Anyway, I was armed with the cutest little heads of cabbage from the farm and, yup you guessed it, feta. :) So i decided to combine them together and I’m so glad I did! This was fabulous! I almost ate the whole bowl in one sitting. I had to force myself to save it for dinner.

I had both the husband and child taste it. The husband said it was ok but he’s not a cabbage man. His reaction was pretty much what I expected. The Little Guy, well, let’s just say he was brave to try it even though he ended up spitting it out. Hey.. you can’t win them all. :)

• 2 small heads of cabbage (about 2 cups shredded 140g) I used 1 red and one green.
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta (34g)
• 1/2 tbsp honey (10g)
• 1 tsp olive oil (5g)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Pinch of fresh ground black pepper or more to taste.

I told you. They are so stinkin’ cute I had to post a few picures of the cabbage heads.

The purple one especially.

Even shredded it’s pretty! :)

To make the dressing put the feta, honey, olive oil, oregano and vinegar in a bowl and…

… whisk with a fork, squishing the feta making a creamy dressing like so…

Pour the dressing over the shredded cabbage…

and toss!

Enjoy! I could easily eat the whole batch but I’ll split it into 2, 1 cup servings. It’s a nice size. You could easily split it 4 ways for a small side with dinner.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have partnered with ATHENOS Feta to serve as one of ATHENOS Change for the Feta Bloggers. I am compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes blogging about my cooking experiences with ATHENOS Feta. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my Change for the Feta creations. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Click here to see all my Feta Ideas!!

Sometimes I think the white potato gets a bad rep. I normally choose sweet but there’s nothing wrong with a good size Idaho now and then. ESPECIALLY in fry form. :)

So I thought I’d share my latest technique and inspire you try fries the homemade way. Note: If you are expecting fast food style you will be disappointed. Think of these as hand held roasted potatoes that taste YUMMY in ketchup. :)

• 1 large Idaho (baking) potato (~350-400g)
• Non-Stick cooking spray
• Kosher salt

Turn on the broiler and let then oven heat up.

Here’s my steps. I thought I’d walk you through my whole process. It may be excessive but I had fun snapping the photos. :)

Start with your potato.

Cut it in half. der.

Turn the potato halves flat side down and cut in about 1/2 inch thick slices.

Lay the slices down…

and then one by one, cut them in half.

Rinse the fry pieces and place in a bowl of cool water.

Line an cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Dry the fries on a clean kitchen towel.

Place the fries on the cookie sheet, Spray with a bit more spray and sprinkle with salt. (Note: you could add other spices if you like, rosemary? garlic powder? Anything would be yum!)

Put them in the oven, 2 notches under the broiler.

Pull them out in 10 minutes. They should look like this…

Flip them and place back in the oven for 8-10 more minutes until golden brown like this…

Pile them up on a place, add a side of ketchup and dig in! :)

I’m calculating nutritional information based on 2 servings using a large potato (around 350-400g). Note: If you want to eat the whole batch (I do all the time) it’s 5 points not 4. That whole fiber thing bites us in the butt again! ;)

I’m telling you, the stars must be in perfect alignment. Little guy ate his whole plate without one single complaint. Not one. I nearly fell off my chair. These are the days that make me smile. We tried something new and ate a healthy home cooked meal. Mission completed!

As for the radishes, I really had no idea what I was doing. I heard someone talking abut roasted radishes and thought they sounded interesting. Raw radishes are very peppery. The husband and I like them like that but the little guy thinks they are "too spicey". In contrast, roasted they come out soft and sweet. Perfect for young palettes and a wonderful twist for adults. The husband who really likes them raw had nothing but good things to say about them cooked. Frankly, I was shocked.

• 1 bag of radishes, like a quart size (mine total about 430 g)
• 1 small vidalia onion (more or less to taste)
• 2 tsp olive oil (8g)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the radishes in quarters.

Chop the onion.

Measure out 8g of olive oil in a medium sized bowl. Add the radishes, onion and salt. Toss to coast everything.

Pour radishes into a baking dish or cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast for 30-40 minutes until soft. Toss about every 10 minutes.

I served mine with broccoli and Pomegranate Pork which they went prfectly with!

So when I saw this box of Quaker Quick Barley at the grocery store I thought I’d give it a try. I picked it up with some fresh cilantro, something I also rarely buy. I know fresh herbs are the way to go but I rarely buy them. I’ve have grown my own but not yet this season. I’m trying though!

Anyway, I decided on a side dish and I made something like my Super Quick Fried Rice. Surprisingly BOTH husband and child liked, no, LOVED the result. The husband said he liked it better then rice and the little guy didn’t even know what it was. I believe his exact quote was, "YAY! I love that rice." I just let him go with his bad self and he ate dinner with no complaints. :)

I have to admit the cilantro made all the difference. The flavor was amazing in this!

Here’s what I did.

