Tag Archives: Side Dish

Couscous Salad with Veggies and Herbs

This is the time of year that I get obsessed with salads.  And I don’t mean a pile of lettuce and bacon bits, I’m talking about creative, delicious salads made from interesting ingredients.  Black bean salads, kale salads, exotic fruit salads, watermelon salads, the list from the past goes on and on.  My current focus is couscous.  You know couscous, that tiny little wheat particle that tastes kind of like pasta and kind of like rice, but not orzo.  It makes a great base for all kinds of salads. Here is one that I think you’ll enjoy because it showcases lots of fresh spring and summer ingredients.  I would say 98% of people (including kids) who have tried this give it a thumbs up!

Sauteed Kale and Butternut Squash Medley

I enjoy creating dishes that include ingredients people THINK they don’t like.  My husband says he unequivocally doesn’t like kale.  But Honey, it’s so good for you!  So I got out my culinary palette and developed a tasty side dish that would change his mind.  Ok, Ok I had to add bacon but at least he’s eating kale now.  I know you will love this one, kale fan or not!

Pineapple Salsa is Addictive

I have finally given up on scrounging through the cabinets looking for something to scoop up my pineapple salsa.  Let’s face it, I’m really just looking for an excuse to eat it.  I finally found the perfect dipper.  A BIG SPOON!  Now I shamelessly sit down with the whole bowl and the spoon and eat it like cereal.  I can’t get enough of the sweet-salty freshness.  Oh yeah…. it’s a great accompaniment to pork, chicken and salads.  I like that you can get these fresh ingredients year-round. Here’s the stupid-easy recipe.  TIP: To peel a pineapple, cut off the top and bottom first and then sit it on a cutting board on its flat bottom.  With a sharp knife, peel the outside skin from top to bottom, following the curve of the pineapple. Be sure to cut just behind the dark “eyes” of the pineapple.  You don’t want that in your salsa.   Slice into quarters and remove the tough core pieces before dicing into bite-size pieces.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta served as an appetizer

I love, love sun-dried tomatoes.  I could spend a really long time just eating them by themselves. Combine them with pasta, spinach, pine nuts and cheese… OH BOY!  Happy Mama!! I made this pasta salad for a Christmas party and served it as an appetizer in little individual 2-ounce plastic condiment cups.  My guests enjoyed this as something different.  Next time, I think I’ll choose a smaller sized pasta so it will fit into the cups a little easier.  You could also add other ingredients to this pasta salad like pancetta, olives, artichokes and mushrooms.  Just go crazy!  It’ll be great!

Summer makes me think about Country Potato Salad

I think it’s fun to take food from my childhood and give the recipe a little twist of my own.  I have wonderful memories of my great-grandmother and then my mother making our family’s potato salad.  My Philadelphia-bred husband says it’s not really potato salad, but mashed potatoes with stuff in it.   I disagree with him in my subtle Southern way.   Here’s my version of the local classic.. you be the judge.

Country Picnic Potato Salad

 

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