Fiesta Mexican Roasted Corn Salad

Fiesta Roasted Corn Salad is a south-of-the-border inspired side dish for summer cookouts and family gatherings. Not only is this Mexican corn salad colorful, but is extra delicious with a creamy homemade dressing that always conjures up memories of nibbling on smoky-sweet elotes (Mexican street corn), sitting on a curb, with sauce smeared on my chin, sweat dripping down my back and concerned only with the detail of finishing my snack! Fiesta Roasted Corn Salad - Mexican-inspired side dish

Eating roasted corn on the cob can awkward though (well, for me anyway) and a little harder to make for a crowd (you need a lot of grill room).  Because I wanted to make corn to share at a big event, prepping it as a salad was the perfect option and easily scalable to fit the number of guests I’m expecting, from just 5 and my normal dinner table to 50 or more.  Read on to get my personal take on a traditional esquites salad  . . . as they call a similar dish in Mexico. Continue reading

Fiesta Five-Veggie Potato Salad

Say “Hello,”  . . . err,  make that “Ola,” to my Fiesta Five-Veggie Potato Salad – it’s a delicious addition to your next family dinner or for pot lucks, outdoor grilling, and other casual entertaining. Packed with loads of vegetables (as the name implies), this south-of-the-border inspired salad is nothing like those monochromatic, bland, sit-in-your-stomach-like-lead potato salads of yore.

Fiesta Five Veggie Potato Salad a yummy, southwestern inspired side dish.

Instead, this simple to make southwestern potato salad is colorful, kicked up in flavor and lighter yet packed with plenty of vitamins and important nutrients. Read on the get the recipe and all the yummy details. Continue reading

Sheet Pan Sesame Green Beans and Mushrooms

Sometimes preparing a side dish isn’t about taking sides. He wanted green beans, I wanted mushrooms – so we compromised and made them both. Our individual veggie selections roasting separately, yet on the same baking sheet, started to seem like they should mingle. So, I made the introductions, tossed them together and finished with a kiss of sesame dressing. Winner, winner – Sheet Pan Sesame Green Beans and Mushrooms for dinner! Sheet Pan Sesame Green Beans and Mushrooms

Read on to get this easy, 20-minute, easy side dish recipe that is sure to please both sides. Continue reading

Easy Roasted Blue Cheese Cauliflower

Looking for a healthy vegetable recipe that is both fast and flavorful for your next holiday dinner? Easy Blue Cheese Roasted Cauliflower is not only ridiculously simple to prepare, it’s kinda fancy-shmancy and oozing with good taste. Easy Roasted Blue Cheese Cauliflower

Oven roasted cauliflower has always been a family favorite for simple weeknight meals, but by dressing up with blue cheese, this humble veggie becomes a sophisticated side dish that’s ready to rock alongside a roast, turkey or other holiday main dish. Read on for the full recipe and all the delicious details. Continue reading

Autumn Crunch Quinoa Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Keep meals fresh, fit and seasonally flavorful through the holiday season with my Autumn Crunch Quinoa Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

Autumn Crunch Quinoa Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This quick and easy quinoa salad features a cornucopia of fall’s signature flavors including dried cranberries, shaved Brussels sprouts and pumpkin seeds. Plus, it’s all tossed with a homemade, “just-whisk-in-the-bowl” vinaigrette made with apple cider. Continue reading