I always try to add some sort of green vegetable to every meal and usually that comes in the form of salad. But with the recent tainted romaine warnings, I started looking for alternatives that my family would love.

It’s also worth mentioning that I don’t like to fuss when it comes to sides. I sometimes spend a lot of time on the main course and need a quick, healthy accompaniment to balance the meal.

Here are some fast, easy sides you can throw together in no time at all. None of them have a set “recipe” because the whole idea was to be able to toss it together, much like a salad. My family has loved every one!

Shishito Peppers – Green Vegetable Goodness

Once difficult to find, Shishito peppers are relativity easy to spot at your local grocery store and I’ve most recently been finding them at Costco. These East Asian variety of pepper is small and wrinkled but packs plenty of punch. For the most part, they’re sweet but there will always be a few in the bunch that are on the spicer-side. My kids like a bit of heat, so this isn’t an issue in our household.

 

 

Method:

• Rinse and dry peppers
• Lay them out flat on a stone sheet (like this one from Pampered Chef) or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with course sea salt
• Broil the peppers and toss every 3-5 minutes. You want them to blister slightly, but not burn. This should take about 15-20 mins in total.
• Serve hot or cold

Brussel Sprouts with Honey & Bacon – A Green Vegetable Flavour Sensation

I can’t tell you how many times people have told me they hate brussel sprouts… until they’ve tried these! This poor veggie has gotten a bad rap but their flavour is completely different if you bake rather than boil. My kids actually request this side dish!

 

 

Method:

• Rinse brussel sprouts and halve large heads
• Lay them out flat on a stone sheet (like this one from Pampered Chef) or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
• Drizzle with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Dice bacon – you can use as much or as little as you like – and toss with sprouts
• Bake at 350 degrees tossing every 15mins until the brussel sprouts are browned and can be easily pierced with a fork. This should take about 30-45mins.
• Serve hot

Lemon Garlic Broccoli with Parmesan Cheese – Green Vegetable Happiness

It was years before I made broccoli any other way than with cheese sauce. The kids only wanted to eat it if it was smothered in something else. I was pleasantly surprised when my son declared these were “quite good!”.

 

 

Method:

• Rinse broccoli heads and cut to bite-sized pieces if needed
• Lay them out flat on a stone sheet (like this one from Pampered Chef) or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
• Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and add minced garlic to taste
• Bake at 350 degrees tossing every 15mins until broccoli florets are slightly browned. This should take about 30mins.
• Serve hot

Crisp Green Beans – Green Vegetable Love in a Pot

This is a go-to all year long for our family! Everyone loves them and they’re perfect for at-home or picnic meals. I’ve posted this recipe before but it’s worth adding the cliff-notes to this roundup as well. They’re hard not to love!

 

 

Method:

• Rinse beans. If you get the French Beans in a package, there’s no need to snap off the ends. Make as many or as little as you need for your meal but personally, I like to make enough for two meals.
• Add beans to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn off pot immediately. Leave them in the water for 5mins then drain. This will keep them from getting too soft and floppy.
• Drizzle with Italian dressing. I’ve used other dressings as well such as Sun-dried Tomato or Greek.
• Serve hot or cold.

I’m still very much in love with salads but I’m happy to have added some variation into our meals. How about you? What’s your family’s favourite veggie side-dish?

xo,
Mary