Side Dish Galore: Asparagus and Avocado-Herb Dressing

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 Everyone needs a good side dish don't you think?

When I was planning my menu this past Easter I came across a wonderful side dish that screams "Spring" is here!  I knew instantly from the recipe that this had to go on my Easter menu.  I tell you it truly is a wonderful vegetable side dish!  The main star is Asparagus.  What says spring more than asparagus?  maybe carrots, but asparagus always reminds me to light spring meals.

This dish can be served at room temperature or made ahead and served cold.  Either way will do.  This is a good make ahead dish.  Nice tender asparagus is blanched until bright green, cooled, and then doused with an amazing avocado-herb dressing and topped with fresh basil, and chives!  Yum!!!!

So the only regret with this dish is that it took me so long to get it to you.  It was outstanding!  The dressing really makes the dish so don't skip that part.  The dressing actually makes a ton but it will keep for a few days and can be used on salad or as a dip for veggies.  Dang that stuff is good!  The addition of  fresh torn basil and chopped chives takes this dish over the top.   We liked this dish so much that I've made it three times in the last 3 weeks.  Gotta get that good asparagus in my belly while it's in season!

What do you eat this with?  This is the perfect side dish with Grilled Pork or Grilled Chicken or even a nice juicy Steak!  

This is definitely a side dish you will want in your recipe box!  Make this soon and enjoy!







Asparagus and Avocado-Herb Dressing

serves 8


2 lbs fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 ripe avocado sliced
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c fresh basil, divided
1/4 c fresh sliced chives, divided
1 1/2 oz goat cheese
1 Tbls white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Add asparagus and boil until crisp tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain, rinse under cool water and pat dry.  Set aside.

In a blender combine avocado, buttermilk, half of the basil, half of the chives, the goat cheese, vinegar, pepper, salt, and sugar.  Blend until smooth.  

Arrange asparagus on a platter.  Drizzle with dressing and top with the remaining basil leaves and chives.  Serve at room temperature.



adapted from : Cooking Light

Romaine and Apricot Salad

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Memorial Day weekend is coming up and I'm already planning my menu!

Since the weather's been nice here we've been grilling quite a bit if different food lately, so I need to come up with a new main dish.  But one's things for sure is that THIS salad is going to be on the menu!

I first made this back at Easter but never got around to posting about it.  Well it's high time because this one is gonna knock your socks off.  It's gonna be your go-to summer salad!

ROMAINE AND APRICOT SALAD

A wonderfully light and delicious salad of romaine lettuce, broccoli slaw with an apricot dressing.  This attention-grabbing salad compliments any barbecue, grilled chicken or pork.  It's irresistible at a potluck or any backyard bash.  This will be a star at my Memorial Day cookout, for sure! 

This salad's success is in the flavors.  Apricots are light and sweet and are present in the dressing as well as in the salad.  The romaine and broccoli slaw are perfect together, giving the salad some texture and crunch.  You will also love the look of the salad.  The orange colors pop against the green and make for one beautiful salad.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, eat lots of yummy food, and include this salad!  You won't regret it!

Enjoy!





Romaine and Apricot Salad


Apricot Vinaigrette:
3 T apricot preserves
3 T white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Salad:
1 8 oz bag chopped romaine
1 12 oz bag broccoli slaw
1 cup cherry tomatoes, slice in half
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced

Prepare the vinaigrette.  Place all ingredients in a mason jar.  Tighten the lid and shake vigorously to combine.  Set aside.

Place the lettuce and slaw in a large bowl.  Toss to mix.  Add tomatoes and apricots.  Tossing to combine.  Add the vinaigrette right before serving and tossing to mix.  Serve at once.

If making ahead or traveling, keep lettuce and vegetable mix separate from the dressing.  Toss and dress right before serving.

Stonefire Grill’s Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce

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Do you love Stonefire Grill?

We eat there quite often since we have one near our home.  In fact, I don't know many people that don't love it.  Oh! the Tri Tip with Garlic Peppercorn sauce is my favorite!  But we love the pizza, salads, chicken, salmon, and many other dishes there too.

