Side Dishes | Eat Your Heart Out

BLT Panzanella

May 22, 2013 by Stephie 14 Comments

It’s no secret – at least to those of us sane people who like tomatoes – that one of the best summer lunches is a good ol’ BLT. Toasted bread, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, crunchy bacon…it just doesn’t get any better than that.

During a recent texting conversation with my blogging sounding board, it was decided that it would be entirely possible and utterly delicious to turn the traditional BLT into a panzanella, a Florentine salad traditionally made with stale bread and tomatoes dressed with olive oil and vinegar.

Basically, we are looking at a salad made of carbs. There’s no way you could possibly go wrong with that.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Main dish, Salads, Side dishes Tagged With: avocado, bacon, Main dish, Salad, Side dish, Summer, tomatoes, Vegetables

Slow Cooker Black Beans

May 2, 2013 by Stephie 12 Comments

For someone who majored in Spanish, I have never really paid much attention to Cinco de Mayo.

I don’t think there is really any particular reason; you would think that any day that encourages drinking plenty of margaritas and eating lots of Mexican would be at the top of my list. And yet, I seem to forget about it every year.

This year, though, I did get myself organized enough to make a pot of black beans for the occasion (don’t I know how to live it up). These beans are as easy as they could possibly be: just throw everything in the slow cooker, turn it on, and come back in 8 hours. And the best part? You don’t even have to soak the beans overnight first.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Side dishes Tagged With: Allergy friendly, beans, dairy-free, Gluten-free, Healthy, Holidays, Side dish, slow cooker, Vegan, Vegetarian

Copycat Velveeta Shells and Cheese

April 27, 2013 by Stephie 10 Comments

Remember when I teased you with this photo on Instagram and Facebook?

I know, it was mean to make you wait so long for the recipe. But trust me, this one was well worth the wait.

I honestly wasn’t sure if I would be able to successfully recreate Velveeta Shells and Cheese without all of the suspicious ingredients (maybe you don’t find it suspicious that you can keep an open package of Velveeta in your fridge for over a year without it going bad…but I sure do). I have some pretty strong childhood memories connected to the stuff – many an evening was spent at my best friend’s house, eating shells and cheese and watching trashy reality TV.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Main dish, Pasta, Side dishes Tagged With: cheese, copycat, Food Fanatic, Main dish, Pasta, Quick and easy, Side dish, Vegetarian

Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese, and Chive Mashed Potatoes

April 14, 2013 by Stephie 16 Comments

Some days are hard.

Some days you get to the end of the day and all you want out of life is a big.bowl.of.carbs.

If that big bowl of carbs is augmented with roasted garlic, buttermilk, chives, and goat cheese…well, that might be just what you need to reboot and head into the next day refreshed and renewed.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Side dishes Tagged With: Gluten-free, goat cheese, potatoes, roasted garlic, Side dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Green Pasta Salad

April 10, 2013 by Stephie 6 Comments

Sometimes I cook to the seasons: fruits, veggies, holiday-appropriate dishes.

Sometimes I cook to my cravings: pasta, bread, more pasta, potatoes, more bread.

Occasionally, I get the chance to do both: Green Pasta Salad.

Has your grocery store been stocking fresh English peas? Trader Joe’s has had them in stock, and I’ve been taking advantage of them because I know they won’t stick around for long. I love the little jewels: they barely need to be cooked and are sweet as candy.

Too weird? Maybe. But still true.

[Read more...]