Category: Side Dishes


Jan
2019

Cranberry Orange Israeli Couscous

categories: Salads, Side Dishes
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You’ll love this easy to make, delicious cranberry orange Israeli couscous and pecan salad, topped with a wonderful homemade orange herb vinaigrette!
You'll love this easy to make, delicious cranberry orange Israeli couscous and pecan salad, topped with a wonderful homemade orange herb vinaigrette!

Several months ago I discovered “pearl couscous“, or as it is also called “Israeli couscous”. This tiny pasta is called “ptitim” in Israel, and apparently was developed there, back in the 1950’s when rice was scarce. This tiny little pasta is about the size of a pearl, which also helps to explain it’s name.

I had already used this type of couscous in soup, and in another salad. When I found a recipe that closely resembled a salad found at Trader Joes, I saved it to my Pinterest boards. However, I kept “thinking” about making the recipe for a couple weeks, so finally I made my own cranberry orange Israeli couscous!

I made a couple minor changes to the recipe, but found it to be an absolutely EASY and delicious salad to make, in about 15 minutes. Now, we can’t stay out of it (seriously!)… it’s sooo good! Here’s how to make this delicious side dish or salad.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Toast The Pecans For the Cranberry Orange Israeli Couscous Salad

This step is very easy to do while the couscous is cooking, which will also save you time. Place the chopped pecans (or walnuts) in a dry skillet on medium heat.

Continue to cook and stir occasionally, until you can begin to smell them. Keep an eye on the nuts while they toast, so you don’t burn them! 

This step usually only takes 3-4 minutes. Remove the pecans from the skillet, and let them cool down.

Chopped pecans are lightly toasted in skillet for cranberry orange Israeli couscous.

Cook The Israeli Couscous

To cook the couscous, first bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the couscous to the water, and let it cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the couscous is finished cooking, pour it into a colander and let it drain.  Place the drained couscous into a large serving bowl.

Israeli couscous cooked and drained, in bowl for cranberry orange couscous salad.

Add the chopped green onions and dried cranberries to the couscous. It already looks pretty, with the pop of color, right?

Dried cranberries and sliced green onions are added to the Israeli couscous in bowl.

Mix together the ingredients for the orange herb vinaigrette in a small container. I used a measuring cup, and simply blended the vinaigrette with a fork, until fully combined.

Once fully combined, pour the dressing over the warm couscous, green onions and dried cranberries. It is best to add the dressing while the couscous is still warm, because it will absorb more of the dressing. Stir well, to blend the salad and coat everything with the dressing.

Orange herb vinaigrette is added to the Israeli couscous salad, to mix in.

Add the chopped pecans or walnuts to the couscous, and stir to combine. OPTIONAL: If you are not going to be serving the cranberry orange Israeli couscous right away, you can wait (if you want) to add the pecans until just before serving, for maximum crunch!

Toasted, chopped pecans are added to the cranberry orange Israeli couscous, before serving.

Once all ingredients for the cranberry orange Israeli couscous are blended, cover the salad, and let it chill in the refrigerator. This salad is at it’s very best, flavor-wise, after it has time to chill, and the flavors have really developed.

The Cranberry Orange Israeli Couscous Is Ready To Eat!

When ready to serve, give it a quick stir (to “fluff it up”), then enjoy this amazing tasting side dish or salad!  It is absolutely DELICIOUS!

We “might” have dipped into it for dinner, lunch, and (*cough, cough*) even breakfast! It is so incredibly GOOD.

Cranberry orange Israeli couscous is chilled to blend flavors, then served.

There will enough couscous for about 10 servings, so there is plenty to go around! Hooray! Now that we have eaten it all, I guess it’s time to make some more! YUM. Any leftover cranberry orange Israeli couscous salad will keep for several days, if placed in an airtight container, and kept in the fridge.

The cranberry orange Israeli couscous is served, in a white bowl.

I really believe you will LOVE this delicious cranberry orange Israeli couscous salad. Once made, it truly was hard to stay out of it! My fork kept wanting just one more taste, and how could I say no to my fork?

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check out ALL of my recipes which are located in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. Have a great day, and please come back soon for more recipes.

Looking For More Couscous Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some delicious recipes featuring couscous on my blog, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From: http://artisanalfood.blogspot.com/2011/12/israeli-couscous-with-cranberries-and.html

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

5 from 1 vote
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Cranberry Orange Israeli Couscous
Prep Time
7 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

You'll love this easy to make, delicious cranberry orange Israeli couscous and pecan salad, topped with a wonderful homemade orange herb vinaigrette!

Category: Salad/Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry orange Israeli couscous
Servings: 10 side servings
Calories Per Serving: 320 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Israeli couscous (uncooked)
  • 1¼ cups chopped pecans , lightly toasted
  • 1¼ cups dried cranberries
  • 3 scallions (green onions) , chopped (white and green parts)
For Orange Herb Vinaigrette:
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (or canola/grapeseed)
  • 1½ Tablespoons white wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
  • 1 orange (juice and zest)
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • salt and pepper, to taste
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Place the chopped pecans (or walnuts) in a dry skillet on medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until you can begin to smell them. Keep an eye on the nuts while they toast, so you don't burn them! This step usually only takes 3-4 minutes (to save time, toast pecans while couscous is cooking). Remove the pecans from the skillet, set aside and let them cool.

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add couscous, and let it cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once finished cooking, pour couscous into a colander; let it drain.  Place couscous into a large bowl. Add the green onions and cranberries.

  3. Mix together the ingredients for the orange herb vinaigrette in a small container. I used a measuring cup, and simply blended the vinaigrette with a fork, until fully combined. Once combined, pour dressing over warm couscous, green onions and cranberries. Add the dressing while the couscous is still warm, because it will absorb more of the dressing. Stir, to blend the salad.

  4. Add the chopped pecans or walnuts, and stir to combine.  Once all ingredients for couscous are blended, cover the salad, and let it chill in the refrigerator. This salad is at it's very best, flavor-wise, after it has time to chill, and the flavors have developed.  When ready to serve, give it a quick stir (to "fluff it up"), then enjoy this amazing tasting side dish or salad! 

Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Orange Israeli Couscous
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/10th of total))
Calories 320 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Sodium 4mg0%
Potassium 152mg4%
Carbohydrates 44g15%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 75IU2%
Vitamin C 7.8mg9%
Calcium 28mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll love this easy to make, delicious cranberry orange Israeli couscous and pecan salad, topped with a wonderful homemade orange herb vinaigrette!


Dec
2018

Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing

categories: Holidays!, Side Dishes
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Make this flavorful, quick easy cornbread stuffing as a side dish for the holidays (or any MEAL)! This savory dish, which pairs well with turkey, chicken, pork or fish can be made in 10 minutes, which is a real timesaver!
Make this flavorful, quick easy cornbread stuffing as a side dish for the holidays (or any MEAL)! This savory dish can be made in 10 minutes, a real timesaver!

Do you enjoy stuffing, served at Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other day of the year? We do!  Many people cook their Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing inside the bird, but many others serve stuffing as a side dish, cooked separately.

When I was growing up, we always had stuffing served as a separate side dish for Thanksgiving. No stuffed bird for our family! It was ALWAYS on the side!

Thanksgiving Day was full of excitement as the meal was lovingly prepared. My sisters and I would watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV while our parents made the stuffing and got the turkey and yams ready to put into the oven. Oh, the yummy smells that came out of our kitchen as they cooked!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

My Mom and Dad Always Made HOMEMADE Cornbread Stuffing

I grew up with the cornbread stuffing cooked as a side dish. My Texas born and raised Mom and Dad called it “dressing”. There are some wonderful holiday memories of my Mom and Dad getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to make their “southern-style” dressing.

