side dishes- vegetables that children and adults like/eat and are easy to make

[Anonymous]

We are in a rut of steamed brocolli and steamed greenbeans. What else can we get that my children (ages 8, 4) will actually eat, that doesn't take forever to prepare, and that we will like too?

I almost think even just having a sauce for the veggies would make them more attractive to us.

[Anonymous]

Roast the broccoli -- 425 degree oven, olive oil and salt -- 20 minutes and perfect. I roast cauliflower the same way (add parmesan cheese and turmeric to make it pretty.

[Anonymous]

Roast all the things!
Sweet potatos and butternut squash (buy them pre-chopped, it makes me feel lazy, but soooo convenient)
Mushrooms
Beets
Asparagus
Green beans

Literally anything tastes good with olive oil and salt at 450 for 30 min.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried roasted cauliflower and kale chips? For the cauliflower, cut it up into florets, put onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and put in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve. For kale chips, cut the ribs out of the kale (so get the full leaves, not the pre chopped bags) and put on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to cover with the oil. Put in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, checking and turning the leaves a few times. The leaves at the edges of the pan tend to get too brown, so move them around a bit. Pull it out when the kale is crisp. Sprinkle with salt. The cauliflower technique works nicely with broccoli, beans, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Roast all the things!
Sweet potatos and butternut squash (buy them pre-chopped, it makes me feel lazy, but soooo convenient)
Mushrooms
Beets
Asparagus
Green beans

Literally anything tastes good with olive oil and salt at 450 for 30 min.

Truth.

[Anonymous]

We roast brussel sprouts, coated in olive oil, salt & pepper. Soooo good! Everyone in my family loves them. They take a while in the oven but if you put them in first before you start cooking your main dish, they shouldn't be too far behind when you've just about got dinner ready.

You can serve with thousand island as dipping sauce if that helps the kids.

[Anonymous]

Someone already beat me to it. roast everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We roast brussel sprouts, coated in olive oil, salt & pepper. Soooo good! Everyone in my family loves them. They take a while in the oven but if you put them in first before you start cooking your main dish, they shouldn't be too far behind when you've just about got dinner ready.

You can serve with thousand island as dipping sauce if that helps the kids.

DD (4) surprised me the other night by gobbling down her brussel sprouts. I just roasted them with evoo, salt and paprika in the same pan as some chicken thighs. Everything was done at the same time, one pan, easy peasy. Also, they keep for a bit (raw) in the fridge, so if you don't get to them on the planned night, a couple nights later they will still be fine. Just don't cook them to mush.

roast carrots or apples (okay, not a veg, but still yummy)
steamed edamame (bonus protein)

[Anonymous]

In addition to the roasted veggies (love cauliflower), kale chips, and edamame suggested above, we love thinly sliced beets, brushed with oil and grilled. They are deliciously sweet and crunchy. We also make 'salads' every night. My kids (3 & 5) usually get a bowl full of sugar snaps, carrots, cucumber, red pepper, and avocado for that with a token piece of lettuce.

[Anonymous]

+1 for salads. One of my kids likes lettuce and other doesn't, but they both love cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, and bell peppers.

Sweet potatoes are good - diced and roasted, baked whole (top w/ butter and cinnamon and sugar for the kids), steamed/boiled and mashed. Glazed carrots are also good - lightly steam for a minute or two, then saute with butter and maple syrup, add a dash of cayenne pepper if you like.

Asparagus is always a hit in our house, although the kids only eat the stems and leave the tops for me to nibble, for some odd reason.

I haven't had much luck getting my kids hooked on brussels sprouts or kale - on those nights, I just give them extra salad veggies. I still think it's good for them to see us eating a variety of interesting vegetables (and I like them!).

[Anonymous]

In addition to roasted veggies, we often make an Asian-style slaw (assuming there are no nut allergies).
Use coleslaw-sliced cabbage, finely chop in a bell pepper, scallions, cilantro and add in a handful of peanuts. The dressing is made with equal parts of honey+rice vinegar+oil, a dab of peanut butter, dash of soy sauce, crushed ginger and a drizzle of Asian roasted sesame oil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in a rut of steamed brocolli and steamed greenbeans. What else can we get that my children (ages 8, 4) will actually eat, that doesn't take forever to prepare, and that we will like too?

I almost think even just having a sauce for the veggies would make them more attractive to us.

I roast cauliflower and broccoli with hormone-free bacon bits. Kids almost steal them out of the oven.

[Anonymous]

Carrots. Slice them, put them in a saute pan w/ a little olive oil, cook a minute, add some water, cover, and steam for about 6 minutes, remove lid and cook out the water. Add a spot of butter, s/p. Yum!
Also agree with roasting carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc.

[Anonymous]

Steamed Asparagus. Pan saute with some olive oil and salt. Amazing.

Middle eastern Eggplant dip - Baba Ghanoush (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/babaganoush-recipe.html).

Crispy fried Okra - http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/crispy-okra-fry-recipe-crisp-bhindi-fry/

Sliced mushrooms - sauteed in butter and garlic and a bit of salt.

[Anonymous]

Well sautéed onions with Brie melted on top.