Sides

Asparagus with Easy Hollandaise Sauce

By in Easter, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

asparagus with easy hollandaise

Anytime I’m making a ham or turkey dinner I try to have as many sides as possible that do not take up residence in the oven. In the past, my oven was barely large enough to fit a whole turkey or ham, never mind sides. Asparagus season is in full swing so it seems like the perfect accompaniment to Easter dinner. Here I’ve dressed it up a bit with a quick and easy hollandaise sauce.

I have to be completely honest, I’ve never tried a true hollandaise sauce before. Crazy, I know. So, I can’t really comment on how this compares to the original but, from what I’ve read, this method of making hollandaise, although less traditional, is just as delicious. It may be slightly less luxurious, as most “easy” recipes are, but the end result is a tangy and silky sauce that’s quick to prepare and is pretty much fool-proof.

I used my food processor because my blender broke last week, but I noticed that quite a bit of egg yolk got stuck to the bottom so I don’t think my sauce got quite as thick as it could have. My advice would definitely be to use a handheld or regular blender to get the best results.

Unlike a more tradition hollandaise you don’t cook the egg yolks before adding the butter in this recipe, but there’s no need to worry, the heat of the butter should cook the egg yolks. If you’re still nervous about it feel free to use pasteurized eggs.

Asparagus with Easy Hollandaise Sauce

  • 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Steam or boil asparagus until crisp tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile make hollandaise: Blend egg yolks, water, lemon juice and salt in a blender until frothy. Melt butter in a small saucepan until bubbly; do not brown. With the blender running, gradually drizzle in hot butter. Blend until mixture is thickened and emulsified.

Plate asparagus and top with hollandaise.

Serves: 6

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Simple Parmesan Baked Risotto

By in GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Simple Parmesan Baked Risotto

Risotto is one of those things that”s so easy to make but is considered a labour of love simply for the fact that it needs so much babysitting.

When you have a baby on the floor searching for (and finding) every dust bunny and minuscule piece of something disgusting, who also must absolutely see what it all tastes like. And, a preschooler who thinks he”s a chef and wants to add all sorts of inedible things to dinner while your back is turned. Extra babysitting is not the thing you need.

I love cooking with my kids. And, I know it would be possible for me to make traditional risotto if I kicked them out and cooked by myself (I”m not a great multi-tasker) but I love that they want to be in there with me and I love how much my son is interested in cooking (and therefore interested in eating). So, simple and easy is the way to go for me. But, I still want to enjoy some creamy risotto with my pan-fried chicken and brussels sprouts.

This baked risotto is much simpler then the original (seriously, all you do is stir it up and throw it in the oven) and it free”s up space on the stove top when it feels like things are overloaded. Of course, the results aren”t quite as perfect as traditional risotto. But it comes close. The only thing lacking, I would say, is the little bit of the crispness that you normally get from toasting the rice in a bit of fat first. But the results are so tasty and creamy, with that loose risotto feel, that it will be hard for me to go back to the original except for on the rare occasion (read: special company).

This is just a very basic recipe. It”s great on its own but you can also feel free to dress it up with different spices, throw in some cooked veggies or meat and turn it into a one pot main dish. It would be a great way to breathe new life into some of those holiday leftovers.

Tip: To reheat the leftovers (as I did for the picture above) add a bit more stock or water to bring it back to a loose consistency. (This is what it looks like fresh from the oven. :))

Simple Parmesan Baked Risotto

  • 1.5 cups arborio rice (a.k.a. risotto rice)

  • 4.5 cups chicken stock

  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Stir together the stock and rice in a 10 cup baking dish, cover tightly with foil (or lid). Bake at 355ºF for 40 minutes or until rice is al dente (cooked but crisp) and most of the stock has been absorbed (it will still be quite loose and wet). Stir in parmesan and butter until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves: 6

Adapted from Donna Hay.

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

By in Condiments, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Homemade, Sides 29 Comments Tags: , , ,

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

Pickles. Who would have thought they”d be so easy to make? As long as you know how to chop, stir and pour, you can make them. And, they are way better than the store-bought ones. These ones don”t require canning so they”re even less intimidating.

James has never like Bread and Butter Pickles, so I never buy them. Not that he doesn”t want me to, but I like other kinds of pickles so I don”t feel the need to buy a jar just for me. But honestly, Bread and Butter Pickles have always been one of my favourites.

When I saw these pickles on Recipe Girl, I knew I had to give them a go. As a general rule, store-bought things that James doesn”t like, magically become favourites once I make them at home. And, since this recipe was so darn easy, I knew it wouldn”t be a waste of energy if he didn”t like them. But, true to form, he loved them. And, I loved them. And Max… still doesn”t like pickles… but he likes olives, so that makes up for it. Crazy boy.

If you want to venture into the world of making pickles I encourage you to break in with this recipe. They really are soo good. I”ve never piled so many pickles on my sandwiches before. The hardest part about this recipe is that you”re supposed to wait 24 hours before eating them. Although that didn”t stop me from nabbing a few every time I opened the fridge. ;)

These would also make a great hostess gift for a fall barbecue. I”m pretty sure you would be the star of the show if you brought along a jar of homemade pickles. So if you want to just fade into the background, keep them to yourself. :)


Have you ever made pickles? What are your favourite kinds?

