Category Archives: Vegetables

Cooking Endive

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Vegetables March 4, 2026 Leave a comment

How to cook endive. Endive belongs to the chicory genus, which includes several similar bitter leafed vegetables. I am talking about the little bullet shaped endives, not the curly leaf or chicory. Endives are rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in foliate and vitamins A and K, and are high in fiber. Endive has a bitter-sweet taste, but I thought it was very savory, almost nutty. I served it up with my baby potatoes and flounder; it made a very filling side dish. Let your kids eat these little “boats” with their fingers. Make it fun.

Here are a few suggestions on how to enjoy your endive:

Baked endive:

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  2. Slice endive lengthwise, remove core. Keep the root end intact as it will hold the leaves together after slicing.
  3. Brush both halves with olive oil.
  4. Slice a fresh garlic clove into very thin slices and place the slices in between the endive leaves.
  5. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, and a little garlic powder.
  6. Bake at 375°F. for 20 minutes.
  7. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle balsamic vinegar over them.

Pan braised endive:

  1. Slice your endives in half.
  2. Sprinkle cut side with kosher salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you might like.
  3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy pan along with 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
  4. Place the endive halves cut side down in the pan, cook on medium-high heat until they are brown.
  5. Add ½ cup chicken broth and simmer until almost all liquid is gone. Remove from pan sprinkle with Kosher salt, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar

Maple glazed endive:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Halve 6 small endives, remove as much of the core as possible.
  3. Arrange endive into one layer on a baking sheet with raised edges.
  4. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter then stir in 2 tablespoons of real maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. When hot, pour over the endive and bake until tender and the edges begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Onion

Dinner Ideas, Vegetables February 28, 2026 Leave a comment

Brussels sprouts are often overlooked but offer many health benefits and culinary uses. They taste similar to small cabbages and can be made more appealing by adding ingredients like bacon, garlic, or sweet onions. These vegetables go well with beef or pork dishes. To keep their nutrients, it’s best to steam or stir-fry Brussels sprouts, as boiling can reduce important compounds like sulforaphane. They also contain indole-3-carbinol, which is being studied for its potential to help repair DNA and slow cancer growth in lab tests. Including Brussels sprouts in your meals can support a healthy diet and add variety to your cooking. Their nutritional value and versatility make them a good choice for many recipes, helping more people enjoy this nutrient-rich vegetable.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Onion

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon
  • ½ cup sweet onion, diced
  • 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Korean Red Pepper Powder
  • 1 tablespoon red currant jelly

Process

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and sauté until bacon begins to brown. Remove pan from heat. Remove the bacon from pan, reserve one tablespoon drippings in pan (discard the remaining drippings).
  2. Chop bacon into small pieces
  3. Return pan to medium-high heat, and stir in bacon pieces, onion, and Brussels sprouts; sauté 4 minutes.
  4. Add garlic, and sauté for 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until the broth reduces and is almost completely gone and the sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove from heat; stir in salt and red pepper flakes, toss with a tablespoon of currant jelly.
  7. For a colorful, special Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or any holiday dinner, try stirring in pomegranate seeds.

Barley, Leek, Mushroom and Rosemary Gratin

Dinner Ideas, Side, Vegetables February 14, 2026 Leave a comment

This rustic dish combines grains, vegetables, and herbs for a nutritious meal. Barley offers a nutty, chewy texture and is versatile beyond soups. I found a recipe to serve with pork roast. Mushrooms are optional, but fresh rosemary is essential. Using butter enhances the flavor, and fresh herbs provide the best taste. The dish is filling and healthy enough to be a standalone lunch. You can customize it by adding vegetables like spinach. Overall, it’s a simple, tasty, and adaptable meal that promotes healthy eating and enjoyment.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of canned reduced sodium vegetable broth
  • 2/3 cup of medium pearl barley, rinsed in cold water
  • 3 leeks (white and light green part only)
  • 1/2 pounds of button mushrooms sliced
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup of freshly grated Swiss, or Apple smoked Gruyere cheese

Process

  1. Bring vegetable broth to a boil, add rinsed barley cover and cook barley in vegetable broth until tender about 25 minutes. Do not drain.
  2. Preheat oven to 375° F – spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
  3. Clean and slice mushrooms. I wipe mushrooms off with a paper towel. I do not “wash” mushrooms as they will retain the moisture and will not brown.
  4. Slice off root and dark green leaves of leeks, slice the remaining white part lengthwise. Run under cool water to remove sand between leaves.
  5. Slice leeks into thin slices.
  6. Remove rosemary leaves from stems by pulling downward with thumb and finger, chop fine.
  7. Heat butter in pan until melted, add mushrooms, cook until brown, remove from pan.
  8. Heat oil in same pan until hot, add leeks and cook on medium-high heat until limp, about 10 minutes, add rosemary and garlic, cook for about 1 minute more, add barley, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
  9. Stir in half cheese.
  10. Transfer barley mixture to baking dish
  11. Sprinkle with remaining cheese
  12. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated and bubbly

