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Fat-Free Sweet Potato Fries

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If you are looking for a delicious, healthy side dish or snack, fat-free sweet potato fries are a perfect choice!  They are simple to put together, loaded with good nutrition, and they’re always a crowd pleaser!  They’re fantastic with our homemade garlic-cilantro aioli.  We love this simple aioli because it goes together in 30 seconds in your blender!  We love recipes that are quick, simple, healthy and that taste great…and both of these recipes fit the bill!  Give these sweet potatoes a try and let us know what you think!

fat-free sweet potato fries 4

*If you don’t mind some oil on your fries, try tossing your uncooked sweet potato wedges with 2-3 tablespoons of avocado oil before seasoning them.

*Root vegetables can take a lot of salt.  Don’t be afraid to give them a good sprinkling.  {Don’t go overboard, but don’t skimp unless that’s how you like them}

*If you’re worried about your sweet potato wedges sticking to your foil, try crinkling the foil before you place it on the baking sheet.  This way the potatoes will be touching less of the foil’s surface, which means you will have less sticking when they come out of the oven.

fat-free sweet potato fries 1

Roasted Artichoke

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Roasted ArtichokeIf you want to impress your dinner guests, serve them this fabulous roasted artichoke!  It may take a long time in the oven, but with only a couple of minutes of prep, it can be roasting while you prepare your meal, weed the garden or take a nap!  And the flavor it develops from roasting is well worth the wait.  As you may have noticed by now, roasting is one of our favorite ways to prepare veggies!  If you like it steamed or boiled, try it roasted and you may never go back!  We served this with a delicious garlic-cilantro-lime aioli that was made in the blender in about 30 seconds!  Click here for this yummy recipe, you will love it!

 

To eat your artichoke, pull the leaves off, dip the part of the leaf that was attached to the artichoke in your sauce, put it in your mouth, close your teeth on the leaf, and pull outward.  The soft, delicious part of the leaf will come off the more fibrous, woody part.  Discard the leaf when you have eaten the soft part.  Enjoy!

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Berry Green Smoothie

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Berry Green Smoothie 2 If you are looking for a little variety in your green smoothie repertoire , try this Berry Green Smoothie!  It’s loaded with greens, but still has enough fruit to make it sweet for my picky kids.  Green smoothies are the best when it comes to great nutrition that I can actually get IN my kids!

Smoothies are great for getting fruits and veggies in kids and adults alike.  If you have a hard time getting your kids to eat a variety of veggies, try juicing small amounts of your vegetable choice and putting it in a smoothie.  It will give them added nutrition while helping them acquire a taste for those veggies they think they don’t like!  Sometimes all it takes is a little exposure for kids to realized they actually do like it!…

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Roasted Broccoli

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Roasted Broccoli 2 We discovered roasted broccoli last year at our house, and veggies have never been the same.  I don’t steam broccoli anymore because roasting is so easy and delicious, and holds more of the nutrition in.  Great as a simple side dish, or even to go in a casserole, you will love roasted broccoli!

We wanted carrots to go with our broccoli, so I added a big handful to the bag before I tossed it with the avocado oil.  They finished roasting at the same time, and they were a fabulous addition to our meal!  I added freshly ground Real Salt and pepper, and they tasted buttery when they came out of the oven!  Since no butter is used (but we love butter at our house!) it was a healthier choice with all the flavor! Roasted Broccoli main Avocado oil is my go-to oil for roasting because it has such a high smoke point (500 degrees!).  Other oils can be substituted for roasting, but since this is my current favorite, it’s what I list in the recipe.

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Snail Beer Trap

Snail Beer Trap

Ingredients

  • 2 disposable plastic cups
  • an old pencil
  • a can of beer OR DIY Yeast Snail Bait
  • DIY Yeast Snail Bait:
  • 1 Tbsp of flour
  • 1 tsp of sugar
  • 1 tsp of yeast
  • 2 cups of water

Instructions

  1. Dig a hole to fit one of the cups in your vegetable or flower garden, near your plants.
  2. Place one cup inside the hole, making it level with the ground, so the snails don't have to climb far.
  3. Carefully poke 4 drainage holes in the bottom of the remaining cup. Poke two more holes near the top, just under the lip, for the pencil to go through. This will ensure a gap between the cups so you can easily remove the top one to dispose of the snails the next morning.
  4. Place the cup with the holes and pencil inside the cup buried in the ground.
  5. Pour the beer or DIY Yeast Snail Bait inside the cup, leaving about an inch of headspace. The snails will climb down into the cup, and drown in the beer.
https://westerngardens.com/roasted-broccoli/
*I start checking mine at 10 minutes, but it usually takes 15.  Smaller pieces may be done more quickly than larger pieces.