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

  • 5.5 cups sliced pickling cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds)

  • 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt

  • 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion (I used regular)

  • 1 cup granulated white sugar

  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

  • 1 cup white vinegar

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1.5 teaspoons mustard seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (or 1/8 teaspoon celery salt, in a pinch)

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

Combine cucumbers and salt in a bowl. Cover and chill 1.5 hours. Rinse cucumbers in a colander, to remove salt. Drain well. Return cucumbers to the bowl along with sliced onion.

Combine sugars, vinegars, seeds and turmeric in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumbers and onions. Let sit at room temperature for one hour. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours and up to 2 weeks.

Makes approximately: 4 cups pickles

Adapted from Recipe Girl.

Jalapeno-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

By in Breads, Sides 10 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Jalapeno-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

The season of soup is drawing near. And, in my opinion, soup is just not complete without a side of biscuits – warm from the oven. Thanks to my favourite homemade baking mix, these biscuits could not be simpler to make. Four ingredients get stirred together, dropped onto baking sheets and baked until golden. I”m addicted to making biscuits this way. It”s so easy to come up with variations. Just stir in whatever suites your fancy for the day and you”re guaranteed to have fluffy biscuits in a flash.

These Jalapeño-Chedddar Biscuits are one of our new favourites and will definitely be going into the rotation. I love how the cheese gets crusty and caramelized on the outside with little pockets of melty cheese on the inside. The jalapeño adds a little touch of heat without being too spicy. You could easily add more of either depending on your tastes.

If you”re like me, a batch of fresh biscuits can be the spot of sunshine that perks up a cold and rainy day, so it”s great to be able to make them on a whim. Especially when you”ve got broccoli in the fridge and can whip up a batch of Broccoli Cheese Soup to go with it.

Are you looking forward to the fall weather coming up?

Jalapeño-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

If you prefer you can use real jalapeño. I can never find them at my store, but always have the canned stuff on hand, which is why I use the pickled ones in this recipe.

  • 2 cups baking mix (or bisquick mix)

  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeños

  • 2/3 cup milk

In a medium-sized bowl mix together baking mix, cheese and jalapeños. Pour milk over and stir just until evenly moistened. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 450ºF for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes approximately: 12 biscuits

Quick Mexican Rice with Beans

By in GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 10 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Quick Mexican Rice with Beans

My husband has often talked about a side dish of rice and beans that he had growing up in Bolivia. Of course he had no idea what was in it so I”ve never had much to go on. I”ve tried many recipes in an effort to recreate the dish but none of them were quite right.

Last week we were out of groceries, it was killer hot and I didn”t feel like running to the grocery store with both kids in tow. So, while the kids played outside I soaked up the sun and thought about what kind of meal I could make out of our pantry staples. It”s a tough job but somebody”s gotta do it. ;P

This was the recipe I came up with based on what we had on hand and what sounded good to me at the time. And you know what? I nailed it. I”m sure It”s not exactly the same as the original but my husband loved it and said it tasted just like he imagined. And now I know why he talked about it so much; it”s delicious in its simplicity. Forget all those involved recipes I tried before, simple is almost always best.

This is one of those recipes that tastes great served warm or at room temperature so it”s perfect for those lazy BBQ dinners. But, I also plan on serving it often alongside our favourite Mexican meals.

Mexican Rice with Beans

  • 3.5 cups hot cooked rice

  • 1 can black beans (1 cup)

  • 1 cup shredded cheese

  • 1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

  • 1 cup tomato sauce, warmed

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Stir all ingredients together until evenly mixed and cheese is melted.

Serves: 4-6

Chunky Cucumber Salad

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Chunky Cucumber Salad

I”m not a great salad person. I love salads, don”t get me wrong, but I seem to enjoy them more as a main dish because you can add things like grilled chicken and black beans. Most of the time they fall flat as a side dish for me since I seem to have absolutely no creativity when it comes to vegetables. (Fruity salads on the other hand don”t seem to be a problem.) One of my goals is to try to find more side-salads to add to my repertoire. So, if you know any good ones feel free to shout them out!

We”ve been making this salad since last year. It started out as just a cucumber and tomato salad since the guys love cucumber. Then we made a few more additions and turned it into a favourite. So much so that it”s pretty much the only salad we eat. And so far we haven”t gotten tired of it (that”s saying a lot).

I wasn”t sure what to call this salad. It”s pretty reminiscent of a greek salad but it tastes nothing like it since it”s coated in ranch dressing rather than a greek vinaigrette. It goes great with pretty much any main dish or grilled meat and it takes advantage of those plentiful summer cucumbers and tomatoes.

One thing I have learned is that the key to a tasty salad is seasoning the vegetables with salt and pepper before dressing. This seriously makes all the difference and I strongly encourage you to try it in all your savoury salads.

What”s your go-to salad at dinnertime?

Chunky Cucumber Salad

Feel free to adjust the amounts to your taste. I always just toss things in until it looks good, so this is an estimation of the amounts you use. Do what”s best for you.

  • 1 english cucumber, quartered and chopped

  • 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, halved

  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1/4 cup (heaping) olives, sliced lengthwise

  • 1/2 cup chopped feta

  • 1 cup croutons

  • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

  1. Place cucumbers and tomatoes in a medium-sized bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Add olives, feta, croutons and dressing. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Feeding a crowd? To make this salad stretch further add a head of chopped romaine lettuce.

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