easy side dish recipe – In Good Taste

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

Maris Callahan — Fri, 23 May 2014 05:00:56 +0000

When your friends have a party, be it in a backyard barbecue, a cookout on a rooftop patio or a picnic in a park, it’s entirely likely that they’re going to take care of the grilling. You won’t need to worry about marinating chicken or cooking the kabobs to perfection, but what is more likely is that they’ll ask you to bring a side dish. Even though most grocery stores have an abundance of prepared salads, dips, fruit and vegetable platters and desserts, you’ll be the star of the party if you show up with a homemade salad or snack bound to impress. I like using orzo in pasta salads because it cooks in about five minutes flat and unlike other pasta salads that use thicker, heavier noodles, really lets the ingredients shine. Greek-style salads with ingredients like olives and feta are bursting with flavor and relatively free of any heavy ingredients prone to spoilage like cream, or mayonnaise, so they’ll last longer grill-side than a dairy-based salad. Save Print Greek Orzo Salad Author: Maris Callahan Recipe type: Cooking for a Crowd, Weekend Cooking Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 60 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Serves: 6-8 Ingredients 1½ […]

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Brussels Sprouts with Apples & Chestnuts

Maris Callahan — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:01:41 +0000

Last week I was chatting with Barbara and she said that she spends upwards of 20 hours per week working on her blog, recipes and photography. I would guess that there are a lot of food bloggers who would agree with that. To say that my posting has been inconsistent lately would be an understatement because there is an inversely proportionate relationship between how busy I am with work and how frequently I post here. If I had been posting as regularly as I’d like, then I would have told you weeks ago that I’ve been obsessed with Brussels sprouts this year. They’ve always been a favorite veggie despite their less-than-stella reputation, but never have I made them as often at home as I have been lately. There are just so many things about them that are great, so let’s make a list, shall we? 1. If you quarter them before cooking, they cook quickly, by roasting in oven or cooking in a skillet on the stove top. You could probably also steam them in the microwave but that isn’t something I’d wish on anyone. 2. You can prepare them so many different ways. 3. They are filling and therefore […]

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Mexican Green Rice

Maris Callahan — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:01:13 +0000

I know what you’re thinking: you don’t need a recipe for rice. It’s true that most of us could probably make rice with our eyes closed and one hand tied behind our backs (I suppose that would be a slight fire hazard in some states). Even so, sometimes, it’s the simple recipes that you need to anchor all of the difficult things that come out of our kitchens. Rice is actually one of those things that everyone thinks they know how to cook because it’s rice, four little letters, one tiny grain, but in actuality, getting perfectly fluffy rice is a bit of an art. If you make rice frequently or often need a lot of it at once – like if you cook a batch of it for the week to go with various dinners – then you might be able to justify splurging on one more kitchen appliance that has one very provincial function. Before you commit to a life long dedication to all things Basmati, make rice on the stove…and make it so delicious that you’ll start making it every night. Now, your inevitable online shopping spree is perfectly justified. Save Print Mexican Green Rice Author: Dana Woottan Recipe […]

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Bulgur Salad with Cranberries & Almonds

Maris Callahan — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:54:41 +0000

It’s Memorial Day and I should be sharing all kinds of delicious party food with you, like strawberry sangria and tomatillo guacamole. I have a strawberry daiquiri recipe tucked up my sleeve and there may even be a recipe for chipotle chicken wings in your very near future. Today, though, is about bulgur. Bulgur is something you may or may not already have in your kitchen but if you want to add something other than pasta and minute rice to your starchy side dish repertoire, it’s a good staple to keep on hand. Bulgur is a cereal grain made from different types of wheat, including durum wheat, which is also used to make pasta. It is sometimes confused with cracked wheat, as they can both be found in natural foods stores and Whole Foods. Bulgur is a common ingredient in Turkish, Middle Easter and Indian dishes. It has a light, nutty flavor and can be used in salads, soups, stews, baked goods, breads or stuffing. It is rich in nutrients and some people opt to serve it instead of rice as a side dish. I think bulgur does just fine on its own, as the star in a salad with […]

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Tri-Color Roasted Cauliflower

Maris Callahan — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:58:41 +0000

I’d never understood when people would tell me that they didn’t have time to cook. If you have time to eat, then you probably have time to cook. Well, it turns out there are people who don’t have time to eat and I’ve become one of them. Between my restaurant job, client work and writing I clock in about 120 hours of work per week – which is enough work for three people. Which leaves less kitchen time than I’m used to. So, I understand what people say when they claim that they have no time to cook. Working in a restaurant, I can usually eat at work and when I wake up, I’m typically too tired to want anything heavier than coffee and cereal or a Luna Bar. Sad, but true. But, no matter how much I work, I’m not happy unless I’m dirtying at least half of the dishes in my kitchen on a daily basis so I have been cranking out some of my favorite recipes – new and old. If you don’t have a lot of time to cook there is no law that says you need to create entire, elaborate meals, even though you might […]

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