I’m sure a few of you realized that we have been missing in action this summer, and unfortunately I was a big part of the reason why, as I’ve been ill for the majority of the summer. Although I am now back (and finally feeling great!) and ready to start blogging again, read on to get the details. (Suffice to say this summer for me was totally on brand for 2020.)
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.
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
It’s FOURTH OF JULY WEEK so I thought you may all like this blast from the past that you can very easily throw on your grill and impress your family members. Plus the extra chimichurri is perfect for steak, shrimp, chicken, vegetables, you name it. Enjoy!
*initially published September 25, 2018
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Summer. Glorious summer. Hopefully you’ll get some time lying on a dock somewhere where you can immerse yourself in some great summer reading. And summer is the perfect set up for a binge worthy series!
Don’t know what to read? No problem.
Here are a few great series that will keep you busy all summer long!
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Has anyone else had a bumper crop of zucchini this summer? My tiny backyard garden has been producing zucchini which are the size of clubs. I’ve shredded and frozen more zucchini this summer than I’ve seen in my life. And of course as I’ve been shredding my zucchini, I’ve had to make my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. Strangely, even though this quick bread really can’t be qualified as “healthy”, in my book it is because…well, ZUCCHINI!
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This salad. Goals right here. I could eat this for every meal (actually for 2 days, I did just that-and I have plans to make it again this weekend!). Grilled Peach and Herb Panzanella Salad for the win.
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Hello Summer, beautiful Minnesota Summer! After surviving the months of frigid cold and snow, Minnesota shows it’s amazing summer beauty with gorgeous temperatures, amazing greenery and sunny days. And ya you betcha- these long Minnesota summer days come with glorious Minnesota summer food! Grilling, farmer’s markets, backyard gardens…all of the fresh flavors of summer!
I decided for this one I would get a little help from my friends. Read on for a sampling of Minnesota summer food, highlighting some amazing summer ingredients. All of the recipes in this Good Food Reads are from fellow food bloggers based in this amazing state!
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The weather has turned in Minneapolis! Finally we have nice temperatures and sunshine. That can only mean one thing…summer grilling! We’ve cleaned off our grills and our patio tables. We’ve taken out the deck cushions and are getting the planters ready for flowers. Finally, we’ve gone in search of some fabulous summer grilling recipes from our blogger friends and we can’t wait to share them with you! Good Food Reads: Summer Grilling is your guide to the best of this summer’s grilling recipes!
Disclaimer: all photos and recipes are credited to the blog from which they came. A million thanks to all of our blogger friends for allowing us to use their amazing work to put together this collection of summer grilling recipes for you!
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I’m over winter. Officially over winter. After getting a foot of snow here in Minneapolis last weekend, I am begging it to stop. I’m screaming uncle. I’m ready to move on to sunny days and warm temperatures. It is time for salads on the deck with a good book. Like this Cobb Salad with Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing.
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Do you live in Minneapolis? Are you interested in visiting Minneapolis? I bet you will be after reading about this do-it-yourself Minneapolis Brewery Tour! And by “tour”, I really mean collection of breweries that make a brewery crawl all but inevitable. Plus a few distilleries thrown in for fun. And don’t forget the food trucks! YES PLEASE!
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