Sides

Southwestern Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

April 19, 2013 1 Comment

santa fe sweet potatoes healthy vegetarian gluten-free recipe black beans corn cilantro

I love sweet potatoes – I eat them almost every day. They’re a healthy carb for this gluten-free girl. Friends are always amazed at my use of sweet potatoes. I add them to omelets, quesadillas, make them into burgers, add them to corn cakes, use them in desserts, and stuff them with delicious fillings like I did for this recipe. I’m still trying to plow through the corn stash in my freezer from last summer and this recipe is one of the ways I am doing so. These twice baked sweet potatoes are a great vegetarian meal on their own when served with steamed greens or a salad, and they also go well with any type of Mexican or Southwestern-style protein, like fajita rubbed chicken or chicken with a cilantro-lime marinade. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gluten-Free, healthy recipes, Recipes, Sides, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: gluten-free dinner, healthy sweet potato recipe, hearty vegetarian dish, paleo recipe, santa fe stuffed sweet potatoes, southwestern sweet potatoes, twice baked sweet potatoes, vegetarian recipe

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan Vinaigrette

January 5, 2013 Leave a Comment

I created this recipe for Vegetarian Times (1 food, 5 ways: fennel, March 2012). Roasting fennel concentrates its natural sweetness and mellows out the licorice flavor. A sprinkling of Parmesan gives it a crunchy crust, while the tender center of the fennel pieces melt in your mouth. This makes a lovely winter starter or side dish – especially for braised or roasted meat. Of all the fennel recipes that I made for family and friends to taste-test while developing the fennel recipes for Vegetarian Times, this one was the favorite. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizers, Gluten-Free, healthy recipes, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian Tagged With: elegant vegetarian recipe, fennel recipe, roasted fennel recipe, side for braised meat, vegetarian appetizer, vegetarian recipe, vegetarian times recipe, vegetarian valentine's day

Green Beans with Craisins & Toasted Almonds

November 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

This recipe has become a fall/ winter favorite of mine and is a real crowd-pleaser. The sweet taste of caramelized shallots, toasty almonds and chewy craisins are the perfect foil for fresh green beans. This dish is a healthy alternative to a green bean casserole, and the festive color combo makes it the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Serve it with turkey, roasted meat or a whole tenderloin.

Try substituting walnuts for the almonds and dried cherries for the craisins. If you can find them, use slender French haricots verts.

Green Beans with Craisins & Toasted Almonds
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
¼ C. slivered almonds
1 Tbs. olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
Salt & Freshly ground pepper, to taste
¼ C. craisins

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a pinch of kosher salt to the water, along with the green beans and cook until bright green and slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and immediately plunge into an ice bath (fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water). Once beans are cool, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. [Beans can be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance, covered and refrigerated until ready to use.]

2. Toast the almonds in a large fry pan over medium heat, stirring continuously, until slightly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. In the same pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the beans to the pan. Sauté, stirring continuously, until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with almonds and craisins, then transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Filed Under: Christmas, Dairy-free, Gluten-Free, Holidays, Sides, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian Tagged With: christmas dinner recipes, gluten-free green beans, gluten-free thanksgiving, green bean casserole alternative, green beans with shallots, green beans with toasted almonds, healthy green bean side, healthy holiday green beans, healthy thanksgiving sides, thanksgiving side dish recipes, vegetarian side dish, vegetarian thanksgiving recipe

Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apple Topping

November 15, 2012 2 Comments

Next to pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes are the dish I most look forward to at Thanksgiving. My family doesn’t have one traditional sweet potato side-dish; it varied year by year depending on who hosted. Some years they were citrusy with a hint of warm cloves. Other years they were creamy, rich and neatly lined with pecans around the edges. They were usually always delicious. So when I set out to find a recipe to use for my first Thanksgiving as the host, I looked at many, many sweet potato recipes. I tried several and have settled on the one that makes me feel warm and cozy on the inside without being too heavy. These sweet potatoes are mixed with nutmeg and fresh orange juice, then topped with caramelized apples – essentially, they taste like Thanksgiving on a plate. The recipe is from Ina Garten’s Parties, which I modified by omitting the heavy cream. They’re still luxurious and taste sinful, as any good sweet potato side dish worthy of Thanksgiving should taste.

This picture is from my test batch. For the actual event I plan to serve the sweet potatoes in a round casserole dish and place the caramelized apples in a neat circlular pattern before baking.

Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apples

4 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 6 large)
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (you can substitute concentrated)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black better

For the topping

3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 McIntosh or Macoun apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
3 Tbs. light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick potatoes several times with a knife, wrap each potato individually in tin foil and bake on a baking sheet lined with foil for 1 hour, or until very soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and place in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add orange juice, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix together until combined but not smooth, and pour into a baking dish coated with nonstick spray.

2. For the topping, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple wedges and brown sugar and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned on both sides. Place on top of sweet potatoes.

