Side dishes?

Question

I usually have a good main recipe to work with but I never have anything easy and fast to put with it and we are always stuck in the green bean, mashed potatoe rut...Any Ideas?

Or any links to good recipe sites would be nice too!

Answer 1

Syrian Green Beans with Olive Oil
1 (16 ounce) package frozen cut green beans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the green beans into a large pot, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt to taste, and put the lid on the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are cooked to your desired doneness. Cook until the green beans are turning brownish in color. The idea is not to saute them, but to let them steam in the moisture released by the ice crystals. Add cilantro and garlic to the beans, and continue to cook just until the cilantro has started to wilt. Eat as a main course by scooping up with warm pita bread or serve as a side dish.


Rice Casserole
Melt 1 stick of butter in a casserole dish with lid.
open a small can of mushrooms pcs. and stems and drain
one cup of uncooked rice
1 can of campbells french onion soup
1 can of cambells consume beef

Mix together cook in oven at 350 for 45min to 1hr until almost dry.


SQUASH CASSEROLE
1 large onion, chopped
3 c. squash, cooked & drained well
1 c. Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 c. sour cream
salt, pepper & garlic to taste
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated

TOPPING:
2 c. Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased casserole dish and top by melting 1/2 c. butter and mixing with 2 c. crushed crackers. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.


Moroccan Cheddar Couscous
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 cup couscous, uncooked
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth; heat to a boil. Stir in couscous; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Fluff couscous mixture with a fork. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and cilantro.


GREEK SALAD
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
1 medium cucumber, sliced thin
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1/3 cup Italian dressing

Salt and pepper the tomatoes, onion and cucumber. In large bowl, toss tomatoes, onion, cucumber, cheese, olives and lettuce with dressing and serve.



Roasted Garlic Scallopped potatoes
1 (19 ounce) can creamy potato with roasted garlic soup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a blender combine soup, cream, thyme and pepper; process until smooth. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Layer potatoes with cheese, ending with potatoes and reserving 1/2 cup cheese. Pour soup mixture over potatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes.


Butter Bean Salad
2 cans butter beans, rinsed and drained, 15 ounces each
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palm full
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, juiced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to coat beans and vegetables evenly in dressing.


CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD
3-4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1-2 Tomatoes, diced
1 ½ cups Ranch or Cucumber Ranch dressing

In large bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat the vegetables. Place in refrigerator and chill before serving.


Fried Green Tomatoes
4 large green tomatoes
2 cups plain white corn meal
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 cup cooking oil

Wash the tomatoes and pat dry. Cut tomatoes in 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip each slice in corn meal and lay aside on waxed paper. Heat oil. Fry tomato tomato slices until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Answer 2

allrecipes.com is a great website just be SURE to read the reviews (trust me)

I too am stuck in a rut. I have chicken in the oven and that is as far as my dinner plans have gotten. Though I am stuck in the microwaved rice and california mix rut. Maybe you would like my rut? I have no potatoes so I can not join your rut.

Oh here one easy pasta sauce recipe that is easy and really good. Mix sour cream with either fresh tomato or drained canned tomato. Sauteed onion if you feel like it. Heat until the tomatoes are cooked. Toss with cooked pasta. It is way better than it sounds. The restaraunt I worked in made it all the time and people thinks its some fancy cream sauce. It's not.

Answer 3

You can do a lot with rice. I know most people are affraid of cooking rice but if it's cooked right, it's one of the best side dishes that can easily qualify for your starch area.

Making rice: (not the Asian stcky rice)
(4 servings)
* basmati long-grain rice, 1 lbs
* cooking oil (Use butter for much better flavor, do not use olive oil if you want to go with oil)
* salt

Wash rice twice and soak in salted warm water for 3-4 hours, then drain the water. Pour water in a large non-stick pan until it is half-full and bring it to a boil. Add rice and a spoonful of salt and continue boiling until rice slightly softens. Pour rice into a drain and wash it with slightly warm water.

Pour a few spoonfuls of cooking oil into the pan and add rice. Pour a few more spoonfuls of oil over rice. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about half an hour. If cooking time is increased, a delicious crispy layer of rice will form at the bottom of the pan.

