Vegetables for a healthy new year

While looking through a few recipes this week, I was hoping to find a couple new ones for vegetables. We need a change at our house, and it is time to try a few new recipes. Of course, in looking for a couple, I found dozens I wanted to try.

Today, I have pulled just a few to share with you. The beet chips will be an interesting snack item or a side with a sandwich. The broccoli-cheddar potatoes will be the entire meal for us, and not used as a side dish.

I hope you try one or more of these recipes as a vegetable change in the new year.

Steakhouse Green Beans

These tasty green beans are best made a day in advance to absorb the broth.

• 2 (16-ounce) cans good quality green beans, drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped or minced garlic
• 4 ounces bacon, diced (raw); or 4 ounces ham (cooked)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced

Drain green beans and set aside.

Broth mixture: Mix broth, butter, sugar, peppers and salt until well incorporated. Set aside. Preheat a deep pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon pieces down until they are brick red, then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add some chopped garlic, then add the broth mixture. Let the broth simmer for 20 minutes, then add the green beans to the broth mixture. Stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to a boil and then turn off heat.

You do not boil or simmer the green beans for long -- just enough to heat through so you don't overcook them.

Crispy Oven Baked Beet Chips

This recipe is so easy and so good for you.

• 3 large beets
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean beets; there's no need to peel them. With a mandoline or a very sharp knife, slice beets thinly. Use setting 2 on mandoline or go thinner if desired.

Place a cookie wire rack on top of a cookie sheet; if you don't have one, then brush the cookie sheet with olive oil. Arrange beets on cookie sheet or wire rack. If you have a wire rack, you don't have to turn the beet chips over halfway through the cooking process. Brush beets with olive oil, and salt and pepper them on both sides.

Put in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If you don't have a wire rack, then after 15 minutes turn the beets over and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Take beets out and let them cool and harden.

Also try this with sweet potatoes, turnips or parsnips.

Roasted Garlic Kale and Quinoa Salad With Cranberries

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 12 cloves garlic (more or less to taste), unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds, mixed with 1/4 cup water or olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 4 cups kale, chopped
• 2 cups quinoa, cooked
• 1 small fennel bulb, shaved
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Place cranberries and garlic on pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until cranberries are wrinkled. Cool slightly.

Peel and chop garlic. Combine chia seeds and water and set aside for 10 minutes. Skip this step if you are using olive oil for the dressing.

In a medium jar, combine chia gel or olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper. Shake well. Pour dressing over kale and massage. Allow kale to sit for 10 minutes.

Add quinoa, fennel, walnuts, red pepper, onion, cranberries and chopped garlic. Toss. Taste. If the cranberries are extremely tart, drizzle with another teaspoon or two of maple syrup and toss again. You don't want the salad to be sweet; this is just to cut the tartness.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

• 1 pound carrots, peeled
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded (about 2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato and butternut squash into 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes. All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small. Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on two baking sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve hot.

Broccoli-Cheddar Potatoes

This recipe for stuffed potatoes and salad is a wonderful alternative to a full meal with a meat entree and a couple of side dishes.

• kosher salt
• 4 large russet potatoes, about 8 ounces each
• 6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces
• 6 cups chopped broccoli florets, from 1 bunch broccoli
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, about 6 ounces
• 6 to 8 cups baby spinach
• Prepared vinaigrette, recipes of your choice, for serving

Preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Pierce each potato several times with a fork; put on a plate and microwave until tender, 10 to 20 minutes.

Cook the bacon in a large ovenproof skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour the fat into a bowl; wipe out and reserve the skillet. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook 3 minutes, then drain.

Halve the potatoes lengthwise, then scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. Place the shells cut-side down in the skillet and brush with the reserved bacon fat. Transfer the skillet to the broiler; broil until golden, about 3 minutes.

Mash the potato flesh with the butter and sour cream; season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the broccoli, scallions, bacon and half of the cheddar. Turn the potato shells cut-side up in the skillet. Stuff with the broccoli mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, 3 to 4 minutes. Toss the spinach with the dressing; serve with the potatoes.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.