Side Dish Recipes
Hearts of Palm Salad
Here’s a simple marinated hearts of palm salad to satisfy all of your tangy salad desires. Hearts of palm are sold in cans, jars, and even these bag things at Trader Joe’s. They are literally the boiled insides of a type of palm tree and they taste a little like bamboo shoots. So if you…
Read MoreRoasted Fennel and Peppers
Here’s a recipe my husband would really hate! But I love it and I just ate an entire pan of it for lunch by myself with my bare hands like a vegetarian werewolf. Roasted fennel and peppers, to me, brings out the best of both vegetables. Assuming you like both vegetables to begin with. My husband…
Read MoreSesame Cole Slaw
I would love to call this Salt Lick coleslaw, since it is quite similar and Salt Lick coleslaw is one of my favorites (it’s actually so good, it’s worth the 45 minute drive from Austin any ol’ day) but the original Salt Lick coleslaw recipe is already online and I could never get it to…
Read MoreBroccoli with Mint Pesto
There’s a restaurant we go to often: it’s four blocks away, has a good menu and great bartenders. I get a lot of inspiration from their specials menu, actually. (These portobello mushroom tacos, for example.) And a few weeks ago tried something described as “broccoli with mint pesto and pine nut gremolata” which sounds pretty…
Read MoreBean and Quinoa Salad
‘Round here, this is called bean-oa salad, but you can call it bean and quinoa salad if you’re not a major dork like me. My friend Fifi came over for lunch this week and I hadn’t seen her in a while so I wanted to make something special and pretty. She’s vegetarian (check out her…
Read MoreCaponata Salad
Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant recipe, served warm, with a sweet and sour thing going on between some balsamic vinegar and raisins. This caponata salad got its name because when I was mixing it up, it smelled just like the singular time I made caponata (the Joy of Cooking recipe I think) for a party…
Read MoreInstant Pot Chorizo Beans
You can make these beans in an Instant Pot or in a regular pot. I’ve had my Instant Pot for over a year but only in the last couple months have I been using it regularly. I have a hard time learning new technology — yes I realize that it’s super lame to describe an…
Read MorePickled Red Onions
These quick pickled red onions — cebollas curtidos — are a simple little Mexican condiment often seen on picadillo or other meaty tacos (chunky beef tacos anyone?). They’re also very complimentary to fried foods like fish and chips or as an accent on a cheese plate. Hell, even stick some in a microwaveable burrito. Really…
Read MoreGarlic Green Beans
My favorite way to cook summer green beans: with buttloads of garlic, cooked two ways! This garlic green beans uses the “professional chef” method of cooking green beans, meaning we blanch them first then sear in a skillet. I like this method for a couple of reasons: The texture of the green beans is a little…
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