Category Archives: Side Dishes

Loaded Baked Potatoes

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Loaded Baked Potato

I absolutely love baked potatoes with all the fixings!  By the time I load up my potato with all the toppings I crave, it’s a full on meal—-no measly side dish.  Enjoy these however you like: as the main dish, or a side.

Loaded Baked Potatoes
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes active, 60-75 minutes total

4 large russet potatoes (or sweet potatoes…my personal fave!)
salt and pepper
6 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
6 slices bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
¼ cup diced scallions
¼ cup diced chives
sour cream

  1. Preheat the oven to 385°F.
  2. Scrub the potatoes with a brush.  Pat dry.  Poke with a fork all over, to allow for steam to escape during baking.  Drizzle with olive oil and rub in with your fingers.  Sprinkle each potato liberally with salt and pepper.  Place on a sheet of foil in the oven, and cook at 385°F for about 60 minutes, until fork-tender.  (Note: if you cook more than 4 potatoes at once, you may need to increase the cooking time by 15-20 minutes.  Sweet potatoes tend to cook slightly faster than russet potatoes, so check on the sweet potatoes after about 50 minutes of baking.)
  3. Meanwhile, prepare all of the toppings:  Grate the cheese.  Cook and cut or crumble the bacon.  Dice the scallions and chives.
  4. Once the potatoes are done cooking, remove them from the oven using tongs (they’ll be HOT!)  Slice in half and load on those toppings!

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Rhubarb Compote

19 Thursday May 2016

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Rhubarb Compote

I can’t help myself this time of year.  As soon as rhubarb appears in the grocery store, I buy it in bulk.  I feel like I need to get my fix while it’s available, since the season always seems to end too soon.  After a recent splurge on tons of fresh rhubarb, I needed creative ideas of what to make with it.  Hello compote!  This could honestly be my new favorite food.  I can’t stop eating it!  It’s delicious on waffles and pancakes for breakfast, as a filling in crepes or blintzes, or over vanilla ice cream for dessert.  For a simple and healthy snack, try some drizzled over fresh cut strawberries.  I even stirred some adobo sauce into some reserved compote and ate it with grilled pork.  Any way you eat it, I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

Rhubarb Compote
Yield: 2 cups
Time: 15 minutes total

4 cups diced rhubarb (roughly 1¼ lbs)
½ cup sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

  1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add the rhubarb and toss to coat.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (I know, it seems weird that the mixture has no liquid in the beginning, but after a few minutes the rhubarb will start to break down and provide all the moisture you need!)
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the rhubarb time to break down a bit.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Serve warm or chilled.  I love this compote over waffles or pancakes, over vanilla ice cream with fresh cut strawberries, or straight off the spoon!

PDF to Print Recipe for Rhubarb Compote

Baked Tomatoes

30 Monday Nov 2015

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Baked Tomatoes

These Baked Tomatoes make for a healthy side dish when you’re pressed for time.  An extra bonus?–they’re made mostly from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!

Baked Tomatoes
Yield:  2 servings
Time:  20 minutes

2 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (for filling)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup Panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
¼ cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
4 slices of deli ham, diced

  1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  Lightly grease a baking dish and set aside.
  2. Carve out the stem of the tomato, partially hollowing out the inside of the tomato.  Drizzle ½ tbsp. of olive oil inside the cavity of each tomato.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients: 1 tbsp. olive oil, breadcrumbs, Panko, Asiago, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and ham.
  4. Fill the tomatoes with the breadcrumb/cheese mixture and place in the prepared baking dish.
  5. Bake at 425ºF for 10-15 minutes, until heated through and golden brown.

PDF to Print Recipe for Baked Tomatoes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto

26 Thursday Mar 2015

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Proscuitto

Do you fall into the camp of people who believes that bacon makes everything better?  If so, you’re going to love this recipe!  The salty prosciutto combined with the freshness of the lemon makes this a winner of a side dish!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto
Yield:  3 side dish servings
Time:  5 minutes active, 35 minutes total

18 oz. Brussels sprouts
one large white onion
12 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
zest of half a lemon
¼ tsp. pepper

1.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet.  Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

2.  Meanwhile, wash the Brussels sprouts.  Chop off and discard the tough ends.  Cut the smaller sprouts in half, and cut the larger sprouts in quarters.  Place in a medium sized mixing bowl.

3.  Coarsely chop the onion and prosciutto.  Place in the bowl with the sprouts.  Toss with the olive oil, lemon zest, and pepper.

4.  Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven at 400ºF for 30 minutes, until the prosciutto and some of the outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts begin to crisp.

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Homemade Applesauce

28 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Homemade Applesauce

I absolutely LOVE homemade applesauce!  It’s so easy to make that I wonder why I don’t do it more often.  I inevitably make it every year to use up the rest of my apple picking bounty, and this year is no different.  Some people get really opinionated as to what type of apples are best to use in applesauce.  I say whatever you have on hand will work perfectly!  For this batch I used a combination of Ginger Gold, McIntosh, Gala, Honeycrisp, and two other varieties that we picked at a local orchard but I forget what they’re called.

Eat it plain for breakfast or a healthy snack, or use it as a topping for Pumpkin Pancakes or waffles!

Homemade Applesauce
Yield:  about 6 cups
Time:  35 minutes total

14 apples
1 cup apple juice (or apple cider)
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
t tbsp. lemon juice

1.  Wash, peel, and core the apples.  Cut into bite-sized chunks and place in a large pot.

2.  Whisk together the apple juice (or cider) with the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice.  Pour over the apples.  Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender.

3.  Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the apples.  If you prefer your applesauce to be smooth, purée using an immersion blender or a regular blender with a kitchen towel over the vent to allow steam to escape.  Part of what I love so much about homemade applesauce is the rustic chunkiness of it, so I leave some larger pieces of apple in mine.

4.  Allow to cool before storing in glass jars or bowls.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Note:  It’s irresistible served over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of caramel syrup.  YUM!

PDF to Print Recipe for Homemade Applesauce

Homemade Applesauce over waffles