Filed under: Veggie Sides
I’ve been getting a lot of corn from our farm share each week, and since I had half a log of goat cheese left from the Roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Pasta Salad I made recently, I decided to try to find a recipe that would use up both of those ingredients. Bobby Flay’s Corn and Goat Cheese Grits fit the bill, especially since I always have stone-ground cornmeal in my pantry (I use Indian Head brand). I used fresh corn, of course!
I followed the recipe as written, except that I used skim milk instead of whole (it’s what I keep in the house). This recipe is easy and so creamy and rich — I loved it. Pay attention, though, to the cooking instructions on the cornmeal you use. Mine only needed 15 minutes to cook, not the “about 40 minutes” suggested in the recipe.
My friends said they liked this side dish, and even those who are not huge fans of goat cheese thought it was good, and not too “goat-y,” for lack of a better word. I think this dish would pair well with a big mess of sauteed swiss chard or collard greens for a vegetarian meal, or alongside a roasted chicken.
August 13, 2010
I made up this pasta salad based on the vegetables I received from our farm share this week (plus a grocery-store onion). I peeled the kabocha squash (though I have read that you can leave its thin skin on, and eat it once it’s cooked) and cut it into bite-sized pieces, then tossed it in a bit of olive oil and salt and roasted it at 415° F for about 45 minutes. Once the kabocha was in the oven, I cut up a medium onion, medium yellow squash, and two small zucchinis. They got the same treatment as the kabocha and went, on a separate pan, into the same oven for about a half hour. The vegetables need to be soft and starting to brown before you take them out of the oven.
While they’re roasting, cook up a pound of sturdy pasta (I used cavatappi, which is cork screw-shaped), and then drain it. Combine the pasta and roasted vegetables, and allow it cool for at least 15 minutes, tossing it occasionally. You can add a drizzle more of olive oil if it needs it. Then cut in small pieces of goat cheese, about 4 oz. in total. Use more if you love it, sub feta if you don’t. Serve room temperature or cold.
We brought this pasta salad to a barbecue today, and I thought it was terrific. Our hosts did as well. J. thought the cheese was too dry and gave it a “just OK.” This side dish reminded me of the Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash which I also adored, so it’s no surprise that I thought this thrown-together concoction was a winner.
August 1, 2010
I worked in the lobby shop of the Statler Hotel when I was in college — it was a small outpost of our campus store that sold some school paraphernalia, candy, newspapers, and what not. I loved the job because I got to interact with visitors to the campus, whether they were potential students, parents, or celebrities (I sold papers to B.B. King’s entourage and to Bill Maher himself) who often asked my opinion on what to see, where to eat, and how I liked Ithaca.
Since I worked through dinner, I brought my own food, and most often it was either kidney or black beans mixed with rice. (I suppose I could have only been a more stereotypically low-on-funds college student if I’d been eating ramen.) I always enjoyed this combination of foods, and making Mujadarra, with its mix of lentils and rice, took me back 15 years to those evenings where I crammed studying in between customers buying gum.
At the recommendation of Israeli reader Elinoar, I upped the cumin, using a full teaspoon rather than the recipe’s suggested quarter-teaspoon. (Elinoar also suggested I add a little turmeric, but I forgot to. I will do that next time.) I felt this level of spice was perfect. And the caramelized onions are so delicious and creamy from their long, slow cooking on the stove. Mujadarra is good warm or straight from the fridge, and is a perfect vegan meal on its own or as a side dish to grilled chicken.
August 1, 2010
This was a super-easy, quick slaw that was surprisingly delicious. I thinly sliced a small green cabbage, and tossed it with a chopped bunch of scallions and a couple of shaved (with a vegetable peeler) carrots. For the dressing, I combined a squirt of sriracha sauce with some honey, apple cider vinegar, and fresh lemon juice. (I just splashed them together in a bowl without measuring, and adjusted the quantities to taste.) You can season with salt and pepper, as well.
Toss the cabbage mixture with the dressing and let it sit at room temperature for a least 15 minutes, so the cabbage can soften slightly. The spicy sriracha is a good contrast to the cool, crisp cabbage. Definitely a nice change from the sesame oil-based slaws I have been making recently.
July 27, 2010
The original recipe for this Cucumber and Radish Salad with Feta, Red Wine Vinegar, and Buttermilk Dressing comes from Kalyn’s Kitchen. She always has great ideas for vegetables!
I used two large garden cucumbers, and peeled and cut them early in the day. I allowed them to sit on a bed of paper towels in the fridge for a couple of hours before I put the salad together, I did not find them to be too wet at all, and that was without salting them. I also used skim milk instead of buttermilk, and apple cider vinegar instead of red wine.
My parents and I liked this salad, and it is crisp and cool — perfect for summer. I think adding pepper (I forgot to) and perhaps some chives or minced scallions would really be fantastic. Since my Dad just gave me a big cuke from his garden, and I received 3 more in today’s CSA share, I anticipate many more cucumber-based salads in the near future.
