Side Dish

Last week I received a huge bunch of beets as part of our CSA vegetable share. I had never really cooked with beets, so I wasn’t sure what to do with them! I ended up roasting them, and using most of them in this Beet Gratin recipe, which uses both the beets and the beet greens.

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June is National Seafood Month, and here is a recipe to celebrate – Shrimp and Jicama Salad.

Seafood is perfect for summer meals, because it is so quick and easy to prepare. I know my family is always busy during the summer, running from one activity to another, so we need quick and easy dinners.

Spring Rolls are a great way to enjoy vegetables. There is something about seeing vegetables all sliced thinly and wrapped up neatly that makes them more appealing, and like most Americans I could stand to eat more veggies. So I recently decided I should make Spring Rolls at home, and made these Spring Rolls with Black Bean Noodles.

Once I decided to make the Spring Rolls I turned to Pinterest to learn how. I quickly found this Pin which promised step by step instructions on how to wrap spring rolls. Luckily it isn’t very difficult!

This is the perfect time of year for making winter squash. One of my favorite winter squash is Acorn squash because the size is perfect for our family. This weekend I made this Couscous & Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash for dinner, and it was delicious.

Couscous makes a nice base for stuffing a squash because it has a nice nutty flavor which goes well with the squash. I used Israel couscous, which is larger and has a chewy consistency that is closer to pasta. To add to the seasonal nature of the dish I stirred in some dried cranberries.

I am a member of the Balance Your Plate team and helping spread the word about CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN oven-ready pizzas. As a team member, I receive product and incentives in exchange for participating in brand-related activities.

It is no secret that the average American diet is not very healthy.  But few of us probably realize how bad it is – Most Americans only meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for proper nutrition about 7 days out of the year!  That is only 2% of the time, which is quite a disturbing statistic.  And one of the most important things we can do to make our meals better is to include more fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Popcorn is practically a staple food in my house – between me, my husband and our three kids it is a rare night when someone doesn’t decide to make popcorn!  This weekend we had a family movie night featuring spicy Srirach Lime Popcorn.  The popcorn was perfect for enjoying during an action filled science fiction movie!

The popcorn is easy to make using ACT II Butter Lovers’s microwave popcorn as a base.  I have made spicy popcorn before, but this is the first time I have added lime to popcorn and it really gave the popcorn a nice kick, and the mild lime flavor complemented the spicy hot sauce.

This hearty quick bread recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

I love cooking with Guinness – whether it is a hearty Irish stew like Instant Pot lamb stew or a sweet treat like Guinness brownies the beverage adds flavor and excitement to many dishes.

This Guinness Bread is packed with flavor, and has an amazing moist texture. Since it is a quick bread you don’t have to mess around with proofing yeast, the carbonation in the Guinness Stout combines with the baking soda to make the bread rise.

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Now that it is January cold weather is really settling in around here!  It is the perfect time to warm up with comfort foods like Marie Callender’s pot pies, which deliver a true sense of homemade.

And to counteract the weather I like to pair my pot pies with a Tropical Fruit Salad – an excellent reminder that warmer weather will come, eventually!  It is easy to put together a fresh fruit salad while the pot pies are baking, and the fruit provides a nice sweet accompaniment to the toasty warm pot pies.

I have been making lots and lots of apple desserts, but this weekend I need a side dish to take to a pot luck picnic. I wanted to bring something healthy and seasonal, so I made this Apple Fennel salad.

This salad uses fennel, which pairs well with apples because it has a nice licorice taste.  The sweet blueberries and tart apples make a nice contrast to the crisp fennel, and the secret ingredient – salad turnips.

Recently Redpack Tomatoes sent me some tomatoes and delicious recipe for using canned tomatoes in summer salads. I like this idea, because around here vine ripened tomatoes are still at least a month away, and the tomatoes at the grocery store are usually picked before they ripen, so they lack flavor.

Canned tomatoes are picked ripe, which makes them juicy, healthy, and economical. Because of that, they are perfect for salads all year round. The Redpack test kitchen has developed some delicious salad recipes which incorporate summer fruit, like this Chicken Blueberry Chopped Salad.

Summer is the perfect time for salads!  They made a tasty main dish, and best of all they are easy to make ahead and have waiting after a busy day.  This Raspberry Shrimp Salad is a simple and cool supper for summer.

I made a simple vinagrette dressing for this using Raspberries, oil and vinegar, but you could make the recipe even simpler by purchasing a Raspberry Dressing.  But even with making your own dressing this can be on the table (or in the refrigerator) in less than 15 minutes.