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healthy side

Incredibly Easy Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Asparagus & Pesto

Juni 10, 2021 by katharina.kuehr Kommentar verfassen

There probably are a billion ways to cook potatoes – and (almost) all of them are delicious. But this one, this recipe – damn damn damn. This is pure deliciousness! And it is soso easy to make, so little mess and perfect to prepare ahead of time.

The crispyness on the outside of the potatoes and the softness on the inside just work so perfectly together in your mouth. Paired with some greens and a little tangy pesto and an herby dipping sauce, it is perfection. Perfection with so little ingredients.

What‘s special about this dish? 

The way the potatoes are prepared. So, instead of just cooking and peeling, or baking regularly or frying them in a pan, they are prepared differently. First, they are boiled in water, just as regular potatoes. Then, they are patted dry and smashed with something heavy, like a pot. Now, we drizzle them with oil and sprinkle some salt and bake them in the oven until they are crispy. 

Which potatoes should be used?

Definitely some from which you can eat the peel. We need to be able to do this because otherwise they won‘t get as crispy. Usually, the young and small potatoes can be eaten with the peel, such as the „Heurigenkartoffel“. 

Is this dish healthy? 

Oh yes. Potatoes often get a lot of (undeserved) hate because of their high carbohydrate content. Actually though, potatoes are such a healthy vegetable. They do have a high carbohydrate content, which though is very good because they‘ll provide you enough energy to stay fit and motivated throughout the entire day. Plus, they also add a bunch of fibre, which satisfies you and keeps you full! Moreover, they are packed with antioxidant, which help to prevent diseases. And obviously, they contain a whole bunch of vitamins such as Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. All in all, it needs to be said that potatoes are really healthy and definitely do not deserve all their hate.

What is more, is the asparagus, pesto and dipping sauce. Asparagus is full if fibre and vitamins, and also great to add some color. The pesto is not only delicious but also packed with many healthy, unsaturated fats. And the dipping sauce adds some more protein and also vitamins from the herbs. All in all it definitely can be said that this is a very well balanced meal or side dish.

How to make this dish?

As explained a bit above already, there are a few different steps to this. And yes, it takes long but it is one of those things that can just chill in the pot or oven and you can go do something else in the meantime. 

So we start by preparing the potatoes. To do this, we just add them to a pot along with some water and bring it all to a boil. Depending on how big your potatoes are, you need to cook them somewhat between 20 and 25 minutes. At approximately 5 minutes before they are done, we also are adding in the asparagus. Once they have finished cooking, we can drain them.

Now comes the fun part. Therefor we need a baking tray lined with parchment paper. We are going to have some fun and smash the potatoes (I know mom would say „don’t play with food“ but I guess in this case it is fine ;)). First, we need to gently pat them dry with a kitchen towel. They cannot be wet anymore because then they won’t become crispy. Then, we are taking one potato at a time and placing it on the parchment paper. Then, we‘ll take the pot we previously cooked them in and press it onto the potato so the peel tears apart and the potatoes are smashed. Now we need to repeat this with the remaining potatoes. 

Now all thats left to do is adding the asparagus, drizzling with olive oil, sprinkling with some salt and into the oven they go. While this is baking for approximately an hour, we can prepare the dip by mixing the herbs, greek yoghurt, sour cream and cream cheese. 

One the potatoes are done, we just add the dip and pesto on top and voilà, we can enjoy it!

Great to prepare! 

This way of cooking potatoes is amazing for when you have friends over for example. You can just pre-boil the potatoes, smash them and prepare the dip, and then drizzle with oil and bake them freshly whenever you need/ want them, and you do not make a mess anymore, you just pop them into the oven.

We really, really love this way of making potatoes because the crisp and the flavor is just genuinely soso good. I really, really hope that you‘ll also enjoy it as much!

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Incredibly Easy Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Asparagus & Pesto

This recipe is at least 5x better than your average way of making potatoes. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and really simple to make. Paired with the dip and the pesto it is pure heaven.

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 7 Stunden 30 Minuten
Total Time 7 Stunden 40 Minuten
Servings 4 sides

What you will need

  • 1 kg small potatoes (which you can eat with the peel)
  • 500 g green asparagus
  • oil
  • sea salt
  • some pesto to serve

For the dip:

  • 200 g greek yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 100 g sour cream
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped basil

How to

  1. Start by adding the potatoes to a pot and covering them with water. Bring them to a boil and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes. About 5 minutes before they are done, add the green asparagus (before adding it, cut 2 cm of the bottom off). If a fork goes in and comes out easily when picking into the potato, they are done. If not, they still need some time to cook.