Zucchini Chips

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Zucchini chips are a healthy, delicious snack, and a simple way to use up some of that end of season zucchini when you have used what you can and your plants are still giving!  It takes only a few minutes to prepare, and then has some hands-off time in the oven.  Doesn’t get much simpler!

Zucchini Chips 2Wash and dry your zucchini, then slice thinly, about 1/8 ” thick.  Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment and lightly spray with olive oil.  Place zucchini slices close together (but not touching) and lightly spray with olive oil.

Zucchini Chips 4Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.  The zucchini will shrink as it dehydrates and the flavor will intensify, so don’t over-season your rounds.  If you under-season them, you can always add more when they are done.

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DIY Tabletop Terra Cotta Fire Pit

DIY Tabletop Terra Cotta Fire Pit

Ingredients

  • Terra Cotta Pot (visit Western Gardens for the largest selection of sizes and designs)
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Charcoal
  • Charcoal Lighter Fluid
  • Lighter

Instructions

  1. Line terra cotta pot with aluminum foil.
  2. Fill pot with charcoal.
  3. Drizzle lighter fluid on top of charcoal.
  4. Stand to the side and light charcoal.
  5. When charcoal begins to turn white, start roasting!
  6. If you have a chimney-style charcoal starter, you can use that to start your briquettes. Transfer to your terra cotta fire pit when they begin to turn white.
https://westerngardens.com/zucchini-chips/

Roasted Vegetable Salad

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If you are in a salad rut, including roasted vegetables is a great way to add color, texture, flavor and dimension…with minimal effort!  Roasting vegetables is not just easy to do, but it also brings out a wonderful flavor that is surprisingly delicious when paired with fresh lettuce and a cooked egg.

Roasted Vegetable Salad main

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Avocado & Slow-Roasted Tomato Toast

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Roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook veggies, as I mentioned in my post about roasted asparagus.  Tomatoes are another reason why.  Slow roasting concentrates their flavors, making even so-so tomatoes wonderfully delicious and tender…similar to how a slow-cooker can turn a tough cut of meat into a tender and juicy dish. If garden-fresh tomatoes aren’t in season but you need a fix, this is a perfect way to prepare them to get maximum flavor from a less-than-flavorful store bought tomato!

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The flavors of roasted vegetables are deep and rich.  The tomatoes come out juicy and soft and the garlic will spread right into the toast.  slow roasted tomato avocado toast collage

Slow-Roasted Tomato & Avocado Toast

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium tomatoes, halved
  • 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
  • dried Italian seasoning (or 2 sprigs fresh herbs)
  • freshly ground sea salt & black pepper
  • 2 avocados
  • 1-2 tsp lime juice
  • 8 toasted french bread slices
  • balsamic reduction*

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place the garlic cloves and tomatoes, cut-side up, in a baking dish.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt & pepper.
  2. Roast for about 1 hour & 45 minutes (up to two hours). Tomatoes should be slightly reduced in size and skins should be puckered.
  3. Check the garlic after about 1 hour 15 minutes.  They might be done before the tomatoes.  Remove if done, continue roasting if not.
  4. Tomatoes can be served right away, or refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
  5. To assemble the toast, begin by toasting 8 slices of french bread.
  6. Peel and pit the avocado and mash with lime juice.
  7. Remove the peel from a clove of roasted garlic and spread it over a slice of toast.  Spread avocado mixture over the garlic.  Top the avocado with a roasted tomato, and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

slow roasted tomato toast 6 square*To reduce balsamic vinegar, add 1 cup to a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir frequently for about 10 minutes, or until balsamic is reduced to desired consistency.  It will thicken as it cools, so remove it from the heat before it looks completely done.

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Cowboy Caviar

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If you are looking for something a little different, really simple, and super quick, look no further!  It’s a fabulous appetizer served with chips, or as part of a main meal…like a taco bar topping.  Whether your ingredients are straight from the garden, or came from the produce section, you will impress your guests with this flavorful treat!

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (15.25 oz) supersweet yellow corn
  • 1 can (15.25 oz) white corn, drained
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed & drained
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix (dry)
  • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and gently combine.  Delicious right away, but even better once the flavors have had a chance to mingle.  Serve with chips, or in a taco bar.

Cowboy Caviar square

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Becky

  

~Becky

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