Once you have this recipe down, you can add all sorts of aromatic herbs such as basil, cilatnro, dill (my favorite), legums such as lentil and baby lima beans, veggies: carrots, corn, green beans, tomatoe or tomatoe paste... there are so many possiblities.





I love this one, it's different from regular mashed potatoe!

SCALLOPED POTATOES

3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
5 medium potato, peeled and sliced
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 375 F. In 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, in hot butter, cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and salt until blended; cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly. Remove saucepan from hear; stir in 1/4 cup shredded cheese. In shallow 2-quart casserole, arrange half of the potato slices; pour half of the sauce on top; sprinkle with half of remaining cheese; repeat. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, covered 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Makes 6 accompaniment servings.

Answer 4

Hi!!!!
Here are some great recipes that I have made recently:

Ranch Potatoes

8 servings 55 min 25 min prep

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 1/4 cups milk
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Add the potatoes to a saucepan.
Add water to cover.
Bring to a boil; cook about 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender; drain.
Place drained potatoes into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
In a bowl, mix together the soup, milk, salad dressing mix, 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper to taste; pour over potatoes.
Sprinkle crumbled bacon and the remaining cheese over the top.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

--------------AND...

Squash Pie

6-8 servings 1 10-inch pie 40 min 10 min prep

4 cups zucchini or yellow squash, chopped into cubes (can mix the squash if desired)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2-1 cup butter
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (8 ounce) package crescent rolls
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Melt butter in skillet. Add squash, onions, salt and pepper, and spices. Cook until tender.
In a small bowl mix together the eggs and the cheese; add to the squash mixture.
Line one 10 inch pie pan or a square pan with the rolled out cresent rolls. Spread 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard on the crust. Pour the squash mixture into the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

----------AND...

Three Corn Casserole

12 servings 45 min 15 min prep

1/2 cup melted butter
3 large eggs
1 (17 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (16 ounce) can reg. corn, drianed
1 (8 ounce) container prepared onion dip
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 1/2 ounce) box corn muffin mix (I use Jiffy corn muffin mix)

Heat oven to 325 Lightly brush a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish w/ some butter.
In a lar.
bowl, beat eggs and then add the two corns.
Add the remaining butter, onion dip and pepper.
Beat well until blended.
Pour the mixture in the greased pan.
In another bowl make the corn muffin mix according to the directions and then pour over the corn mixture or you may blend it into the corn mixture, whichever is preferred.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour; until pick comes out clean.
You can also leave out the onion dip if you don't have it and add a little minced onion.
It dosen't taste as good, but it isn't bad by all means!

-----------AND A BONUS RECIPE FOR YOU...

Buttermilk Cornbread

12 servings 30 min 10 min prep

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 cups flour (may use a combination of white and wheat)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Mix eggs, buttermilk oil, applesauce, and honey.
Gently fold in dry ingredients, mix just until blended.
Batter will be lumpy.
Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Also makes 12 muffins, if desired.

Answer 5

All fruits are fresh vegetables. A "vegetable" is a plant, any part of which is employed for food.

Answer 6

In the superstore, fruits are usually selected much too soon. Some are rocks, many are bitter. Some of the fresh vegetables are generally right (zucchini, onions, garlic, lettuce, greens, and a few others) so I'd have to go with vegetables.

Answer 7

A rice or noodle side dish is good if you don't have time for a full recipe.

Answer 8

i like salad....as a side try rocket, pear (thinly sliced), parmesan cheese (shredded), red onion and dress it with balsamic vinegar and olive oil....
or with red meat a small serve of pasta....you can use those microwave packet pastas to make things easy
Roast potatoes/vegies are also nice and easy to prepare.

Answer 9

I love http://www.foodnetwork.com
They have many great ideas for all sorts of occasions! And many different ideas for side dishes for holiday meals.

Answer 10

go to food net work.com and you can find alot of good sides

Answer 11

Chef Marc Del Fiacco at your service. You need a quick side dish, I have thousands(just ask).