  2. Drain both, the potatoes and the asparagus and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. They need to be really dry or else they won‘t get crispy.

  3. Onto a baking tray lay some parchment paper and add a potato. Take a pot and smash the potato down, until the skin has torn and the potato is about 1-2 cm thick. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Now, add the asparagus to the tray as well, drizzle all with some oil and sprinkle some sea salt. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

  4. In the meantime mix the greek yoghurt, sour cream and cream cheese with the chopped parsley and basil. 

  5. Once the potatoes & asparagus are done, serve them with the dipping sauce and the pesto. Enjoy!

Have fun cooking,
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière 

Kategorie: Diet-Specific, Lunch/ Dinner, My favorites, Side, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Stichworte: dip, easy to make, family friendly, healthy side, herb dip, heurigenkartoffel, kräuterdip, meal prep, pesto, plant based, Potaoes, potato recipes, side dish, smashed potatoes, vegan, vegetarian

Not your average, super quick beetroot and couscous Kisir

Januar 7, 2021 by katharina.kuehr Kommentar verfassen

Fluffy (not dry) couscous in a packed-with-flavor beetroot sauce, all tossed together with crunchy and fresh veggies and topped off with tangy, crumble feta cheese. Every bite is an explosion of flavours in your mouth, and every bite is pure enjoyment!

What is Kisir?

Kisir usually is a Turkish dish made from roasted red bell peppers and bulgur. The peppers are blended into a sauce and the bulgur is cooked with vegetable broth. The both then are tossed with different, chopped up vegetables and a marinade from lemon juice, pomegranate juice and olive oil.

What is special about this dish?

I am not even sure if I can call this Kisir because the only aspects we are keeping from Kisir is the sauce out of a roasted vegetable, that a grain is cooked in vegetable broth and that it both is mixed with chopped up vegetables.

Instead of bell peppers we are using beetroots. They are in season now, they are super nutritious, they are a flavour-bomb and they add a pretty colour :). Instead of bulgur we go for couscous because it is quicker and easier to make. And instead of only adding cucumber and tomatoes, we are upgrading our couscous and making it more international with spring onions, edamame beans and feta.

So, you can see it is pretty far from Kisir and at the same time really similar. And it needs to be said, it is at least as delicious, I promise!

Is this dish healthy?

Oh, yes! It is not only packed with flavour but also with many many nutrients. The star of the show, beetroot, is an extremely healthy, immune system boosting vegetable, with many many healthy benefits, If you are interested in it, you can check out my September Top 5 and learn more about it!

Besides the star, we also have many other small stars. Edamame, for example is not only super delicious, but also packed with protein and nutrients. Cucumber, vitamin loaded. Bell Pepper, fibre star. spring onions and the herbs also add another nutrient kick! So, there are many ingredients that will make you feel amazing!

And then we also have the couscous, which is a great source of carbohydrates, and when bought wholegrain also a great source of protein. The olive oil, which we are adding, also adds some healthy fats and the lemon some vitamin C!

How to make this dish?

Easiest thing ever. Because no-one wants to spend an hour cooking lunch when their tummy already is groaning. It essentially comes down to preparing the couscous, blending the beets with vegetable broth and oil, chopping the veggies and mixing everything! Yes, it is as easy as it sounds!

When and how to best have it?

It is great for a quick lunch, a leftover side for dinner but also as a delicious meal prep idea. You can store it very well in the fridge (the flavours will only get more intense) and have it the next day!

I love to serve it with some feta or goats cream cheese and some fresh herbs. If you are more on the meat side you could add some grilled chicken or if you are plant based, go ahead and add some chickpeas or vegan feta!

I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we do and that it will be a healthy staple in you winter cuisine! Have a fun and delicious time cooking and enjoy!

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Not your average, super quick beetroot and couscous Kisir

a flavor packed, creamy (not dry) couscous in a beetroot sauce, tossed with fresh, crunchy veggies and topped with tangy feta. All ready in 15 minuntes!

Course Appetizer, dinner, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine turquish (inspired)
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 15 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 473 kcal

What you will need

  • 300 g couscous
  • 600 ml vegetable broth
  • 2 rather small beets
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 100 g edamame beens (cooked)
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 150 g feta
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tbsp mint
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon

How to

  1. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Take off the heat and add about 3 tbsp of it to a blender with the beets. Pour in the couscous to the rest and let it soak up the liquid and fluff.

