Home » Kid-friendly Recipes » side dish » Page 8

Category: side dish

Tuna Zucchini Cakes

I created a new recipe last night. I combined fish cakes and zucchini pancakes (I’ve made them both before). I based it on a Robin Miller recipe I made once. I didn’t measure anything, just added and mixed as I went. I prepped these in the morning. Then right before cooking them I coated them in a cheese breadcrumb mixture. They were really good!! Definitely something I’ll make again. We both loved them. I’ll try to write down what I did…so I can remember next time 🙂 This can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to freeze a bunch. They are pretty filling. We each had 1 1/2.

Tuna Zucchini Cakes

 
1 can chunk light tuna in water, drained well (you could use any kind of fish)
1 small yellow zucchini, grated
1 small green zucchini, grated
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 – 1/2 seasoned dry whole wheat bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. dijon or spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

 

1/4 – 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 – 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 

Mix first 8 ingredients. Add extra breadcrumbs if too moist. Form into patties. At this point you can place them on wax paper and refrigerate or freeze them. When ready to eat mix last 2 ingredients on a small plate. Coat the cakes in the mixture one at a time. After coating place on a hot non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Cook 7-8 min. per side. Serve plain or with tartar sauce. Makes 5 cakes.

Zucchini Fries

Yes, another zucchini recipe…and another success!! My husband and I both really liked these. I don’t remember where I got the recipe. I didn’t tag it. But they are very easy  to make and very tasty – a great side dish. We had them with grilled hot dogs (organic, all grass fed beef…very good) and grilled corn on the cob (from the farmer’s market). A great summer meal. I only used 1 zucchini. If I were using 2 (like the recipe says) I would double the bread crumb mixture I think.

 
Baked Zucchini Fries
2 medium zucchinis, cut in 3″ sticks
2 egg white
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
 
Heat oven to 425.
 
Beat egg white and milk in bowl. Mix cheese and bread crumbs in another bowl.
 
Dip the zucchini in the egg mixture, then in bread crumb mixture.
 
Place on a baking sheet.
 
Bake 25-30 min. Flip them half way through to evenly brown.

Peachy Avocado Salsa

Last night I made corn and goat cheese quesadillas for dinner. I added some diced zucchini and summer squash to them (cooked them with the corn). Another hit! This is the 3rd meal in a row with zucchini that Justin has really liked 🙂 I love that zucchini can be used in so many ways. Normally I make my white bean avocado dip when I make anything Mexican. But I decided to try a new salsa recipe that uses peaches!! I found it on All Recipes. The recipe says to use canned peaches, but I used fresh. It was really good. The peaches add just a hint of sweet and brightness, but not a strong flavor. I added diced green pepper and left out the jalapeno…we’re not spicey people. And I added a little corn that I didn’t need for the quesadillas. Depending on how large or small you dice the veggies this could be a salsa or a salad. It would probably even be really good over rice with some black beans mixed in for a complete meal. I prepped this in the morning and then just added the avocado about a half hour before dinner. That seemed to work well.

Peachy Avocado Salsa

 

1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and diced (or fresh, peeled and diced)
1 medium ripe avocado, diced
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cups diced, seeded tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. seeded chopped jalapeno pepper (I used half of a green pepper, diced)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
*black beans, corn can be added

 

In a bowl, combine the peaches, avocado and lime juice. Add the remaining ingredients; lightly toss just until combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, fish or chicken.

Zucchini Pesto Risotto

I came up with my own risotto recipe for yesterday to use up some zucchini. It turned out really well! I used fresh basil, pine nuts and paremsan cheese…that’s why I call it pesto risotto. I didn’t actually make/add pesto, but I added the main pesto ingredients. I didn’t measure anything, but I’ll try to write down what I did. Justin and I both LOVED this. That’s one more meal where Justin said he actually liked zucchini 🙂 I didn’t make a huge batch…enough for our meal and a lunch. It could easily be doubled or tripled.Zucchini Pesto Risotto

1/2 cup arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1 medium green zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated paremsan cheese
6-8 fresh basil leaves, ripped or chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. EVOO

Warm broth in a saucepan. In large pan saute onion, zucchini and squash in oil, about 5 min. Remove most of the zucchini and squash. Place in a bowl and add frozen peas. Set aside. Add rice to pan. Cook about 3 min. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, stir. When broth has been absorbed gradually add warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring, until absorbed for about 18 min. total. After 10 min. add veggies back to pan. Continue the broth/stir step. During the last 3 minutes add the cheese, basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve with extra cheese and pine nuts to sprinkle on top.

