Keep It Simple Foods » Side Dishes

Grill Baby Grill

Jennifer — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:33:05 +0000

Summer is the season for grilling. Below, I’ve shared a few quick, healthy, and inexpensive cookout favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Grilled pineapple

Crispy grilled baguette with butter, olive oil and sea salt.

Grilled zuccini, squash and onions. Dice, coat in olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap in aluminium foil. Toss on the grill and cook until tender.

Barbecued tempeh. Marinate in bbq sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice. Grill until browned.

Pan roasted broccoli

Jennifer — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:04:01 +0000

This is my favorite way to eat broccoli (haven’t tried grilling it yet so that’s next on my list!). Simply rinse and chop a head of broccoli. Next, place it in a mixing bowl with rough chopped garlic (for a more intense garlic flavor go with finely chopped). Add a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and a few dashes of ground coriander. Toss until well coated and transfer to a roasting pan. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes- until edges are crispy and brown. Serve as a side dish to accompany fish or in a salad.

Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

Jennifer — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:54:11 +0000

I brought these eggs to a friend’s party several weeks ago. She’s a sucker for deviled eggs and I thought they would make a nice surprise. I opted for this somewhat spicey recipe over more traditional (and somewhat bland) recipes. I think they turned out nicely.

Ingredients:
one dozen eggs (I used local Maryland farm eggs found at the nearest Whole Foods)
1/4 cup good mayo
2 tblsps dijon mustard
diced pickled jalapenos
splash jalapeno juice (from the jar)
salt and pepper (to taste)
paprika (optional)

Directions: Hard boil eggs. Once cooled- shell, chop in half, and empty yellow cooked yolks into a mixing bowl. Add mayo and dijon mustard and combine. Chop pickled jalapenos (substitute for relish or pickles) and add. Use as many as you are comfortable with. Add enough jalapeno juice to make the mixture creamy, but not too hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once all the ingredients are combined, pipe the mixture into the egg halves. Sprinkle with paprika to finish. Chill before serving.

Roasted Winter Veggies

Jennifer — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:12:10 +0000

The icy, wintery air outside gives me cravings for hearty, soothing meals that warm the soul. Some of my favorite winter treats are also the simplest to make. Roasted winter vegetables require little prep time and even less money before sitting down to a hot, comforting dinner. They are also an easy side dish to serve at dinner parties with several guests.

Ingredients:
Your favorite winter veggies (turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, onion, etc)
evoo
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper and coriander seed and red pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep veggies by chopping them into manageable pieces (bite sized). Place veggies in a med bowl and toss with evoo. Spread on baking sheet and sprinkle with seasonings (feel free to use whatever you like). Bake for approximately 30 min or until tender. Serve.

For a recent dinner party I hosted, I made an all vegetarian meal pairing the roasted winter veggies with cooked collard greens and brussel sprouts. The plate was balanced with flavor and texture, as colorful as a rainbow. I got a lot of compliments on this very simple, very inexpensive dish.

Southern Tomato Pie

Jennifer — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:28:16 +0000

While visiting my boyfriend’s family in N.C., his mom made us a homemade tomato pie. It was a delicious, savory pie and was exactly the kind of southern food I had been craving. It was also a great way to showcase her beautiful, homegrown summer tomatoes.

As a preliminary matter, I must tell you that tomato pie is traditional, southern cooking at its best (tastewise) and worst (healthwise). This recipe includes the holy trinity of southern ingredients- shortening (pie crust), mayonnaise, and cheese. The taste is incredible, but I don’t even want to know how much fat and calories are in this dish. That said, it’s ok to eat a dish like this from time to time. The best way to eat it is to serve it as a small side accompaniment to a healthier dish, like a fresh green salad. I ate it on the side of grilled fish and steamed veggies-not as the main part of my meal. So, I was able to enjoy the flavor without feeling like a glutton. It was a special treat and special times call for special treats.

Ingredients:
one 9 inch pie shell
4 or 5 medium tomatoes peeled, sliced and drained (use a paper towel to remove excess moisture)
3 spring onions chopped
chopped basil (optional)
1 ½ cups extra sharp cheddar chees (grated)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions: Bake piecrust according to directions and cool. Next, cover the bottom of pie shell with sliced tomatoes.

Salt and pepper tomatoes and sprinkle with basil and onions. Then, in a small bowl, combine cheese and mayo. Cover tomatoes with cheese mix and spread over entire pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Let cool, slice and serve. Makes 10 to 12 slices depending on how small you cut them.