Mom would make homemade cornbread a few days before Thanksgiving and let it sit out to get dry and stale. My parents would break up all the dry homemade cornbread in pieces. They would mix up the dressing in a big plastic tub, because my Mom wanted a LOT of dressing for leftovers (it was her favorite dish)!

Mom BAKED Her Cornbread Stuffing

They would add the broth, celery, onions, eggs, and the many spices needed to the dry cornbread pieces. Mom and Dad would each take turns taste testing, mixing, and adding more spices and broth as needed. Once they got it “right”, and the mixture was the right consistency and taste, they would BAKE it for quite a while! Boy, did it smell good!

They did this every year together, and it remains one of my most vivid, wonderful memories! This process took quite a while, but the results were always delicious!

Why I Choose To Make Quick EASY Cornbread Stuffing

Once I started making stuffing for our family (and all the other dishes for the holidays), I realized I could save time by just as easily BUYING a box of inexpensive stuffing mix (with the bread already dried out and all the spices included).  I tried this one year to save time, and have never gone back!

I decided I could just as easily add celery and onions to the convenient box of stuffing mix ingredients.  Guess what? It ended up tasting very much like the traditional stuffing side dish I grew up with. Plus… it only takes a few minutes to make this easy cornbread stuffing! A WIN-WIN!

Because holidays can be so busy preparing traditional dishes, I like to think of it as a wonderful, timesaving “HACK” of a beloved traditional dish.

Here’s How Easy It Is To Make Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing

In a large sauce pan, place the water, butter, chopped onion and celery. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat, which will melt the butter and cook the celery and onion. Cook on medium high for 4-5 minutes.

Cooking onions, butter and celery for quick easy cornbread stuffing.

Cooking the veggies and broth to add to the easy cornbread stuffing mix.

Adding The Stuffing Mix To The Liquid

I use the Stove Top brand of stuffing mix, because I love the spices they use. The flavor also reminds me of my Mom’s homemade stuffing! No, I am not paid to endorse this product… I just really love the spices they use!

Add the stuffing mix to the liquid and veggies in the pan, and stir the ingredients to fully combine.  Remove the pan from the heat. Place a lid on the pan.

Using pre-dried stuffing mix makes this a really easy dish to prepare!

Two boxes of stuffing mix are stirred into the veggies and broth for easy cornbread stuffing.

Once the dry stuffing mix has been mixed into the liquid, you will see that it begins to rehydrate the dry cornbread pieces. Let stuffing stand (covered) for 5 minutes, because it takes a few minutes for the dry cornbread in the mix to fully rehydrate.

When the easy cornbread stuffing has rested for 5 minutes, fluff it up with a fork. The cornbread stuffing is now ready to serve! See how easy that was?

Easy cornbread stuffing is fluffed up in pan, after absorbing the broth.

Transfer the easy cornbread stuffing to a serving dish, and serve!  The stuffing tastes great, because the celery and onions add color, texture and additional flavor to this simple side dish!

Easy cornbread stuffing is transferred to a serving dish.

Close up photo of easy cornbread stuffing in serving dish.

Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing Is A Great Side Dish!

We ALWAYS have quick easy cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving (and often for Christmas, too). We have it occasionally through the year for other meals, as well. It is inexpensive and very easy and quick to prepare.

The cornbread stuffing is a perfect side dish, served alongside other traditional family favorites, like Pecan Praline Yams, Green Beans, and Strawberry or Lime Pineapple Jello Salad.

Easy cornbread stuffing is served, along with green beans, yams, and jello salad.

Easy Cornbread Stuffing Is NOT ONLY for The Holidays!

This easy cornbread stuffing is not just for the holidays, though! This can be served any time of the year, with turkey, chicken, pork or fish!  It’s a great tasting side dish, because the flavors of celery, onions, and spices in the stuffing mix pair with these variety of meats very well.

I hope you will consider trying this simple side dish! I posted it on my blog, so that long after I’m gone from this earth, my family will know how I made my easy cornbread stuffing each Thanksgiving! They’ll be surprised at just how easy it really was (wink, wink). Hope you enjoy a wonderful day, filled with encouragement, and love.

Looking For More Side Dish Recipes?

You can find all my side dish recipes in the Recipe Index at the top of the page. A few favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

0 from 0 votes
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Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Make this flavorful, quick easy cornbread stuffing as a side dish for the holidays (or any MEAL)! This savory dish can be made in 10 minutes, a real timesaver!
Category: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy cornbread stuffing
Servings: 12 servings
Calories Per Serving: 162 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3¼ cups water
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup celery , sliced
  • 1/2 cup onion , chopped
  • 12 ounces Stove Top Stuffing Mix (cornbread) , 2 (6 ounce) boxes
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. In a large sauce pan, place the water, butter, chopped onion and celery. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat, which will melt the butter and cook the celery and onion. Cook on medium high for 4-5 minutes.

  2. Add the stuffing mix to the liquid and veggies in the pan, and stir the ingredients to fully combine.  Remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan with a lid.

  3. Once the dry stuffing mix has been mixed into the liquid, you will see that it begins to rehydrate the dry cornbread pieces. Let stuffing stand (covered) for 5 minutes, because it takes a few minutes for the dry cornbread in the mix to fully rehydrate. When the easy cornbread stuffing has rested for 5 minutes, fluff it up with a fork. The cornbread stuffing is now ready to serve! Transfer to a serving dish, serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Quick Easy Cornbread Stuffing
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 162 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 451mg20%
Potassium 90mg3%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 195IU4%
Vitamin C 0.7mg1%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make this flavorful, quick easy cornbread stuffing as a side dish for the holidays (or any MEAL)! This savory dish can be made in 10 minutes, a real timesaver!


Oct
2018

Spiralized Carrot Salad in Lemon Ginger Dressing

categories: Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
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Spiralized Carrot Salad in Lemon Ginger Dressing is a delicious, fresh veggie side dish! It is easy to make, using a vegetable peeler OR spiralizer!
Spiralized Carrot Salad in Lemon Ginger Dressing is a delicious, fresh veggie side dish! It is easy to make, using a vegetable peeler OR spiralizer!

This spiralized carrot salad is really delicious! The salad itself is made with fresh crispy carrots and flat leaf Italian parsley. An easy to make lemon ginger salad dressing is where the magic happens! Once “dressed”, this simple side salad shines!

If you have a spiralizer, you might also enjoy trying Sweet Potato Sage Noodles. It’s a nice, hot side dish that is also very simple to make!

Here are the directions to make this Spiralized Carrot Salad, and I really hope you enjoy this simple, great-tasting dish.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of the Page

Do I Need A Spiralizer To Make This Carrot Salad?

Well, that’s the best part! You DO NOT have to own a special machine to make this dish! The salad can be made using a simple kitchen appliance called a spiralizer OR it can just as easily be made using a good old hand held vegetable peeler!

The salad tastes just as wonderful with long shreds of carrots as it does with curly spiralized carrots! YAY!

How To Make Spiralized Carrot Salad

The first thing to do is slice the ends off the fresh carrots.  Once they are cut off, use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots. Discard peels and end pieces. Easy!

Using a vegetable peeler to peel carrots for spiralized carrot salad.

Using A Spiralizer Appliance To Make This Salad

If you own a spiralizer, place the carrot in machine (with a fine shredding blade on it). Spiralize the carrots onto a plate or into a medium sized bowl.

Spiralizing carrots works best if you begin with large, wide carrots (at least 2 inches across).

A machine can be used to shred fresh carrots for spiralized carrot salad.

Spiralized carrot salad uses fresh carrots that have been peeled in curly strips.

