Once a month or so growing up, we’d do a Vegetable Night for dinner—carrots and green beans were usually part of the line-up, as well as some sort of potato and a salad or maybe some fruit. It was simple home cooking, the kind of stuff that wasn’t hard to put together but was certain to fill you up.

As an adult, a nice veggie plate is still something that appeals to me (Iron Star in OKC has a great one, by the way). Nowadays, though, things are a bit more sophisticated with the likes of Burgundy mushrooms and fresh green beans sautéed with julienne red bell peppers and onions. Still simple, but elevated just enough. Homemade mashed redskin potatoes with mushroom gravy + glazed carrots rounds off this, the Ultimate Veggie Plate.

SLOW COOKER BURGUNDY MUSHROOMS

3 lbs. button mushrooms, wiped clean
1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine (or any dry red wine)
2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 butter, cut into pieces
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (can use vegetarian version or sub for soy sauce)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried thyme
Fresh cracked black pepper

Place all ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. You should have leftover gravy, so use this to drizzle over the mushrooms and the mashed potatoes.

GREEN BEANS WITH SAUTEED RED BELL PEPPERS & ONIONS

1 lb. fresh green beans, rinsed and with the ends snapped off
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

Add a vegetable steamer to a large pot. Fill the pot with water so that the water level is just under the steamer. Bring to a boil, and the green beans and cover, cooking for about five minutes. You want the green beans to be cooked but still retain a crunch. Add the olive oil to the pot and swirl to cover the bottom. Place the garlic, onion and bell pepper into the put and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Once the onions start to become translucent, add the green beans in and cook until the green beans have become a bit softer (but again, still retain a crunch).

ORANGE BALSAMIC GLAZED CARROTS

4 large carrots, cut into wedges
3 T. butter, melted
1 1/4 T. brown sugar
2 T. balsamic vinegar
3 T. olive oil
Juice from half of a large orange
1 t. fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash and peel the carrots, cut off the tops and ends, and cut the rest of the carrots at an angle to form wedges. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the carrots, cooking until they’re fork tender. Drain and place back into the bowl. Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl and toss well to coat.

GARLIC MASHED REDSKIN POTATOES

4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T. olive oil
2 lbs. small red potatoes
1/4 c. 2% milk
2 T. butter
1 t. white pepper
1/2 T. cracked black pepper
1 t. salt

Wash the potatoes and cut each into four pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the potatoes and cook until fork tender. While the potatoes are boiling, add the garlic and olive oil to a small pan over high heat. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the garlic starts to brown (you’ll hear it popping, kind of like popcorn). Add the cooked potatoes, roasted garlic and remaining ingredients to a large mixer and blend until smooth. Warning: do not overblend the potatoes, as they’ll turn gluey and there’s nothing you can do to save them. Seriously!