This dish is the ultimate summer comfort food and it is CHEAP to make. I think it would be interesting to “healthify” this dish by highlighting the tomatoes rather than all the mayo and cheese. Perhaps, in the future, I’ll create a healthier version to share.

Homegrown Salt and Pepper Tomatoes

Jennifer — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:39:51 +0000

Tomatoes epitomize summer and I can’t think of a better hot-weather food than a ripe tomato fresh off the vine. This summer, my boyfriend and I grew our own tomato plants and lately we’ve been enjoying the literal fruits of our labor.

Because tomatoes are so delicious on their own, they don’t need much extra to enhance their flavor. Salt and pepper will do just fine. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive old with some coarse salt and fresh-cracked pepper over a few fresh chopped tomatoes you have a perfect salad (no lettuce needed) or side dish. I served up this beautiful, colorful bowl with lunch the other day and it was the perfect compliment to our summer meal. Simple and delicious.

Panko Fried Green Tomatoes

Jennifer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:45:20 +0000

I’m obsessed with frying foods in panko these days. After the success I had with the panko fried okra, I’ve been on the hunt for new foods that I can batter up and fry in these delightful Japanese style breadrumbs. Panko is light and super crunchy and seems to turn out less greasy than foods fried in flour or cornmeal.

My latest and greatest panko fry discovery is the green tomato. And, of course it’s delicious! The outside is salty and crunchy and the inside is juicy and tart. So good.

Ingredients:
1 medium to large firm green tomato sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices
1 bowl of eggwash (mix 1 egg and splash of milk)
1 bowl panko breadcrumbs (add some cornmeal to this to make it bind better)
salt to season the breadcrumbs
canola oil- or you can use olive oil (not evoo), grapeseed, or peanut (anything with a high burn temp)

Directions: Heat your oil in a skillet on medium to med high heat. Make sure to use enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Dip tomato slices in egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs. Coat each slice well then place into hot oil. NOTE: Make sure your oil is hot before cooking the tomatoes! Add a few droplets of water to the oil and if it pops or crackles, you are good to go. Cook on each side until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to drain grease. Serve with relish, ranch, or eat plain.

Keep It Simple Guacamole

Jennifer — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:12:48 +0000

Fresh always tasts better than premade (even if it’s premade at Whole Foods). So, when you are craving guacamole, make it fresh rather than picking up something premade. Not only does it taste better, it’s better for you and it costs less.

Guacamole is so easy to make and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients: (serves 1 to 2 persons)
1 ripe avacado
juice 1/2 lime
salt, pepper
(optional ingredients)
1 glove garlic minced
dash cumin
cilantro
1/4 onion chopped
1/4 tomato chopped

Directions: Separate avacado meat from skin and pit. Put avacado meat in a bowl and use a spoon to mash it until you get it as smooth or chunky as you like. Then, add in the other ingredients and combine. Serve with tortilla chips, pita, or flatbread.

Creamy Cauliflower with Thyme

Jennifer — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:13:36 +0000

Creamed cauliflower is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. Less carbs, just as filling and doesn’t weigh you down. Plus, it’s easy to make and is ready in about 20 min. I whipped up a batch the other night to serve with some baked ginger salmon (see recipe below) and steamed asparagus. It was the perfect side dish to the salmon and paired nicely with the asparagus…just like mashed potatoes!

Directions: (approx 4 servings)
Steam 1 head of cauliflower until very tender. Place in a strainer to let water drain off. Mash down the cauliflower to get most of the water out. Place cauliflower back in a pot and mix in a splash of milk or cream, a tiny dab of butter, dash of salt and a sprig of thyme. Whip together until creamy. Remove the stem of the thyme (you can eat the leaves if you want) and serve.

Easy salmon glaze:
Whisk together 3 tblsps evoo, dash of soy sauce, drizzle honey, splash lemon juice, dash of ground ginger and 1 smashed glove of garlic. Mix to taste. Season fish with salt and pepper and then pour marinade on top. Bake for 20 min and then broil until crispy. This is truly a no fail recipe so go for it!

Easy Tzatziki

Jennifer — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:52:15 +0000

Tzatziki is a taditional middle eastern yogurt dip served as an appetizer or as a sauce eaten with meat and falafel dishes. It can also be eaten with couscous and pita. I ate mine with a falafel sunshine burger. This dish is quick and easy to make and requires few ingredients.

Ingredients: (Serves 1 to 2)
1/2 cup fat free yogurt
1/2 cucumber skinned and chopped
1 tsp of lemon zest
fresh dill
dash of salt
1 clove of garlic minced

Mix all ingredients and enjoy!