Using A Vegetable Peeler To Make This Salad

If you do not own a spiralizer machine, no problem! Most people don’t! Simply use your hand held vegetable peeler to make long shreds of the carrots. Do this by peeling the length of the carrots to get nice long shreds.

To Make Lemon Ginger Salad Dressing

In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, ginger, minced garlic, rice wine vinegar and salt.

Olive oil is added to lemon ginger salad dressing for spiralized carrot salad.

Once mixed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking. Continue to whisk until the salad dressing has emulsified.

Lemon ginger salad dressing for spiralized carrot salad is whisked, to emulsify it.

Prepare The Salad

Place the spiralized (or shredded) carrots into a serving bowl.  Add roughly chopped flat leaf parsley, then stir to combine ingredients.

Fresh chopped flat leaf parsley is added to spiralized carrots for salad.

Pour the lemon ginger salad dressing over the spiralized carrot salad. Toss the salad, to ensure that all the carrots are covered with the salad dressing.

Once the spiralized carrot salad is covered with dressing, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill.

TIP: For maximum flavor and best results, let the salad refrigerate for at LEAST 15 minutes!

Lemon ginger salad dressing is poured over spiralized carrot salad.

Time to Eat The Spiralized Carrot Salad

When ready to serve the spiralized carrot salad, simply remove it from the refrigerator. Give it a final toss before dishing it up and eating!

Spiralized carrot salad with lemon ginger dressing is served in a white bowl.

Spiralized carrot salad in white bowl.

This spiralized carrot salad is really GOOD! The fresh tasting lemon ginger dressing is a perfect flavor combination for this simple, crisp salad! The finished salad will keep for 1-2 days, if stored (covered) in refrigerator.

Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, and have a GREAT day!

Interested In Other Side Salad Recipes?

If you enjoy a good side salad like we do, you might consider trying some of my other recipes. These side salad recipes include:

These and many other salads can be found in the Recipe Index, shown in the menu bar at the top of each blog post! I hope you will give this recipe for carrot salad a try, and as always, I trust you will enjoy it, as much as we do!

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From: http://girlinthelittleredkitchen.com/2015/06/spiralized-carrot-salad-with-lemon-ginger-dressing/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
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Spiralized Carrot Salad In Lemon Ginger Dressing
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Refrigeration
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Spiralized Carrot Salad in Lemon Ginger Dressing is a delicious, fresh veggie side dish! It is easy to make, using a vegetable peeler OR spiralizer!
Category: Salad, Vegetable Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: spiralized carrot salad
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 150 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3 large carrots , peeled
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley , chopped
For Lemon Ginger Salad Dressing
  • 1 large lemon (juice AND zest)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 inch piece of ginger , peeled and finely minced
  • 1 medium garlic clove , finely minced
  • 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Slice the ends off the carrots.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots. Discard peels and end pieces.

Using A Spiralizer

  1. If you own a spiralizer, place the carrots, one at a time in machine (with a fine shredding blade on it). Spiralize the carrots onto a plate or into a medium sized bowl. Spiralizing carrots works best if you use large, wide carrots (at least 2 inches across).

Using Vegetable Peeler

  1. If you do not own a spiralizer machine, no problem! Simply use a hand held vegetable peeler to make long shreds of the carrots. Do this by peeling the length of the carrots to get nice long shreds.

Make Salad Dressing

  1. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, ginger, minced garlic, rice wine vinegar and salt. Once mixed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking. Continue to whisk until the salad dressing has emulsified.

Make Salad

  1. Place the spiralized carrots into a serving bowl.  Add roughly chopped flat leaf parsley, then stir to combine. Pour salad dressing over salad. Toss gently to coat salad completely. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill. For maximum flavor, let the salad refrigerate for at LEAST 15 minutes. Once chilled, serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Spiralized Carrot Salad In Lemon Ginger Dressing
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))
Calories 150 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 330mg14%
Potassium 193mg6%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Vitamin A 9335IU187%
Vitamin C 8.2mg10%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Spiralized Carrot Salad in Lemon Ginger Dressing is a delicious, fresh veggie side dish! It is easy to make, using a vegetable peeler OR spiralizer!

 


Aug
2018

Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce

categories: Salads, Side Dishes
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You’ll love this Thai Quinoa Salad, a delicious side dish with crunchy veggies and cashews, in an amazing tasting peanut sauce! Plus, this salad keeps fresh for days, when refrigerated!
You'll love this Thai Quinoa Salad, a delicious side dish with crunchy veggies and cashews, in an amazing tasting peanut sauce! Salad keeps fresh for days!

Do you cook with quinoa ?  This year I have enjoyed finding new recipes and making them for our family using this superfood! I have begun keeping quinoa in our pantry year-round, because there are so many recipes that can be made using it.

What Other Dishes Can You Use Quinoa For?

If you enjoy quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), you will enjoy my recipes for Southwest Quinoa Salad, Quinoa Enchilada Casserole, Creamy Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Casserole, or Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.  Each of those  recipes are fantastic, and full of flavor salads!

Recently I tried a recipe for a Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce. Oh man… we LOVED this salad, and enjoyed the many vegetables, crunchy cashews, and the amazing sauce! Best part? It’s EASY to make, and any leftovers last for several days, if refrigerated, so it’s a great little side dish to have in the fridge!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Thai Quinoa Salad:

Start with the peanut sauce. To make peanut sauce, mix all sauce ingredients (except water) in a medium sized bowl. Heat about 3/4 cup of water until it is just about to boil (but not boiling).  Slowly add the hot water, a little bit at a time, stirring or whisking the sauce very well as you go.

Continue to slowly add the hot water until the peanut sauce is thin enough to pour, but not too thin! I used a total of 1/2 cup water, and it was perfect! Once done, set sauce aside.

Making peanut sauce for Thai quinoa salad.

Prepare the quinoa according to the instructions on the package (while quinoa cooks, prep veggies for the salad). Once quinoa is done cooking, let quinoa cool to room temperature.

Quinoa is cooked to add to Thai salad.

Place grated carrots, cilantro, shredded cabbage, sliced green onions, and thinly sliced (or diced) red bell pepper into a salad bowl. Sorry for the slightly blurry photo… but aren’t those colors pretty?

Cabbage, carrots, cilantro, red bell pepper and green onions prepped for Thai quinoa salad.

Add the cooked, cool quinoa and cashews to the salad.

Cooked quinoa and cashews added to Thai salad vegetables.

Add The Peanut Sauce to the Quinoa Salad

Pour the peanut sauce into the salad. Stir these ingredients really well, to combine and fully coat everything in sauce.

Peanut sauce is added to Thai quinoa salad.

Ready To EAT!

This is what it looks like once combined. Thai quinoa salad sure is colorful! I garnished it with a few additional cilantro leaves and cashews, and sprinkled salad with sesame seeds before serving.

Thai quinoa salad is mixed together, and garnished with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Thai quinoa salad with peanut sauce is ready to serve!

The night we first had the salad, I served it on the side of chicken we had roasted on our Traeger grill!  The crunchy, colorful, flavor-filled Thai quinoa salad tasted fantastic paired with the slices of chicken breast!

Thai quinoa salad is served as a side dish for roasted chicken.

I really hope you enjoy this Thai Quinoa Salad.  By the way- if you eat a gluten-free diet, simply swap out Tamari for the soy sauce in the sauce, and you’ll be good to go! ENJOY! Have a great day, and thank you for stopping by. Please come back soon!

