Savory Rice Pilaf

The crispy, creamy butternut squash can be roasted ahead of time to avoid taking up valuable oven space. The warmth from the rice will wilt the spinach and you can certainly toss in a pinch of fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, or even cilantro are all brilliant). 

Not a squash fan? You could sub mushrooms or some cooked diced zucchini. Choose vegetable broth if you’re cooking for a vegetarian or vegan, or use chicken broth if you’re not. Anything homemade will be especially delicious.

You can also add cooked sausage or diced zucchini or even bell peppers!

Serves: about 8 servings as a side dish

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups rice, rinsed (I prefer brown rice)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (bonus points for homemade)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups diced, roasted squash (or other cooked veggies of choice)
• 1 cup minced spinach (optional)
• ½ cup toasted almonds (or smoked almonds)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add celery and onion and cook over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes, to slightly toast the rice (it will probably not color). Pour in broth, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and let cook another 15 minutes or so, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff rice with a fork and fold in cooked squash and spinach. Garnish with almonds just before serving.

Source: One Lovely Life

Cinnamon Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Cinnamon tricks you into feeling like you’re eating something sweet, and the rosemary and salt keep things from getting too sweet. 

These are simply divine and so easy to prepare.

Serves: about 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into matchsticks or wedges
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon
• salt, to taste
• olive oil or avocado oil

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with enough olive oil to coat them (they should be shiny--you don't want them sticking to your pan). Sprinkle with cinnamon and a hefty pinch of salt. Stir to combine evenly.

Spread sweet potatoes out onto a baking sheet, trying not to let any wedges overlap. Place rosemary sprigs on top.

Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir, and roast another 10-15 minutes, or until wedges are tender and browning.

Discard rosemary sprigs and enjoy!

NOTE
If the cinnamon-rosemary combo sounds just too strange for you, you can certainly choose one flavor (cinnamon OR rosemary) and go with that. Fresh rosemary smells a bit strong and you may think you are roasting a Christmas tree, but I promise the end result doesn’t taste like a Christmas tree. It tastes delicious.

Source: One Lovely Life

Glazed Carrots and Onions

These can certainly be made with baby carrots as well. When I do baby carrots, I typically cut the onion into slices rather than a large dice (so that the shapes match better), but the dish is flexible and can be changed any way you like.

Serves: 4-6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb carrots, cut into large coins (or baby carrots)
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into a large dice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp beef bouillon
• ½- 1¼ cup water (or you could use beef broth and omit the bouillon)
• salt to taste
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp flour

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium saucepan, place carrots, onion, sugar, bouillon, pinch salt, and ½c water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until carrots are softened, 8-12 minutes. If water cooks out too quickly and your pan dries out, add additional water. It's okay if things get a little browned. In a small bowl, stir together butter and flour till smooth. Pour into the carrot mixture and stir until well incorporated and smooth. (You should have plenty of sauce).

Source: One Lovely Life

Green Beans with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette

The sweetness of the caramelized onions combined with the tanginess in the cider vinegar make these green beans something truly special.

These green beans pair beautifully with anything from chicken sausage, to baked sweet potatoes, to grilled or roasted anything (beef, chicken, fish). Their simplicity also makes them a great side for a special meal, like Thanksgiving or even Christmas, when you’ve got lots of other dishes in the works and can’t devote too much time to any one side.

Serves: 4 as a side

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
• 1 medium red onion, very finely minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1½ Tbsp honey or pure maple syrup or Apple Juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Begin caramelizing the onions by heating the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and reduce heat to medium-low. Stirring regularly, continue cooking onions over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until onions are golden and caramelized. 

Add vinegar and honey or syrup to the pan. Turn heat off.

While the onions are caramelizing, prepare green beans your favorite way (steam, roast, pan sauté, or even microwave) until crisp-tender. I steamed my green beans. I placed 1-2 inches of water into a large saucepan and placed a steamer basket over top. I added the green beans to the steamer basket, covered the pan with a lid, and brought the water to a boil over medium heat. I cooked the beans about 5 minutes, till they were bright green and crisp-tender.

Toss cooked beans with the caramelized onion vinaigrette.

NOTE

If you want there to be more vinaigrette, you can double the vinegar and honey amounts, and add a bit more olive oil. I found this was plenty of vinaigrette for us, bur do what works for you!

Source: One Lovely Life