Tag Archives: Vegetables

Sweet Potato Home Fries

Posted on July 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

These sweet potato home fries make a perfect side dish as part of a warm breakfast.  They also go well with a Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Breakfast

Tagged , , , , ,

Crostini

Posted on September 1, 2010 | 1 Comment

Sometimes you just have to say, “Prego,” and go for it.

Between switching jobs, moving, and studying for the bar, Caitlin and I were having a whirlwind summer.  Which is why, perhaps, it was only fitting that we decided to book a trip to Italy and Croatia with only two weeks to plan for it.  But sure enough, a day after the bar exam, and three days after my belongings and I arrived in Cincinnati, we were on a plane headed to Florence.

As I said, sometimes you just have to say, “Prego.”

We arrived in Rome Friday morning, and scrambled Continue reading →

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Appetizers

Tagged , , , ,

Roasted Carrots with Feta and Parsley

Posted on July 28, 2010 | 4 Comments

After making the healthy carrot cake, I had several carrots left over.  It didn’t take me long to put them to a suitable use.  After a few turns in olive oil and a quick spell in the oven, I had a delicious and colorful side dish.  And it was that easy.  This dish takes five minutes to prepare, and twenty-five minutes in the oven.

I have a tendency to cover my baking sheets with foil or parchment paper – to help avoid sticking, and for ease of clean-up.  But if you really want that nice roasted color for the carrots, it pays to do without.

Finally, my  loyal readers may Continue reading →

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Sides

Tagged , , ,

Roasted Cauliflower

Posted on February 24, 2010 | 6 Comments

Hello, all – it’s Caitlin here!

Charles has graciously ceded the wheel to me for today’s posting, thus giving me the opportunity to discuss one of my favorite dietary topics: fiber.  I’ll preface this discussion by saying that Charles eats a very healthful diet, with oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and bananas ranking among his favorites.

Yet, when I suggested that he swap his white bread for a whole grain alternative (more fiber!), he balked at the suggestion and characterized my beloved wheat bread as “cardboard” (blasphemy!).  Despite these accusations, Continue reading →

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Sides

Tagged , ,

Maple-Roasted Winter Squash

Posted on December 24, 2009 | 3 Comments

Cooking offers the chance to learn something new.

Sometimes, it’s a new cooking style – broiling or deep frying, perhaps.  Other times, cooking offers the opportunity to try a new spice or a new vegetable.  When I learned the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, I went out and bought two different types of yams.

Not surprisingly, when I learned the difference between the different types of winter squash, I went out and bought three different types of squash.  Among them were two varieties I had never tried: acorn and ambercup.

Roasting different varieties together has its advantages.  It offers the chance Continue reading →

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Entrees

Tagged , , , , , ,

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

Posted on September 23, 2009 | 2 Comments

Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is one of those perfect dishes with which to experiment.  From chicken broth to mushroom soup, the short-grain rice is eager to absorb whatever liquid you throw at it.  At the same time, it’s creamy color and texture make colors and crunch a welcome addition.  Pairings range from smoked trout and roasted butternut squash, to the ever-popular asparagus spears and mushrooms.  Even cold leftovers provide a reason to rejoice, with warm suppli just around the corner!

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

Having recently made roasted asparagus, I decided Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Entrees, Sides

Tagged , , , , , ,

Roasted Asparagus

Posted on September 21, 2009 | 4 Comments

Roasted Asparagus

Roasting is one of the best ways to enhance both the color and flavor of an item.  In this case, just a little time and olive oil brings out the crisp crunch and sharp green of asparagus spears.  These roasted asparagus spears can be served in their own right, or Continue reading →

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Sides

Tagged , , ,

Grilled Sweet Potato and White Potato Fries

Posted on July 7, 2009 | 7 Comments

1PotatoB

It seems almost unpatriotic to serve a burger without fries.  So when grilling my favorite hamburger, I always make sure to have a  few servings of these grilled sweet potato and white potato fries ready!

These fries are yet another expression of my love for sweet potato wedges and/or sweet potato fries.  Like those recipes, these grilled fries are a healthy alternative to deep-frying.  Throwing them on the grill makes them quick and easy to make, with less mess.  The colors and grill marks Continue reading →

→ 7 Comments

Posted in Sides

Tagged , , , ,

Roasted Yam and Sweet Potato Fries

Posted on May 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

Yams and Sweet Potatoes

Like strangers on the same page of a phone book, sweet potatoes and white potatoes share nothing more than a common last name.  Both potatoes are, of course, plants.  But sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family, while white potatoes belong to the nightshade family – sometimes called the potato family.  More to the point, sweet potatoes are roots of the dicotyledonous plant; white potatoes are underground stems (tubers) of the potato plant.

Yams, meanwhile, belong to the yam family, and are tubers of the monocotyledon plant.  But even though they are tubers, yams have a closer lineage to lilies, than to either the white potato or the sweet potato.  The confusion over yams Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Sides

Tagged , , ,

Chinese Chicken Salad

Posted on April 30, 2009 | 4 Comments

Chinese Chicken Salad
As I’ve mentioned previously, chicken salad is one of my lunch-time staples.  Almost without fail, Sunday nights are devoted to preparing my tried-and-true chicken salad for the work week ahead.  That said, everyone can use some amount of variety.  So, in the spirit of variety, I decided to try a different type of chicken salad.  My sense of lunch-time adventure obviously knows no bounds.

This recipe, like the other chicken salad, comes together very quickly, and is perfect served cold.  But unlike the other recipe, this Asian version has a little more punch to it Continue reading →

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Entrees, Salad

Tagged , , , , , ,