I’m cooking ribs and coleslaw for the 4th of July at my house today since I’m heading to the lake tomorrow. I wanted to make a really easy, but delicious, light coleslaw. I had a great idea that made my life oh so simple. Recently, I bought some new spices from Penzeys, (when I went to get a present for someone else-you know how that goes). I tried the “Country French Vinaigrette” dry spice mix which works great in this 15 Minute Summer Coleslaw. This recipe was a huge hit with everyone, including the kids.

Note: In Birmingham, Alabama, the Penzeys is located in Homewood.

I love making eggplant side dish recipes, and this recipe for Sauteed Eggplant and Tomatoes couldn’t be easier. I sauteed my eggplant in a good bit of chicken broth to reduce the amount of olive oil. I used garlic, red pepper flakes, organic canned tomatoes and fresh basil, and it came out wonderful. Enjoy as a perfect year-round side dish.

Once again, this great pottery bowl came from Earthborn Pottery

Edamame have become increasingly popular, and my kids honestly love them. Edamame is an excellent source of low-calorie protein, fiber and even iron. This recipe for Edamame-Corn Salad is so light and wonderful using fresh ingredients such as corn, tomatoes, fresh basil and chives. It’s so easy to prepare, but you might want to double it. It goes really fast!

By the way, the incredible pottery in this photo is my absolute favorite from Earthborn Pottery. If you live in Alabama, it can be purchased at The Cook Store in Mountain Brook.

Summer is here, and I went to Pepper Place Farmer’s Market yesterday. I bought some wonderful produce including some beautiful yellow squash. Last night I created a Light Yellow Squash Casserole recipe which is a winner. All of my 3 kids ate it (honestly), and even asked for more (no joke). It’s super easy to prepare. The most difficult part is slicing the squash and onion (I also grated my own cheese). This recipe makes a wonderful side dish for summertime, and I love the mixture of crushed reduced-fat crackers (low-fat Ritz) and panko breadcrumbs on top.

A lot of people have asked me lately, “What is quinoa?”. I answer, “It’s the magical grain.” Quinoa is the amazing gluten-free grain that is high in fiber and a complete protein, meaning it has all nine amino acids. Quinoa also contains high amounts of  lysine, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. It is a great replacement for rice or couscous and works great here in this simple recipe for Southwestern Quinoa Salad. Serve it room temperature or chilled. It’s awesome, and my kids even ate it too! By the way, quinoa can be found at Whole Foods Market or any of your specialty stores.

I get a lot of requests for easy and healthy side dish recipes, and this is one I absolutely love. Grilled Zucchini with Rosemary and Feta is incredibly flavorful and so versatile. It can be paired with any main-dish: chicken, shrimp, steak, burgers, fish, pork, etc. If you don’t have time to preheat your grill, you can certainly use a grill pan indoors over the stove. Feel free to substitute goat cheese for the feta, and my favorite by far is Belle Chevre.

I love to make creative recipes in muffin cups, and Crustless Broccoli Quiche are too good to be true. They have very few carbohydrates, lots of protein and very little fat. They also taste great for breakfast, lunch or a snack, and they are a great way to get your kids to eat broccoli. Feel free to use all Cheddar cheese or substitute mozzarella, Parmesan or any of your favorite cheese. Note, they can stick to the pan so spray the pans well, and carefully take a knife around the edges to remove them. They should look like these-no crust, but still so delicous!

This week I had the opportunity to work with a new client, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, as a spokesperson for their product on NBC 13 “Daytime Alabama”. This Stuffed Zucchini recipe was one of my favorites (especially since I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter really brings out the flavor in fresh vegetables). This recipe for Stuffed Zucchini only has 150 calories per serving, 2.g grams of fat and only 13 carbs, and the cost per recipe is only $7.03 (for 4 people, very economical for fresh veggies).

My kids really like this (especially my youngest, Zachary). He said, “This tastes almost like a vegetable pizza.” I have to admit. He was right.  So, if you’re looking for a new healthy side dish for Passover, Easter or for anytime during the year, try these. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s really easy too. I promise!

When I was asked to come up with a recipe for a new twist on Macaroni and Cheese for Wisconsin Cheese and their upcoming “Macaroni Blog” I was so excited. They asked what type of cheese I wanted to use in my recipe, and I quickly said, “Fontina”. Since my three kids love Spinach-Artichoke Dip, I thought I would combine a simple macaroni and cheese recipe with spinach and artichokes making a comforting, creamy dish.

Here’s how: Start by boiling the noodles. Combine half-and-half, milk, flour, sea salt and pepper. Stir in spinach, artichokes and Fontina. Pour in a lightly greased 13-x 9-inch baking dish and top with panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and melted butter.  Bake in the oven and that’s it. This recipe is wonderful for a main or side dish. My kids loved it, and I think you will too!

My kids love sweet potatoes and they are always a home-run side dish to serve at my house. One of our favorite burger restaurants in Birmingham, Baja Burger, makes great sweet potato fries. I replicated the recipe making them thicker but also lower in fat (and no fried okra, unfortunately). Try this recipe as it’s so simple and a true family favorite.