  2. Chop up the cucumber and bell peppers into small (about 1cm sized) pieces. Finely slice the spring onions and chopp the herbs. Add them all to a large bowl. In a seperate bowl combine the olive oil, honey and lemon juice.

  3. When the couscous is done, add it to the bowl with the veggies, the beetroot sauce and olive oil mixture. Mix it through until the sauce has covered everything.

  4. Divide onto plates and crumble the feta on top. Serve with some fresh herbs and enjoy!

Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Kategorie: Appetizers, Diet-Specific, Lunch/ Dinner, Salad, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Stichworte: beet, beetroot, couscous, easy lunch, feta, healthy side, healthy vegan, kisser, light lunch, main dish, plant based, quick, salad, side dish, side salad, tabouleh, vegan, veganuary, vegetarian

Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Honey Feta Caramelised Walnuts

Oktober 28, 2020 by katharina.kuehr Kommentar verfassen

Let’s just agree on one thing; veggie side dishes are underrated. It is true, very true actually that all side dishes are underrated! To be honest, I do not need the main part of the meal, just the sides if I was asked. Imagine this: super crispy balsamic vinegar glazed Brussel sprouts baked in the oven and topped with warm walnuts that are coated with honey and molten Feta. Sounds good, right? If you tried this, you would agree that sides are underrated!

What is special about this dish?

The walnuts are prepared in a very special way, which I have never seen before. They are coated with a slightly sweet molten feta. I promise you, this is good (really, you could only eat this)! The Brussel sprouts are more „traditionally“ prepared but still equally as good! The balsamic vinegar adds very much taste and the oil and sea salt make them really crispy.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes and yes! Brussel sprouts = super healthy. Loaded with Vitamins, fibre and nutrients. They actually have been the food of the month October, you can read more about them here. The walnuts are incredibly high in healthy fats and they have many other health benefits. My uncle always said, eat them while studying because they improve your brain (it actually is proven that they improve brain function) – so yep, also these are healthy. And feta? It is pretty high in protein and way healthier than most other cheeses. So all in all, very very good.

How to make them?

This is incredibly easy. First you need to finely slice the Brussel sprouts and roast them in them in the oven. No mess in the kitchen but lots of flavour. Then, you need to prepare the nuts. This means, roughly chop the nuts and add them to a pan. When roasting nuts, you do not need any oil (when using a non-stick pan). Then you add the crumbled (or finely chopped) feta along with the honey and a pinch of sea salt. The heat of the nuts will melt down the feta and make it goey and creamy. This then combines with the honey and it is incredible. When you let it cool just a little bit, it will all crispen up, and then its perfect. When the Brussel sprouts are golden and crispy, take them out and to with the nuts. That’s all.

When and how to best have them:

I love this as a side dish for anything. Not only as a side but also as a topping. For example with a roasted meat, especially now in fall, it is amazing. But also on top of buddha bowls, rice bowls or even on top of pasta it would be amazing. There are no limits, it truly upgrades any dish. Plus, it is pretty family friendly because you get your nutrients through the veggies and it still tastes amazing because of the slightly sweet nuts. It kind of is like comfort food but still healthy.

Substitutes

Brussel sprouts – other veggies like pumpkin, sweet potato or broccoli would also work very well, just notice these would take longer to roast
Walnuts – almonds, pecans, hazelnuts
Honey – maple syrup, agave, other liquid sweeteners
Feta – I would not recommend substituting that (if there really is no way around, maybe with another soft cheese)

I hope that you will love this recipe and that you will enjoy it all throughout fall. Goes well with everything anytime. A must try – especially because it is so easy!

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Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Honey Feta Caramelised Walnuts

Crispy and golden brussel sprouts topped with sweet and goey walnuts coated in molten feta. A perfect, comfortiung and still healthy side dish!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 side servings
Calories 245 kcal

What you will need

  • 600 g brussel sprouts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 60 g walnuts
  • 60 g feta
  • 2 tbsp honey

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the brussel sprouts and pat them dry. Slice them into about 3-4 mm thick slices. Toss the in the oil and salt and lay them out on a baking tray, leaving space inbetween them. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and roast for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

  2. Roughly chop the walnuts and crumble the feta into small pieces. Add the nuts to a non-stick pan and turn onto high heat. Roast them for about 2-3 minutes. Add the feta and honey. Let the feta melt down and the gently stir through until the walnits are coated with the feta cheese. Turn down to low heat.