Looking For More SIDE SALAD RECIPES?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of side salad recipes (sweet and savory), including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Recipe Source: https://www.thegardengrazer.com/2018/04/fresh-thai-quinoa-salad-with-peanut-html

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Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
You'll love this Thai Quinoa Salad, a delicious side dish with crunchy veggies and cashews, in an amazing tasting peanut sauce! Salad keeps fresh for days!
Category: Salad
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: Thai quinoa salad
Servings: 8 (as a side)
Calories Per Serving: 227 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Peanut Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar , or maple syrup
  • 1½ Tablespoons soy sauce , or tamari (for gluten free)
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice (fresh) , or lemon
  • 3/4 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup hot water ,(to thin to desired consistency)
For Salad:
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 medium carrot , grated
  • 1½ cups red cabbage , shredded
  • 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced or diced
  • 2 green onions , sliced (white and green parts)
  • 1/3 cup cilantro
  • 1/2 cup cashews , or peanuts
  • Cilantro, cashews, sesame seeds OPTIONAL, for garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Make Peanut Sauce:

  1. Mix all ingredients (except water) in a medium sized bowl. Heat about 3/4 cup of water until it is just about to boil (but not boiling).  Slowly add the hot water, a little bit at a time, stirring or whisking the sauce very well as you go.  Continue to slowly add the hot water until the peanut sauce is thin enough to pour, but not too thin! **I used a total of 1/2 cup water, and it was perfect!** Once done, set sauce aside.

  2. Prepare the quinoa according to the instructions on the package (while quinoa cooks, prep veggies for the salad). Once quinoa is done cooking, let quinoa cool to room temperature.

  3. Place grated carrots, cilantro, shredded cabbage, sliced green onions, and thinly sliced (or diced) red bell pepper into a salad bowl. Add cooked, cooled quinoa and the cashews to salad. Add peanut sauce to the salad. Stir well, to thoroughly combine all ingredients. That's it!

  4. Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with a few additional cilantro leaves and cashews, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, if desired. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in refrigerator. This salad will keep it's crunch and flavor for 3-4 days if refrigerated. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: You can substitute Tamari for the soy sauce in the peanut sauce, to make this salad gluten-free.

Nutrition Facts
Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 serving (1/8 of total))
Calories 227 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 276mg12%
Potassium 359mg10%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 2000IU40%
Vitamin C 31.1mg38%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll love this Thai Quinoa Salad, a delicious side dish with crunchy veggies and cashews, in an amazing tasting peanut sauce! Salad keeps fresh for days!


Jul
2018

Summer Squash Bacon Sauté

categories: Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
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Summer Squash Bacon Sauté is a simple veggie side dish with green and yellow zucchini, crisp bacon, carrot, onions, garlic and cheese, and takes only minutes to make!
Summer Squash Bacon Sauté is a simple side dish with green and yellow zucchini, crisp bacon, carrot, onions, garlic and cheese, and takes only minutes to make!

We have a small raised bed garden in our backyard.  I love to grow green and yellow zucchini (since they multiply like crazy). It’s always fun to pick beautiful summer squash and then use them to create something fresh and delicious in our kitchen!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Do You Enjoy Recipes Using Zucchini?

I’ve posted several recipes on this blog using our fresh garden zucchini, including Summer Vegetable Tian, Zucchini Relish, Chili Mac with Summer Squash, Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries,  Cucumber and Zucchini Carpaccio Salad, and Curried Zucchini Soup.

Collage of recipes on blog using summer squash (zucchini).

All are wonderful ways to use up any over abundance of zucchini you grow, are given by a neighbor with a garden, or what you buy at the store!

I decided to play around with a couple of the zucchini (yellow and green) and some bacon in the kitchen (cooking NOT juggling!), and a few other ingredients, and came up with this simple, delicious veggie side dish! I served it with pan-seared Creole salmon and rice, and it was delicious!

Yellow and green summer squash (zucchini) are used for veggie side dish

How To Make The Summer Squash Bacon Sauté

To make this Summer Squash Bacon Sauté, I began by cutting two strips of thick bacon into strips (using kitchen scissors), and placed the pieces in a skillet with some thin slices of red onion. You will not need to spray the skillet, because the bacon will provide it’s own “oil” as it cooks.

Bacon pieces and red onion slices sauté in skillet

Sauté on medium heat until bacon is crisp and the fat (bacon grease) is rendered into skillet.

Bacon is cooked until crispy and some fat is rendered.

Add The Veggies

Add green and yellow zucchini (cut into bite sized chunks), and carrot to skillet. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper (to your taste). Stir and cook in the bacon “drippings” for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, until zucchini is slightly browned, and is tender-crisp (NOT soggy!).

Summer squash and carrots are added to bacon sauté.

Add minced garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, stirring often. The reason to put the garlic in at the last minute is so that it does not burn (which makes the garlic taste bitter- no one wants THAT!).

Minced garlic is added to sauteéd summer squash.

Sprinkle grated sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the veggies. Do NOT stir. Turn off heat. Place a skillet lid over top of skillet for about a minute (this will melt the cheese).

Grated cheddar cheese is added to the top of the summer squash.

Time To Eat The Summer Squash Bacon Sauté

Remove skillet lid, and you will see the cheese has melted.  Use a spatula and transfer veggies to individual serving plates. Serve hot… and enjoy this delicious vegetable dish!

Cheddar cheese melts to top of the summer squash bacon sauté.

I love to try new veggie dishes… I mean, doesn’t EVERYONE get tired of boring, plain vegetables at one time or another? This one tasted GREAT (a bit of bacon makes EVERYTHING better, right?). I hope you will consider trying this summer squash bacon sauté- the quantity can be easily doubled or tripled!

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you will come back again soon. Don’t forget to check out ALL of my recipes, which are in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Have a GREAT day!

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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Summer Squash Bacon Sauté
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Summer Squash Bacon Sauté is a simple side dish with green and yellow zucchini, crisp bacon, carrot, onions, garlic and cheese, and takes only minutes to make!
Category: Vegetable Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: summer squash bacon saute
Servings: 3 servings
Calories Per Serving: 157 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 1/4 cup red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1½ green zucchinis (medium sized)
  • 1/2 yellow zucchini (or crookneck squash) (medium sized)
  • 1 carrot (medium sized)
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 pinch salt/pepper (to taste)
  • 3 Tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Cut bacon into thin slices (with knife or kitchen scissors). Thinly slice red onion. Cut zucchini in bite sized chunks. Peel carrot and cut into chunks. Set aside.

  2. Place bacon pieces in skillet with thin slices of red onion. You don't need to spray skillet, because the bacon will provide it's own "oil" as it cooks. Sauté on medium heat until bacon is crisp and fat (bacon grease) is rendered into skillet.

  3. Add green and yellow zucchini (cut into bite sized chunks), and carrot to skillet. Season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper (to taste). Stir and cook in the bacon "drippings" for 4-5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is slightly browned, and tender-crisp (NOT soggy!). Add minced garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, stirring often. The reason to put the garlic in at the last minute is so that it does not burn (which makes the garlic taste bitter- no one wants THAT!).

  4. Sprinkle grated sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the veggies. Do NOT stir. Turn off heat. Place a skillet lid over top of skillet for about a minute (this will melt the cheese). Remove skillet lid, and you will see the cheese has melted.  Use a spatula and transfer veggies to individual serving plates. Serve hot... and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Summer Squash Bacon Sauté
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/3 of total))
Calories 157 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 25mg8%
Sodium 226mg10%
Potassium 469mg13%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 3810IU76%
Vitamin C 25.2mg31%
Calcium 135mg14%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Summer Squash Bacon Sauté is a simple side dish with green and yellow zucchini, crisp bacon, carrot, onions, garlic and cheese, and takes only minutes to make!


Jun
2018

Au Gratin Potatoes

categories: Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
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Au Gratin Potatoes are a comforting classic side dish, with thinly sliced potatoes covered in a homemade cheese sauce, then baked until golden brown and bubbly!
Au Gratin Potatoes are a comforting classic side dish, with thinly sliced potatoes covered in a homemade cheese sauce, then baked until golden brown and bubbly!