3. Bake potatoes and apples for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through.

Serves 8.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian Tagged With: Apple, christmas side dish, citrusy sweet potatoes, fall sweet potato recipe, hearty fall sweet potato recipe, Ina Garten, smashed sweet potato recipe, Sweet potato, sweet potatoes with caramelized apples, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving side dish, thanksgiving sweet potato, vegetarian thanksgiving side dish

Butternut Squash & Pesto Gratin

November 14, 2012 2 Comments

One of my friends (an excellent cook who entertains often) shared this simple Giada recipe with me. She said it’s a dish that she serves several times each fall because it’s an easy make-ahead side-dish with great flavor. In my search for the best Thanksgiving sides, I made this for a dinner party a few weeks ago. I adapted the recipe a little by roasting rather than steaming the squash, which is so much easier than peeling and cutting the squash into chunks. This gratin was really tasty and definitely company-worthy; everyone enjoyed it and there was not a single bite left. The sweetness of the butternut squash is really well balanced by the salty parmesan and the brightness of the pesto. Although it was simple and tasty, this gratin is not making it onto my Thanksgiving menu. It was delicious, but just didn’t taste like “Thanksgiving” to me. It was probably the pesto that threw me off – it just isn’t a flavor combo that makes me think of fall. But this is a recipe worth sharing and I will be making it again and again. Next time I’ll serve it with a roasted or grilled meat and arugula salad. I love dishes, like this one, that can be made in advance and heated while I enjoy a nice glass of wine with friends.

Butternut Squash & Pesto Gratin

3 lbs. Butternut squash (about 1 large)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

¼ cup basil pesto (I used store-bought)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for greasing

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds and bake, cut side down, on pan covered with tinfoil and nonstick spray for 40-50 minutes, until squash is completely soft when pierced with a knife. Transfer squash to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Lightly butter an 8-inch baking dish. Spread half of the squash evenly into prepared baking dish. Dollop half of the pesto over the squash in the baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the squash. Repeat layering with the remaining squash, pesto and cheese. Using a skewer or knife, gently swirl the pesto into the squash. Dot the top with butter and bake until the gratin is heated through and golden brown around the edges, about 40 minutes. To make in advance, refrigerate after dotting with butter, bring to room temperature and then bake as instructed.

Serves 4 as a side.

Filed Under: Fall, Gluten-Free, Sides, Vegetarian Tagged With: butternut squash recipe, fall dinner party ideas, fall gratin recipe, fall side dish, giada recipe, hearty fall recipe, make-ahead side dish, make-ahead squash side dish, pesto and squash grating, squash casserole, vegetarian fall side dish

Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese

November 12, 2012 3 Comments

In writing about Thanksgiving side dishes, it occurred to me that I should share one of my favorite grain salad recipes, which I have made for Thanksgivings past and regularly serve at any fall/winter brunch. Here’s the story behind this holiday-worth salad. Several years ago Bouchon Bakery had a fall salad that knocked my socks off. It was a farro-based grain salad, with balsamic roasted butternut squash, toasted hazelnuts and creamy goat cheese. It had the perfect combo of textures (chewy, crunchy, creamy) and flavor (sweet and salty). When they took the dreamy fall salad off the menu, I went in search of a similar recipe to recreate the dish at home. Luckily, one of my favorite food bloggers, Heidi Swanson over at 101 Cookbooks, came up with a similar recipe, trading the hazelnuts for walnuts (which are actually much easier to prepare – no skins to contend with). I’ve adapted it a bit, and this grain salad has become an absolute staple in my repertoire. I like to serve it with brunch or even as a side for Thanksgiving – particularly good for any vegetarians at the table because it’s so hearty. Every time I serve it to rave reviews (and secretly hope for leftovers for lunch). This is one of those recipes that people always ask for.

I roast the squash and toast the nuts a few days in advance so the salad comes together quickly when I go to serve it. The recipe has evolved over the years and I now serve it using brown rice instead of farro because it’s easier to find and gluten-free, but you can also use barley (pearled) in this salad with good results. Don’t overcook the rice – its important for the grains to be intact.

Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese

2 cups brown rice
4 cups water (or stock)
3 cups butternut squash, cut into ½” pieces
1 large shallot cut into quarters
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup walnuts, deeply toasted
3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil (or more olive oil)
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine brown rice and water in large saucepan or rice cooker; cook according to package directions. Cool slightly and set aside.

2. While the rice is cooking, toss squash, shallot and thyme with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a couple big pinches of salt on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Arrange in a single layer and place in oven for about 20 minutes, tossing the squash and shallots every 5-7 minutes to get browning on multiple sides. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and mince cooked shallots (reserve a few slices for garnishing, if you would like).

3. In a large bowl gently toss everything other than the goat cheese (except the goat cheese) with toasted walnut oil (or olive oil). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish and top with crumbled goat cheese and reserved slices of shallot (if using).

Serves 8 as a side (4 as an entrée).