Sometimes, you just need a little something to spice up a weeknight meal. What better thing to do than a simple side? So last night, I threw together a simple side veggie to go with our entree. It took about 15 minutes to prepare and sauté – pretty good, right?

I had some pretty bok choy and beautiful green onion from a farm stand. We had visited my parents in Arkansas, and couldn’t resist picking up some fresh, local produce. Here’s a picture of the green onion – isn’t it lovely?

Ok – so back to cooking this simple side. First, I got out a sauté pan, added a misting of olive oil, and turned on the heat to low. While the pan was warming up, I cleaned and chopped up the bok choy into bite sized pieces, and sliced the green onion into thin slices. Next, I threw them in a sautee pan and stirred for about 6-7 minutes. I knew the greens were ready when they turned a nice bright green.

While the greens were sautéing, I knew that adding fresh herbs would brighten up the dish. So, I picked a couple of leaves of purple basil from my garden and cut them into thin ribbons, called a chiffonade.

After adding the greens to half my plate, I topped them with the purple basil. With just a turn of cracked black pepper, the side dish was ready to go. Yum!

What better way to spice up a weeknight meal than with a lovely simple side veggie?

And, we know that it is recommended by the US Department of Agriculture to fill at least half our plates with fruits and veggies. So, a simple side veggie gives us more of the nutritious goodies we need for healthy eating. As a part of my food philosophy, I aim to eat 7-9 fruits and veggies each day – so that extra serving of greens really does the trick!

What simple side to you use to spice up a weeknight meal?

Let me know in the comments!

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