Lunch this Week: Double Cheddar and Vegetable Frittata

I’m picky when it comes to eggs. I didn’t even eat eggs until I was an adult, and I learned that eggs (specifically omelets) are a great hangover remedy… and are pretty tasty when mixed with cheese, veggies and bacon.

One of my favorite ways to eat eggs is as a frittata. Frittatas are so versatile. They are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes most of the time and are great for cleaning out your produce drawer.

Every week I try to make one thing to eat for lunch for the whole week. I do this because then I don’t have to try and think about what to make every day and it helps keep me on track “diet” wise. I’m not on a diet per say but I’m always trying to eat as healthy as possible. And it is easiest for me to do that when I plan ahead. A lot of people have problems with eating the same thing every day for a week. And I can understand that because it can get boring.  I’ve found the key to being able to do it successfully is to make something you WANT to eat and look forward to eating.

This week I made a frittata! It has two kinds of cheese and all of my favorite veggies. And it was pretty hard to only eat once slice this morning because it is very tasty.

Double Cheddar and Vegetable Frittata

*Serves 6

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          8 eggs

-          1/3 cup milk

-          ¼ cup sharp cheddar, small dice

-          ¼ cup mild cheddar, small dice

-          1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms

-          ½ cup diced red onion

-          1/3 cup sliced roasted red peppers

-          1-2 tablespoons canola oil

-          1 ½  tablespoons butter

-          2 handfuls spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a large sauté pan (10-12 inches and oven safe) to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon canola oil and mushrooms. Sauté for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

3. Reduce pan’s heat to medium low and add onions. Add additional canola oil if needed. Sauté for 8 minutes or until onions have softened. Add roasted red peppers and toss together for a few moments then remove from pan and add to separate bowl with mushrooms.

4. Remove pan from heat and very carefully wipe clean with a paper towel. Return pan to burner and add butter. Heat pan to medium heat.

5. In a large bowl whisk eggs and milk until fully combined. Add to pan once butter is fully melted and slightly bubbly. Add mushrooms, pepper, onions, and spinach to eggs. Stir gently to distribute veggies evenly. Cook for 2 minutes and then sprinkle diced cheese over top. Transfer to oven and cook for 10-12 minutes.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

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Restaurant Recreation: Applebee’s Veggie Patch Pizza

Did you know that Applebee’s took the veggie patch pizza off their menu?

I was pretty shocked when I found this out a little while back. I don’t eat at Applebee’s all that often but whenever I do find myself there, I almost always to order it. This is probably why I thought it was a favorite for their customers. Apparently, it wasn't.

Since I love the challenge of recreating my restaurant favorites, it has occurred to me several times over the years that I could create the veggie patch pizza (VPP) at home. (I've posted a couple of them here and here and here, and I do have another one that I’ll post eventually.) So once I knew it was off the menu, I decided it was time to finally give it a shot.

I think I knocked it out of the park on the 2^nd attempt. My first attempt was to use pizza dough and make it more pizza-like. Big mistake – don’t do it. You need to use a tortilla because it brings it all together.

We shamelessly ate these for dinner with nothing else. If that is the route you want to go, then the recipe below will serve two. But as an appetizer, or paired with some soup or salad, I think you’ll serve four with no problem. And of course, you can always double the recipe!

Applebee’s Veggie Patch Pizza Knockoff

*Makes 2, 10” pizzas – serves 4 as an appetizer

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          1 ½ cups sliced button mushrooms

-          2 tbls butter, divided

-          2-3 cloves garlic, minced

-          1/3 cup minced onion

-          1 cup artichokes, chopped

-          2 – 2 ½ cups packed baby spinach, chopped

-          1 cup heavy cream

-          ½ cup parmesan cheese

-          2 teas oil  - veggie or canola

-          2 10” flour tortillas

-          ¾ - 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian mix cheese

-          1 tomato, seeded and diced

Turkey Day Favorite: Green Bean Casserole

Let me start by saying it was never my intention to make and post a green bean casserole recipe for this blog. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes out there claiming to be the best, better than Campbell’s, better than your mother’s, and most are completely made from scratch.

The world didn’t need another one. Yet here I am, posting one.

Why?

Because I needed to use up a lot of green beans and I happened to like the way it came out.

You see, when Brent and I do our major bulk shopping trips, we always pick up some frozen vegetables. Sure, we prefer fresh, but some nights you just don’t feel like shopping so we keep a few options on hand. We decided it was a totally wise decision on our part to buy a 5lb bag of frozen whole green beans for two people.

It’s been 3 months and we still aren’t through the whole bag yet. So one night I decided to take a stab at making green bean casserole since I had mushrooms to use up as well.