The other day MGG and I were planning dinner walking around the grocery store picking up some vegetables to go with our kabobs we were making that night.  He asked "Can you make  roasted cauliflower like the one at Stonefire, you know the one with the Tahini sauce?"  I promptly replied "sure, no problem!" Ha!  now I have to figure that one out.  So off we went with our veggies and a head of cauliflower.

STONEFIRE GRILL'S ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH TAHINI SAUCE

Thank god for the internet!  I searched google and came up with Stonefire's original recipe!  They even had a video of a Stonefire Grill chef to show you how to do it.  Perfect!

And let me tell you it was perfect MGG loved it, gave me a BIG kiss, and it really tasted just like the side dish you get at Stonefire Grill.  Although this recipe does have quite a few steps and takes about 50 minutes to make, all the steps are easy and the result is totally worth it.  (I'd make anything for MGG, especially since he doesn't ever request anything special)

Nicely roasted cauliflower has a caramelized flavor from the roasting.  It's accompanied by a nice Tahini sauce which combine the nutty tasting tahini with garlic and lemon.  The sauce really makes the dish so don't skip this part!

This is perfect as a side dish to any main meal.  It would be perfect at your Easter table too.  We chose to eat it along with other roasted veggies and kabobs, and it was perfect.  Make sure to try this soon, it really is a winner!

Enjoy!





Stonefire Grill’s Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce

Yield: 4 servings 

1 large cauliflower, whole, thoroughly washed
2 - 3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt


Lemon tahini sauce:
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place a large pot on the stove full of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile wash the cauliflower and cut off a thin slice of the bottom of the stock so the cauliflower will sit up on the baking sheet. (leaves and most of the stalk should remain intact )  Add a tablespoon of kosher salt to the boiling water.

Add the cauliflower and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Cauliflower should be submerged under the water.  Remove cauliflower from water, drain and place on rimmed baking sheet stalk-side-down to cool for 3 minutes.

Pour oil on top of the cauliflower and rub over the entire surface.  Roast approximately 30 minutes, turning as needed for even roasting. If additional browning is needed turn on broiler and broil until nicely browned (watch carefully to prevent burning).

To prepare lemon tahini sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in small bowl and whisk for approximately 1 minute. Set aside. Serve with cauliflower.

recipe adapted from OC Register

Inspiration for an Easter Tablescape

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Easter is one of my favorite holidays, and since I love setting a pretty table for any occasion I took the time to put together a wonderful tablescape for Easter.

I hope that this provides you with some inspiration to decorate your table this year!

I enjoy runners as a base for my table.  Since Easter is all about the outdoors I chose a runner made of linen that is cream colored with a tan border to represent natural fibers.

As a center piece I choose an arrangement of green hydrangeas with a pop of color and whimsy by adding a berry spray in the middle that shoots up and droops wonderfully.  This bring the colors of spring flowers indoors.

Next up are the place settings.  I love layers.  I start with a round charger made from natural fibers to again bring out the nature aspect.  White dishes are a workhorse in my tablescapes.  You can use them everyday or dress them up for more formal settings.  In this display I layered white dinner plates and white salad plates.  In between I added a wonderful cabbage green dinner plate.  Cabbage screams Spring and pulls this together well.  On top I set a wonderful white footed bowl.

Small cabbage bowls are set to the side and can be used to hold Easter treats, or a small side dish.  I've put a wicker nest filled with green wood grass and a decoupage egg at each place setting this year.  It lends a touch of elegance and whimsy. 

Attention to small details will also help pull this together.  I've pair some sweet lace edged light green napkins with a big yellow flower napkin holder.  Again with the spring theme these colors compliment the whole table.

What's Easter without bunnies?  I love bunnies and would not have a table without them.  Here they are depicted in a wonderful platter, and a sweet little teapot!  Pull out all your bunnies and scatter them around.

 Last but certainly not least I've taken a little time this year to decoupage some eggs.  Using blown eggs and a couple of napkins you can create these treasures that will elevate your table to the next level and add that extra special touch.  I was so happy with how these turned out and they are more vibrant than show in the pictures.  These will keep for years, and I can't wait to make more!

