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Sides Dishes

Red Hots
Red Hots

Red Hot Relish
Serves: makes about 12 portions, 1/4 cup each

A good relish takes a meal and can make it memorable. This is the perfect combination of heat, sweet and sour. Perfect on burgers, hot dog/brats, tacos or as a side dish to pork, or chicken.

2 tablespoon olive oil
15 red jalapeno peppers, partially seeded and sliced (Green will also work.)
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thinly and then quartered
2 cups diced fresh pineapple or a 15 ounce can of diced pineapple
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup Splenda (or table sugar)

  1. Preheat large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add oil.
  2. Add onions and peppers, sautee, tossing occasionally, until the onions start to turn brown (10-15 minutes.)
  3. Stir in pineapple, vinegar and sugar.
  4. Increase heat to medium-high.
  5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
  6. Salt and pepper as needed (optional).
  7. Cool to room temp, cover and refrigerate.

Nutritional data:
Calories:       60
Fat:              2.5g
Sat fat:        0.4g
Chol:           0mg
Sodium:  1.3mg
Carbs:         9.6g
Fiber:          1.3g
Protein:     0.9g

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
Grilled Jalapeno Poppers

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
Makes 4 servings (4 halves each)

8 jalapenos, halved and seeded
4 tablespoons goat cheese (or low fat cream cheese)
4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
4 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons minced green onion

1. Prepare jalapenos. If your hands are sensitive, wear gloves.
2. Fill each half with approximately 1 tablespoon of the filling.
3. Preheat the grill.
4. Place peppers on grill, over direct heat, skin-side down.
5. Remove peppers when the skin begins to char.
6. Serve warm or cold.

Nutritional Data
Calories:        64
Fat:               3.0g
Sat fat:          1.7g
Chol:          10mg
Sodium:  120mg
Carbs:          5.2g
Fiber:          0.9g

Protein:      4.5g

Roasted Nut Pumpkin Butter

Roasted Nut Pumpkin Butter
Serves: 20 (approximately 1 tablespoon portions)

1/2 cup (2 ounces walnuts)
1/2 cup (2 ounces pecans)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon Splenda brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Place all nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer.
  3. Roast for 10 minutes, checking them at 8 minutes to prevent burning. The nuts should be a deep golden color and very fragrant when you open the oven door.
  4. Remove the nuts from the oven and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Process the nuts in a food processor until they reach a coarse nut butter consistency.
  6. Add all remaining ingredients, and process until well mixed.
  7. Store refrigerated in an air tight container.

Nutritional data:
Calories:      41
Fat:               4g
Sat fat:     0.4g
Chol:        0mg
Sodium:  0.1g
Carbs:      1.2g
Fiber:      0.5g
Protein:  0.7g

Green Beans and Butternut Squash
Green Beans and Butternut Squash

Green Beans and Butternut Squash
Serves Variable

This is a wonderful cool weather meal. It is very well-suited to pork dishes, but hearty fish (salmon), lamb or venison would be equally good.

Fresh green beans
Medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil

I didn’t weigh the ingredients, so I don’t know how much to tell you to use. I used about 4 cups of beans and 2 cups of squash and got 4 large portions from it.

  1. Put a large pot of water on the stove, and turn to high
  2. Peel the squash.
  3. Cut into approximately 1/2 inch (10mm) slices. Then cut them into cubes.
  4. Trim the ends off the beans, and wash under cold water.
  5. Heat a large non-stick pan over med-high heat. Spray with cooking spray.
  6. Place squash in pan. Let them saute a bit until the first side begins to brown, then start to toss every minute or so to evenly brown them.
  7. When the water comes to a boil, place all the beans in. Prepare a colander in the sink.
  8. After one minute, pour the pot of beans into colander. (You just “blanched” those beans.)
  9. Let them drip dry for a minute, then add them to the large skillet. Continue to toss until the beans are heated through.
  10. When done, the squash will retain its shape, but be easy to piece with a fork, and the beans will be hot, yet still have crispness. (If you want the beans softer, keep them in the water for an additional 2-3 minutes.)

Nutritional data:

Calories:      96

Fat:          3.8mg
Sat fat:        0.6g
Chol:           0mg
Sodium:  9.4mg
Carbs:       15.8g
Fiber:         4.4g
Protein:      2.7g

This is excellent with grilled pork chops, by the way!