2 Simple Autumn Inspired Side Dishes

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted something food related. I'm going to try and post a bit more of my cooking from now on, promise.

I thought I'd start off the season with a simple recipe (or 2...) so I'm going to tell you how I make some really yummy, simple, autumn inspired side dishes. They don't take much preparation and they certainly aren't difficult but they make the perfect healthy accompaniments to any meal!

First up, we have my spiced kale and asparagus! To make this you'll need:

3 handfuls of curly kale
1/2 a teaspoon of chili flakes
a 1/4 of a log of soft goats cheese
4 stalks of fresh asparagus
Salt & pepper to taste


First you want to wash your kale and the asparagus stalks thoroughly. After you're done, chop the asparagus stalks into 1-1.5 inch sections and put into a bowl. Get your kale and mix in with the asparagus. 

Now you want to steam the kale and the asparagus together. We don't have a steamer so to cook ours, we fill about a third of a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. We then put our asparagus and kale into a colander and put it on top of the saucepan. The water should only just be touching the bottom of the colander, if at all. You then want to cover the colander with a saucepan lid so the steam remains inside the colander. 

It takes about 6 minutes in total for the asparagus and kale to cook, depending on how al dente you like your veg. If you're not sure just keep a close eye and stick a fork into the asparagus and ensure it's soft but not mushy. The kale wants to have wilted but still have a crunch to it.

Once cooked, you want to take the colander off the boiling water (or take your veg out of the steamer if you have decided to use one) and spoon it into a serving bowl. Get a teaspoon and start spooning little bits of goats cheese and mixing them into the asparagus and kale mix. Once you've got a good goats cheese to veg ratio, grab your chili flakes and sprinkle over the top. Stir together and then serve!


Variations

If you don't like chili then you can leave it out.
If you're not a fan of goats cheese then any other soft cheese will do; cream cheese or La' Roulle would taste nice.
Sometimes I put a bit of butter into the veg before I add the goats cheese, for a richer taste. 


We eat this side with a roast or sometimes with a garlic chicken breast and some roasted vine tomatoes. Yum!!



Next we have my honey roasted sweet potato's! To make this you'll need:

1 large sweet potato (this feeds about 2 people)
2 tablespoons of runny honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Start by washing your sweet potato/s. Then peel them. You then want to cut them up into smallish chunks; it's entirely up to you how small or large you want them! Use the picture above for a guide if you're not sure.

Once you're done prepping the sweet potato chunks you want to arrange them on a baking tray; make sure they are all on one layer as opposed to on top of one another. Then drizzle over the olive oil followed by the honey.

To cook, place them in the centre of the oven for around 25-30 minutes at 170 degrees (fan), 190 degrees or gas mark 5.


Let me know if you have any autumn inspired side dishes!