I hope you found some inspiration to decorate your table this year. 

Happy Easter!

Sour Cream Carrot Cake Muffins

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Easter is about a week away.  It's one of my favorite holidays!  I have such great memories from my childhood of getting an Easter dress, some white patent leather shoes, having parties, hunting Easter eggs, and of course the food!!

Now that I'm older I still love a good dress, and I have to decorate my house with colored eggs, and pretty spring flowers and bunnies, and I've been known to have an Easter egg hunt or too!  But to me Easter if a day to spend outdoors in the pretty spring weather and after a particularly wet winter we are ready to be outside again. 

This year calls for a nice brunch out in Descanso Gardens.  One of our favorite gardens to visit.  They have a forest of camellia trees you can walk through along with a Japanese garden (swooning over the apple blossom trees, among every spring flower you can think of.  My personal favorite is the tulips.  Just gorgeous!  This year lunch will be held in the rose garden which is surrounded by arbors with climbing roses.  I can't wait to spend the day in a garden!

Descanso Gardens

SOUR CREAM CARROT CAKE MUFFINS

Today I'm bringing you a recipe for Sour Cream Carrot Cake Muffins.  What Easter without Carrot Cake?  You gotta have a bite of carrot cake and these muffins do the trick.  This is a lower carb version as well, so they are delicate, moist, and not overly sweet.  These are the BEST carrot cake muffins around.  The sour cream adds a layer of moistness and the carrots become tender and sweet.

The addition of raisins, walnuts, and spices give it a warmness you'll swoon for and a crunchy sweetness to every bite.  Oh boy these are good!  Perfect to make Easter morning, to take on the go, or to serve at a sweet and savory Brunch.  We adore these muffins and you will too!

Enjoy your Easter, and check out my other post, Host a Festive Easter Brunch, for more menu ideas, or use the search word "Easter" in the search box on the side. 

Sour Cream Carrot Cake Muffins

make 6 muffins

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons Splenda Bake
1 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6 well muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl add flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, salt, and Splenda Bake.  Mix to combine.  Add the egg, oil, sour cream, and vanilla.  Stir until just incorporated. 

Fold in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts.  Scoop batter into the muffin tin.  Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick comes our clean and tops are golden brown.  Cool and serve.

Host a Festive Easter Brunch

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There is no better way to celebrate Easter, and the wonderful days of Spring, than with a scrumptious midday meal!  This one is filled with a wonderful array of dishes from Pork Loin, spring Strawberry salad, and luscious carrots.

Check out the menu with recipes below.

2017 Easter Brunch Menu

Pear Sparklers

Plum and Marscapone Crostini

Fresh Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns

Ginger and Herb Roasted Pork Loin

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Carrots in a Garlic Ginger Sauce

Individual Strawberry White Chocolate Trifles

Menu

Start the holiday right by offering Pear Sparklers in fancy goblets.  This light and refreshing drink is non-alcoholic but the addition of vodka would turn this into an adult cocktail.

Set out a platter of Plum and Marscapone Crostini for family and guests to nibble on while you put the finishing touches to the rest of the meal.

Spring salads can be a delight.  Present them with this Fresh Strawberry Salad that is bursting with in season strawberries, pecans, spinach, and feta.

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns are a holiday tradition.  The addition of strawberries just elevates it up a notch and screams spring.

Make this year's main entrée a beautiful and delicate Pork Loin.  Roasting this  Ginger and Herb Roasted Pork Loin  caramelizes the outside and produces a tender and juicy cut of meat. 

Potatoes are a traditional side dish at most holidays.  These Classic Mashed Potatoes will make the whole meal warm and comforting.

Spring carrots make an excellent side dish.  Serve my Steamed Carrots in a Garlic Ginger Sauce which compliment the pork loin perfectly.

Move over carrot cake, there's a new favorite in town! Individual Strawberry White Chocolate Trifles  make a dazzling individualized dessert that your guests will love.



For more Easter inspiration use the search word "Easter" in the search bar to the side.