continued…

Roasted Cauliflower is a great way to get yummy veggies into your families diet.  I found this recipe while watching a cooking show, and couldn’t help but give it a try.  Simple, with just enough seasoning to make it super special.  If you are looking for a recipe that makes veggies shine, this is it.
Roasted Cauliflower Recipe, continued…

For me, there is no side dish quite as comforting as a cheese Potato Casserole.  This is probably why I have two different recipes for Potato Casserole on The Hungry Wife.  Easy Potato Casserole is similar to my Potato Casserole Recipe, but a bit easier and faster to make.
Easy Potato Casserole, continued…

This Baked Beans Recipe is a deliciously different way to prepare homemade baked beans.  Perfect with any summertime dish, Baked Beans are a classic American side dish.  You may think it is easier to just buy the canned baked beans and heat and serve, but one you make this recipe you’ll know there is no comparison.  Homemade Baked Beans are far superior to anything you can ever get from a store.

Baked Beans Recipe, continued…

Broccoli Casserole is the perfect way to sneak vegetables into dinner.  This dish is creamy and flavorful, and my favorite part, cheesy.  One of the things I love best about this recipe, is that you can really play with the ingredients.  Your not going to make any major mistakes if you decide to add a little something extra to it.  This allows you to really make Broccoli Casserole Recipe your own.
Broccoli Casserole Recipe, continued…

I recently realized that I have a ton of slow cooker recipes, and that I use them a lot.  One of the things I love best about crockery cooking is that at the end of a busy day, your meal is done with minimal effort.  It might take some time in the morning, but I think slow cooking is totally worth it.  Potato Casserole Recipe is one of my favorite type of crockery recipes, an awesome creamy side dish that makes a lot of servings with little effort.
Potato Casserole Recipe, continued…

Incorporating vegetables into every meal is a extremely important to healthy eating.  They help fill you up and eat less calories, something everyone is looking for.  Sometimes, finding new ways to make vegetables tasty and different can be difficult.  You don’t have to settle with eating the same veggies the same way.  There are plenty of delicious alternate ways to cook veggies and get your family to eat them.  Coconut Cream Kale is one of them.
Coconut Cream Kale, continued…

Brussels Sprouts are in the Brassicaceae family, same as cabbage and broccoli.  They are a type of wild cabbage, and cultivated for their small size and delicate flavor.  Plants in the Brassicaceae family contain a chemical called sulforaphane, believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.  Although boiling reduced the level of anti-cancer compounds, steaming, stir-frying, and microwaving does not result in a significant loss.  If you have some picky eaters in your family, that like to avoid cabbage like the plague, Brussels Sprouts and Caramelized Shallots is your secret weapon.
Brussels Sprouts and Caramelized Shallots, continued…

Mashed Potatoes are my favorite side dish, they go along with nearly everything (I think so at least).  I like them hand mashed so they are still chunky, with butter and salt.  That was true unti I found Wasabi and Green Onion Mashed Potatoes.  I never thought that wasabi would be something I wanted mixed in foods other than sushi, but it really adds something extra special to the potatoes.  The amount called for in this recipe is the perfect amount, just enough to add some flavor, but not overpower the other delicate flavors.  The amount of “heat” can be adjusted to you taste, if you wish.
Wasabi and Green Onion Mashed Potatoes, continued…

Oven Roasted Potatoes are a great addition to any meal.  They are one of the more healthy variations of potatoes yet they taste crunchy and full of flavor.  One bite of these and you won’t want to stop eating them.

Oven Roasted Potatoes, continued…

This Creamy Squash Casserole recipe was made in an effort to use up all of my yellow squash supply.  Just like all the zucchini we have been getting from our CSA and our own garden, we have and overabundance of yellow squash.  In an effort to do something different with it, I have been searching through all my cookbooks.  The researching paid off with the Creamy Squash Casserole.

Even though it is called creamy, this dish is not heavy.  All the ingredients work perfectly together, Creamy Squash Casserole has an amazing aroma that will have your mouth watering.
Creamy Squash Casserole, continued…

This Asian Fried Rice is everything you’d expect it to be and much more.  Normally fried rice is pretty simplistic in its ingredients.  The Hungry Wife Asian Fried Rice recipe adds in a whole new dimension.  You still get all the deliciousness, but with some extras.  I love that when eating this dish that I can taste each ingredient individually.  Nothing overpowers or takes away from the fried rice, all of it is subtle and perfect.

Hearty enough to be the main dish, you could even add some tofu or chicken for extra protein, but also makes an awesome side.  I think you’ll really like the different twist on the usual fried rice.  Feel free to experiment around a little.  Swap the bok choy with other types of cabbage and taste the subtle differences between cabbage varieties.  You can even try out different types of mushrooms to see what you like best.  When I made this last night, I used baby bella mushrooms, which are one of my favorites.  A note on ingredients:  if you are having a hard time finding soy miso in your local grocer, you can also go to an asian specialty store or you can use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base.  What you are looking for is a soy miso paste that comes in a jar.  This Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base is close to it and will give you a very similar effect.
Asian Fried Rice with Bok Choy, continued…

Beets – If root vegetables are underrated, they are probably considered the worst of the lot.  So much so, in fact, that many people have never cooked fresh ones (since boiling them can sometimes make a bit of a mess in the kitchen).