Now I’m not going to tell you it is better than anyone else’s, or the best ever, but I will say this…

I can’t tell you what the hell else I made for dinner that night and I might never make the original version again. Even though I always did doctor that recipe up a bit anyway.

It’s good, maybe not the best, but I did add bacon to it, so it does have that going for it. BUT you can totally leave it out of you are a vegetarian. Just substitute with more butter =) Win-win!

So below is my recipe that I totally threw together and it ended up coming out pretty good. For the record, I was planning on frying my own onions up for the top, but Brent said that was ”ridiculousness” and we decided on the panko topping listed below. Which I thought worked pretty well because you need that crispy onion topping on a GBC.

Also, if you want to use fresh green beans instead of frozen, just blanch them first and you should be good to go.

Green Bean Casserole

*Serves 4-6
Print this recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 pound frozen whole green beans, thawed
- 3 slices bacon, cut into strips
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 extra large garlic clove, minced
- 2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 3.5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 pinches nutmeg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Scant ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper

Directions:

1- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat cook sliced bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon – leaving the grease in the pan – and set aside in a medium bowl.

My black thumb strikes again!

I was lucky enough to inherit a lot of great qualities from both of my parents, but their green thumb was definitely not one of them. It’s pretty much a give in that I will eventually kill any plant I’m put in charge of. I can’t even keep those little “lucky bamboo” plants alive longer than a month or so. I have no idea why I seem to have such a honker of a black thumb, but I figure I can’t excel at everything in life and accept it as a small flaw and then go eat some ice cream.

Still, every year I am so jealous of people who can plant a little garden and get beautiful veggies and herbs by summer’s end. This year I decided to give herbs a try and I was met with some success. I planted basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, dill, and oregano. What I ended up with is a lot of weeds, a sprout of dill, a little tiny bit of cilantro, the start of some parsley and more basil than I know what to do with at this point. The basil has pretty much become a monster plant.

Surprisingly Brent knows more about growing herbs than I knew he did, and has helped me out a wee bit. But then he keeps saying we should give some of the basil away and I’m thinking not. I grew something! From a seed. It’s like my baby and there is no way someone else is going to reap the benefits of my diligent watering everyday. Especially since everything else was pretty much a bust.

This picture was about two weeks ago and it has gotten even bigger!

So I’ve been dreaming up as many ways to use the basil as possible. One dish I knew without a doubt I was going to make once I could pillage some leaves was a caprese salad. For me the caprese salad screams summertime with fresh ripe tomatoes, sweet mozzarella, and bright basil. It’s an absolutely perfect salad and I could probably eat it everyday if given the chance.

While the last thing the world needs is another recipe for such a simple salad, I figured I’d share the basic idea here because just posting my failed attempt at growing herbs isn’t all that exciting. And I’ve come realize that I do one thing that most people do not… I add some red onion. Is that weird? I just like the contrast of flavor it has against the other ingredients. Don’t use too much though or it will overpower everything else.

On the day I went to pick up the tomatoes, the larger vine-ripened and beefsteaks weren’t looking so hot. They were kinda pale and not a juicy red color, so I went with roma that day. Use any kind you prefer.

Caprese Salad
*Serves how ever many you want!
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- fresh, beautifully ripe tomatoes
- fresh mozzarella
- red onion
- basil
- balsamic vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper

Fast and Loose Directions:

- Evenly slice your tomatoes and mozzarella to be about the same size. Generally I use about 25% less mozzarella than I will tomato. Layer on a plate.

- If doing larger slices of tomato and mozzarella, thinly slice red onion, or mince red onion if using smaller, bite-sized portions. As a general rule, I will only use about the same amount of red onion as I will basil. Layer in or on top of salad.

- Tear or mince basil. You can leave it whole as well and layer in-between the mozzarella and tomatoes.

- Season with salt and pepper, than lightly drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

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Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes with Mustard and Thyme

It would appear that roasted potato recipes are sought after rather frequently. I get a lot of hits from people looking for rosemary and garlic RRBP’s, a recipe I posted last year. Recently I had a small surplus of them in my house thanks to Brent making a southern dish that he likes. My New England roots don’t care for that dish too much, but I did want to make use of the leftover potatoes hanging around. So I checked the fridge to see what I had to work with and this recipe is the result.

Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes with Mustard and Thyme

*Serves 4
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs red bliss potatoes
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons course mustard, adjust to your taste preference
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Wash potatoes, pat dry, and cut into quarters. Toss in butter and 2 tablespoons of EVOO and place in a baking dish in a single layer. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, giving a toss halfway through.

