Sides

Mushroom Aioli Toasts

By in Appetizers, Lunch, Main Dish, Meatless, Sides 8 Comments Tags: , , , ,

mushroom aioli toasts

A couple of years ago I couldn’t have imagined our family eating a meal where the star ingredient was mushrooms. My husband was never a fan, but every once in a while I would make them anyways just in case he changed his mind. And, he did. The changing point came when I first made these cajun grilled pork chops with creamy mushroom pan sauce. Don’t they always say that you have to introduce a food to a child 10-20 times before they’ll start liking it? I guess it works with husbands too. Hehe.

Ever since then I’ve realized that, very often, someone may not like a certain food simply because they don’t like the way it was prepared. That’s why we never say never in this family. If we don’t like something we try it a new way until we find the preparation we like.

Now we can’t seem to get enough of mushrooms. We put them on everything from burgers to pizza, in frittatas and salads. We almost always have a stash of mushrooms in our fridge. What a change!

These sandwiches are truly crave worthy. Start with some toasted, crusty whole grain bread, slather on a quick mustard aioli, pile on fragrant mushrooms and garlic, top it all with cheese and broil until the cheese is melty and golden. Just describing it makes my mouth water.

You can serve it for lunch with smoothies, for a quick dinner with a salad, as a side to grilled meat or pasta, or even as an appetizer for a guest worthy meal. A recipe that is as delicious and versatile as that definitely has a place in my recipe folder.

mushroom aioli toasts

Mushroom Aioli Toasts

Any cheese can be used to top these toasts. On an everyday basis we like cheddar. For a dinner party feel free to splurge on some fontina. If using for appetizers serve on baguette slices for smaller servings.

Mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 16 oz. mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Mustard Aioli
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
To Assemble
  • 8 slices crusty bread
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or fontina)

Place butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet, let melt over medium heat. Add mushrooms, cook until softened. Season generously with salt and pepper, cook until liquid is gone and mushrooms start to brown a bit. Add garlic and cook 30-60 seconds, just until softened.

Meanwhile stir together all of the ingredients for the aioli in a small bowl. Set aside.

Preheat broiler to high. Place bread slices on a large baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Spread each toast with aioli. Divide mushrooms evenly between toasts and top with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

For a fresh take, top with salad greens before serving.

Makes: 8 toasts

Adapted from How Sweet It Is. Mustard Aioli adapted from Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction.

Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese

By in GF Mains, Main Dish, Meatless, Pasta, Sides 7 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

mac n cheese

I’ve tried many mac ‘n cheese recipes in my time. Back in the day we used to live off the boxed stuff but I stopped buying them long ago. Which meant that we stopped having mac and cheese all together because none of them ever held up to our expectations. They never seemed as creamy or as flavourful as the stuff from the store.

I’m happy to say I’ve finally found our perfect recipe (obviously because I’m sharing it!). It’s super creamy, cheesy and flavourful, and as a bonus it’s very easy to throw together. It would make a great side for any ham you have leftover from Easter. Or, make it a one dish by throwing in some diced ham and veggies. We also love it alongside barbecued chicken drumsticks (or really any barbecued meat) with a hefty serving of veggies alongside. Barbecue season is coming up quick and I think this is a great side to have in your back pocket. It’s a definite crowd pleaser.

One time I accidentally browned the butter for the roux and it added an extra depth of flavour that we loved. Now I brown the butter purposely to add that extra nutty and rich flavour, but it’s definitely not a necessity if you prefer to skip that step.

Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese

I’ve had great success making this gluten free by substituting gluten-free brown rice pasta and gluten-free all purpose flour, so feel free to experiment with this recipe if gluten is an issue for you.

  • 2.5 cups elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

Cook macaroni in a medium-sized pot, according to package directions, until tender but firm (al dente). Drain and set aside. In the same pot melt the butter over medium heat (allow it to brown if desired). Add flour; cook and stir for one minute. Stir in salt, pepper and mustard. Slowly stir in milk, a bit at a time, whisking between each addition to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil, cook until thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in 1.5 cups cheese. Add macaroni, stirring to evenly coat. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbly and cheese is browned. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Makes: 6 servings (as a side dish)

Crispy Baked Hash Browns (Freezer Friendly)

By in Breakfast, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 13 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

crispy baked hashbrowns

For me one of the perfect weekend breakfasts is a plate full of hash browns, eggs, toast and bacon with a side of coffee. I’ve tried so many versions of homemade hash browns but they never seemed to turn out crisp enough, or were never quite cooked through and always seemed to be lacking in flavour. I’ve been dreaming of a hash brown recipe that I could make in bulk and store in the freezer so I could use it as a substitute for the ones you find in the grocery store that have so many other ingredients in it that you wonder how much real food is actually in there.

This is it. I found the recipe. It took the brilliant minds of Cooks Illustrated to figure it out for me. Thank you! This recipe works on so many levels. It makes a large batch so you can make it easily for guests or you can enjoy some now and freeze the rest for later. The potatoes turn out super crispy thanks to being boiled in water, along with baking soda, which quickly breaks down the outside, without cooking in the inside, so that it gets a nice crust while it bakes. The baking pan is also preheated in a screaming hot oven so that the potatoes start cooking as soon as they hit the pan, virtually turning it into a large skillet. I also love that it’s basically hands-free once you get it in the oven, meaning that if you are serving it to guests you can focus on other parts of the meal.

The preparation plus baking time definitely doesn’t produce instantaneous results, this isn’t a quick recipe. But my plan is to make it in batches when I have the time and then storing it in the freezer so that it can be instantaneous later on. I prepared mine with dinner the first round, froze the remainder and served them for breakfast a couple days later. It literally took five minutes for them to be ready from the freezer and they tasted just as good as when I made them fresh. That’s even better than the ones you get in the freezer isle.

