Summer is almost here guys which means my favorite time of year for all things food is right around the corner! Vegetables and fruit become sweeter and juicier than ever before and things like a homegrown sliced tomato with a little salt and pepper or the first bite of a sweet watermelon make my mouth water! Eating healthy becomes easier than ever with so many good for you foods available at your fingertips. One of my go-to veggies that we have on a weekly basis is corn on the cob! I have the easiest method for juicy corn that is ready in a snap. My roasted corn on the cob recipe will have you whipping up this side dish all summer long!
t's raining cats and dogs here in Texas and the sun isn't supposed to show it's face to us again until Friday...bummer dude. I am not one of those people who likes rain for more than about a day because I crave sunshine like I crave chocolate. I need it for energy, a good mood booster, and I tend to eat healthier when the sun is shining. When it rains, I want comfort food and to stay in my pajamas all day, if I'm being honest. Recipes like these Indian spiced cauliflower steaks save me when the weather gets dreary because it satisfies my need for comfort food while not derailing my diet.
I have a confession, I am not really back into the kitchen yet. This recipe was one I made and shot before giving birth that I had planned on blogging before I went into labor. And I'm so glad I had it on the back burner to have ready to go post baby because last night was my first night back in the kitchen in over a month! Easy dinners are an absolute essential for me right now, especially because Canean has been having to do some of the cooking while I have been in recovery/new baby mode! My spinach, sun-dried tomato, and goat cheese stuffed sweet potatoes are the perfect easy dinner or side and happen to be packed full of nutrients and can be ready without breaking a sweat.
When you marry a man from Louisiana you learn to cook rice...a lot. Growing up Cajun, my husband ate rice with most meals and still to this day it is one of his favorite side dishes. While traditionally white rice was always served, I have over the years, swapped some of that white rice for brown rice as a healthier alternative! On top of that, adding in different flavor components to a rather plain side, keeps things interesting for the both of us! My cilantro and lime brown rice is one of our favorite ways to prepare brown rice and is delicious served alongside your favorite tacos, or with a grilled piece of fish.
Fresh summer corn is one of my favorite vegetables to eat. I like it on the cob, grilled, sauteed, and every way in between. In the past couple of weeks the kernels have gotten so sweet and I've been finding myself buying at least a half dozen at the store every week. My pregnancy taste buds could eat it plain with salt, pepper, and butter just about everyday, but I know that Canean appreciates a little recipe switch up from time to time if I (and baby) insist on corn being a part of our weekly diet right now. My 15-minute corn confetti is the perfect side dish to take your corn to the next level! It's fast, easy, and each bite is full of tiny flavor explosions.
We all need those fast side dishes that can be made from scratch, but can be ready with little to no effort! Weeknight meals can be saved with side dishes just like this one! No need for canned or frozen corn here, we are all about using fresh corn that is at it's peak flavor right now!
Last week I shared my new favorite risotto recipe where I added pesto to the mix. It's a great recipe if you missed it, but the point here is that you almost always have leftovers after you make risotto. Leftovers that are too delicious to get rid of, and one of my favorite ways to use up my risotto leftovers is to make risotto balls! Being that I could dip most things into marinara sauce (mozzarella sticks, pizza crust, crusty bread...okay so I could did anything carb loaded into marinara sauce), my baked pesto risotto balls are the perfect accompaniment to my love of dipping and marinara.
These little balls of flavor are perfect to serve as an appetizer or as a side dish in my opinion. And since the risotto is the real time consuming part and it's usually already made, you can whip up these risotto balls in a flash! Your guests will be impressed, your kids will love them, and you will look like a kitchen genius.