Do you like Potatoes au Gratin? Pretty fancy sounding French name for potatoes and cheese, right? My husband found a simple translation online for  “au gratin” which said that it simply means “cooked with a cover of cheese and bread crumbs mixed with butter”.

Well, I do not speak French, but I do know that I love this “comfort food” side dish! That description of au gratin fits this recipe perfectly! How can you go wrong with baked russet potatoes smothered in cheese sauce, and covered with a buttery bread crumb topping?

I found an old recipe recently that I had written down on an index card many years ago, made a few slight changes to the original, then made them for dinner. It is fairly straight forward to make, and was very delicious!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Here’s How To Make Au Gratin Potatoes:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium low heat.  Stir in flour. Continue stirring; the mixture will clump up a bit (as seen in photo). Continue cooking for one minute, stirring often (this helps cook the “floury” taste out of it).

Cooking butter and flour to make a thickener for cheese sauce

Stir the milk, salt and pepper into butter mixture. Continue to cook on medium heat until mixture thickens considerably.  Add sharp cheddar cheese; stir until cheese has fully melted, and sauce is quite thick.

Cheddar cheese is added to thickened au gratin sauce

Peel, then slice potatoes into 1/8″ round slices.  If you have a mandoline, use that to get very thin slices (1/8″ is best!).  I have a mandoline, but used a knife to slice the potatoes to show how thin the potato slices should be (when using a knife try hard to get them 1/4″ or thinner), in case you don’t have one.

If the potatoes slices are too thick, it will take much longer to cook them until tender! The thinner the slices are, the better!

Potatoes are sliced very thin for au gratin dish
Place the sliced potatoes to the cheese sauce in pan. Stir well, to completely cover potatoes with cheese sauce.

Potato slices are added to au gratin cheese sauce in pan

Spray a 2 quart sized baking dish with non-stick spray (bottom and sides).  Add the cheesy potatoes to the dish, and evenly spread to disperse. Set aside.

Potatoes and cheese sauce layered into baking dish

Create the buttery crumb topping by mixing together melted butter and soft breadcrumbs.

Buttery crumb topping is mixed for top of au gratin potato dish

Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the entire surface of the au gratin potatoes.

Buttered bread crumbs top potatoes in dish

Bake potatoes in a preheated 400 degree oven for 60 minutes (covered with foil). Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until surface of potatoes is golden brown and cheese sauce is bubbly around the edges of dish.

Potatoes au gratin are baked until golden brown on top

When done baking, remove dish to a wire rack.  The cheese should be bubbling around the edges, and the potatoes should be fully cooked through and tender. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, serve, and enjoy these au gratin potatoes!

Au gratin potatoes are served as a side dish with meat and vegetables

We enjoyed the potatoes, served with grilled vegetables and my REALLY GOOD meatloaf. This meal was a tried and true meat and potatoes dinner, to be sure! Hope you will consider making this delicious side dish to compliment YOUR favorite meal!

Looking For More POTATO Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few recipes featuring potatoes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a wonderful day… God Bless You!

Author's signature

Original Recipe Source: unknown (written down many years ago on 3×5 card-no author noted)

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Au Gratin Potatoes
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 
Au Gratin Potatoes are a comforting classic side dish, with thinly sliced potatoes covered in a homemade cheese sauce, then baked until golden brown and bubbly!
Category: Side Dish, Vegetables
Cuisine: American
Keyword: au gratin potatoes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 283 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6 medium potatoes (or 4 large), peeled, thinly sliced into 1/4" rounds
For Cheese Sauce (total approx. 2½ cups)
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt , plus more to taste (if desired)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2½ cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
For Bread Crumb Topping:
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium low heat.  Stir in flour. Continue stirring; the mixture will clump up a bit. Continue cooking for one minute, stirring often (this helps cook the "floury" taste out of it). Stir the milk, salt and pepper into butter mixture. Continue to cook on medium heat until mixture thickens considerably.  Add sharp cheddar cheese; stir until cheese has fully melted, and sauce is quite thick.

  2. Peel, then slice potatoes into 1/8" round slices.  If you have a mandoline, use that to get very thin slices.  If using a knife to slice potatoes, slice them as thin as possible (no more than 1/4" thin). If the potatoes slices are too thick, it will take much longer to cook them until tender! The thinner the slices are, the better!

  3. Add potatoes to the cheese sauce in pan. Stir well, to completely cover potatoes. Spray a 2 quart sized baking dish with non-stick spray (bottom and sides).  Add potatoes to the dish, and evenly spread to disperse. Set aside.

  4. Make the buttery crumb topping by mixing together melted butter and soft breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the entire surface of the au gratin potatoes.

  5. Bake potatoes in a preheated 400 degree oven for 60 minutes (covered with foil). Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until surface of potatoes is golden brown and cheese sauce is bubbly around the edges of dish. Remove from oven, season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Au Gratin Potatoes
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 283 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 62mg21%
Sodium 515mg22%
Potassium 136mg4%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 730IU15%
Calcium 342mg34%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Au Gratin Potatoes are a comforting classic side dish, with thinly sliced potatoes covered in a homemade cheese sauce, then baked until golden brown and bubbly!


Jun
2018

Easy Grilled Corn On The Cob

categories: Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
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Grilled corn on the cob (on the BBQ) is easy to make, delicious, and a great way to keep a kitchen cool on hot days, by cooking outside!Grilled corn on the cob (on the BBQ) is super easy to make, delicious, and is a great way to keep your kitchen cool during hot summer days, by cooking outside!
Do you enjoy corn on the cob?  We LOVE corn on the cob!  Each summer, I try to pick up fresh corn at the grocery store or farmer’s market whenever I can. 

For most of our married life I simply boiled the corn with a teensy tiny bit of sugar in the water. That’s the way I used to cook corn on the cob most of the time.

But in the past couple years I’ve realized just how absolutely delicious grilled corn on the cob can be.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Easy Grilled Corn On The Cob

Getting our BBQ heated up for grilled corn on the cob

There are several methods for grilling corn… we’ve grilled it with the husks still on, after soaking it in water (to prevent burning). That is delicious, and “steams” the corn inside the husk.

Another way to grill corn is the method I’m sharing today. This method is perfect if you just want to get corn on the grill, then onto the table, but don’t want to soak the corn in water.

Here’s The Method We Use For Grilled Corn On The Cob

Soooo… always start with FRESH corn. Corn on the cob is the best when it is at its peak locally during the Summer months.

Whether you get fresh corn from your own garden, a grocery store, farmer’s market, or a friend who is feeling generous with their harvest, it doesn’t matter. Just get yourself some fresh yummy ears of corn!

Fresh picked corn, ready to cook!
For this method used for grilled corn on the cob, you will need to completely remove the corn husks and as much of the corn “silk” as possible before starting. Rinse, then dry off corn.

Cleaning corn silk and husk off corn in order to grill

Lightly brush each ear of corn you are using with a very mild tasting cooking oil (I used vegetable oil). Make sure to brush the oil on all sides.

Corn is lightly brushed with oil before grilling

Time To Grill The Corn On The Cob!

Preheat your charcoal BBQ grill until the coals are ready (hot, hot, hot) or a gas grill has reached a high temperature. 

We grilled the corn this time on our beloved Weber charcoal grill with some yummy looking baby back ribs. Now THAT’S gonna be a good dinner!

Corn is placed on hot BBQ grill to cook

Cook the corn for 2-3 minutes on the hot grill, then rotate each ear of corn a quarter turn. It should be “barely charred” or have light brown grill marks on it.