Maple Pecan Scones

I had some buttermilk to use up, so I made a batch of scones this morning. It’s another recipe from Eggs On Sunday. There are quite a few more scone recipes on that blog that I’m anxious to try. These were super easy and very good! I only had a tiny nibble. But I let Justin have one fresh out of the oven for breakfast (they are meant to go with dinner) 🙂 He said they were great! I baked 4 this morning and froze 4 (froze before baking). I’ll make the frozen ones later in the week so they are fresh for another meal. These smelled amazing in the oven. I can’t wait to have a scone tonight!!**Looking back at the recipe I wonder if you’re supposed to sprinkle the tops with sugar? I just put the 1/3 cup and the 2 Tbsp. in the mix. But I bet the 2 Tbsp. were supposed to be for topping…even though it doesn’t say that. I just wrote down the ingredients last night and made them w/o really looking at the directions this morning. So I didn’t realize it said 1/3 cup in the mix. Oh well. They’re still great. Maybe just a little sweeter 😛Maple Pecan Scones

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. organic cane sugar or sucanat
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
7 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup chopped pecans, plus whole pecans for the tops of each scone (preferably soaked and dehydrated)
1/2 cup chilled buttermilk
2 1/2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk 2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix in chopped pecans. Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup in small bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Press out dough on lightly floured surface to 3/4-inch thick disk. Cut disk like a pie into 8 wedges. Place each wedge on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sugar. Press a whole pecan lightly into the top of each scone. (At this point, you can refrigerate the sheet, covered, overnight and bake the next morning if you’d like. Or you can freeze them and thaw/bake them later.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until scones are crusty on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes (or up to 20 minutes if refrigerated). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pesto Pea Salad

I made a Barefoot Contessa recipe last night that I’ve had marked in my cookbook for a while. This salad is meant to be a side dish. But I added a few things to make it a main dish. I’ll post the original recipe (and picture with just those ingredients) and then what I added (and another picture). This was very good!!! And super easy. I never thought of using pesto as a salad dressing. But it works well. I didn’t make her recipe for the pesto. I just used some homemade spinach pesto I had in the freezer.Pesto Pea Salad

2 cups of frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
2 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves (I used a mix of garden spinach and boughten organic baby romaine)
grated parmesan (I used asiago since that’s what I had on hand)
4 Tbsp. pesto, recipe follows

My additional toppings:
cooked chicken chunks
avocado
beans (a mix of garbanzo, pinto and northern)
corn
croutons (gluten free w/o these)
roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower

To assemble, place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the peas and pignolis over the spinach. Add the pesto and toss. Top with cheese. (We each assembled our own salad in individual bowls.)

Pesto:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis
3 Tbsp. diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Guacamole Salad

We are having our Easter dinner tonight. So I decided to make a light meal for lunch. And I had planned this for last night’s dinner anyway. We didn’t have it since we went out for dinner at the last minute with some of my family. This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe from her BC at Home cookbook (great cookbook, by the way). This was very good!!! It tasted like summer to me 🙂 Of course Justin’s first reaction was, “are those tomatoes?” Yes dear, you can pick around them. And after eating it, “I like it, but I’d prefer it as a side dish.” It would make a very good side dish. But I like it as a main dish too. Very healthy. I added frozen corn and peas to ours. And the peppers were from our garden…that I had thawed. This is very simple. And we usually have most of the ingredients on hand. Plus you can prep it ahead (I made it all this morning and just added the avocado right before serving). I’ll keep it in mind for summer meals and gluten free meals. I only made a half recipe. I served it with corn muffins. I’ll use the leftovers tomorrow to make taco salads. It would be good in tortillas as well.

This is linked to the Whole Foods for the Holidays progressive dinner – salads course.

Guacamole Salad
serves 6
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, 1/2″ diced
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained (in place of canned beans, soak organic dry beans over night, rinse and cook)
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
2 Tbsp. minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (I didn’t add this)
1/2 tsp. freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup feshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (I didn’t add this)
2 ripe Haas avocados, 1/2″ diced

Cook beans ahead of time.

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers and lime zest in a large bowl (add corn and peas here if using). Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne. Pour over vegetables. Toss well. (I made the dressing first in the serving bowl and then just put the veggies on top and tossed…no need to get another bowl dirty).

Just before you’re ready to serve the salad fold the avocados in. Check seasoning and serve at room temperature (ours was chilled).