• 1 cup (144) uncooked quick barley (I used this from Quaker )
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 2 carrots diced small
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• About an inch of ginger root
• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Cook the barley according to the package with 2 cups of water.

In a large skillet heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften and get slightly transparent.

Add in the cooked barley. Add the soy sauce and grate the ginger root on top (I keep mine in the freezer and grate it frozen. It’s a sinch. Click here to see a video where I talk about it)

Add in the cilantro. Stir to merge all the flavors and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

I served mine as a side dish but you could easily turn this into a meal by adding a protein and/or more veggies. Here’s the nutritional info splitting it into 4 side dish servings.

Surprisingly BOTH husband and child ate this with NO complaints. I mean, I had to coax the little guy a bit but I didn’t get any "I don’t like these" or "Those are Yucky"’s As for the husband… he’s come a loooong way from his ‘I only eat broccoli and corn‘ days. lol

Here’s how I make Simply Roasted Brussels Sprouts for my family…

• 1 lb Brussels Sprouts
• 1 tbsp olive oil (14g)
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Clean and half the brussels sprouts like so.

First rinse the sprout.

Cut a bit of the base off.

Some leaves may fall off. That’s ok.

Cut the sprout in half from the base.

Place all halves in a bowl.

Measure of the tbsp of olive and and the 1/2 tsp of salt. Toss in the bowl to cover all sprouts with oil and salt.

Pour onto a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil.

Roast for 20 minutes shaking and tossing about half way through.

I don’t why but making and posting these put a smile on my face tonight. :)

Here’s the story… We picked up a cooked rotisserie chicken and I wanted a quick side. This is what I came up with mostly because I didn’t want to make a separate veggie and starch. Shockingly BOTH the husband and the little guy LOVED it. I got unsolicited compliments and they totally cleaned their plates. I don’t dare call it "creamy" although that was my intention but it didn’t matter, the flavor from the one wedge of cheese was a great pair with the pasta and peas. So simple too.

• 3oz Orzo Whole Wheat Pasta (84g)
• 1 Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese Wedges Light
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 cups of frozen peas (200g)

Prepare the pasta according to the package. Remove from heat, quickly drain and return to pot. Add the laughing cow cheese wedge and garlic powder. Stir continuously until the cheese completely dissolves. You may want to squish it now and then.

Once the cheese is melted add the frozen peas and stir until they defrost. The dish is meant to be served at room temp or slightly chilled, like a salad.

So after returning from the gym this morning I looked in the fridge, saw the bulgur. Looked in the freezer, saw the bag of frozen veggies and tadaaaa Asian Inspired Tabouli Salad was born!

It is tasty! A wonderful chilled salad and very filling. You can totally put this out for a party, use it as a side dish or separate the recipe into two servings for lunch!

• 1/2 cup dry bulgur (80g)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 16oz (1lb) bag of frozen Asian vegetables (or stir-fry mix)
• 1/2 tbsp honey (10g)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (14g)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

In a small saucepan bring the bulgur and water to a boil. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. (note: I did this ahead so mine was chilled when preparing although I don’t think it will make much of a difference) (double note: DO NOT lift the lid. That’s always my downfall.)

Place the bag of frozen veggies in a microwave safe dish and cook until defrosted but not hot. I did 2 minutes stirred and then 2 more minutes.

In a large bowl add the honey, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, cilantro, ginger, 2 pinched of salt, and some cracked black pepper.

Whisk.

Add the veggies and bulgur.

Stir to coat everything in the dressing.

Chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

As you can see the little guy was unwilling to try. :( He said it looked "yucky." *sigh* he’s turning into your typical 4 year old picky eater.

I’m giving the nutritional information for 2 servings but split it up anyway that makes sense for you. The picture above is 1/2 the recipe.

Anyway, last year I perfected the mashed potatoes and invented my crock pot sweet potatoes. Which my mom really fell in love with and they are now part of our Thanksgiving dinner tradition. Which is fabulous as they are such a “set it and forget it” type of dish on such a crazy day.

A few years ago we started including asparagus on Thanksgiving. We’ve never been a big green bean casserole type of family. Honestly, I never understood the green bean casserole obsession in this country. It looks totally gross to me. If I’m gonna eat green beans I much rather them straight up anyway. Just my preference.

So instead of the green beans we go asparagus and I normally just roast them with some garlic. But this year I wanted to try something new. Why? I don’t know… it’s fun! :)

Here’s how I made them last night. You can of course double, triple or even use different proportions of onion to asparagus.

• 5oz pearl onions peeled (this technique works well)
• 1 bundle of asparagus
• 1 tsp olive oil (4g)
• 2 tbsp real bacon bits (14g)
• Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the onion with the olive oil and a bit of salt in a bowl.

Spread the onions on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast for at least 20 minutes shaking and tossing a few times.

Meanwhile clean and cut the asparagus. Snap off the ends and discard. Then cut them in chunks about 2 inches long. I sliced mine diagonally for a pretty effect.

