A Bit on The Side...

Okay, this blog is not nearly as exciting as the title hints at... well, depending on your perspective. Good food can certainly be a nearly orgasmic experience! Since we are in the throes of the Holidays (oh good, more sexual innuendo!) I am thinking hard about menu selections that are relatively guilt free. The good news is... I'm going to share some side dish recipes that are really fabulous alternatives. Bad news... even the healthiest of dishes still have calories! (It took TWO WEEKS to get rid of the 5 POUNDS)I'd gained during the relatively healthful Thanksgiving weekend!) So, being grounded in realism... I'm just hoping to maintain the status quo for Christmas. I figure if I lose 4 or 5 pound before Christmas, I'll be back up to this weight by New Years! Yes, back on the far reaching plateau I've been on for a month now! Okay, enough whining... let's talk side dishes. When you think about Holiday dinners... I mean, side dishes are sort of our nemesis, right? Most of us have some lovely form of protein... turkey, a roast... and while we might over do a bit on the main dish, let's face it, it's the mashed potatoes, stuffing, candied yams, etc. that are our complete undoing! So here is my strategy... if I include some truly delicious side dishes that are less, oh say... an absolute worship of fat and starch! Maybe I will be content eating more of one and a hell of a lot less of another! So naturally I am going to start by sharing a recipe for potatoes! Well, in my household, mashed potatoes are a must! I used to love making the garlic mashed potatoes with sour cream, butter and cheese. I know that this will be hard for you to believe but the following recipe, a much, MUCH healthier version, is soooo damn good... even my kids love these mashed potatoes. I'll go one further! Even my snotty teenage daughter who hates everything I cook loves these potatoes!

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

(note: yes I know that some of you are put off by the wasabi... "it's too hot..."
"it burns my nose!" SUCK IT UP!!! You're going to have to trust me on this one... remember my snotty teenage daughter, you who doubt!)

8 (or 10 small) red potatoes, washed and cut into quarters
Chicken or beef broth (low sodium)
6 cloves of garlic
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of wasabi powder
1 tablespoon of water

Place your cut up potatoes in a large pot. Pour enough broth in to cover the potatoes. Peel the garlic, no need to slice, and throw it in the pot. Cover and cook on medium high heat until the potatoes are soft. While they are cooking mix the wasabi powder with the water to form a paste (use more or less water as needed) and set it aside. When the potatoes are done, pull them and the garlic out of the broth and place in a large mixing bowl. Add about half of the broth and beat with a mixer until they are the right consistency for mashed potatoes. If you need more liquid, add more from the broth you cooked them in. Once they have been completely blended, season them with plenty of fresh ground pepper and add in the wasabi paste. Use your mixer to completely blend in the wasabi. You want it evenly distributed through the entire bowl of mashed potatoes. Believe me... a really delicious side dish!

This next recipe is a fairly new one. Some of you might remember a previous blog where I mentioned that I'd created a new side dish that would bring tears to your eyes? Well, this is it! It is amazingly delicious, pretty and festive! Best of all, if you want two helpings? Go for it!!!

Preheat your oven to roast at 375 degrees
First step is to create the sauce. In a small sauce pan mix the following ingredients:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar
2 tablespoons Splenda white sugar
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
(I'm lazy, I buy the fresh ginger preminced in a little jar, not powdered though!!!)
1 (or 2) teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Mix the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer to reduce the liquid to nearly half.
Set aside the sauce while you prepare the veggies:

In a large mixing bowl place
1 medium sized bag of small, fresh carrots
1 red or sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 large (or 2 small) tart apples (like granny smith or braeburn) cored, peeled and rough cut

Stir the veggies and apple just to mix them up. Now, pour your sauce over them and stir to completely coat all of the vegetables and apple chunks.

Lightly spray oil a 9x13 cake pan. Pour the contents of your mixing bowl into the cake pan and place in the preheated oven. Roast this dish for 30 to 40 minutes. You want the tops of the veggies to be golden brown, and the carrots to be "forkably" soft. The sauce should be a lovely, caramelized glaze on the apples, carrots and onions. OMG!!! This dish is sooooo good!

Next blog... we're talking dessert! I have a confession to make... next week regarding desserts. In the mean time, and this is definitely connected to my future confession... let me know if any of you are interested in recipes for homemade ice cream! Leave a comment on this blog if you have an ice cream maker. Otherwise... I won't include those recipes... those amazing, delicious, creamy, wondrous recipes!