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad

I squeezed in one more grain this month 🙂 I made a quinoa salad last night. The recipe is from Food Network. I think it’s meant to be a side dish, but I served it as a main dish and our meatless meal for the week. The reviews…I thought it was awesome!!!! I wanted to eat the whole bowl 😛 Justin liked it, but not as a main dish. He said he couldn’t eat a huge quantity at once. I kind of figured that would be the case. So, I had seconds and Justin didn’t finish what was on his plate. That doesn’t happen very often. This was our first taste of quinoa. Very good. And super easy to make. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive. This was a very light and healthy dish. And since I shaved a little paremsan cheese over top it had something from every food group in it! This is a very good base salad. You could add different veggies to it. And feta cheese crumbled on top would probably be good too. The other nice part is that you make it ahead of time (since it’s a cold salad). Always a bonus to be able to prep ahead. I only made a half batch and it made plenty. I’m excited for leftovers 🙂

This post is linked to the Whole Foods for the Holidays progressive dinner – salad course.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad
serves 10

1 cup quinoa
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted (I cut them into bite size pieces)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (soaked and dehydrated)
1/4 cup green onions, sliced (I left these out since I didn’t have any)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(crumbled or shaved cheese for topping)

Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking until all water is absorbed. (I cooked it for 12 min. Then left it covered for 15 min. off the heat.) (To make this easier to digest soak the quinoa over night, then proceed with recipe)

In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans, walnuts, and green onions until well mixed. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Add cheese as desired.

Roasted Beet Salad

I tried an Anne Burrell recipe last night. I saw it on her show a few weeks ago and it looked interesting. And a way to try beets. It was really, really good!!! Justin and I both liked it. And he isn’t even that crazy about beets. The combination of all the flavors was so good. The salty cheese and nuts with the beets and a simple dressing. Yum!!!! And it looks really fancy too. Maybe I’ll have to make it the next time I have guests. I had never cooked a beet before (only ever had them from a can…shudder :P). It’s pretty easy…just put them on a pan and toss them in the oven. They were kind of tough to peel. So I just sliced them with the peel on and then trimmed the peel off of each slice with a knife. It went much faster. And was less messy. I only used regular beets. I didn’t see baby beets at the store. And it took much longer to roast mine than the recipe says. I think they were in the oven for a little over an hour and a half. And I turned the temp up higher part way through. Now I have some leftover beets to snack on and use on my salad for dinner tonight 🙂 I don’t know if I had ever had a pistachio before either. But now I know they are really good!

This post is linked to the Whole Foods for the Holidays progressive dinner – salad course.

Roasted Beet Salad with Arugula, Pistachios and Shaved Pecorino

4 large beets, red, golden, or Chioggia or any combination (I made 3 organic red beets)
8 to 10 baby beets- any color or combo (I skipped these, but it would be a pretty presentation)
2 cups baby arugula (I used mixed organic baby greens…we don’t like arugula)
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons high quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped (soaked and dehydrated)
1/4 cup shaved pecorino, aged pecorino Toscano or pecorino Romano (I used parmesan since I had it on hand)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place all the large beets on a sheet tray and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a fork slides in and out of the beets easily (I roast mine on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It takes about 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees.). Add the baby beets to the tray for the last 20 minutes of cooking time. When the beets have cooled, peel them. Slice the large beets into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut the baby beets in half.

Place the arugula in a bowl and drizzle in about half of the vinegar and olive oil and season generously with salt. Toss the salad gently to incorporate all of the ingredients. TASTE IT! It should taste very flavorful but not soggy. Arrange the arugula on 4 individual salad plates. Toss all of the beets together in the salad bowl and add the remaining oil, vinegar and salt, and toss. Arrange the dressed beets on the arugula and top with the pistachios and shaved pecorino.

*I whisked the oil, vinegar and salt in the bottom of 2 bowls and then added the greens/beets and tossed.

*I served all the components individually (dressed greens, dressed beats, cheese and nuts) so that we could each make our own salad to our liking…quantities of each ingredient.

Sea Foam Salad

Another recipe from Justin’s mom 🙂 This is really good! It’s almost like a dessert.

Sea Foam Salad

1 (3 oz.) pkg. lime jello
1 cup hot pear juice (from drained can)
2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 can pears, drained
1 pkg. dream whip, prepared, with green food coloring added

Blend jello and hot pear juice in a blender. Add cream cheese. Blend. Add pears. Blend. Pour into a bowl. Let congeal in refrigerator. When congealed fold in green dream whip. Refrigerate until completely set.