I thought I'd share some yummy side dishes to go with your smoked, grilled or barbequed chicken, steak, or ribs.
I know everyone is trying to get the last of their garden veggies out of the heat and eaten. I love the freshness of tomatoes with a grilled piece of chicken or steak. So, I thought I'd share some of my favorite, quick, fresh tomato
Homemade Fire and Ice
5 tomatoes, cut into wedges,
1 onion, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced,
3/4 cup of vinegar
6 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a small sauce pan, combine vinegar, sugar, water, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, boil for 1 minute. Set aside. Let cool. Pour over tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and cucumber.
Baked Parmesan Tomatoes
4 tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top with Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Chickpea Salad
2 1/4 cups diced cucumbers (partially peeled)
1 cup diced (seeded tomato)
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
15 ounce can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
Combine all the ingredients together and toss well.
Corn Casserole
3 large ears of corn, stripped and cut off the cob (about 3 cups)
5 slices of bacon, divided
1/2 cup of chopped Vidalia onion
1/4 cup of chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup of seeded, chopped tomato
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil, plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme
Pinch of granulated sugar
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 to 2 tomatoes, sliced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 9 inch baking pan; set aside.
Strip the corn and milk the cobs; set the corn and pulp aside. Cook two slices of bacon in a skillet and brown until crisp; remove to a paper towel and set aside for garnish. Slice remaining bacon into skillet and cook until cooked but not crisp.
Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add the butter and flour, cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the corn and pulp; stir in the sour cream and add chopped tomato, basil, parsley, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings and transfer to the prepared baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove and top with slices of tomato, return to oven for another 15 minutes or until bubbly.
Chop the two slices of reserved bacon, and garnish the casserole with it and the reserved basil and parsley.
Tropical Jell-O Pretzel Salad
Crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Filling:
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple -- NOT drained!
1 3-ouncebox Coconut Cream pudding mix
1 8-ounce tub whipped topping
Topping:
1 3-ounce box orange Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
3 11-ounce cans mandarin oranges drained
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.
Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter in pan. Gently stir to combine and spread around pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.
Pour entire can of crushed pineapple (with juice!) into a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle coconut pudding mix on top and stir until completely incorporated. Fold in whipped topping. Transfer mixture to 9x13 pan, spreading on top of baked pretzels, making sure mixture reaches all of the edges. Set pan in fridge to keep cool while you mix the Jell-O.
Combine 1 cup boiling water with box of orange Jell-O. Stir until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Let sit 10-15 minutes, until Jell-O cools slightly. Pour on top of pineapple-whipped topping. Arrange mandarin orange slices so that they cover the entire surface of the salad. (They'll be set in with the Jell-O once it cools.)
Cover salad with plastic wrap and set in fridge at least 3-4 hours, until salad is completely cooled and set. Cut squares to serve. Store leftovers in fridge.
Grape Salad
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
Mix together
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
8 cups grapes
Add to mixture
Top: ½ cup brown sugar and 1 cup roasted nuts
