Side Dishes Archives | With Two Spoons

Easy Summer Side Dishes

July 21, 2020 By Holly Leave a Comment

Summer time is my favorite for entertaining. Grab a cold bottle of wine, throw something simple on the grill, and add an easy summer side dish or two and you’re all set. This year, thanks to the global pandemic, gatherings are smaller and simpler but that doesn’t mean we don’t all need a few good side dish recipes for those socially distanced gatherings. These recipes are simple, healthy, and easily made ahead of time. You can serve them cold or at room temperature. They are also easily scalable to feed a larger group! I promise, with these Easy Summer Side Dishes, summer entertaining can’t be easier.

01. Roasted Carrot and Quinoa Salad
I love this dish for so many reasons. It is just about the simplest thing in the world and is packed full of flavor and nutrition. You can make the quinoa and vinaigrette up to two days ahead, keeping them in separate containers until the day you are planning to serve it. Don’t have fresh parsley? Try it with basil instead. Not a fan of golden raisins? Leave them out. Don’t have pine nuts? Toasted almonds would be great, too. The possibilities are endless.

02. Skillet Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette
Another healthy yet hearty side dish, I love this both piping hot and at room temperature. The lemon shallot vinaigrette really adds a great pop of flavor to the broccoli. The pine nuts give a great salty crunch! I love to double this for entertaining.

03. The Best Herbed Picnic Potato Salad
When we developed this recipe last year, our intent was to have a potato salad without a mayonnaise base. We love a classic potato salad, but as doctors, we don’t love worrying about summer heat and food poisoning. This potato salad uses pickled onions, capers, and lots of fresh herbs to pack it full of flavor. You won’t miss the mayo. We promise.

Vertical Herbed Picnic Potato Salad with Pickled Onions

04. Curried Cauliflower Quinoa Salad
If you’re looking for easy summer side dishes, this one completely fits the bill. The quinoa salad uses curry and a few other spices to put a spin on your typical picnic fare. Cauliflower is tossed in a little coconut oil and the beautiful spices and roasted until just golden. It then gets mixed into a big bowl of fresh quinoa and coated with a light, tangy vinaigrette. Pine nuts give it crunch and salt. You can easily make the quinoa and cauliflower a day ahead and toss it all together the morning you are going to serve it.

Still looking for side dish inspiration? Why not give these recipes from fellow food bloggers a try? I know I can’t wait to make them all!

Grilled Corn & Jalapeno Slaw
Strawberry Avocado Salad with Candied Pepitas
Easy Cucumber Salad

Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad

February 25, 2020 By Lane Leave a Comment

Does anyone else feel like it is already February 425th? This month has gone on and on and on and on. Although it is warmer that usual here in Minneapolis, this is the point in winter where everyone is needing a good dose of sunshine. Enter the Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad.

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Skillet Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

February 18, 2020 By Holly 2 Comments

We all know that we should eat more vegetables. It’s great for our health and good for our planet. Let’s face it though, vegetables can sometimes be boring. Our new recipe for Skillet Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette is anything but boring. In fact, I think it just might be your new weekday favorite.

Pan Roasted Broccoli with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

This post is sponsored by our dear friends at Queen Creek Olive Mill. We’ve been fans of their amazing oils, vinegars, and foods for years and, as always, would never recommend something we don’t love and use ourselves. Thanks for supporting the companies that help us keep working here at With Two Spoons. #ad

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Broccoli is a go-to vegetable of mine for a lot of reasons. It’s inexpensive, readily available, and jam packed with nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and even protein! It’s also a great source of dietary fiber. What more could you want? Oh yeah, something that tastes great, too.

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Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

December 17, 2019 By Lane Leave a Comment

My daughter (who used to be the pickiest eater of all times) has discovered the beauty of Chipotle. Which means we often make and eat burrito bowls, as they are so, so easy to make at home. Especially if you have the “right” rice-like this Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice. Quick, easy, and hands off, perfect for any weeknight. Try it yourself!

A bowl of Instant Pot Chipotle Lime Rice

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Instant Pot Herbed Cauliflower Mash (With Stovetop Instructions, too!)

November 26, 2019 By Holly 1 Comment

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I am ready for a day of family, fun, and really, really good food. Thanksgiving in my family is full of all the traditional foods: Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and (of course), mashed potatoes. While there is very little I love more than a big old helping of buttery carbohydrates, I definitely appreciate a lighter dish or two to balance out the meal. Our new recipe for Instant Pot Herbed Cauliflower Mash is just the ticket for a super satisfying, full of flavor and healthy Thanksgiving dish.

The best part about this Instant Pot Herbed Cauliflower Mash is that it is essentially a one pot dish that takes only a few minutes to prepare. Start by grabbing your instant pot and a silicone steamer basket. I like this one, which I found at Target. Put about one cup of water in the instant pot. Take a whole head of cauliflower and remove the core and greens. Cut it into quarters and place the florets and pieces into the steamer basket. Pop them in the Instant Pot and you’re halfway there. Set the IP to manual and cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Yes, you read that right: ONE minute. When the time is up, use a quick release.

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Lemon Rosemary Potatoes

September 24, 2019 By Lane Leave a Comment

Can you believe that I have a daughter who wouldn’t touch potatoes until she was almost 14? Not french fries, rarely potato chips, never mashed potatoes. How funny that these Lemon Rosemary Potatoes are now one of her favorite foods!

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Roasted Carrot and Quinoa Salad

August 20, 2019 By Holly 2 Comments

I came up with the idea for this Roasted Carrot and Quinoa Salad last spring, while trying to figure out a last minute side dish just before some guests were due to come for dinner. I took a quick look in the fridge, grabbed a couple of things out of the pantry, and crossed my fingers. Thankfully, the dish was a hit and after making it all summer for simple dinners and entertaining alike, I figured it was about time I shared the recipe here.

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Simple Lentil Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables

August 6, 2019 By Holly 1 Comment

Summertime always makes me crave simple foods. I don’t know if it’s that summer produce is just so good and fresh that it doesn’t need much, or that the slow pace of lazy summer days makes me a little lazy in the kitchen. Either way, when the warm weather hits, simple is my mantra. Like this Simple Lentil Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables.

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The Best Herbed Picnic Potato Salad

June 18, 2019 By Lane Leave a Comment

Fourth of July is coming soon and that means camping, cookouts, potlucks and picnics!

And if I know you, you’re looking for a hearty dish that you can take to that gathering and not worry about the dreaded “sitting out in the heat” problem. No problem! Herbed Picnic Potato Salad is full of flavor, without the mayo!

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Turkey and Caramelized Onions

November 20, 2018 By Lane 5 Comments

Looking for a way to use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey? Looking for a way to use the Caramelized Onions you made last week? We have you covered. Look no further than this homemade Baked Macaroni Cheese with Turkey and Caramelized Onions. The perfect fall/winter/holiday/leftover/late night/early morning/any-time-you-need-it comfort food. Read further and scroll to the bottom for the recipe!

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