2. In a small bowl mix together mustard, thyme, white wine vinegar, and remaining olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while potatoes roast.

Potato Pancakes

I love taking leftovers and giving them a makeover for their second appearance at the dinner table. Potato pancakes are one of my favorite ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes.

Potato Pancakes with Mustard-Dill Sauce

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2-3 cups day old mashed potatoes
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Vegetable or canola oil for pan frying
- 1/3 cup sour cream

- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill (double if using fresh)


Potato Pancake Directions:

1. Mix the tablespoon of flour into your mashed potatoes to help stiffen them a bit. If yours are really mushy, you may need to add a little more flour.

Lunch on the Go

Recipe: Greek-ish Chicken Flatbread Sandwiches

I try to eat healthy during the day at work. This is something I did the other week for lunch. It was easy to prep and take to work.

Suggestions – If you plan on having chicken one night grilled, throw a couple of extra breasts on the grill and make these the following night. You could even use a rotisserie chicken to make these easier if you want, but I prefer the “grill” flavor.

Greek-ish Grilled Chicken Flatbread Sandwiches

*Makes 5 sandwiches

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken breasts, grilled and cubed

o Side note: I actually marinated the chicken in the Greek vinaigrette for about 30 minutes before grilling.

- 5 flatbreads, I used whole wheat
- 6oz plain yogurt

- 1 lemon, juiced

- ¼ teaspoon dried dill

- 1 tablespoon capers, chopped

- splash of white wine vinegar

- 1 medium cucumber

- ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced

- 1 cup grape tomatoes

- 1/8 cup Greek vinaigrette

- ½ cup crumbled feta

Directions:

Crab, Artichokes, and Cheese! Oh My!

So lately you may have noticed a trend on my little bloggy blog here. The last few recipes I’ve posted have been for appetizers of some sort. The reason for that is simple – Football season is upon us. I’m not really a football fan – I prefer baseball to be honest – but I try to be a good sport for my boyfriend.

Depending on the game, it can get a little ugly at my house because we have different favorite teams, and it just so happens that my favorite (and home team) is the one team he hates with a passion.

However, he picked Tom Brady as his quarterback for Fantasy so maybe it won’t be so bad this year.

I made this dip a little while back when we had family over for dinner. His mom is a big fan of Crab and Artichoke dip, so I thought I would make it for her. I served it with wonton chips because I forgot to pick up pita bread at the store and I had wonton wrappers in the freezer. You could use anything you want though! Warmed pita bread, crusty crostini, chips, a spoon – whatever floats your boat!

Please excuse my picture; I had to snap it quick before everyone dug in.

Crab and Artichoke Dip

*Serves 8 – 10 as a starter

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

- 14oz artichoke, drained and roughly chopped

- 12 oz lump crab meat, drained if too liquidy

- 8oz cream cheese, room temperature

- ½ cup sour cream

- ¼ cup heavy cream

- 2 teaspoon garlic powder

- 2 teaspoon onion powder

- 1.5 cup shredded Italian mix cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together all ingredients except shredded cheese. Pour into an oven proof baking dish and then top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil.

2. Place in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes until cheese on top is slightly browned and dip is bubbly.

Thoughts: Creamy, cheesy, tasty, and I would have stood there and ate it all with a spoon if that was socially acceptable. I had made another appetizer, but this was clearly the favorite of the get together.


I’ve got a couple other appetizers that I will be posting as soon as I can. School started this week so I’ve been preoccupied with that.

Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots, Sage, and Pancetta

A while back a friend of mine shared the idea of mashed potatoes with caramelized shallots and sage. I loved the idea of this and thought it would be good, but maybe even better if I added some pancetta to the mix. I decided to make them for a special occasion not too long ago as a side for a Prime Rib roast BD and I did. They really don’t require a whole lot of extra work than regular mashed potatoes and really add an extra nice touch. You could use your own mashed potato recipe, but I’ve included my basic one in this here.

Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots, Sage, and Pancetta

*Serves 2-4

(Printable recipe)

Ingredients:

For mashed potatoes -

- 1.5 pounds of potatoes

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- ½ - ¾ cup heavy cream

- Salt and pepper to taste

The mix-ins -

- 2 quarter inch thick slices of pancetta

- 2 medium or 3 small shallots, sliced thin

- 2 tablespoons of minced fresh sage (if using dried use half the amount)

- A heaping tablespoon of butter

Asian Skirt Steak Salad

So I think this might be the second recipe that I have posted that BD made and not yours truly.