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Appetizers, Chicken, Dinner Ideas, Fish, Fun Stuff, Salads, Side, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly January 8, 2026 Leave a comment

This recipe involves wrapping a tasty filling in lettuce leaves, creating a satisfying vegetable and shrimp wrap. A store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded, can substitute for the shrimp. For variety, consider experimenting with other vegetables such as snow peas, mushrooms, or canned bamboo shoots. These additions can enhance the dish’s flavor and texture, making it more exotic and satisfying. The preparation is simple, and the result is a healthy, flavorful wrap that can be enjoyed as a snack or light meal. Feel free to customize the ingredients to suit your taste preferences and create new flavor combinations.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to coat pan
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
  • 1 (14 oz) bag of coleslaw
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions
  • 1 small, peeled zucchini, sliced very thin with a vegetable peeler
  • About 12 Bibb lettuce leaves rinsed, and dried, or Boston lettuce.
  • 1 lb. of deveined and peeled medium shrimp
  • 1/4 cup chopped cashews or peanuts

Process

  1. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, dry sherry, hoisin sauce, red pepper flakes, and rice vinegar. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl combine minced garlic and minced ginger. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, combine coleslaw, scallions and zucchini, set aside

Directions:

  1. Heat a large wok or frying pan on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and swirl oil to coat pan or use a pastry brush.
  2. Add garlic and ginger, cook for about 30 seconds, stirring to prevent burning.
  3. Add soy sauce mixture, coleslaw, and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute stirring.
  4. Add shrimp and stir fry until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Coleslaw and veggies should be crisp tender at this point.
  5. Divide mixture among lettuce leaves, sprinkle with cashews and enjoy.

Spaghetti Squash

Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Vegetables, Weight Watcher Friendly January 5, 2026 Leave a comment

Tonight, I prepared spaghetti squash for dinner. Instead of steaming it in the oven, which is my usual method, I roasted the squash, and it turned out excellent. Spaghetti squash can be cooked in various ways, including baking, boiling, steaming, and microwaving. It is versatile and can be served with or without sauce, making it a good substitute for traditional pasta. The seeds of the squash can also be roasted, like pumpkin seeds, providing an additional snack. When raw, the flesh is firm and similar to other raw squash. After cooking, the flesh easily separates into ribbons or strands resembling spaghetti. Nutritionally, spaghetti squash is rich in nutrients such as folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is low in calories, with approximately 42 calories per one-cup (155 grams) serving. Although it does not taste like traditional spaghetti, it absorbs the flavors of the ingredients it is cooked or served with. Besides being healthy, it is also gluten-free, making it suitable for various dietary needs.

Ingredients

  • 1 large spaghetti squash
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 large Roma tomato finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon each coarse salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. degrees

  1. Place the squash on a towel to reduce the rocking, if cutting lengthwise, cut the stem end off first. Split the squash in half lengthwise using a very sharp knife.
  2. Use a fork to remove the seeds and center strings.
  3. Drizzle the inside of the two halves with the olive oil, using hands or a brush to be sure all surfaces have been coated.
  4. Sprinkle the coarse salt, pepper and garlic powder all over the inside surface of the squash.
  5. Using an oven safe dish or pan place the cut ends of the squash down on surface.
  6. Bake in a 400° F. degree oven for 40 – 50 minutes or until the squash is soft and the strands pull up easily with a fork.
  7. Remove from the oven and fluff the squash with a fork, pulling the strands away from the sides – leave squash in shell
  8. Turn oven onto broil
  9. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil to the fluffed squash and sprinkle each half with the cheese.
  10. Place under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

The Frittata

Breakfast, Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Side, Vegetables December 6, 2025 Leave a comment

Eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner, did you know that every part of the egg is edible, even the shell. Ground egg shells are sometimes used as a food additive to deliver calcium. Although egg color is a largely cosmetic issue, with no effect on egg quality or taste, I am fortunate enough to live among farmers and ranchers who have hens that lay blue, green, pink, brown and white eggs, Easter eggs all year round. These eggs are the freshest and I believe taste about as good as an egg can taste. Regardless of where you get your eggs, they are versatile and healthy. This recipe is a basic recipe for a baked Frittata, you can use your favorite vegetables and cheese to make it totally your own recipe. A tossed salad and a slice of frittata for dinner is a complete meal.

Spray a deep pie plate, 11”x5” 7” oven proof dish, or muffin cups with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs & 3 egg whites
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • Dash of salt
  • Dash of pepper
  • 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

Directions for Egg Mixture

  1. Beat all ingredients together
  2. Mix egg mixture with you choice of vegetables and cheese
  3. Bake in a preheated 350F. oven for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Add-in Ingredients in ½ cup increments, up to 1-1/2 cups

  • sautéed

Oven Roasted Bok Choy

Dinner Ideas, Lite and Weight Watcher Recipes, Salads, Side, Vegetables November 14, 2025 1 Comment

bok choy1I received three baby Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage in my Bountiful Basket (a local food co-op) today. I was stumped as to how I was going to prepare them since I have only eaten this cabbage in stir fry or marinated. I decided to experiment tonight with an oven cooked bok choy.