  3. When the brussel sprouts are done roasting, top them with the caramelized nuts and serve! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Kategorie: Diet-Specific, Fall, Season, Side, Vegetarian Stichworte: 30 minute, brussel sprouts, caramel, easy side, fall food, family friendly, feta, healthy side, honey, nut, quick, side sit, vegetarian, walnuts

Oven baked Sweet Potato Fries

Mai 7, 2020 by katharina.kuehr Kommentar verfassen

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. With a little hint of roasted garlic and paprika. Sprinkled with a little sea salt. That’s what I call the perfect side. No matter with what, a burger, a salad or just by itself. It is so good. And so simple. You will never want to go back to making sweet potatoes differently.

More Sweet Potato inspiration…

I absolutely love sweet potatoes. In any form. Baked as a whole and stuffed, mashed, boiled, fried, baked in little chunks or whatever. They are just so tasty! I already have a few recipes on my blog with it like the Miso sweet potato with coconut rice or the Thai sweet potato cauliflower soup or the fall tabouleh stuffed sweet potatoes (which honestly are so good) and one of my favourites, the harvest buddha bowl with apple chicken! But all of those were a while ago so I knew it was time to make something new.

Are sweet potatoes healthy?

Sweet Potatoes, as the name says, are potatoes, and taste very similar to regular ones, just a little sweeter. Because of that they are also sometimes used in desserts or sweet dishes. But they are just as common in savoury ones. They are extremely high in Fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Protein. Plus, they are very high in antioxidants, meaning they support your gut healthy. All in all, super healthy.

How do you make them?

It‘s really simple! Cut into thin strips. They should be rather small and thin because this way they’ll get crispier in the oven. If you have the time for that I would recommend soaking the strips in water because that helps to remove some of the starch to make it crispier (this wasn’t my idea, i learned it at pickuplimes blog). And of course, you need to pat them dry afterwards, very dry, because obviously, water will make them soggy. Next step, which I do recommend, is tossing them in a little cornstarch. I also love making this with my tofu (like in my vegan glas boodle salad recipe) because it really binds the water in the food. 

Spice it up!!

Next up: spices! This is really important because the key to good food are good spices! The spices used really depend on what you serve the potatoes with. For example, if we serve it with a burger, I would recommend using paprika and garlic. If it is a side to some grilled halloumi, some herbs like rosemary and oregano work really well. If you are making wedges and want to make them a bit extra (in winter this is so good!), you can add some cinnamon. This surprisingly works really well!

Tossing them in spices is really essential. They add so much flavour. So last on the list is some oil. I would recommend using olive oil or another one that is neutral in taste. The oil adds more flavour and helps crisping them up. The potatoes are now baked on very high heat in the oven, for really not long. After taking them out, you can sprinkle some sea salt and serve them with a delicious sauce.

Why not frying them?

The reason we are making them in the oven is fairly simple. Because it is way healthier. While they do get a little crispier when deep fried, they also soak up way more oil. This means way more fat and calories. Of course, once in a while it is super good, but when making it more often, baking them in the oven is just way healthier.

I hope that you will love this recipe as much as I do and your family or friends do so too. In our house, they are always gone, and not a single fry is a leftover! Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Sweet Potato Fries from the Oven

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly spiced! The ideal side for anything!

Course lunch, Side Dish
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 sides
Calories 230 kcal

What you will need

  • 600-800 g Sweet Potatoes 2 smaller ones or 1 big one
  • 3 tbsp corn starch
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • some sea salt

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.

    Wash the sweet potatoes. Cut them into about 1cm thick strips, about 8cm in length. Place them in a large bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes. This helps to remove the starch.

    Drain them and place on a kitchen towel or kitchen paper and tap them dry. They need to be really dry.

    Place them in a clean bowl and toss with the cornstarch and spices.

    Spread them onto two baking trays and make sure they have enough space. They should not touch each other. Drizzle the olive oil and add the garlic cloves (they do not need to be peeled). Sprinkle some salt on top.

    Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them. Bake for another 5-8 minutes. Take out and serve. Enjoy!

    P.s.: If you want, you can squish out the garlic from the peel and mix with some mayonaise to get a garlic dip!

Kategorie: Diet-Specific, Lunch/ Dinner, Side, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Stichworte: carbohydrates, carbs side, fries, garlic, garlic fries, healthy, healthy fries, healthy side, oven baked, potato, side dish, Snack, spicy, Sweet potato, sweet potato fries, sweet potatoes

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