Anyway, in our house I do about 90% of the cooking. Why? Because I am the woman and he is my man. I’m kidding, totally not true. I don’t know why really. Maybe its because I’m kind of a control freak… or maybe because I secretly think I am better than he is, but know in my heart I could NEVER cook professionally, so then he wins that argument again. (BD has professional experience while I do not. At all. Shocking, I know.) BD usually gets to cook when I say: I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking, or I have too much school work to do so you get to cook tonight. Its my gift to him really.

Holy Guacamole

BD decided he wanted to make nachos this Sunday and I didn’t argue. Besides, nachos call for guacamole!

I hated guacamole until my freshman year of college. It was then that a group of us got together every Wednesday at a local Mexican restaurant for margaritas and good times. Nowadays it’s rare if I eat Mexican food without it.

Guacamole

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 3 hass avocados*

- juice of one lime

- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic

- 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro

- ¼ minced red onion

- 1 medium tomato, chopped

- S&P

* When choosing avocados, be sure to pick ones that give slightly when you press them.

Procedure:

1. Take each avocado and cut down the middle lengthwise and remove the pit. Scoop the flesh out into a shallow bowl.

2. Add lime juice and smash together until smooth. I use a plastic muddler that has small spikes on the end. A fork would work well too.

3. Once your avocado is smooth, add your tomatoes, garlic, cilantro*, and red onion. Mash again to incorporate. *Add between 2-3tbls of cilantro, depending on how much you like it.

4. Next add a good amount of salt and pepper. Stir again and set in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. I’ve found that allowing the guacamole some time to “rest” is best before you eat it.

My thoughts: This is super easy to make. The flavor is fresh, vibrant, and has just enough of a kick.

BD’s nachos were pretty good too.

TIP: Guacamole doesn’t last long because avocados are like apples and they oxidize and turn brown. The last time I made guacamole; I did a little experiment and froze the remainder. I figured I had nothing to lose, and it ended up working out really well.

How to freeze guacamole:

1. Take remaining guacamole and place in a small freezer bag.

2. Press guacamole to bottom of the bag and lay on a flat surface.

3. Starting from the guacamole, press all the air out of the bag. Then seal bag and place in freezer.

4. To thaw: place guacamole in cold water.

Kitten  ^..^

A Dish of Favorite Veggies...AND Bacon!

Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables. I came up with this recipe a few months back when BD and I were making a beer can chicken. They were a hit, and we’ve been making them every since. They do take a bit of time because of all the sautéing but are worth it in the end. Plus, I’m a sucker for anything with mushrooms, caramelized onions, and bacon on it.

Fully Loaded Green Beans

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of fresh green beans

- 1.5 cups of sliced button mushrooms

- 1 large white or yellow onion, sliced

- 8-10 slices of bacon *can be omitted for a vegetarian dish

- 4 tablespoons of butter

- 1 tablespoon garlic powder

- S&P

Procedure:

1. To start, snap your green beans, wash and slice the mushrooms, and slice the onion.

2. Start your bacon anyway you prefer to cook it. Once cooked, chop into bacon bits.

3. In a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms and sauté until lightly brown. Remove mushrooms, leaving the liquid in the pan. Set mushrooms aside.

Mushrooms - couple minutes in

4. Add onions and one more tablespoon of butter to pan, and over low heat sauté until caramelized. This will take about 15-20 minutes.

Onions almost done!

5. Bring a large pot of water to a hard boil and blanche green beans for five minutes. Remove from water, drain, and rinse with cold water.

6. Once onions are caramelized, add remaining butter, mushrooms, green beans, and garlic powder to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything together for a few minutes, then add bacon and toss again. Serve immediately.

Fully Loaded Green Beans

My thoughts: The green beans stay nice and crisp and get a lot of flavor from the pepper and butter. plus with the added onions, mushrooms, and bacon they really get dressed up nicely. Green beans almondine USE to be my favorite way to eat them, but this recipe trumps that every time.

Kitten ^..^

Grilled Veggie Pitas

Everything is better grilled!

I’m always brainstorming for new lunch ideas for the work week. I can usually stick to one idea for about 3-4 weeks until I get burnt out and need something different. This week I am attempting Grilled Veggie Pitas. The recipe below will make about 6 pitas.

Grilled Veggie Pitas

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 medium eggplant

- 2 medium Portobello mushrooms

- 1 large zucchini

- 1 roasted red bell pepper

- ¼ cup kalamata olives

- 6 pitas, white or whole wheat

- ¾ cup of speadable garlic and herb cheese, such as Boursin or Rondele

- ½ cup of EVOO

- S&P

Procedure:

1. Take the eggplant, Portobello, and zucchini and rinse and pat dry. Slice the eggplant and zucchini into ¼ slices. Leave the Portobello whole for now.

