Today I’m going to tell you about an amazing side that I’ve discovered. If you like garlic bread with your pasta, you are going to love Parmesan Garlic Knots.

If you get the generic biscuits in a can from Wal-mart, even if they aren’t on sale they are $1.25 for 40 so you’ll have plenty! And it will keep practically any pasta dish under $10 for your family! And the good thing is that they are completely compatible with any occasion. You need an appetizer for the big game? check. A side for a dinner party? double check. Served to your wonderful family? double checked with love and garlic.

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I don’t know about you, but I absolutely adore the lovely rice you get on the side at a Mexican restaurant. Tex Mex is the name of the game. After much trial and error I think I’ve finally recreated a recipe that’s really close to what you’ll find in a local restaurant. This rice pairs perfectly with any sort of Mexican dish and is super simple and cheap to put together. It’s also free of the top 8 allergens!  I hope you enjoy it!

Broccoli Raisin Salad. Quite possibly my favorite “cold vegetable” salad.

When thinking about trying a new way to fix broccoli, I kept going back to my favorite cold version of broccoli raisin salad. But it didn’t sound right as I thought about it. Maybe it’s the chili weather, or mourning the loss of summer (yes, I am in mourning. Not a winter person here.), or all the rain. But, I felt a summer-like broccoli raisin salad wouldn’t sit right. It would make me feel funny…and thus make it taste funny. Even if I made it the same way I always do.

Then it occurred to me that a warm version would be entirely possible. And that it might actually be good. And that any leftovers could be turned into a cold version with a little sweet mayo dressing.

So that settled it.

Roasted Broccoli Raisin Salad it would be. Without the mayo part.

And it did not disappoint.

(So much so that I’m thinking about serving this with one of our holiday meals this year.)

If you’d like to learn more about Square Foot Gardening, please check out the Square Foot Gardening books by Mel Bartholemew.

Got a favorite broccoli recipe to share?! Leave a link below or in the comments.

This could be my most favorite flavor combination from this summer.

From the bold balsamic to the tangy feta to the sweet basil and the perfect taste of vine ripened tomatoes. It’s so raw. And fresh. And delicious!

A few weeks ago (before the squirrels took over), I made this recipe with the striped tigerella tomatoes…a new variety for me this year, thanks to my friend Lucy! We had these as a side with some grilled chicken. #nom

It’s fairly simple…slice, drizzle, sprinkle, let sit, eat…

Got a favorite recipe that calls for garden tomatoes?! We’d love to check it out!

If vegetables could taste like candy, these might be the Reese’s of all cooked vegetables. The oven roasting gives the green beans a bit of a caramelized flavor…and the boldness and sweetness from the roasted garlic…and it’s almost like they are candied vegetables. Almost.

(Even though that’s a ridiculous claim, you have to try them and decide for yourself.)

This recipe is very simple…toss it all together in a bowl. Place on foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 8 minutes.

The only thing you’ll be waiting on is the oven to preheat up to the roasting temp!

If you have a favorite green beans recipe on your blog, please share it with us! And feel free to drop links to your favorite green bean recipes in the comments too!

Hey kids! Who wants avocados for dinner? silence … silence…. sigh.

Hey kids! Who wants taco salad for dinner? ~ insert chorus of cheers here ~

Now that’s more like it! Just don’t get too nosey about those avocados lurking on the counter looking all guilty like they’re about to jump in your food and be all healthy for you.

I don’t know what priorities my kids have in determining which foods are weird, but if it’s green, chances are it makes the cut. That’s why I like dinners like taco salad, where I can just sneak things in. As an added bonus, it’s quick & easy to make!

You just layer everything in a 9×13 pan and then dish out the servings! I think the kids like to eat it because they can scoop it up with chips. Eating differently is always fun. The baby even loves it, but she eats hers with a fork.

This is also a great “take along” dish to add to any party or get together. (That’s actually how I found the recipe!) It’s served cold, so no worries about heating it up.

Also, don’t worry about leftovers. There won’t be any.

What makes this a great summer dish is the vegetables are free from the garden, and I buy the hamburger in bulk; usually having it precooked, so prep time is actually much shorter. I do blend the avocados and cream cheese with a mixer so my kids don’t see any tell tale avocado lumps, and also because then I get to lick the beaters.

