I thought I would share some yummy side dishes to go with your smoked, grilled or barbecued chicken, steak or ribs.
I know everyone is trying to get the last of their garden veggies out of the heat and eaten. I love the freshness of tomatoes with a grilled piece of chicken or steak. So, I thought I’d share one of my favorite, quick, fresh tomato recipes.
I also love a fruit or Jell-O side dish. There is just something refreshing to me to have the sweetness of fruit with your grilled dishes.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and have a safe weekend.
Homemade Fire and Ice
5 tomatoes, cut into wedges,
1 onion, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced,
3/4 cup of vinegar
6 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a small sauce pan, combine vinegar, sugar, water, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, boil for 1 minute. Set aside. Let cool. Pour over tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and cucumber.
Chickpea Salad
2 1/4 cups diced cucumbers (partially peeled)
1 cup diced (seeded tomato)
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
15 ounce can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
Combine all the ingredients together and toss well.
Tropical Jell-O Pretzel Salad
Crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Filling:
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple — not drained!
1 3-ounce box coconut cream pudding mix
1 8-ounce tub whipped topping
Topping:
1 3-ounce box orange Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
3 11-ounce cans mandarin oranges drained
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.
Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter in pan. Gently stir to combine and spread around pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and cool completely.
Pour entire can of crushed pineapple (with juice!) into a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle coconut pudding mix on top and stir until completely incorporated. Fold in whipped topping. Transfer mixture to 9x13 pan, spreading on top of baked pretzels, making sure mixture reaches all of the edges. Set pan in fridge to keep cool while you mix the Jell-O.
Combine 1 cup boiling water with box of orange Jell-O. Stir until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Let sit 10-15 minutes, until Jell-O cools slightly. Pour on top of pineapple- whipped topping. Arrange mandarin orange slices so that they cover the entire surface of the salad. (They’ll be set in with the Jell-O once it cools.)
Cover salad with plastic wrap and set in fridge at least 3-4 hours, until salad is completely cooled and set. Cut squares to serve. Store leftovers in fridge.