2. Brush all veggies with EVOO and season with S&P.

3. Heat grill to medium heat and grill veggies until al dente. Mine took between 10 and 20 minutes. Eggplant was done first and zucchini last.

4. While the grilled veggies are cooling, rough chop roasted red bell pepper and kalamata olives. Then chop grilled veggies into bite-sized cubes.

5. Add all veggies to a large bowl and toss together.

6. Take each pita and slice in half. Open the pita to create a pocket and smear 1-2 tablespoons on the inside.

7. Fill each pita 2/3 the way full with veggies and serve.

Grilled Veggie Pitas

My thoughts: BD and I had a little bit of a disagreement on whether or not to add garlic to the veggies prior to grilling. I left it off because I knew the cheese would give the sandwich plenty of garlic flavor for me. Plus, with this sandwich as my lunch for the week, I didn’t want REALLY bad garlic breath all day. This was a new venture for me and I really, really liked the end result. It was exactly what I was hoping for. The veggies were cooked so that the flavors developed in each of them but they weren’t mushy, and the garlic-herb cheese melts a little once you place the warm veggies in the pita. I was concerned about the veggie mixture being too wet and tearing the pita, but that was not the case at all. The pita bread held up nicely. I used white this time but will go for wheat when I make them again.

Last night’s taste test made me very hungry for lunch today.

Yo quiero Quesadillas!

I have a deep love for Mexican food. A better word might even be addiction; I have an addiction to Mexican food. The other night I rifled through my fridge and pantry and discovered that I had all the necessary ingredients for Veggie Quesadillas. I’m a fan of the homemade quesadilla, much more so than ordering them in a restaurant because when you make them at home you get to choose what you want in them and the possibilities are endless.

A while back I use to be afraid of making them, but once I learned how easy it can be I make them at least once a month.

Veggie Quesadillas

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- Any veggies you want! I chose: red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, and spinach

- Cheese

- Large flour tortillas

- Vegetable oil

Method:

* I can’t really give you exact measurements because that is all up to you. Below is the method of how to go about making them.

1 -Sauté your veggies until al dente. FOOD 411: Al dente means “to the bite”, it refers to that tender yet crisp phase of vegetables but is more commonly used referring to paste.

2 -Heat a large sauté to medium heat and pour just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the tortilla on the pan.

3 -Add a layer of cheese all over the tortilla but leave about a half inch perimeter from the edge. Next scatter some of your veggies all over the tortilla. You can add as much as you like but don’t worry about covering every inch with vegetables.

You’ll be folding it in half. (See picture) Even though I didn’t overload mine with veggies, I still ended up with a ½ inch thick quesadilla.

4 -Once the cheese start to melt slightly, take a pair of tongs and fold the tortilla in half and press down slightly with a spatula.

5 -After the tortilla has browned slightly on the bottom side, flip over carefully to finishing browning the second side.

6 -Remove from pan and allow cooling for a couple of minutes before slicing.

My thoughts on this dish: I love quesadillas and these hit the spot. They are crispy, melty, and full of tasty veggies. Not to mention quick and not a lot of dishes to clean afterward!

The dipping sauce in the picture is one of my favorite things. It’s Spicy Black Bean Dip from Dessert Pepper Trading Company.

It’s a staple in my fridge at all times; I especially love it on southwestern style scrambled eggs.

Popeye would Approve Sauteed Spinach

When I was a kid I hated spinach, probably like most other kids. I can’t remember when I started to like it, but I believe it was early in my college years and I had some Spinach dip. Now I use it in a lot of dishes. The recipe below is for Sautéed Spinach with pan fried garlic and shaved parmesan. So simple to make and yet is full of flavor.

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

- 1 lb of fresh baby spinach

- 4 cloves of fresh garlic

- shaved parmesan

- 2 tablespoons of EVOO

- S&P

Procedure:

1- Slice each garlic clove thin length-wise and sauté over medium heat until a light golden brown. Takes maybe 5 minutes. Be careful not too burn it though!

2- Add spinach and toss until slightly wilted. This takes only a few minutes. Add S&P to taste.

3- Transfer to serving dish and toss in several tablespoons of shaved parmesan.

You’re DONE! It’s that easy. With pan-frying the garlic, it infuses the EVOO which coats the spinach as you toss it. The parmesan will get slightly soft from the spinach, but adds a nice salty-nuttiness to the dish.

My thoughts on this dish: I love spinach now almost anyway you can make it and incorporating it with two of my other favorite ingredients – garlic and parmesan – you get a home run in my opinion. This makes a great side dish for when you’re making pasta, but would like a vegetable on the side rather than a salad. It’s probably even easier than making a salad because you don’t need to cut all the veggies!