Sliced, dipped, dredged and fried tomatoes equal a plateful of delights as the showcase of veggie night. It’s an annual treat. I make fried green tomatoes maybe twice a summer. Veggie plate night, of course being a frugal way to feed our hodgepodge. And fried green tomatoes, of course being a way to liven things up a bit.

I explained to the children that fried green tomatoes are served as high dollar appetizers in fine restaurants. So I’ve heard. The taste being similar to fried zucchini but a little more on the tart side.

This is the same process I use for fried okra. Though standing and frying okra is a true act of love!

(pictured above with a little bit of fried okra thrown in for good measure)

Serve with cornbread, macaroni and cheese and your other favorite vegetables. We enjoy a veggie plate at least once a week – especially when vegetables are fresh and plentiful. Tasty and frugal! Sweet tea or iced coffee are a bonus for adults. You might also like Erin’s Grilled Green Tomatoes. Get every bite of summer you can!

How about you. How often do you enjoy a veggie plate?

Are you hot yet? In these dog days of summer, I have been experimenting with fresh recipes for hot summer nights. I have been loving vegetable salad recipes that feature summer produce in a new way.  This is one of my favorite summer side dishes. It is a change from the classic corn on the cob and is a great make ahead dish to bring on a picnic.

Czech Style Potato Salad

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients

5 medium potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
125 grams ham kolbassa, finely diced
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, cooked
1 dill pickle, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Miracle Whip light
1 tablespoon mustard

Directions

1. Place the potatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain.  Peel, cool and chop into 1/4″ (or about half a centimetre).

2. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the onion, vegetables, and pickle. Stir gently.

3. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper and stir gently until evenly coated. Chill several hours or overnight before serving for best flavour.

I peel my cooked potatoes by scraping a knife along the skin.  The boiled skin just slides right off. Don’t try this with a raw potato — it does not work.

Do the same for the pickles.

Chop up any large pieces in the cooked and cooled mixed vegetables (usually just the green beans).

Frugal Idea

Frugal tip: Don’t shop as an entertainment! When you go into stores (including Internet stores), even if you are only going in to browse, you will most likely spend money. If you stay away from stores, you will most likely not spend money. Try to find other forms of entertainment that do not involve going into or near stores.

Even if you are in a store or mall to go buy something specific, only go into the sections that you have to to get your shopping done and then leave before you start to browse and spend money.

Just last week I went to a local mall to get a father’s day gift and an ingredient that I had forgotten to put on my list during my last grocery trip.  As I was going from the electronics store at one end of the mall to the grocery store at the other end of the mall,  I slowed down by the display of a new clothing store. They had a nice dress in the front window and I was drawn in. Before I knew it I had tried on and bought a new dress: very pretty, great price (and actually within my budget), but not strictly necessary.  If I had just focussed on getting to the grocery store instead of window shopping as I walked, I could have saved the money on the dress that I really did not need and had no intention of buying when I walked in.

Magda Stryk Therrien is a wife, mother and daughter who tries (and sometimes even succeeds) to be frugal.  She also loves to make things: dinner, artwork, books, crafts, etc. She is starting to blog about these efforts at magdamakes.wordpress.com and at magdamakeswithkids.wordpress.com.

This is a quick and easy side dish that goes beautifully with just about anything! It’s completely dairy free if you use dairy free margarine and it’s also free of the top 8 allergens!

Sauteed Mushrooms and Potatoes

Serves: 4 / Cook Time: 30 minutes

You will need:

• 1 lb White Button Mushrooms, quartered
• 3 Green Onions, sliced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ Cup Dairy Free Margarine (Fleischmann’s Unsalted!!!), divided
• 3 Medium Russet Potatoes, Cooked and Cubed
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

To make:

1. Melt ¼ cup dairy free margarine in large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic.
3. Cook until mushrooms are browned and cooked down.
4. Add in potatoes, the rest of the dairy free margarine, and salt salt and pepper.
5. Stir until potatoes are coated.
6. Cook for an additional 10 minutes over medium heat.
7. Serve and enjoy!

If you’ve roasted a bit of meat, you could put some of the juices into this dish to add some depth of flavor that will complement your main dish nicely.