Simple Sides

First things first, go to Kroger or Whole Foods as quickly as possible and buy Tamari.  The stuff is awesome, especially if you crave salty, savory things.  What is Tamari?  It's gluten-free soy sauce and completely kosher on The Daniel Plan.  It can be used for so many different things...I've made a dipping sauce with Tamari, red pepper flakes and stevia...it's great for tossing veggies in before roasting in the oven, and perfect for a stir-fry sauce (will post a recipe soon!). Tamari and balsamic vinegar are used almost daily in my kitchen now.  The only true downfall is price, it is more expensive than regular soy sauce AND in my neck of the woods (redneck all the way), we don't have any low-sodium versions available.  Truly, I have no idea if low-sodium is even available, but we would love the option.  This is the Tamari that I use...thankfully, Kroger is much cheaper than Amazon.  I'm going to include a few recipes that we enjoy!


Roasted Asparagus

1 lb of Asparagus, trimmed
1/2 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 TBSP parmesan
Pepper to taste
1 TBSP of tamari (a little goes a long way, and remember this is salty, so go VERY, VERY easy of adding salt)
2 TBSP olive oil

Toss asparagus and mushrooms with tamari, olive oil, and pepper, throw on a sheet pan and sprinkle with parm.  Roast in a 375 degree oven until parm starts to brown. Baby carrots can be used instead of asparagus.


Roasted Broccoli

1 lb fresh broccoli florets
Salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP tamari

Make sure broccoli is evenly coated with all ingredients and place evenly on a sheet pan.  Roast at 375 until broccoli barely starts to brown.  This is really individual, we like the flavor of the caramelization, but remove whenever you choose.

Stovetop Asian Green Beans

1 lb haricot verts
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, ,minced or pressed
small amount of olive oil to cover pan
1/4 cup water
1 TBSP tamari
stevia to taste (completely optional)

Add oil to pan, add green beans, shallots and garlic.  Cook over med heat until the garlic releases it's oils (when you start to smell the garlic), add water, tamari and stevia ( if you prefer a bit of sweetness).  Cover pan and allow the beans to cook until crisp tender...only takes a couple of minutes.  While cooking, make a slurry with cornstarch and water.  When beans are cooked, add a bit of slurry mixture to thicken sauce.  I often make this same recipe with whole baby bella mushrooms.  it's delish.  Chopped water chestnuts can be added for texture.