See how the ears of corn are starting to have a slight “char” on the kernels? That is GOOD.

Corn is rotated on grill a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes

Keep rotating the ears of corn a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes.  If the coals are hot enough, the total time to cook the grilled corn on the cob is usually about 10 minutes.

Be careful to not let the kernels burn too much, but a good char on each piece of corn is wonderful!

Grilled corn on the cob is almost done!

When Is The Corn Done?

Once the corn has been grilled on all sides (after about 10-11 minutes), the corn should be done! 

Transfer the grilled corn on the cob to a serving plate, add butter, season to taste with salt and pepper, and dig in!

Go ahead and chomp away on this summertime treat – it’s really delicious! We love the slight smoky taste the corn has after being grilled.

How Else Can I Use Grilled Corn?

Another way to use grilled corn on the cob is to let it cool, then slice off the kernels from the cob.

The grilled corn kernels taste wonderful when added to a Southwestern-style salad like Black Bean Corn & Tomato Salad w/ Avocado Cilantro Dressing, soup or a taco salad. A great smoky grilled corn flavor will be instantly added to that dish!

Grilled corn on the cob is done and slathered with butter

There are so many different ways to cook corn on the cob… this is one simple method that we enjoy using. It’s nice to cook a piece of meat AND the corn on the grill at the same time!

Sure hope you will consider trying it this EASY way! If you enjoy dishes with fresh corn, may I also suggest my recipes for Grilled Unshucked Corn On the Cob and Fresh Corn Sauté with Red Peppers and Onions?

Thanks for stopping by today. I invite you to come back again soon for more family friendly recipes. Take care, and have a GREAT day!

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Easy Grilled Corn On The Cob
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Grilled corn on the cob (on the BBQ) is super easy to make, delicious, and is a great way to keep your kitchen cool during hot summer days, by cooking outside!
Category: Side Dishes, Vegetables
Cuisine: American
Keyword: grilled corn on the cob
Servings: 2 servings
Calories Per Serving: 155 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 ears fresh corn on the cob
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (or light tasting oil)
  • 1 teaspoon butter (or more, to taste)
  • 1 pinch salt (or more, to taste)
  • 1 pinch black pepper (or more, to taste)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Completely remove the corn husks and as much of the corn "silk" as possible before starting. Rinse, and dry off corn.

  2. Lightly brush each ear of corn you are using with a very mild tasting cooking oil (I used vegetable oil). Make sure to brush the oil on all sides.

  3. Preheat your BBQ grill until you have very hot coals or a high temperature reading. When hot, place corn ears on grill. After 2-3 minutes cooking the corn on the hot grill, rotate each ear a quarter turn. Keep rotating the ears of corn a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes. If the coals are hot enough, the total time to cook the ears of corn is usually about 10-11 minutes. Be careful to not let the kernels burn too much, but a good char is wonderful!

  4. When corn is grilled on all sides (after about 10-11 minutes), the corn should be done!  Transfer the grilled corn on the cob to a serving plate, add butter, season to taste with salt and pepper, and dig in! Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Easy Grilled Corn On The Cob
Amount Per Serving (1 ear of corn)
Calories 155 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 31mg1%
Potassium 243mg7%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 230IU5%
Vitamin C 6.1mg7%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Grilled corn on the cob (on the BBQ) is super easy to make, delicious, and is a great way to keep your kitchen cool during hot summer days, by cooking outside!

 


May
2018

Cajun Tater Tots with Dipping Sauce

categories: Appetizers, Side Dishes
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Spicy Cajun tater tots (fried OR baked), served with a seasoned Ranch/Sour Cream dipping sauce and BBQ sauce on the side, are the perfect appetizer to munch on at any dinner, get together or party!
Spicy Cajun tater tots (fried OR baked), served with a seasoned Ranch/Sour Cream dipping sauce and BBQ sauce, are the perfect appetizer to munch on at any dinner, get together or party!

My husband and I enjoy eating out at a Pacific Northwest well known restaurant called McMenamins. They have over 55 casual restaurant / brewhouses located in Oregon and Washington (including one about a mile from our home), and are a very popular hangout.

Our favorite appetizer to get (each time we go) is a basket of their Cajun Tater Tots! I love the dipping sauce they’re served with, and my husband loves his tots with BBQ sauce, so we each get our own little cup of sauce to dip the tots into! Perfect!

The deep fried tater tots, seasoned with Cajun-style spices are the perfect little treat to munch on while we wait for our order to be cooked! These little tots are so addictive… once you eat one, it is hard to stay out of them (trust me…I know what I’m talking about here)!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Time To Try Making My Own Cajun Tater Tots!

I decided to try and make something similar at home, just for fun, and found a copycat recipe (for the tots only) online.  That particular recipe baked the tater tots, so I adapted the recipe a bit, changed the recipe from baking to deep frying, then created my own sauce, and made them!

The Cajun tater tots turned out really good!  NOTE: I am posting pictures of the “deep fried” version, but am including directions for baking them, for your convenience, in the printable recipe below.

Okay… So How Do I Make Them?

The first thing you need to do is make the dipping sauce.  I made a sauce similar to what they serve at the restaurant. A small amount of Cajun spices are added to a simple mixture of Ranch dressing and sour cream.

Ingredients are mixed until smooth, covered, then refrigerated until ready to use. This cooling sauce is a great balance to the slightly spicy tots! It’s easy to make the sauce up early in the day for later use!

Dipping sauce for tater tots, in white bowl

After you’ve made the dipping sauce, it’s time to make the seasoning for the tots. This is done by simply mixing up the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then setting it aside.

Bowl of cajun spice ingredients for cooked tater tots

To Deep Fry Cajun Tater Tots:

Frozen tater tots are carefully deep fried in a basket in a pan half full of hot oil (375 degrees). They cook for 3-4 minutes until they become crispy and the color has changed to golden brown.

Tater tots deep frying in oil in large saucepan with fry basket

Once they are cooked to a golden brown color, the fryer basket and tots are removed from oil, drained slightly (over the pan), then tots are transferred to a large bowl.

Golden brown tater tots are removed from cooking oil

Sprinkle Cajun spice mixture is immediately over hot tater tots, then toss them until the tots are covered with seasoning. The spices will stick to the oil remaining on the drained tots. I serve them hot in a parchment paper lined basket.

Cajun tater tots, served in basket

Serve The Cajun Tater Tots

Serve the hot spiced tater tots with two bowls of dipping sauces. Sauces are the perfect way to enjoy your tots! Dip away! Pictured on the left is the Ranch/Sour cream dipping sauce, and the dish on the right contains bottled BBQ sauce (my hubby’s preferred sauce, straight out of the bottle).

Dipping sauces, served to accompany Cajun tater tots

That’s it! It’s not too hard to make these delicious Cajun tots at home, if you can’t get to a McMenamins to taste the original! They are so good!

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. If you’re looking for more appetizers like this one, you might also enjoy Crunchy Homemade Onion Rings , Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries or Crispy Homemade French Fries.  Each of them is a wonderful, yummy appetizer or side dish!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Author's signature

Tot recipe adapted from Sandy, at: http://www.everydaysouthwest.com/recipes/cajun-spiced-tater-tots/

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Cajun Tater Tots with Dipping Sauce
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 mins
Total Time
14 mins
 
Spicy Cajun tater tots (fried OR baked), served with a seasoned Ranch/Sour Cream dipping sauce and BBQ sauce, are the perfect appetizer to munch on at any dinner, get together or party!
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Cajun
Keyword: Cajun tater tots
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 342 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Tots:
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper , or more if you like 'em spicy!
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt , + more to season at finish
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 16 ounces Ore Ida Tater Tots
  • Enough oil to deep fry tater tots (Fill pan HALF full only)
For Dipping Sauces:
  • 1/3 cup bottled Ranch Dressing
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon (EACH) Cajun seasoning, cayenne, dried rosemary, salt, garlic and onion powder
  • 1/2 cup bottled BBQ sauce
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Make dipping sauce by mixing Ranch dressing with sour cream, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, rosemary, salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir until fully combined. Cover, then refrigerate until ready to use. 

