Great fall side dish – this would also do well as a Thanksgiving side. Makes a ton, leftovers would be great tossed with some whole wheat pasta.
Okonomiyaki
Shawn learned how to make this when he was stationed in Japan for two years. In the restaurants there, the okonomiyaki pancake is cooked on the table right in front of where each person sits, and it comes in a variety of types and flavors. It is topped with okonomi sauce and mayo. I’d never had (or heard of) this before, but he made it for me a while back and I absolutely love it. Very versatile and makes for a fun and easy dinner that we both like.
Moroccan Carrots
Great little side that pairs well with a lot of options – I think it would be good with a mild fish or chicken to brighten things up, but I also enjoyed it with the very strong Beef Stew in Berbere Sauce. This originally came from Serious Eats, and I made no changes to the recipe.
Beef Stew in Spicy Berbere Sauce
Hello November! Time for stews. 🙂 I love Ethiopian food, so this take on beef stew was fun to make and very tasty. My one complaint…way too much cayenne. I can handle heat, but I felt like this overshadowed the fantastic spice mix that helped to make up the sauce. That said, I made this with double the liquid and a smidgen of the cayenne compared to the original recipe, so maybe I am becoming a pepper wuss? Either way, we’ll definitely make this again, but I may use a different method to get a little heat. This came from Sunset magazine originally, and I served it with steamed rice and Moroccan carrots.
Tangy Soy Dipping Sauce
Found this one on Chow and it was a great dipping sauce for homemade dumplings. I added a little bit of Sriracha for some zing.
- 1/3 cup light (regular) soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice, Chinkiang, or balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- Sriracha to taste
- 1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh ginger, or 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic (optional)
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking for a tart-savory balance. Add as much chile oil as you like for some heat. The sauce can be prepared several hours in advance up to this point. Right before serving, add the ginger or garlic for a fresh layer of punch.
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
Dumplings are possibly my favorite food. I don’t think I ever get tired of them, and I recently decided I wanted to learn how to make them myself. I got a bamboo steamer, some wrappers and wonton skins, and away we’ve gone! And we have not been disappointed. I got this recipe from my Asian Dumpling cookbook, by Andrea Nguyen, which has been awesome so far.
Pork and Napa Cabbage Water Dumplings
This was my first attempt at making dumplings from scratch, and they were a hit. I did use store-bought dumpling wrappers, but after subsequent trips to H-Mart, I think I have enough ingredients to start trying to make my own. In theory, they taste better and are more forgiving when wrapping (a good thing, I must have destroyed a lot of wrappers while learning to do this!). This is a great starter recipe for learning dumplings! From my Asian Dumplings cookbook, by Andrea Nguyen.
Pork Tenderloin and Bell Peppers
This is a recipe I got from Cooking Light a year or so ago, and I’ve made it a couple of times now – it’s a great weeknight meal by itself or you can dress it up with some sides. The recipe below is as printed, though I do not like anchovies very much and I substitute a handful of chopped black olives in their place with much success. I served this with sides of Spinach and Tomatoes and Herbed Brown Rice Pilaf.
Spinach and Tomatoes
Quick no-brainer veggie side dish to use up some leftovers in the kitchen; turned out to be very tasty and colorful.
- handful grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cloves garlic
- splash vegetable stock
- 1 bag of spinach
- salt and pepper
Spray pan with cooking spray, and saute tomatoes over medium heat until lightly browned in places. Add garlic, cook about 30 seconds, then add spinach with a splash of veggie stock to aid in wilting. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Herbed Brown Rice Pilaf
This is a great side dish, and it could be easily scaled if you wanted to make it for a crowd. I use a brown rice mix to give it some variety, and add additional veggies/herbs that are in the fridge. This could also be done with wild rice, though the cooking time would be longer.
Om nom nom! 