July 14, 2010
J. grilled tonight, and when we grill in the summer we almost always throw a mess of vegetables on there along with whatever protein we’re cooking up. Tonight J. grilled zucchini, yellow squash, scallions, and even broccoli. We love the way vegetables taste when prepared this way (they’re drizzled with a little olive oil and tossed with a dash of salt before cooking).
Roni at Green Lite Bite’s recipe for Roasted (Wish They Were Grilled) Cabbage got me thinking about cabbage on the grill, something I’d never tried. Yesterday I quartered two arrowhead cabbages, and spooned Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki over each piece. Then I wrapped them in aluminum foil, and brought them to my parents’ house for my dad to grill. The cabbage steams inside its wrapper, which makes it tender and soft in just 15 minutes or so.
The flavor was great, but next time I’m going to suggest a few minutes on the grill after it is cooked in the foil. Placing the cabbage right on the grill grate would caramelize the sauce and crisp up the edges of the cabbage a little, which would taste even better and certainly be more visually appealing.
July 5, 2010
I love cucumbers, and in the summer they are the perfect side dish: crisp and cool, light but flavorful (at least the ones from my CSA are!). I often make a quick Israeli salad in the summer, but didn’t have tomatoes on hand last night.
I sliced up a couple of cukes, minced two big scallions, and drizzled on a bit of apple cider vinegar along with a pinch of salt. If you want to, you can add a teaspoon of sugar or so, but I didn’t. This side dish takes just minutes to make, and keeps very well in the fridge for a couple of days as well.
July 2, 2010
Sharon has been giving me her copies of Cooking Light to read, and this recipe for Farmer’s Market Potato Salad is just one of many I bookmarked to try.
As much as I adore my dad’s traditional, mayo-dressed potato salad (it’s my grandpa’s recipe), J. and I tend to make vinaigrette-based salads instead, like Mustard Vinaigrette Potato Salad, which includes capers.
In this new Cooking Light recipe, the potatoes and corn kernels are roasted rather than boiled. I took it a step further and roasted the onions and zucchini as well, instead of caramelizing them separately in a saute pan (the oven was on anyway, I figured I may as well use both racks!). Although I didn’t cook the tomatoes, I did mix them into the roasted vegetables when they were just out of the oven, so the residual heat definitely wilted the tomatoes nicely.
The fresh tarragon is an integral component of the flavor of this dish. I’d never chopped fresh tarragon before, so I was surprised it had a slightly sweet, licorice scent. Before you recoil, thinking you don’t want your potato salad tasting like a black jelly bean, I have to assure you that the licorice flavor is distinct, but more as a very refreshing and clean flavor than tasting like its candy counterpart.
This potato salad will definitely go into our rotation for summer barbecues. It’s a beautiful dish, too, so it would present well if you brought it to a party. A vegetarian guest could also feel satisfied eating it as a main dish. All around, a keeper recipe for the summer.
June 7, 2010
My friend Susanna brought this Fig & Carrot Slaw to our house last summer, and I remembered it as an unusual but delicious side dish for a barbecue.
This was the first time I’d tried my hand at the recipe, and it turned out well. Next time I’d either shred the carrots in a food processor or create ribbons with a vegetable peeler — I actually cut them into a julienne (technically they were more like an allumette) by hand, and they were a little thicker than I’d have liked. At Susanna’s recommendation I added a small splash of olive oil to the recipe, but otherwise followed it as written. The cayenne and cumin are front and center, and are a well-match counterpoint to the sweetness of the figs and the sugar in the dressing.
Especially if you cut your carrots into matchsticks, the salad benefits from sitting at room temperature, where the dressing can really soak into the carrots to flavor and soften them. A side dish like this would work well into the fall, too — I can see it as a perfect addition to a Rosh Hashana or Thanksgiving meal.
June 7, 2010
I’m not a fan of quinoa; I just don’t like its herbal, grassy flavor. It’s edible, sure, but after making it many different ways over many years, I’ve decided it’s not a grain (or grass) I want to cook with. But yet, there always seems to be just one more recipe to try to see if I *really* dislike it or not. Recently, Doug at Hungry Travels tweeted that he thought this Baked Quinoa with Spinach & Cheese might change my opinion. My sister, a vegetarian and quinoa lover, was in town so I thought I’d give this grass one more go.
My parents and sister loved this dish. It is very homey while packing a good nutritional punch — fresh spinach, qunioa, a moderate amount of cheese. It’s got melted Gruyere in it, so how bad could it be? The spinach goes a long way towards masking the grassiness I don’t like. But sorry, Doug, I’m not a convert. I still tasted an off flavor, and I packed up the leftovers for my sister to take home. I’m breaking up with quinoa for good. (Or at least until another recipe catches my eye…)
May 11, 2010
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I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 4 and 6, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 