Put the clean asparagus in the same bowl you tossed the onions with the olive oil. Add the bacon bits and cooked onions. Toss again and return everything to the same cookie sheet and sprinkle with a bit more salt. Roast for another 10 minutes until asparagus softens a bit.

My plan for next week is two 10oz package of onions. and 3 bundles of asparagus.. I may have 14 coming. Yikes!

I wanted broccoli but I’m bored with simply nuking frozen or steaming fresh so I decided to roast it. Boy I’m glad I did! What an awesome way to prepare boring old broccoli! Some of the edges scorch and the florets soften without getting mushy. Seriously, it’s awesome!

The toddler was first thrown off by the brown spots but he ate his and seemed to enjoy them. The husband? Not impressed. Honestly, he’s boring. He’s prefer simply unflavored broccoli and that’s cool. But he’s gonna have to deal with me mixing in SOME flavor now and then. ;)

• 2 heads of broccoli
• non-stick cooking spray, preferably the olive oil kind
• Salt and Pepper
• About a 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• zest of 1 lemon with a bit of the juice from a small lemon
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Clean and cut the broccoli drying thoroughly.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the broccoli on the sheet and spray again. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Roast for 20 minutes until the florets soften and begin to brown on the edges. Remove from heat and toss the broccoli with the zest, a squeeze of the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese.

Serve!

Here’s a little pre and post. Notice my little "Super Ryan." He loves that costume!

To save myself some time tonight I’m skippig the nutritional information. The only thing we are adding is a bit of fat through the spray and the cheese. I’d count it as 3 servings about a point each but that’s just me. :)

Oh! and I served with chicken and sweet potatoe fries!

This one may be my shortest yet. It’s for those that asked how I prepare my sugar snap peas. It’s so simple I’m not sure it warrants a video but whatever, you get to hear me yelling at the toddler for the millionth time. :~P

The other recipes I used in the dinner I made in the video…

• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Simple Chicken Tips with Gravy

See I generally only keep 1-2 baking potatoes on hand for the husband as a quick side dish when I know he won’t like what I’m making (for example sweet potatoes, quinoa, bulgar, couscous – that’s right he won’t eat any of those.) I’ll simply bake a potato and he’s happy. Actually besides mashed it’s the only other way he’ll eat potatoes. Boy, now that I think about it, he IS freakin’ picky. But I digress.

Anyway, I must have planned on making mashed a couple of weeks ago so I picked up a few extra. Then I forgot I did and picked up a 5lb bag this past week because they were on sale. Now I have a gross of white potatoes on my hands. So what do I do? Make home fries out of potatoes of course! (that was suppose to be a play on ‘make lemonade out of lemons’ but I don’t think it worked too well. lol)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• thick slice of sweet onion chopped
• medium bell pepper chopped (I used 1/3 red 1/3 green but they were big)
• 1 medium-large sized baking potato (around 280g) cubed
• kosher salt & pepper

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion then pepper. Cook for a few minutes while you cube the potato. Add the potato. Liberally sprinkle with kosher salt and a bit of pepper. Cover.

Now. LEAVE IT ALONE for 3 minutes. Sorry, didn’t mean to scream but this is the key. We want to just about burn the side that’s down. After 3 minutes toss and assess the burnt-ness. If is too black then you may want to lower to medium. I kept the heat at medium-high but I was going for the scorched look. Re-cover and leave alone for another 3 minutes.

After the second three minutes, toss again and give a potato a try. It should be getting soft. If you’d like to add more seasoning do so now. Cover and cook for an additional 3 minutes. This should be long enough to cook the cubed potatoes. If it isn’t, repeat the process until they are to your liking or simply lower the heat to medium-low and keep the cover on until you are ready to eat.

Now, I did used a tsp of olive oil but I also tried the technique with cooking spray and it worked as well. However, to me this is a perfect meal to use a bit of real oil as all the other ingredients are naturally fat free. It’s when I’m using meat that I generally skip the added oil. That’s just my approach. Either way the nutritional information below is with the tsp of oil.

My mission was a success. I’m STILL satisfied and I ate this over 4 hours ago! I’m shocked!

• about 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher Salt & Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Dried Basil
• 3oz of water
• 1/8 cup whole wheat couscous (30g) (I buy RiceSelect Organic Whole Wheat Couscous online and keep it in stock)
• About a tbsp roasted pumpkin seed kernels (15g)
• Dried Parsley

Roast the tomatoes using the Simply Roasted Cherry Tomatoes recipe.

While the tomatoes are cooking, bring the water to a boil in a small pot. Sprinkle a pinch of onion powder, garlic powder and dried basil. Once the water is boiling, add the couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat. Leave alone until tomatoes are done.

Once tomatoes are roasted to your liking, toss them with the cooked couscous and pumpkin seed kernels. Top with a bit of dried parsley and enjoy!