By Katie Goodman

Last week Natalie, CRAFT's Editor-in-Chief, was telling me that she feels like she always just ends up steaming broccoli or green beans to go as a vegetable side with her meal. “Is there an interesting way to spruce up veggies or whatnot as a side dish?” I thought this would be a perfect 101 topic. And for a long time, I too, struggled with what to do with vegetables. I mean, I could only take so many nights of steamed broccoli or basic green salads. I needed variety!

In time, I learned that there are many simple ways to make vegetables interesting as a side. You don’t have to follow some complicated recipe or create a whole new dish. Instead, you just have to be creative about how you cook the vegetables and then think about the flavors you want to go with them.

My approach to vegetables (as a side – not as a main dish) goes as follows:

Choose a cooking method:

• Grill them
• Roast them
• Sautè/stir-fry them

Then choose add-in(s):

• Toss them with oil and vinegar
• Add another vegetable or herbs
• Add cheese
• Add nuts
• Or a combination of the above

In the summer I love to grill vegetables, especially if I’m already cooking something else on the grill. I might as well add the vegetables too. You can put the vegetables directly on the grill grates, use one of those vegetable pans made for grills, or wrap the vegetables in foil. Grilled Red Potatoes with Rosemary in a foil packet is a favorite summertime side of ours. Recently I experimented with Grilled Baby Artichokes . I cooked these directly on the grill.

In the fall and winter I love to roast vegetables. Roasting vegetables adds a nice subtle, sweet flavor to vegetables and is a great way to change the flavor without adding a lot of extra calories. You can simply toss a vegetable with oil and roast it. If you want to be more creative, you can add other elements like I did in these Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots. But roasting isn’t just for the cold weather months. Sure, it makes more sense, because you aren’t as worried about heating up the house, but we really love this recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Fries with Parmesan as a side with our burgers in the summer.

Want to cook your vegetables stovetop but don’t want them steamed (or boiled – yuck)? Try sautéing instead. Brussels sprouts that are sautéed with bacon and shallots are so much better than steamed sprouts. In this recipe for Brussels Sprouts, I’ve taken a side dish of sautèed Brussels sprouts and turned it into a main dish by adding pasta. Just follow the recipe formula, minus the pasta, for a great side dish.

Adding oil and vinegar to a vegetable – it can be steamed, roasted, grilled or sautéed – adds a lot of flavor. I especially love to grill summer squashes and drizzle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Maybe you can make a vegetable more exciting by pairing it with a partner, either another vegetable, herbs, or both. I like to pair yellow squash and zucchini together in the summer. In the winter, caramelized shallots go great with broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, and more.

Add cheese – that’s pretty simple. Mozzarella, parmesan, blue cheese, feta, goat cheese…there are so many choices! Last week I made Green Beans with Tomatoes and Feta. The feta really added a lot.

The green bean recipe mentioned above also had sliced almonds on top. Nuts are a great way to add a little more excitement and texture to a vegetable. Pine nuts go great with Roasted Broccoli.

As you feel more confident, you will definitely want to experiment with a combination of the above choices, and maybe you’ll think of more options and add-ins that work for you. Hopefully this article with give you a starting point and a few recipe ideas.

About the Author:

Katie Goodman resides in New Mexico with her husband and two children (a 4-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl). Learning in the kitchen, eating, trying new recipes, and sharing them with friends and loved ones are some of Katie's favorite things to do. She wholeheartedly believes that part of the goodness in life is enjoying good food with good friends and family, and goodLife {eats} is a place for her to share what she finds good in the kitchen.