Crispy Baked Hash Browns

I don’t peel my potatoes because the skin adds more nutrition and I like the flavour, but feel free to peel the potatoes before dicing if you prefer.

  • 3.5 pounds russet potatoes, diced ( 3/4 inch or smaller)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • dash of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or preferred high-heat oil)

Place a large rimmed baking sheet on an oven rack set to the lowest position. Preheat oven to 500ºF.

In a dutch oven, bring to boil 10 cups of water, over high heat. Add potatoes and baking soda. Bring back to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain potatoes and return to pot; place over low heat, shaking the pot occasionally, until any liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in butter, salt, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Stir together until mixed evenly and potatoes are coated with a starchy paste.

Remove baking sheet from oven and drizzle with oil. Spread potatoes in an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring potatoes every 15 minutes, until potatoes are browned and crispy. Serve immediately.

To Freeze: Allow potatoes to cool fully on baking sheet, transfer to the freezer until frozen. Once frozen toss into a resealable plastic bag. When ready to use, remove as much as needed from freezer bag, cook in a small amount of oil in a pan over medium heat until warmed through (about 5 minutes).

Serves: 6-8

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated Jan/Feb/2012.

Parmesan Walnut Broccoli

By in GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

parmesan walnut broccoli

I’m so bad at serving sides with dinner. For some reason it’s just not on my radar while I’m menu planning. Only once I’m finished making supper do I think, “huh, maybe I should have made something to serve along with this”. Oh well, the good thing is we don’t over eat very often. ;)

I have made this Parmesan Walnut Broccoli many times though. It’s so quick and easy that even if I think to make it last minute it doesn’t put off dinner. Besides my family loves broccoli so I know there’ll never be any complaints when I serve it. Especially when it’s tossed with toasted walnuts and parmesan. Mmm.

This year I even had some broccoli growing in my garden. Nothing’s more satisfying than going outside, cutting some broccoli and whipping up a quick and, virtually free, side dish. “It was me! I did that!”

(That was a Madagascar reference for those who can’t hear my bad imitation. I heart King Julien.)

Parmesan Walnut Broccoli

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 heads broccoli (or 1 large), cut into florets
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Cook broccoli in oil over medium-high heat until it begins to soften, season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and walnuts; cook until broccoli is crisp tender and walnuts are toasted. Toss with lemon juice, red pepper flakes and parmesan to serve.

Serves: 4

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Garlic Naan

By in Breads, Sides 7 Comments Tags: , , ,

garlic naan

I always have such a hard time knowing what to serve with stir-fry. It’s pretty much a one dish meal but sometimes you want just a little bit of something on the side. That’s where this naan comes in for us. It’s a filler of the best kind – freshly baked bread.

The recipe may not seem to have a lot of garlic but it kind of marinates into the dough while it’s rising and has the perfect subtle garlicky flavour that makes it go with any dish you serve. And, the fact that it’s slathered with butter before being popped on the grill makes it one of the best versions of garlic bread to be had. Garlic. Butter. Grill. Bread. It doesn’t get much better.

The key to the best naan (IMO) is to not roll it too thin. You want it to have a little bit of body so you have some chew. Roll it too thin and it will be more like a cracker. Mind you, it will be a very tasty cracker, but fluffy, chewiness is so much better.

This makes a large recipe, which means you do the work once and then you can freeze the rest and enjoy the fruits of your labour for subsequent meals. All you have to do is pop the frozen naan on a preheated grill or in a screaming hot oven for a couple of minutes, until it’s warmed through.

Time to put more stir-fry on the menu because I can’t wait to eat these leftovers.

Garlic Naan

Bread flour makes everything better. But if it’s not something you have on hand, I’ve made these with all-purpose flour and they were still very delicious.

  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 + cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in sugar, milk and egg. Stir in flour and salt. Knead until smooth and pliable, adding more flour if necessary, until tacky but not sticky. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in the bowl and spray lightly with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm oven (I turn the oven on for one minute and then shut it back off) with the door closed, for one hour or until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and knead in garlic until evenly distributed. Pinch off golf ball sized pieces, roll into balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray balls with cooking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

To grill: roll out only as many naan as can fit on the grill at one time, keep the rest covered. Preheat grill to medium-high. Roll each ball into a thin circle (but no too thin). Brush naan with a bit of butter; put butter side down on grill. Once grill marks appear and naan is puffy, brush top half with butter and flip. Continue to cook until browned. Remove from grill and repeat with remaining dough.

Makes: 14-17

Adapted from allrecipes.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

By in Sides 3 Comments Tags: , , , ,

greek orzo pasta salad

In the summer I crave side dishes that are easy and light. When the weather is gorgeous I want to spend as much time on the patio enjoying the grill and mosquitos, not standing in my house slaving over a hot stove. And, with all those meats, hamburgers and hot dogs cooking on the grill, we need something light and fresh to round it out.

Pasta salad is definitely a summer staple, but I find many of them to be a bit heavy, and every once in a while I like to switch up the flavours. This Greek Pasta Salad goes great with pretty much any grilled meat and the flavours and textures are light, fresh and crisp. In my opinion, a standby recipe for summer grilling.

I should probably mention that the photo above shows quite a bit more olives than are in the actual recipe. My family is crazy for olives so I went a little overboard the first time, haha.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

The orzo may be substituted with couscous.

  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 of a red onion, diced small
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 handfuls baby spinach

Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain. Place in a salad bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons dressing. Allow to cool.

Add feta, olives, onion, celery and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon dressing. Add more, if desired, to taste.

Serves: 6

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