Side Dish Recipes
Sweet Cherry & Feta Quinoa with Peach Vinaigrette
A light, flavor-packed salad that’s delightful paired with virtually any grilled protein but stands alone as a complete vegetarian meal. For a vegan alternative, simply omit the feta. And try substituting dried cherries or cranberries when the fresh cherry season has ended. 🍒 Every summer, I make several varieties of homemade jam that we enjoy…
California Potato Salad
Buttery avocado, juicy tomatoes, and a bit of crisp bacon will shake up your potato salad routine for a light yet filling spin on the classic dish. This absolutely delicious reader recipe was sent to me by Leola, Pennsylvania native Nancy Irvin James, who mentioned that the recipe got its name because she developed it…
Strawberry Pesto Pasta Salad
This recipe came from Genevieve, an English teacher at Lancaster Country Day School. Another teacher told Genevieve she simply must share this recipe for the Summer Salad Challenge conducted by The Lancaster Sunday News and me. The recipe came from Genevieve’s sister and, conceptually, it caught my attention right away. Beyond offering a novel, seasonal…
Baked Greens with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
As my garden grows and local market stands overflow with spring greens, I have been diving deeper into one of my two assigned food trends: bitter greens. For those who may not have read previously, I am on a yearlong journey with Sargento Cheese, developing recipes and exploring the food trends that were developed by…
Roasted Asparagus with Panko
Serve these deliciously crunchy spears as a satisfying side dish or appetizer – they can be finger food. For a delicious, gluten-free adaptation, substitute crushed Rice Chex for the panko. (Trust me, it works!) Many years ago, I read Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. The story chronicles her own family after they vowed…
Avocado Egg Salad
Enjoy this healthy egg salad in a wrap, as a salad, or serve with carrot and celery sticks for a chunky and super-satisfying dip! Lauren Kelly is a certified nutritionist, not to mention a dear foodie friend of mine. She recently published a comprehensive book on eating wheat-free and kindly shared it with me. It…
Roasted Garbanzos…and other roasted beans
A simple technique and helpful hints for the best crunchy snack–that happens to be healthy, protein-rich, economical, and easy! Last year, when I first posted my recipe for roasting garbanzo beans, a couple of my friends mentioned that a few of the beans popped in their oven! We quickly determined that the garbanzos still…
Honey Sweetened Corn Muffins (gluten-free option)
My husband adores cornbread, so I have made it scores of different ways over the years. Since his birthday is today, and because we like to start birthdays in our family with birthday muffins, bagels, donuts or baked oatmeal — basically, anything I can stick candles in to start the day off in a festive…
Baked Cheddar Spinach Squares
Easy, cheesy spinach squares are a retro appetizer that make an equally delicious side dish. The squares may be baked ahead and reheated and freeze well too. The look of today’s menu item may remind you of a crustless quiche. In this recipe, however, two eggs serve as a binder for the remaining ingredients…
Roasted Cauliflower and New Potatoes with Blue Cheese
Super easy and incredibly satisfying, this recipe is veggie-based comfort food at its best. Minimal ingredients equal maximum flavor! Rice makes a perfect “sponge” for the flavorful tomato-based sauce in my easy slow cooker chicken tikka masala. But with this and other dishes for which rice forms a purposeful base, I sometimes replace the…
Honey Orange Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
The day before Thanksgiving, I saw A recipe for Hasselback Potatoes posted by my friend, Sonali, from The Foodie Physician. They looked completely delicious and I shared them on my page. I loved how she used sweet potatoes as an alternative to the white potatoes typically used in this Scandinavian dish. By the second time…
Whole Wheat Cheddar Chicken (or Turkey) Quesadillas
It’s always fun to strike upon a new way of using something. In my kitchen, this often happens out of desperation, like when I lack the right ingredient and the time (or desire) to go to the store! A favorite twist I stumbled upon a few months ago was using pita bread instead of tortillas…
