taste of tuesday: eat your veggies

when planning my weekly dinner menu, I always try to incorporate a fresh vegetable (mainly b/c that is they only thing Jack will eat. he's kind of a vegetarian-prefers veggie burgers and edamame to ground beef burgers and fries). wish our climate was conducive to growing a garden. or we had a decent farmer's market. here are just some of our favorites that are simple and cheap to prepare:

Steamed Green Beans

• 1 bag green beans (the bag makes it so convenient to prep)
• spray butter (or real butter if you're not worried about your waistline or cholesterol)
• lemon pepper

directions: poke a few holes in the bag and microwave the beans for 2-3 minutes, until they are tender (careful not to burn yourself when you open the bag). spray them with the butter and add lemon pepper as desired. toss to coat. so simple and good!

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Roasted Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus
• olive oil
• Salt& fresh ground pepper

directions: cut the ends off the tough asparagus (a good indicator as to where to cut is to take one spear and bend it. cut the other spears the same length). place on a foil lined (easy clean up) cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. add S&P as desired and place in oven. toss to coat evenly. cook @ 400* for approximately 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick your asparagus spears are (until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork).

*additional flavoring: drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice before serving

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Lemon Parmesan Broccoli

• 1-2 heads broccoli
• 3 T. Olive Oil
• salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 c. Parmesan
• 1 lemon, juiced

directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. cute broccoli into florets. Arrange the broccoli on a foil-lined cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and season with a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly. roast for 10 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melts and forms a crisp shell over the broccoli (about 10 minutes). Lift the broccoli out onto a platter and drizzle with fresh lemon juice.

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Honey Glazed Carrots

• 2-3 cups baby carrots, steamed
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
  directions: in microwave, melt butter. add brown sugar and honey. mix until blended. pour over carrots and serve

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Lime and Chili Corn

• corn on the cob, grilled or boiled (amount depends on how many people you are serving)
• chili powder
• 2-3 limes, cut into wedges
• butter or spray butter
• Salt & freshly ground pepper

directions: let your guests add the amount of flavoring desired. for me, I like lots of lime and lots of chili powder. you can always make your own chili lime butter as well.

now does anyone have a good recipe for eggplant?