2 tbsp Teriyaki or Szechwan sauce*
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp pineapple juice
1/2 can pineapple rings, cut into quarters**
8 oz fresh water chestnuts, drained
3-4 cups steamed broccoli
Fresh ground black pepper

*If serving with a Chicken dish, use the same marinade/sauce as is used on the chicken.
**pineapple chunks or tidbits can also be used, usually about 1 cup. Pineapple rings can make for better garnishes, as half of the can will be left over. Or fresh pineapple can be used, canned pineapple makes it easier to get pineapple juice for the sauce.

Steam broccoli and keep warm. Combine sauce, garlic, basil, thyme, salt, lemon juice, and pineapple juice in a small bowl and stir well. Heat water chestnuts and pineapple in a large skillet on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes (these should be juicy enough not to require oil in the skillet). Add broccoli and sauce mixture, stirring well to coat entire skillet. Keep on low to medium heat until water chestnuts and pineapple are heated thoroughly. Top with fresh ground black pepper.

This is a Jenn Original Recipe! It’s not very complicated but it’s gotten good reviews:

3-4 large red-skinned potatoes
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper

Boil a large pot of water. Halve or quarter potatoes and boil until tender (usually when the skin begins to separate from the flesh of the potato) and drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mash potatoes with an electric mixer (don’t turn the mixer on, just use the beaters to smash the potato pieces). Add milk, cheese, butter, seasoning, garlic and salt. Beat on medium speed until ingredients are mixed and potatoes are to desired consistency (some like potatoes very smooth, I prefer to have some lumps). Serve topped with fresh ground black pepper.

When reheating, add a splash of milk and a nice pat of butter to the potatoes before putting in microwave.

From Taste of Home’s magazine “Simple & Delicious,” this veggie dish makes a great side and can easily be altered to serve with different styles of cuisine.

1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tsps butter

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and set aside. In a large skillet, saute green beans and mushrooms in butter until almost tender. Add seasoned mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until veggies are nice and tender. Voila!

Some easy substitutions and alterations:

Olive oil or vegetable oil for canola oil (which is just not in my cupboard for some reason)
Swap cider vinegar for soy sauce or thin teryaki sauce when serving with a Chinese dish, with brown rice on side.

A note about black pepper: I heard from a reliable source (the Food Network) that pepper burns. I would suggest leaving it out and sprinkling the veggies with fresh ground black pepper at the end. I haven’t tried this myself because I just learned this interesting tidbit, but there is always next time.

Both times I made this dish (once with cider vinegar and once with soy sauce) there was liquid left over. During the soy sauce run, I removed the veggies and threw some whole raw almonds into the remaining liquid and heated for a couple minutes, then tossed the almonds with the green beans and mushrooms. Yum!

This is altered from a recipe I found in “Cooking for 2″ magazine from Taste of Home. The recipe has been adjusted to make a good side dish for more than two, but you can halve this recipe to make a main dish for two or a meal for one.

3 cups dry egg noodles
dash garlic powder
dash oregano
2 tbps butter
2 tbps olive oil
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
minced garlic (optional)
lemon juice (optional)

Using a large saucepan or cooking pot, heat several cups of water over medium-high heat on the stove. Sprinkle garlic powder and oregano over water. Add noodles once water is at a rolling boil and cook 8-12 minutes or until noodles are at desired firmness.

While noodles are cooking, combine butter, oil, basil, thyme and salt in a small mixing bowl. Top mixture with pepper.

Drain noodles and add herb mixture, stirring thoroughly to ensure even coating of noodles. Top with parmesan cheese. Minced garlic and lemon can also be added to taste. Stir well before serving.

If serving with Honey-Lime Chicken, I recommend omitting garlic and lemon. The garlic and lime flavors in the chicken will compliment this dish nicely. If you begin boiling the water for the noodles a few minutes after putting the chicken in the oven, the two should be done at about the same time.