  2. Make the seasoning for the Cajun tater tots, by simply mixing up the dry ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.
OPTION #1 - Deep Fried (this is the method I used):

  1. Fill a cooking pot half full of vegetable oil (no more than half full!).  Preheat oil to 375° F. (uncovered). Carefully add frozen tater tots to fryer basket (only fill basket HALF full), and lower into hot oil. IMPORTANT: Be very careful-ice crystals on the frozen tots may splatter when they hit the hot oil.  If this happens, immediately put a lid on pan and reduce heat till splattering stops, then uncover and return oil to cooking temp.  Cook tater tots for 3-4 minutes at temperature, until they turn golden brown. Turn off heat, and carefully lift fryer basket out of oil, letting oil drain out of basket back into the pot.  Once fairly well drained, pour 1/2 of hot tots into a medium mixing bowl.  Immediately sprinkle with 1/2 of the Cajun seasoning mixture and lightly mix or toss to season. Repeat with other half until all tots are seasoned.  Lightly season with additional salt (to taste), if desired, and serve while hot.

OPTION #2 - Baked

  1. Preheat your oven to 425° F.  Melt 3 Tablespoons butter with 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil.  Combine the Cajun season mixture with the butter/oil mixture. Stir until combined.  Pour 1/2 of the sauce into medium mixing bowl; swirl it around to coat sides of bowl. Add 1/2 of the tots. Place plastic wrap over the bowl, seal tightly, then toss the tater tots carefully (keeping bowl tightly sealed) until they are fairly well covered by the spice/butter mixture.  Transfer the seasoned tots onto a 13x9 inch rimmed baking sheet, in a single layer. Repeat process until all tots are coated.  Bake tots at 425° F. for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy and light golden brown. (Note: If doubling recipe, baking time will increase to between 25 and 35 minutes). When done, remove from oven. Lightly season with additional salt (to taste), if desired,  and serve while hot.

  2. To Serve: Place hot, seasoned tots in a parchment paper lined basket or bowl and serve, with little cups of dipping sauce(s) on the side. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note: IF baking (Option #2), you will also need 3 Tablespoons butter, and 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil added to ingredient list.

Nutrition Facts
Cajun Tater Tots with Dipping Sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 serving + Ranch dipping sauce (1/4 of total))
Calories 342 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 854mg37%
Potassium 348mg10%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 540IU11%
Vitamin C 9.2mg11%
Calcium 29mg3%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Spicy Cajun tater tots (fried OR baked), served with a seasoned Ranch/Sour Cream dipping sauce and BBQ sauce, are the perfect appetizer to munch on at any dinner, get together or party!


May
2018

Garlic Focaccia Bread

categories: Appetizers, Breads, Side Dishes
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Garlic Focaccia Bread, with olive oil and fresh herbs, is a great side dish for a variety of meats and salads, can be served as an appetizer with dipping oil and herbs, or simply used to make sandwiches!Garlic Focaccia Bread, with olive oil and fresh herbs, is a great side dish for a variety of meats and salads, can be served as an appetizer with dipping oil and herbs, or simply used to make sandwiches!

Garlic Focaccia Bread is a versatile side dish for a variety of meats or salads, can be served as an appetizer (served with dipping oil and herbs), or simply used to make a great sandwich! The crispy “dimpled” crust of this delicious bread (with olive oil, garlic and fresh thyme topping), is it’s trademark feature!

My friends and I used to frequent a local restaurant that brought baskets of sliced warm focaccia bread and a small bowl of dipping oil (with herbs) to the table before dinner. Oh. My. Goodness. I think that place is where I really fell in love with focaccia bread!

Talk about GOOD!!! I knew I wanted to make something similar at home, so I decided to try an old recipe I had stored in my trusty (and practically dilapidated) file box.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Where I Discovered The Original Recipe

Many years ago I found a recipe in a newspaper, cut it out, and taped it to a 3×5 index card. Didn’t even write down what newspaper it was from. It’s now old and yellowed, but I had NEVER tried that particular recipe until recently.  WOW- it was DELICIOUS!

The original recipe was titled “Nona’s Courtyard Cafe Focaccia”, and I THINK (not sure) it might have originated from a restaurant in Ventura, California (which is now closed). I tried to find the recipe online, but no luck… oh well. At least I had this old recipe on file to try. It’s very easy to make… here’s how!

How To Make Garlic Focaccia Bread

Mix yeast with warm water (100 degrees) in a large bowl. Stir, then set the bowl aside for 5 minutes to let yeast fully dissolve. Bubbles will begin to appear on the surface, which tells you the yeast is active, alive, and working.

Yeast is dissolved in warm water to make bread dough.

Add flour, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, Parmesan cheese, honey, salt and cold water to bowl. Mix the ingredients well. I started mixing it with a spoon, then switched to using my (clean) hands to mix it up, because it was easier that way, as it is a thick dough.

Form the dough into a ball, then put it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin, smoothing and shaping it into a circle of dough about 10 inches wide.

Focaccia dough is mixed, formed into ball and rolled into 10" circle

In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, mix together 1/3 cup olive oil and crushed garlic.  Set aside to let the flavors “mingle”, while you get the dough ready for it!

Olive oil and minced garlic for bread, in measuring cup

Poking Holes In the Garlic Focaccia Bread Dough

Transfer the dough circle to a large baking sheet with edges (I used a ratty old pizza pan with edges).  Poke holes in the top of the dough using your finger. Make deep holes all over the top of the dough, but don’t go all the way through dough to the bottom.

Holes poked into top of focaccia bread dough with finger

Cover the top and sides of dough with the olive oil/ garlic mixture.  I started off spooning it on top, then used a pastry brush to fully coat top and sides of dough, and to spread the garlic around.

What Should I Do With The Excess Olive Oil?

There is a lot of “excess” oil that will run off the edges of dough onto pan. Just scoop it up with a spoon and fill up all the holes with it. Sprinkle top of dough with chopped fresh thyme (or fresh rosemary, if substituting). There will STILL be excess oil around bottom of dough, as you can see in the photo below. Leave it there! It will absorb into the bread while it bakes, and help to make a nice crispy crust!

Set the pan aside, and let the dough rise a bit (uncovered) for about 30 minutes in a warm place, free from drafts. Preheat oven to 400º F. while dough is rising.

Focaccia dough, covered with olive oil, garlic and thyme before baking

Bake The Garlic Focaccia Bread

After dough has risen, bake it in a 400º F. oven for 23-25 minutes, or until the bread is evenly browned all over.  Remove from oven, transfer the garlic focaccia bread to a wire rack, and let it cool for 20-25 minutes before you serve it.

Doesn’t it look GOOD? See the little pieces of garlic in the “dimples”?  ALL the oil has been absorbed into crust. The 2 photos below show the top and bottom of the bread… nice and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside!

Top crust of garlic focaccia bread after baking

Bottom crust of baked focaccia bread

If you want to make the garlic focaccia bread ahead of time, you can easily reheat it by covering it tightly with aluminum foil and reheat on low heat (250º F.) in oven for 10-15 minutes. To serve, slice bread in half left to right, then cut into 2″ wide strips from top to bottom.

You can serve it with a (2 to 1) mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar or olive oil and fresh herbs (like garlic, thyme and rosemary, etc.) in a little bowl for dipping, if you wish.

