Another edition of Sides in the Garden

I have never been so excited for a cooking tool! I got this pestle from Sur La Table yesterday!  Now I can grind my spices the old fashioned way. Truly I'm learning as I go. Every time I find a cooking class it's when I can't go, or it's too expensive. So I'm experimenting on friends and family. And one of the things I discovered is that I'm using the same spices in everything. I need to mix it up a bit and also cut back on the amount a bit. And some things only need salt and pepper.

Sometimes meat is just meat. Take a steak, other than, fry, broil and BBQ what else can you really do with one without ruining it? You can do something to enhance. But sometimes you just have steak for dinner and you need to be creative with the sides. Here are two sides that go awesome with steak. You may have seen variations or maybe you've done them yourself.

Easy dish first:
Sweet Potatoes
Slice up two medium sized sweet potatoes. Spray a cooking dish, then layer the slices with 1 tbsp Land of Lakes canola oil and butter spread and dashes of cinnamon. Cook in the microwave for 5 minutes on high or until tender. 1 cup of sliced potato would be 180 and then add in the butter.

Zucchini and Tomatoes Makes 3 servings
2 Medium tomatoes sliced and then halfed
2 medium Zucchini sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic

In small bowl add the following:
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 Tsp. Celery Seed
1/2 Tsp. Thyme
1 Tsp. Basil
1/2 Tsp. Rosemary
1/2 Tsp.  Tarragon
1/2 Tsp.Marjoram
1 tsp Crushed chili
Mix and grind in bowl with pestle or heavy spoon. Add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and mix (almost a paste) pour over vegetables and mix thoroughly. Saute in pan on a little under medium heat until tender.
Calories  133, Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 1g, Sodium 10mg, Carbohydrate 13g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugar 6g, Protein 2g. Vitamin A 56%, Vitamin C 90%, Calcium 4% and Iron 5%

Enjoy!