Salads & Side Dishes
Roasted Vidalia Onions with Balsamic-Apricot Glaze
Here is a delicious way to prepare sweet Vidalia onions, the perfect accompaniment to pork or poultry.
Pesto Chicken Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes and Garlic Croutons
Here is an amazing chicken recipe that is both simple to make and bursting with flavor. The pesto adds a great herb flavor and the bacon adds a satisfying meatiness to the dish!
Grilled Vidalia Onion with Orange-Honey Vinaigrette
Sweet grilled Vidalia onions make a wonderful addition to a nice green salad or tomatoes.
Beet and Apple Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese
Opposing flavors create harmony of taste on the plate. Sweet beets here are paired with the tartness of granny smith apples. Pungent goat cheese is melded with the nuttiness of pistachios. This is a very delicious and complex flavored salad.
Herb Grilled Corn on the Cob
What is better than fresh sweet corn in summer at the peak of the season? Delicious, sweet, juicy and full of flavor! Grilling is a great way to prepare this seasonal treat. We grill the corn with the husk on to keep it moist. Adding herb butter before it cooks adds additional moisture to the corn as well as infusing it with a wonderful flavor.
Okra, Corn, & Tomatoes
This delicious Southern dish is perfect in summer when all these wonderfully tasty things are in season - okra, corn, and tomatoes! Garlic and bacon are the perfect ingredients to accompany these vegetables, making one scrumptious side dish for your Sunday table.
Baked Zucchini Fries
French fried potatoes are delicious and will always be a favorite, but give these baked zucchini fries a try for something different. Healthier, yes, but absolutely scrumptious flavor will have everyone scrambling for the last fry. The tomato coulis is an upscale version of ketchup with pureed tomatoes, honey and fresh basil - goes wonderful with the zucchini fries!
Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Sometimes a simple salad can be the most beautiful thing in the world. The secret to a great salad is using the freshest, highest quality ingredients possible. The flavors that blend together in this salad are magical - sugar snap peas, thinly sliced prosciutto, Pecorino cheese, mint leaves, baby arugula, garlic, and red pepper - drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Gratin
Three kinds of cheese are mixed with cauliflower in this delicious side dish - goat cheese, Monterey Jack and Parmesan! Wonderfully complex and tasty, this baked vegetable dish is quite simple to make.
Sweet and Spicy Bourbon Baked Beans
Deliciously sweet with brown sugar, molasses and honey, these baked beans have a nice kick with chipotle peppers and Bourbon whiskey. The secret to good baked beans is slow cooking! After 3 hours in the oven, these beans are thick and rich!
Cranberry & Roasted Jalapeno Cornbread
This cornbread recipe is wonderfully moist and flavorful. Fresh cranberries, roasted jalapeno and a hint of honey create a delicious complement to poultry or pork. Or just enjoy it as a snack with a good dollop of butter!
Dungeness Crab Potato Salad with Celery Hearts, Black Truffle, Egg Chicory
Here's a very earthy recipe that uses the very complimentary flavors of crab, potatoes, truffles, and chicory. And yes, it's just as good if you leave off the truffles.
Cauliflower Gratin with Prosciutto
Simple to make yet very flavorful, this cauliflower and prosciutto dish matches well with chicken or pork.
Blueberry and Gorgonzola Salad with Mixed Greens & Poppy Seed Dressing
This wonderfully fresh salad was created by Chef Albert Paris at Zanzibar Blue (closed), Philadelphia (now at Mantra).
Lobster and Avocado Salad
Here's a great lobster recipe South Florida style. Live Maine lobsters are used with a fusion of Thai spices and Napa cabbage, arugula, red bell pepper, and avocado.
Maple Syrup Baked Beans
It's essential to have a good baked bean recipe! Baked beans are a classic dish that match well with so many foods. I love this one because it includes two of my favorite ingredients: maple syrup and bacon.
Grilled Pork, Fig, and Hazelnut Salad
This dish is called a salad but really it is hearty enough to serve as a light lunch. Fresh figs match wonderfully to pork and grilling them brings out another dimension of flavor.
Whole Cranberry Relish with Walnuts Recipe
Here is a nice traditional cranberry relish that is delicious and simple to make. Much better than the canned variety. Cranberry relish will last up to 2 months in your fridge, so keep some on hand for topping crackers with cheddar or a turkey sandwich.
Cranberry-Ginger Relish Recipe
Here's a cranberry relish with a twist, crystallized ginger. The ginger gives a nice zing to cranberries and also adds an interesting textural difference. This cranberry-ginger relish makes a great side dish for turkey or pork, goes well with a nice cheddar, and also makes a wonderful condiment for a turkey sandwich or burger.
Grilled Bartlett Pear & Frisée Salad with Rabbit Loin and Bacon Dressing
This is a very nice recipe for a flavorful salad that incorporates grilled pears and rabbit with a warm bacon dressing.
Pomegranate Glazed Quail Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette and Grille
This salad makes a nice light lunch. The sweet and savory quail matches well with fruit. The tanginess of the cheese adds a wonderful contrast. If you don't have a grill available, the broiler of your oven works just fine.
Fall Fruit Salad with Apples, Pears, and Cranberries
Fall brings us a bounty of delicious fruits. Apples, pears, and cranberries make a wonderful combination. Both tart and sweet, this salad make a great salad to start a meal or can be used as a side dish to accompany chicken or pork.
Blackened Sweet Corn with Chanterelles and Bacon
Corn, mushrooms, and bacon are a perfect combination in this savory recipe. This side matches well with rare beef dishes or grilled pork.
Mâche and Pear Salad
Mâche is a nutty flavored salad green that goes perfect with crisp green pears. Parmesan cheese, fennel and fresh tarragon round out this beautiful, yet simple salad.
Baby Spinach Salad with Peaches and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
Peaches and figs match well in this recipe for spinach salad that brings out their sweetness.
Blue Cheese Salad with Bacon and Carmelized Onions
This rich pasta salad has a bite that is both savory and sweet. It matches very well with beef dishes.
Grilled Asparagus and Prosciutto Salad
Asparagus and prosciutto are a classic combination that are showcased well in this dish. The addition of mushrooms and asiago cheese give it a very earthy yet bright flavor.
Tuna Niçoise
Tuna Niçoise is more of a meal than a salad. Poached tuna and lots of vegetables give this dish a wonderful balance of flavors. The individual ingredients in this recipe are simple to make, but when put together on a plate look very sophisticated.
The Ojai Cook's Seasoned Crouton Stuffing
Packaged croutons and stuffing mix are convenient shortcuts in this wild mushroom- and sausage-enhanced Seasoned Crouton Stuffing recipe from The Ojai Cook.
Watermelon, Basil, & Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Syrup
Here is a delightfully refreshing salad that combines watermelon with fresh mozzarella. Basil adds an herby spiciness, while sweet balsamic syrup brings out the best flavors of both the watermelon and the mozzarella.