This was a pretty pasta salad for our Kentucky Derby party this year. Colorful and it had a lot of flavor. And of course pasta salad is always great for a crowd.
sides
Cilantro Lime Quinoa
This is a fun take on Chipotle’s cilantro-lime rice, and it was a tasty side with beer can chicken. If you tossed it with some peppers and some tomatoes, it might also be a good lunch salad, too.
Pepper Pasta Salad
I saw this in this month’s Cooking Light, and was really intrigued. I love pasta salad, and this one was different and interesting. I brought it to the Hunt’s puppy naming party, and it went over pretty well! I thought it was tasty, but that being said, it WAS a lot of work. I did use sweet paprika in place of the Aleppo pepper. Also, the original recipe called for Freso peppers, and I didn’t use them, so though the original recipe was, “Triple-Pepper Pasta Salad,” this was just two peppers for me. 😉 I would make it again for a special occasion, or big picnic etc, despite the work – I think it was worth it. 🙂
Peas with Prosciutto
Found somewhere in the depths of Pinterest, this was another very simple and pretty Easter size capitalizing on Spring veggies (okay, I had to use frozen peas =/ But still). The salty prosciutto went well with the ham, of course. Definitely a side I would make again for a crowd, quick and attractive.
Roasted Baby Spring Vegetables
This was a very pretty side dish for Easter. Roasted veggies are always great, and I really liked the touch of white vinegar. This is a Cooking Light recipe, and the only alteration I made was to use baby purple potatoes instead of fingerlings, and to lower the cooking temp to 400 to accommodate other dishes I had cooking (it was originally 500, which seems pretty high to me). We enjoyed this and the leftovers also make a nice lunch.
Garlic Herb Spaghetti Squash
This isn’t really a recipe, just a tossed together seasoning for spaghetti squash. I intended this to be a side to zucchini lasgana, so was thinking garlic-y flavors. I roasted the squash for about 40 minutes, let it cool, scraped it out, and then tossed it with 2 crushed garlic cloves and some basil and parsley. Topped it off with salt and pepper and it was pretty good (but very garlicky).
Green Bean and Tomato Salad
This was a really tasty side salad using summer veggies – goes really well with a grilled entree! I got this from Chow and made as is other than halving it for two people. 🙂 At its original size, it would be a nice picnic/BBQ side dish. Recipe below is for that portion size.
Cucumber and Black Eyed Pea Salad
This was a nice base salad with which you could do a lot…we liked it a lot. I’ve had my eye on this for a while since I love black eyed peas, and am always looking for new ways to use them. I thought this could use lots more flavor and added more lemon, pepper and salt, Some herbs tossed in would be great too. This would be nice for a BBQ or picnic side. It was nice with grilled pork chops.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
This is was a nice side salad for grilled food over the holiday weekend…we had it with both nice steaks and beer can chicken. 🙂 Versatile! It would also make a nice lunch…it made a ton, so there was plenty for lunches this week. Definitely satisfies my “grain” craving while staying on the low-carb side.
Classic Potato Salad
Potato salad is definitely a go-to BBQ side, and even though I am really not a fan of potatoes, I recognize most people do not agree with me. 😉 We had a BBQ last weekend to showcase Shawn’s foray into the world of brewing his own beer, and he also made his awesome wings. Of course a classic potato salad was a given with that. This is an Ina Garten recipe, I didn’t change anything, and the dressing was excellent. Definite winner.
Om nom nom! 