How To Make Vegetables You'll Actually Like

     For a while now, I've been wanting to post a few recipes for fresh vegetables, but I just didn't know how to go about it. I could have tacked them onto the ends of main dish recipes, but honestly, I ran out of energy by the time I finished those posts. I also didn't want to post just one veggie recipe for a whole day, because although I believe all food groups were created equal, I have a feeling that most people would find that boring. Still, I always find myself in need of new recipes for easy side dishes. It's an often neglected category, so I felt compelled to address it at some point. I know you guys like the sweet stuff best, but you see, my idea of healthy eating is just to add more healthy things to my diet without actually subtracting any of the junk. In my head that makes perfect sense somehow. So I will get back to the sugarama next week, but today I'm sharing my three (really two) newfound favorite veggie recipes at the same time. They're really simple and bursting with flavor, so give them a try. If you're looking for an idea for a full meal instead, check out yesterday's chicken recipe!

First: Oven Roasted Green Beans (or Asparagus)

INGREDIENTS:
either 1 big bundle of fresh asparagus or one handful of green beans per person
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 and lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Wash whichever vegetables you choose and chop the ends off.
3. Arrange them in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over them, sprinkle with garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper, and gently toss to coat everything.

4. Bake green beans or thin asparagus for about 12-15 minutes or thicker asparagus for about 20, but check frequently, so they don't burn.

Next: Cream Spinach (not from the freezer)

There are several ways to do this, but I guarantee this is the easiest.

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag of fresh spinach (I usually use the kind that's prepackaged for salad.)
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 oz of cream cheese, either plain or chive and onion flavor for a twist
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash and de-stem the spinach and chop the onion and garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion until tender. Then add the spinach and garlic to the pan and season with salt and pepper. At this point, the spinach will barely fit in the pan, but it's amazing how much it wilts down to just a few spoonfuls by the end.

3. Cover the pan for just a few minutes to let it wilt.
4. Once the spinach is wilted enough to stir without knocking out of the pan, add the cream cheese and stir it in as it melts. You can cut it into cubes to make it melt faster, but once it's incorporated, it's done.

The exact spinach to cream cheese ratio is always hard to guess, so use a slotted spoon to serve it.

     I hope that these ideas inspire you to eat your veggies every day, but when you get tired of that, you can count on me to supply many more indulgent treats. I'm actually not doing Pie Monday tomorrow, but it'll still be a delicious day!