Category: Sides

Mexican Sautéed Corn

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Hey guys! If you don’t already know, I love corn. And sweet potatoes. And peanut butter. And granola. But today we’re focusing on corn, and this delicious side dish! It’s quick, simple, and so so good:)

Frozen corn is just amazing, guys. It’s so speedy and makes a great addition to any meal or bowl🙌 You know what else it’s good for? Sautéing! To make this corn I started by frying up some onions and peppers, which add flavour and a little something extra👌 Then I added lots of corn and some tasty spices to bring everything together. Delish!

The spices I used include cumin, cayenne powder, garlic powder, paprika and oregano. This gives all the veggies a great Mexican flair, and makes them a great side dish for tacos, or as an add in in a burrito bowl! That would be really good actually now that I think about it. There may be a burrito bowl coming your way soon lol😂

Enjoy this simple but healthy and super tasty Mexican Sautéed Corn!

Mexican Sautéed Corn

Serves: 4

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 2/3 cups frozen corn
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 a yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprkia
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the onions and peppers, and cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add the corn and all of the spices to the pan. Stir to combine.
  3. Cook until the water from the frozen corn has evaporated, and the corn gets a bit of char. Remove from the heat.
  4. Serve the corn warm and enjoy!

Let me know if you try out this recipe! It’s a good one:)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked:)))

Fall Couscous with Butternut Squash

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Here’s another fall recipe for you guys! I don’t work with squash very often, but we have a big bag of frozen squash chunks in our freezer and it’s fall so I figured it’s time to bring it out😂 Another ingredient that I haven’t used in a looooong while is couscous. I’ve been on the quinoa train, but couscous is actually really good! It’s basically just really small beads of pasta made from durum wheat, and it cooks super fast so it’s very convenient. Combining these two underrated ingredients with some other awesome stuff is going to give you the perfect fall side dish🙌🙌

We’re roasting up the butternut squash along with chickpeas and red onion, and everything is going to get SUPER caramelized and delicious. The couscous takes like 5 minutes, so it can be whipped up just as you’re taking the veg out of the oven. For some crunch (and extra autumn-y-ness) we’ve got pumpkin seeds! Then everything is tossed together with a tahini and apple cider vinegar dressing😍

I love how the couscous almost absorbs the dressing, so it’s just full of great flavour. And of course, roasted veg is my fave! Honestly, how else would you eat squash? Boiled? Just not as good. I hope you enjoy this awesome fall dish!

Fall Couscous with Butternut Squash

Serves: 4-6

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Couscous:

  • 3 cups frozen butternut squash chunks
  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 2/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vunegar
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Toss the butternut squash, onion, and chickpeas in a large bowl with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Dump the veg onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and roast for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is soft and caramelized and the chickpeas are crispy.
  3. Bring the water for the couscous to boil in a small pot. Add in the couscous, remove from the heat, and let it stand for 5 minutes until cooked.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  5. Toss together the couscous and roasted veggies in a large bowl. Add in the pumpkin seeds and dressing, and mix until everything is combined.
  6. Enjoy!!

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend everyone!!

Your Truly,

Olivia:))

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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I’m SUPER excited about this recipe it turned out really great:) I’m part Polish, so I grew up eating cabbage rolls a lot, and they’re pretty delicious. I had a couple of heads of cabbage in my fridge and thought I’d try and make a lighter, vegetarian version, and they’re AWESOME. In the filling I used mushrooms for some meatiness, as well as lots of onion, parsley, black beans, and oregano. All of this amazingness is wrapped up in some softened cabbage leaves, then baked in the simplest sauce you will ever make. These rolls are a win for meal prep, a vegetarian side dish, or main course.

Making these rolls is also really fun, because you get to stuff and roll them up. To soften the cabbage leaves, I boiled the whole head for around 5 minutes, then removed the outer leaves and continued the process until all of the usable cabbage was soft. Then you simply scoop some filling in the middle, fold in the sides, and then roll like you would a burrito. Once you get into your cabbage roll groove, you’ll be pumping out rolls like nobody’s business.

After carefully placing the rolls in a glass baking dish, you’ll cover them in sauce (which has only THREE ingredients), and bake them up until they’re a leetle bit crispy. You gotta love those slightly burned edges. And voila. You’re set with delicious food for the next while! These rolls are so healthy and hearty; they’ll keep you going all day long. I hope you get around to making these, because this is definitely one of my new favourite recipes. Happy rolling!:)

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Serves: 4-5 (Makes 20-24 rolls)

Total Time: 105 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Rolls:

  • 2 heads of green cabbage, about 1-2 pounds each
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 2 cups of diced mushrooms
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup of brown rice
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1/2 cup of packed parsley
  • 1 egg
  • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 2 tsp of dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

