What are some easy "different" side dishes for a holiday meal?

Question

I am already looking forward to Christmas dinner, but want some ideas on veggie side dishes. I always do the same thing....Broccoli, corn, and green bean cassarole. Any suggestions?

I will already be serving turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

Answer 1

Grilled Asparagus with Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

2 bunches medium asparagus (about 2 pounds), peeled and trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water until crisp-tender about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, asparagus can be steamed.) Brush asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and set aside.

Toss tomatoes and mozzarella cheese in a large bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste.

Heat a grill pan (or outdoor grill) over medium heat. Grill asparagus, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Cut asparagus in half crosswise and arrange the upper portions, spoke-like, tips out, on a serving dish. Cut the lower portions into ½-inch pieces and toss with the tomato and cheese mixture. Mound the salad in the center of the tips and serve. Serves 4 – 6.

Answer 2

Sweet Potato Casserole (serves about 6)

3 cups cooked mashed yams
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Beat with mixer or mash with potato masher. Put into greased baking dish.

Mix together the following until crumbly and then put on top of sweet potato mixture:

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bake 30 minutes at 350. If you don't want crunchy topping, you can bake it plain and then top with miniature marshmallow and pop it back into the oven until the marshmallows puff and get a bit golden (5 to 10 minutes)

Answer 3

My family always looks forward to Hash Brown Casserole (recipe follows). I try to cook things a little healthier, so sometimes I roast assorted veggies - asparagus, carrots, potatoes, bell peppers -with some olive oil and fresh herbs. When I do this, they all cry, "Where's the hash brown casserole?" Try it. It's good.

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

1 cup onion, diced
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Kraft Cracker Barrel sharp cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 (2 lb.) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
3 cups white bread, cubed
4 T butter (1/2 stick), melted

Stir together well the diced onion, sour cream or yogurt, grated cheese, thinly sliced butter, and Cream of Chicken soup. Add the hash browns and mix well.
Spread this mixture evenly in a casserole dish.
Toss bread cubes with the 4T butter. Spread on top of casserole.

Bake at 350°F 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Answer 4

Here are two family favorites!

Spiced Acorn Squash

3 acorn squash
3 tbsp. Honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Mix butter, honey, spices, salt and pepper in measuring cup. Heat in microwave until butter is melted. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Arrange cut side down in shallow baking dish and bake 30 min at 375 degrees. Turn cut side up, pierce with fork, but do not puncture skin, and spoon butter mixture into cavities of squash.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or till tender
Squash can also be cooked in microwave until tender. Fill cavities with butter mixture and microwave until tender.
Serves 6


Gingered Carrots

8 carrots, peeled and sliced thin, diagonally
2 tsp sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp sherry
sprigs fresh parsley

Mix all ingredients in covered baking dish and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with parsley.

Answer 5

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.



TOMATO PIE
4 tomatoes, peeled and sliced
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 (9-inch) prebaked deep dish pie shell
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes. Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pie shell. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise together. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. To serve, cut into slices and serve warm.


CREAMED CORN
12 ears fresh corn, shucked
8 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Remove corn from cob using a corn grater or knife, and mash the whole kernels a little. Place corn in a glass dish and add the butter on top. Cook in the microwave on high for 7 to 10 minutes, stopping to turn and stir a couple of times. Be careful not to over cook the corn. If corn seems too dry, add a little milk or water. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve as a side dish with favorite meal.

Answer 6

I make what my husband calls "fancy potatoes". I just make mashed potatoes add sour cream, butter and bacon bits. It is a baked potato without the skin. I have also made roasted potatoes. Quarter your potatoes, toss with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Bake until fork tender.

Answer 7

Carrots Marsala
Green beans with almonds in a garlic butter sauce
Roasted potatoes

Answer 8

Roasted Fennel and Onions. Slice the
fennel bulb and the onion into strips basically quartering them. spread out on a foil covered baking sheet. generously sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper roast in oven at 350 until onion and fennel look slightly brown or caramelized. the fennel has a great lickerish flavor.

Answer 9

Yes, I always have to bring the funeral potatoes (they call them that because they often show up at funeral pot lucks). My husbands family loves my recipe so much that I have to make three pans of them and one year one pan got eaten before it was even heated up. Ambrosia is a dessert usually made with oranges, bananas and coconut. Here is the dictionary version Noun 1. ambrosia - a mixture of nectar and pollen prepared by worker bees and fed to larvae beebread composition - a mixture of ingredients 2. ambrosia - any of numerous chiefly North American weedy plants constituting the genus Ambrosia that produce highly allergenic pollen responsible for much hay fever and asthma bitterweed, ragweed genus Ambrosia - comprising the ragweeds; in some classification considered the type genus of a separate family Ambrosiaceae Ambrosia artemisiifolia, common ragweed - annual weed with finely divided foliage and spikes of green flowers; common in North America; introduced elsewhere accidentally Ambrosia trifida, great ragweed - a coarse annual with some leaves deeply and palmately three-cleft or five-cleft Ambrosia psilostachya, perennial ragweed, western ragweed - coarse perennial ragweed with creeping roots of dry barren lands of southwestern United States and Mexico weed - any plant that crowds out cultivated plants 3. ambrosia - fruit dessert made of oranges and bananas with shredded coconut afters, dessert, sweet - a dish served as the last course of a meal 4. ambrosia - (classical mythology) the food and drink of the gods; mortals who ate it became immortal nectar dainty, goody, kickshaw, treat, delicacy - something considered choice to eat classical mythology - the system of mythology of the Greeks and Romans together

Answer 10

How about a long-grain and wild rice pilaf? Just use the box mix, but make it with chicken broth, and add frozen peas towards the end.

Maybe a chowder or favorite cold-weather soup? (I don't think there's anything wrong with soup for the holidays.)

Homemade mac & cheese!