Side Dish Recipes
Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Butternut Squash
This is a recipe I like to make at least once every fall or winter. Most of the ingredients can be easily held on hand and it is a delicious, satisfying way to get a day’s worth of colorful veggies. While this recipe works well as a unique side dish, perfectly paired with poultry or…
Classic Crispy Top Macaroni and Cheese
This is basic mac and cheese at its best – easy and cheesy with just the right amount of crusty topping! Do you have a favorite comfort food? Good old macaroni and cheese is my 10-year-old’s usual request and he asked for it several times recently and I hadn’t gotten around to it. Then, he…
Honey Orange Roasted Carrots (Parsnips Optional)
Usually, the mention of cooked carrots doesn’t elicit cheers of excitement in my house. Everyone tolerates roasted carrots but would really prefer them raw. Until this recipe! While making a smoothie recently, I realized how beautifully orange juice and zest pairs with pumpkin. I figured this winning flavor combination would translate to other orange vegetables,…
Roasted 2-Way Potatoes
This is the way I got my kids to like sweet potatoes: mixed with regular potatoes and cooked like steak fries. I started by sneaking just one on their plate. Having had one especially picky eater, I have a whole lot of dinnertime tricks up my sleeve! I like to think those tricks actually worked,…
Apple Quinoa Salad with Lemon, Curry and Mint
A simple protein will turn this wholesome, flavorful, plant-based salad into a complete meal. Easy to make ahead and perfect for meal prep! Years ago, my vegetarian sister introduced me to quinoa. She first explained that, contrary to what it seems, this grain is pronounced “KEEN-wah.” She further mentioned that quinoa is popular with vegetarians…
Roasted Butternut Squash with Feta — plus my favorite tips for roasting vegetables
This picture is of the veggies on the baking sheet for a reason. I use a few techniques to achieve roasted vegetables that are golden brown and full of flavor yet still slightly firm. And it starts with the tray! When roasting vegetables, the side touching the tray will brown first. So, as I mention…
Gorgonzola Tomato Salad
Prepare this flavorful dressing ahead and you will have a delicious salad ready in a flash. Perfect as a dip or as a salsa over grilled steak or chicken, I also like using this dressing on Grilled Romaine and Prosciutto Salads. The use of Greek yogurt allows for a thick, delicious option to your favorite…
Creamed Rainbow Chard and Kale with Prosciutto
When I was a kid, I didn’t much care for dark, leafy greens. I viewed kale as a bitter garnish on a dinner plate when we went out to a nice restaurant. Swiss chard hadn’t quite entered the culinary scene and spinach…well…it was fine. As I grew older and heard repeatedly about the health benefits…
Honey Ginger Tomato Salad
Don’t you love it when a friend shares a favorite recipe, or when you come across an idea for a flavor combination that you had never before thought of? Well, Beth, a friend of The Fountain Avenue Kitchen, did both! The pairing of honey and ginger with the sweet tomato grapes is truly delicious, and…
Baked Tomatoes with Mozzarella and Pesto
This is so easy, it hardly qualifies as a recipe. It is so tasty, however, that I thought I should mention it! These tomatoes are a novel twist on the traditional tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad and are another wonderful use for Asiago Pesto Spread. You may certainly substitute your favorite pesto, purchased or…
Balsamic Dijon Grilled Vegetables
In my book, grilled veggies are fabulous for so many reasons. First and foremost, they taste great. But also, they are easy to prepare and need nothing more than a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. However, they can be fancied up with any number of marinades and herbs. Vegetables can be grilled in…
Kale and Boursin-Stuffed Grilled Portobellos
Mushrooms were never something I ate a lot of growing up, but my husband has always adored them. Since marrying him a few years back (almost 18 to be precise!), I have grown to appreciate the flavor and texture of a wide variety of mushrooms. They are so meaty and satisfying, and their earthy flavor…