  • 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp of dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring the water and brown rice to boil in a pot, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. You want to rice to be slightly under cooked, as it will cook more in the oven later. Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add in the onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to caramelize; about 10-15 minutes. At this point, stir in the soy sauce and season with salt and pepper, continuing to cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and dump into a big bowl.
  3. Add the brown rice, parsley, oregano, black beans, egg, and some more salt and pepper to the onion and mushroom mixture. Stir until combined and set aside.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Use tongs to transfer a head of cabbage into it, and boil for five minutes. Remove the cabbage with the tongs and carefully remove the outer layer of leaves, placing them on a cutting board or wherever you plan to roll your rolls. Continue this process until all of the usable cabbage leaves are soft and ready to go.
  5. Take a leaf of cabbage and cut out any outstanding stem pieces at the base of the leaf that will make it harder to roll. Place a tablespoon of filling inside, and form it into a sort of log shape with your hands. Fold the two sides into the centre and then roll the cabbage away from you, forming a tight, burrito like roll. Place in a glass baking dish.
  6. Continue to fill and roll the cabbage until all of the leaves have been used up. If you have some extra filling and stem pieces, fry them up for a quick snack later:)
  7. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Mix together all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl, and spoon the sauce evenly on top of the cabbage rolls.
  9. Bake the rolls uncovered for 40-45 minutes in the oven. Remove and enjoy!!

I can’t wait to make these delicious rolls again! Let me know if you try them out. See you Friday!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Quick Pickled Carrots

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I love pickles! Don’t you? They’re vinegary and crunchy and are the perfect addition to any bowl, salad or sandwich. Today we’re going to expand our pickle horizons with these Quick Pickled Carrots! This was a great way for me to use up some of the carrots in my fridge, because for some reason we have a LOT right now.

I brought out my old friend the veggie peeler to get nice, thin, and even carrot slices for these pickles. Doing it with a peeler is also super fast and easy. After I had a nice pile of carrot ribbons, I placed them in a mason jar, added vinegar, some garlic, and red chilli flakes, then put some plastic wrap on top and threw them in the fridge. Want to know the minimum pickling time? 30 MINUTES! That’s right, in just 30 minutes you can have a nice jar of pickled carrots that go well with just about anything. Add them to a veggie bowl, a sandwich, or as a side with some meat. They’re so versatile and taste amazing:))

Cucumbers have definitely stolen the show for too long! Be sure to whip up some of these pickled carrots ASAP because you’re missing out.

Quick Pickled Carrots

Serves: 4

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 small to medium sized carrots, peeled and washed
  • 3/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp of red chilli flakes

Directions:

  1. Use a veggie peeler to create thin carrot “ribbons”, dragging it from the top of the carrot down. You’ll be left with a flat piece of carrot at the centre that you can snack on later:)

2. Place the carrots in a mason jar. Add garlic, chilli flakes, and vinegar. Make sure that vinegar completely covers the carrots; if not add some more.

3. Cover the top of the jar with a lid or some plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Remove from the fridge and enjoy!

**Just a note: These are quick pickles, and will not last as long as pickles that have been sealed. Use within a week:))**

Enjoy these pickles! See you Friday with my September Bullet Journal Set-Up:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Soy-Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

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By now you probably know that I have a weakness for sweet potatoes. They’re one of my favourite things ever and I’m always looking for new delicious ways that I can eat them. Usually they taste the best when they’re super caramelized and soft- and this recipe DEFINITELY gives you that. These potatoes have so much good flavour and colour, and go great in bowls or salads, or as a side for your dinner.

Usually I peel my sweet potatoes, but today I left the skin on for some extra textural action. All I did was cut my potato into little medallions, then tossed them with some olive oil and threw them in the oven. While they were becoming golden brown and amazing, I just mixed up the THREE INGREDIENT sauce that gets brushed on to the medallions, infusing them with deliciousness and also helping with the caramelization process. Just keep an eye on these because they can burn pretty quickly.

These Soy maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes were the PERFECT addition to my lunch bowl today. I then proceeded to eat the rest of them right off the pan. Be sure to try out this recipe and let me know what you think!!

Soy Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 1

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 small sweet potato
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Wash the sweet potato well, then proceed to cut it width-wise into small medallions, a little less than a centimetre thick.
  3. Place the medallions onto a parchment lined baking sheet and toss them with the olive oil, making sure that they’re evenly coated. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove the pan, flip over the sweet potatoes, and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
  5. While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, mix together the soy sauce, garlic powder and maple syrup in a small bowl. Set aside.
  6. Take the pan out of the oven, flip the medallions over again, and use a pastry brush to brush on a layer of the soy sauce mixture onto each one. Put back into the oven for 5 minutes.
  7. Remove the pan, flip over the sweet potatoes (there’s lots of flipping going on), brush on some sauce, and then roast for another 5 minutes.
  8. For a last final crisp, flip the sweet potatoes once more and bake for 5 minutes again.
  9. Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven, let cool and enjoy!

I can’t wait for you to try this recipe! So simple and delish:)) Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))