Assorted Side Veggies: Dinner 1
Eat your vegetables
To help my family and me eat more veggies, I like to prepare a few side dishes ahead of time. It makes it easy to add them to any meal, especially on those days when cooking an extra vegetable feels like too much. This week, I prepped four vegetable sides to rotate through our meals: stir-fried eggplant, Korean bean sprouts salad, sesame broccoli, and a soy-ginger cucumber salad.
Assorted Veggie Recipe
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Korean Eggplant Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
2 Asian eggplants, quartered lengthwise
½ Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:
Mix the sauce: In a small bowl, combine gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, garlic, sugar, and sesame oil.
Cook the eggplant: Heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggplants and stir-fry until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
Add the sauce: Pour the sauce mixture over the eggplant and continue stir-frying until they are well-coated and the skin becomes slightly wilted.
Season and store: Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat as needed.
Soy-Ginger Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp fresh ginger (or ground ginger)
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
Prep cucumbers: Sprinkle salt on the sliced cucumbers and let them sit for a few minutes to draw out excess moisture. Rinse and pat dry.
Make the dressing: In a measuring cup, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and green onions.
Combine: Toss the dressing with the cucumbers. Store in a jar in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Korean Bean Sprout Salad
Ingredients:
1 lb mung bean sprouts
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp salt
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:
Blanch the sprouts: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the bean sprouts, and blanch for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Season: In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, green onions, salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Add the blanched sprouts and toss to coat evenly.
Store: Transfer to a jar and keep refrigerated.
Blanched Sesame Broccoli
Ingredients:
16 oz broccoli florets
1 tsp salt (for boiling water)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:
Cook broccoli: In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add salt. Blanch the broccoli for about 3 minutes, until tender.
Season: Drain and drizzle with sesame oil, then add minced garlic and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Adjust salt to taste.
Serve: Store in an airtight container in the fridge. This can be enjoyed either hot or cold.
Each of these veggie sides is simple to prep and keeps well in the fridge, so you can easily pair them with meals throughout the week!