Three Easy Sides

These are 4 quick and easy side dishes I frequently throw together to round out a meal.

1. Pina Colada Salad:
1-2 bananas cut into chunks
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1/4 cup sweetened coconut

Toss together, chill and enjoy! It's a simple variation on the basic fruit salad, but who can resist these flavors together? The coconut adds fat, but also lots of yum.


2. Cucumber/Tomato Salad:
1 cucumber, thickly sliced
2 fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1/8 cup fat free Italian dressing

Toss cucumber slices, tomatoes, and dressing together and chill. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro before serving. Super duper quick and simple.


3. Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
2 Sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp butter
1/8 cup brown sugar

Peel, cut, and boil sweet potatoes. Mash; mix in butter and brown sugar. Serve.
Yeah, yeah - it'd be fine without the butter and sugar, but would your family eat it?


4. Sweet Potato Fries (without the oil)
2 Lg Sweet Potatoes, cut into slivers (like steak fries)
olive oil
Coarse ground pepper
Salt

Par boil sweet potatoes, then toss in olive oil. Spread into single layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 until golden, tossing midway. I just eyeball the baking time. We love sweet potatoes.

Submitted by Stacie. Sorry for the absence of pictures!!! This is supposed to be food "porn" after all, so maybe my lack of pictures is more like a scintillating romance novel - all text, no visuals. ;)