Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Simple Summer Suppers, Part 4 of 10 (Scrumptious Sides)

You know how sometimes a supporting actor totally steals the show? Think Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan. (Am I old?)

Well, that happened with my dinners tonight & last night. I had these lovely entrees planned, and they were just dandy. BUT, the side dishes were what really rocked my world.

The first is hardly an innovation, but wait for it -- the second is actually my own invention!

Monday, I pan-grilled lime-marinated boneless pork chops. With that came whole wheat cous cous with fresh chopped cilantro. Both just fine. But the show-stealer:

Oven-roasted zucchini and summer squash

    • Now, I grant you - these would have been better on the grill, but it was raining!




  • Just a little EVOO and S&P. 
  • I had cut them in fairly large chunks. 
  • Put them in a 450 oven and actually sort of forgot about them. 
  • I think they were in there for a good half hour. 


Tonight, oh tonight. I had one of those eureka dishes. After trying new recipes from books & blogs and making up your own ... some of them turn out okay, some belly-flop. You may start to feel discouraged. Then there's one that keeps you going. Last night, I made that dish, but I didn't know it at the time. My first bite tonight was positive affirmation at its finest. (And it went darn well with a Jacob's Creek Chardonnay.)

White bean, Feta & Mint salad



  • 1 can white navy beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1/2 a carton grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1/3 block reduced fat feta, cubed
  • S&P, ~1 tbsp EVOO, few dashes red wine vinegar
  • ~1/2 dozen mint leaves, chiffonade
The flavors were just lovely together. I'm most proud that I didn't "over-mint" - as I tend to do!

And, as you can see, it's quite pretty. I'd love to show it to you in some fancy serving bowl. However, I love more to mix ingredients in Gladware - make, store & serve all in one bowl --- that works just great for home, thanks!

2 comments:

  1. Gah, you changed the look again! You're keeping me on my toes! And do you know I just figured out what EVOO stood for like 3 weeks ago?

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  2. I know, I know! Too much change! As you know, my hubby is a developer. He offered to snaz it up a little. How could I turn that down? I may have unleashed more than I bargained for. This took something like 3 hours, and it's "a quick fix." :)

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