Once solution to this dilema, try baking beets whole, wrapped in foil (bake at 400 degrees, on a baking sheet, about 1 hour or until tender).  Not only will you discover a whole new flavor, but cleanup is a snap.  And when you try them, make a few extra.  They are a delicious and colorful addition to many dishes: You can dice or slice them and add to a salad; cut in julienne, toss in butter and serve as a side dish or garnish or marinate them and serve as part of an antipasto plate (with a slice of salami, some good olives, a bit of cheese, etc.).  Or puree the baked beets smooth or coarse, season with a touch of nutmeg and work in a piece of sweet butter, and discover a whole new vegetable dish.

One nice part of buying these at farmers’ markets is that you can often find them with their green tops attached.  To prepare the greens, cut them from the roots, wash well, trim off thick stems, and steam or saute in butter.  And a new development, found at some farmers’ markets, is golden beets, which taste like red beets but lack their pigment, betanin.
Orange Glazed Beets, continued…

Huge turnips came in this weeks CSA delivery.  I was pretty excited about this root vegetable, but also a little apprehensive about what to do with them.  I had to dig deep into my recipe collection, but I found some nice ways to prepare turnips and gave one of them a try.

Growing up in upstate New York, where there is a relatively short growing season, many of the local organic farmers grow root vegetables that sweeten in the ground as the air turns frosty.  This typically winter produce, is best featured by roasting the parsnips, carrots, beets, turnips, and rutabagas to draw out their natural sweetness and flavor.

If you would like to make this a more substantial vegetable side dish, try cooking up some greens and serving the roasted turnips on top of them.  The Hungry Wife suggests using hardy greens that last late into the growing season, such as Swiss or ruby chard, collards, kale, turnip greens, or mustard greens.  To prepare them, you can sauté some minced garlic in olive oil, and add some crushed red pepper as desired, and your choice of greens.  Cook, stirring them often, for about 15 minutes, until they are tender.
Oven Roasted Turnips, continued…

Being new to the south, I was inexperienced with the cooking methods of collard greens. There is something special about the way they are made here, and if you do it wrong, you will end up with a bitter tasting vegetable (as I found out on my first attempt to cook collard greens). Collard greens are a staple food vegetable of Southern cuisine and soul food. They are often prepared with other similar green leaf vegetables, such as kale, turnip greens, spinach, and mustard greens in “mixed greens.”

Typical seasonings when cooking collard greens can consist of smoked and salted meats (ham hocks, pork neckbones, fatback or other fatty meat), diced onions, vinegar, salt, black, white, or crushed red pepper. Traditionally, collard greens are eaten on New Year’s Day, along with black-eyed peas or field peas and cornbread, to ensure wealth in the coming year, as the leaves resemble folding money.

Collard greens are simple to cook, and are extremely delicious.  When I first made collard greens, I tried to make them using no meat.  I do not suggest this.  Cooking collard greens with a ham bone or ham hock should be mandatory, it really adds a wonderfully, subtle flavor that you just can’t get without the meat.  I think it is best to keep your collard greens uncomplicated, not adding too many seasonings to them.  This recipe is very simple and brings out the best of collard greens.  I do think some onions would add a delicious flavor to these.  Next time I think I’ll add some in and see how that works out.
Collard Greens, continued…

Kimchi Recipe:  Kimchi are traditional Korean pickled dishes with various seasonings.  You won’t be disappointed with this Kimchi recipe, it is our favorite, even in comparison to those made at Korean restaurants!  There are many different variations of kimchi that are dependent on region and often season by what is available.  This is a basic kimchi recipe, that is not made the traditional way, but one that is easily made and tastes every bit as delicious.  I do not use fish paste in my recipe (just not that big of a fan), however, if you prefer to have that in your kimchi it can be easily added in.

Kimchi Recipe, continued…

Spicy Stir-Fried Savoy Cabbage is a quick side dish, that can be made just before sitting down to eat.  Cook thinly sliced savoy cabbage with the typical Chinese flavors of ginger, soy sauce, and chili paste.  For Variety , try this recipe with Chinese cabbage, common green cabbage, kale, or bok choy and sample their distinctive flavors.  I tend to like things a little on the spicy side, so I add in some extra chili paste.

Spicy Stir-Fried Savoy Cabbage, continued…

A side dish so simple and delicious everyone will love it.  A new way to eat asparagus.

Fresh Asparagus with Orange Sauce, continued…

So, tonights dinner did not live up to expectations.  Its not that it was awful, we had a perfectly enjoyable dinner, it just wasn’t delicious and special enough to be posted on the blog.  Luckily, The Hungry Wife has a surplus of recipes that do deserve to be posted.  This Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Tomato and Beef Sauce recipe is one that tastes great and is good for you.  The antioxidant lycopene is the disease-fighting agent in this tomato-rich dish.  Cooking the tomatoes helps release the lycopene so the benefit to your body is maximized.

I love cooking up spaghetti squash, and eating it with some delicious spaghetti sauce.  This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by simply omitting the ground beef.

Spaghetti Squash with Chunky Tomato and Beef Sauce, continued…