A little about boc choy that you may not know; this vegetable contains glucosinolates. These compounds have been reported to prevent cancer in small doses, but, like many substances, can be toxic to humans in large doses, particularly to people who are already seriously ill. Cultivated in China since ancient times, bok choy is found in soups and stir-fries, appetizers and main dishes. Bok choy’s popularity comes from its light, sweet flavor, crisp texture and nutritional value. Not only is bok choy high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium, but it is low in calories.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

  • 1 baby Bok Choy
  • Olive Oil
  • 4 cloves of fresh garlic, grated or chopped very fine
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bok Choy

Bok Choy

  • Remove outer leaves if they look torn or bruised, or just cut short with scissors.
  • If leaves are overly long you can trim them with scissors, otherwise leave long, they will crisp up when cooked.
  • Wash with cool water and drain and dry on paper towels.
  • Slice the Bok Choy lengthwise into 4 quarters leaving the stem on each piece to hold leaves together.
  • Drizzle with olive oil, rub the olive oil into the leaves
  • Grate the garlic cloves and spread all over the Bok Choy and into the leaves
  • Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese
  • Place on a flat baking sheet covered with aluminum foil – do not use a pan with a lip, you want them to roast not steam.
  • Bake in 350 F. oven for 20 minutes, turn over and let bake for another 5 minutes
  • Be careful not to overcook, the Bok Choy should be crisp tender, at this point you can cut into chunks and serve or drizzle with a good quality balsamic vinegar and serve.

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Curried Carrots

Dinner Ideas, Salads, Side, Vegetables November 14, 2025 Leave a comment

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
2 pounds carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced on the bias 1-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. When hot, add the carrots in an even layer to maximize contact with the pan. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and fry the carrots, turning every 3 or 4 minutes, until are they are dark caramelized brown in spots, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the curry powder and mix to combine. Scatter the cilantro (or parsley) over the top and serve.

 

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Onion

Dinner Ideas, Vegetables November 11, 2025 Leave a comment
Brussel sprouts with bacon, garlic, and Sweet Onion

The Brussels sprout, not a favorite with many people, but I love them; they remind me of tiny cabbages (also a fav, must be my Germanic upbringing). Everything is “better” with bacon, right? As well as garlic and sweet onion, so give these little morsels a try with your next dinner. Brussels sprouts are hardy, and fair well with beef or pork dishes. Raw Brussels sprouts contain excellent levels of vitamin C, and vitamin, with more moderate amounts of B vitamins, such as folic acid and B6, essential minerals and dietary fiber. Brussels sprouts, contain sulforaphane, a phytochemical under research for its potential anticancer properties. Although boiling reduces the level of sulforaphane, steaming and stir frying do not result in significant loss. Brussels sprouts are also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical being studied for how it affects DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells in vitro. So there you have it, the almighty Brussels sprout. I hope this dish helps you on your way to acquiring a taste for these little gems. Enjoy.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Onion

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon
  • ½ cup sweet onion, diced
  • 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon red currant jelly

Directions

  1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and sauté until bacon begins to brown. Remove pan from heat. Remove the bacon from pan, reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in pan (discard the remaining drippings).
  2. Chop bacon into small pieces
  3. Return pan to medium-high heat, and stir in bacon pieces, onion, and Brussels sprouts; sauté 4 minutes.
  4. Add garlic, and sauté for 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently.
  5. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until the broth reduces almost completely gone and the sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove from heat; stir in salt and red pepper flakes, toss with a tablespoon of current jelly.
  7. For a colorful, special Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or any holiday dinner, try stirring in pomegranate seeds.

Vegetable Wonton Dumplings

Appetizers, Dinner Ideas, Vegetables, Wonton Wrappers November 6, 2025 Leave a comment

Serves: 6

Kick off Wonton Week with our baked version of vegetable dumplings – they’re packed with cabbage and carrots. Your guests will never know they’re light! These make great appetizers!

Ingredients

  • 2 spray(s) cooking spray
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cup(s) (finely shredded) green cabbage
  • 1/2 cup(s) carrot(s), shredded
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
  • 2 medium scallion(s), minced (separate into 2 piles)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 24 item(s) wonton wrapper(s), half of a 12 oz package
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic and 1 minced scallion: sauté until cabbage wilts, about 2 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in 2 teaspoons of soy sauce.
  3. Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Drop vegetable mixture by teaspoonfuls onto center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with wet fingers, fold over one corner to make a triangle and press sides together to seal.
  4. Transfer filled wrappers to prepared baking sheet and coat surface with cooking spray.

Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

To make Sauce:  In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce, remaining minced scallion and sesame oil. Mix well and serve with wontons.

Yields 4 wontons and 1 tablespoon of dipping sauce per serving.