Stir Up Some Veggies

Give supper a fresh spin with easy, flavorful sides.

Round out tonight's menu with one of these great vegetable dishes. All have short ingredient lists and require little hands-on time once they're in the pan. You can speed the process even more with precut bell pepper and onion from the supermarket produce section. DONNA FLORIO

HOT PECAN PEAS

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., COOK: 35 MIN.

Use turkey bacon (which yields less drippings) and a nonstick skillet to make this dish more healthful.

4 bacon slices, chopped

½ cup chopped onion

2 (16-ounce) packages frozen baby sweet peas (do not thaw)

½ cup water

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

COOK bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

STIR onion into hot drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium low; cook 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Add peas, ½ cup water, and Creole seasoning; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until peas are tender. Stir in bacon and pecans.

VANESSA BROUSSARD

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

NOTE: To toast pecans, bake in a shallow pan at 350°, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

STIR-FRIED CABBAGE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., COOK: 18 MIN.

5 bacon slices

1 small head cabbage, cut into ½-inch-thick slices (about 12 cups)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon life soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

COOK bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

SAUTÉ cabbage, onion, and bell pepper in hot drippings over medium-high heat, 5 to 6 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender. Stir in soy sauce and next 3 ingredients; cook 2 minutes. Top with crumbled bacon.

SHELA GOBER

ELECTRA, TEXAS

QUICK BROCCOLI SKILLET

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

PREP: 20 MIN., COOK: 10 MIN.

½ (16-ounce) container grape tomatoes

1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into florets

2 tablespoons butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

CUT grape tomatoes in half; set aside.

COOK broccoli in boiling water to cover 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain.

MELT butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; stir in garlic and lemon juice, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in broccoli; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, bell pepper, salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; sauté 1 minute. Serve immediately.

CINDY PIESTER

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

STIR-FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH GARLIC

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS PREP: 10 MIN., COOK: 10 MIN.

Use lite soy sauce for a lower-sodium option. If your skillet doesn't have a lid, cover it with a baking sheet.

2 pounds asparagus

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

SNAP tough ends off asparagus; discard ends. Cut asparagus in half.

SAUTÉ asparagus and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add soy sauce; reduce heat to medium low, and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender.

KATHLEEN A. KENNEDY-HANSON

VALRICO, FLORIDA

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Apr 2005
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