Tag: side dishes

Simple summer melon salad

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We are still at the beach. A local olive oil merchant recommended this simple recipe: peel and cut cantaloupe and watermelon into bite-sized pieces, then drizzle with peach-infused white balsamic vinegar and basil-infused olive oil (in a 4:3 ratio). Lightly toss, then serve. This was refreshing and delicious. If we were home with our full… Continue reading Simple summer melon salad

Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim)

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As a kid, I remember watching my mom toss together this refreshing cucumber salad as an easy side dish for meals. I hosted a Korean lunch for friends today and decided to make this recipe: https://kimchimari.com/korean-cucumber-salad/ It's surprisingly quick and easy to make. This cucumber salad offers a bright complement to well-seasoned fatty proteins. For… Continue reading Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim)

Beninese black-eyed peas and rice (atassi)

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This is another great recipe from Marie Kacouchia's Vegan Africa. We have had the Ghanaian version of this recipe (i.e., waakye). We followed the printed recipe (it's not online), and we made the following modifications (mainly correcting conversions from the French / metric system to the American English / imperial system): First, we soaked 2.5… Continue reading Beninese black-eyed peas and rice (atassi)

Taiwanese seaweed, tofu, and bean thread noodle salad (inspired by Din Tai Fung)

We had simmered a 9×5″ piece of kombu for broth, and we wanted to repurpose the cooked kombu. Many years ago, we visited Din Tai Fung in Seattle, and I was blown away by their seaweed and bean curd appetizer. So this evening, we tried this recipe based on our pantry: https://whattocooktoday.com/din-tai-fung-seaweed-and-beancurd-salad.html Our modifications: first,…… Continue reading Taiwanese seaweed, tofu, and bean thread noodle salad (inspired by Din Tai Fung)

Ethiopian potato and carrot stew (alicha), 2023 version

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Back in 2016, we first tried this wonderful, easy recipe: http://howtocookgreatethiopian.com/ethiopian-potato-and-carrot-alicha/. The video was more helpful than the written recipe. Now it's January 2023, and we just discovered that the link no longer works (the website may have been taken down). Fortunately, we happened to print out that recipe 7 years ago, so we were… Continue reading Ethiopian potato and carrot stew (alicha), 2023 version

Roasted purple sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary

We had roasted some purple sweet potatoes (recipe here: ) yesterday, and we cut them into 1.5″ penny slices. We had slices from 1 tuber leftover, so we tried this recipe: https://www.runningtothekitchen.com/roasted-purple-sweet-potatoes/ Our modifications: first, we used the roasted sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. Second, we halved the seasoning (melted ghee, rosemary, garlic), which…… Continue reading Roasted purple sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary

Cucumber dill salad

We recently hosted a brunch featuring heavily seasoned dishes (kedgeree and Jamaican jerk chicken). We wanted a refreshing, minimally seasoned healthy side dish to complement these flavors, so we made this: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cucumber_salad/. We used 6 Persian cucumbers (diced, skin on), 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, 3 Tbsp Marukan rice vinegar (green label), and a dash…… Continue reading Cucumber dill salad

Roasted cauliflower and farro salad

We wanted to make a hearty vegetarian dish for a potluck, so we tried this recipe from Cookie & Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/roasted-cauliflower-and-farro-salad-with-feta-and-avocado/ Our modifications: first, we omitted the feta. Second, instead of uncooked greens, we added about 2 cups of blanched kale (torn into bite-sized pieces prior to blanching, then rinsed in cold water and squeezed…… Continue reading Roasted cauliflower and farro salad