Baked garlic focaccia bread, cooling on wire rack

Here’s a close up of a slice of the garlic focaccia bread so you can see what the inside looks like! YUM.

Close up photo of sliced focaccia bread

My husband, oldest son and I enjoyed this bread served with Orange and Rosemary Glazed Salmon, steamed broccoli and rice. It was delicious.  We ended up with a few pieces of focaccia bread left over, so I will serve it on the side with spaghetti, made with Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage for tonight’s dinner!

Hope you will consider making this garlic focaccia bread! It’s a great side dish to compliment a variety of main courses or salads.

It can also be used as an appetizer BEFORE the meal, when served with a mixture of olive oil and fresh herbs (or olive oil/balsamic vinegar). You can also use it to make a delicious sandwich!  Lots of possibilities. Hope you enjoy it… and have a wonderful day!

Looking For More BREAD Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious bread recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Adapted from Recipe Source: old newspaper article (original source/newspaper/author unknown)

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Garlic Focaccia Bread
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Rising Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Garlic Focaccia Bread, with olive oil and fresh herbs, is a great side dish for a variety of meats and salads, can be used to make sandwiches, or served as an appetizer with dipping oil!
Category: Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: garlic focaccia bread
Servings: 10 slices
Calories Per Serving: 229 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 ounce dry active yeast
  • 1 cup water heated to 100 degrees
  • 3 cups flour (all purpose)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese ,freshly grated
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (crushed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or rosemary) , finely chopped
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Mix yeast with warm water (100 degrees) in a large bowl. Stir, then set bowl aside for 5 minutes to let yeast fully dissolve. Bubbles will begin appearing on the surface, which tells you the yeast is active and working.

  2. Add flour, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, Parmesan cheese, honey, salt and cold water to bowl. Mix ingredients well. NOTE: I started mixing it with a spoon, then switched to using my (clean) hands to mix it up, because it's easier (it's a thick dough). Form dough into a ball, then place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out with a rolling pin, smoothing and shaping it into a circle 10" wide.

  3. In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, mix together 1/3 cup olive oil and crushed garlic.  Set aside to let flavors "mingle" while you get dough ready.

  4. Transfer the dough circle to a large baking sheet or pizza pan (with edges) .  Poke holes in top of the dough using your fingertips. Make deep holes all over the top of the dough, but don't go all the way through to the bottom.

  5. Cover top/sides of dough with olive oil/ garlic mixture using spoon and/or pastry brush.  There will be oil that runs off edges onto pan. Scoop it up with a spoon and fill the holes with it. Sprinkle top with chopped fresh thyme (or rosemary, if using). There will STILL be excess oil on pan around bottom of dough. Leave it there! It will absorb into the bread when it bakes, and help to make a nice crust!  Set bread aside, and let dough rise a bit (uncovered) for 30-40 minutes in a warm place, free from drafts. Preheat oven to 400º F. while dough rises.

  6. After dough has risen, bake in 400º F. oven for 23-25 minutes, or until bread is evenly browned.  Remove from oven, transfer bread to a wire rack, and let cool 20-25 minutes before serving. To serve, slice in half from left to right, then cut into 2" thick slices from top to bottom.  If desired, serve with dipping sauce of (2 to 1 mix) olive oil and balsamic vinegar OR olive oil and fresh herbs, like thyme, garlic, rosemary. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Yeast used is equivalent of 2 (¼ ounce) packages OR 4½ teaspoons of bulk dry active yeast. 

Nutrition Facts
Garlic Focaccia Bread
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 229 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 216mg9%
Potassium 53mg2%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 20IU0%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 35mg4%
Iron 1.8mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Garlic Focaccia Bread, with olive oil and fresh herbs, is a great side dish for a variety of meats and salads, can be served as an appetizer with dipping oil and herbs, or simply used to make sandwiches!


Apr
2018

Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad

categories: Salads, Side Dishes
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This sweet, creamy and delicious pistachio pineapple fluff salad is incredibly easy to make in 5 minutes or less, serves 8, and is a great side dish or dessert your family will LOVE!This sweet, creamy pistachio pineapple fluff salad is incredibly easy to make (5 minutes), serves 8, and is a great side dish or dessert your family will LOVE!

We LOVE this simple salad, too!  The best part is that it’s so EASY to make, in 5 minutes or less… and tastes so yummy!  It’s so easy – if you can stir, you can make this!  Last Fall, I made a scrumptious Piña Colada Fluff Salad (which we devoured, by the way!), so the thought of making a different recipe that had pistachio pudding in it sounded wonderful!

Seriously, if you need a quick, last minute item to add to your table as a side dish, or even a simple dessert, you can literally have this one in the fridge in 5 minutes or less!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

True Story

True story – the day I made this salad I was headed out to the doctor for my annual physical.  For certain I knew I wanted to make it, and decided to do so exactly 5 minutes before leaving my home. I glanced at the clock, then decided it would be great to have this salad made up already when I returned home and fixed dinner. So I quickly grabbed the ingredients from our pantry, “dumped” it all together, gave it a good sir… and boom! Made a salad, took photos of it, AND made it to my appointment on time!  Yee Haw!

Okay… So HOW Do I Make Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad?

Here’s how easy it is to make:  Place pistachio pudding mix, mini marshmallows, chopped walnuts or pecans, and a can of crushed pineapple (including the juice!) into a large bowl. I made this up in the same bowl I was gonna serve it in later!

Pineapple, pecans, mini marshmallows and pistachio pudding mix in bowl

Stir all ingredients well, until thoroughly blended. At this point, it looks like something The Grinch would like, right? This would also be a fun GREEN colored salad to whip up for St. Patrick’s Day! And what an EASY potluck dish this would be to make… in no time at all!

Ingredients stirred together for fluff salad in glass bowl

The last thing to do is add a thawed (8 ounce) container of whipped topping. I used Light Cool Whip, in order to cut out a few calories from this salad.  Blend the whipped topping into the pistachio pineapple fluff salad until fully combined.

Whipped topping is stirred into fluff salad ingredients

Refrigerate The Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad Before Serving

This is what it will look like once fully blended (see photo below).  Cover the dish, and refrigerate the pistachio pineapple fluff salad salad until you are ready to serve it.  I prefer it really cold and thick, so when possible, I prepare this at least a couple hours before serving.

Fluff salad with pineapple and pistachio pudding is ready to refrigerate!

When ready to serve, you can add chopped pistachios or mini marshmallows to the top as a garnish, grab a big spoon, and enjoy this creamy, fluffy DELICIOUS pistachio pineapple fluff salad!  It’s so good, I’ll bet once you take one bite, you will want another… and another. YUM!

A big spoonful of pistachio pineapple fluff salad, ready to eat!

Sure hope you will give this pistachio pineapple fluff salad a try!  I like to think of it as a QUICK way to add another great tasting dish to any meal!  It would be a perfect side dish to take to a potluck, or holiday gathering, and the recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for large crowds. Your friends and family will enjoy it, and they don’t have to know that it ONLY TOOK YOU 5 MINUTES TO MAKE! We’ll keep that our little secret, okay? (wink, wink).

Thank you for visiting- I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to stop by. Be sure to check out all the recipes I’ve posted (with direct links) using the Recipe Index at the top of this page!  I sincerely trust you will find some delicious recipes to make and serve, with love, to those you cherish! Have a wonderful day!

Looking For More SALAD Recipes?

I have lots of great salad recipes on the blog you might be interested in, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original recipe source: Trish, at https://www.momontimeout.com/pistachio-dessert-salad-pistachio-fluff-recipe/

0 from 0 votes
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Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

This sweet, creamy and delicious pistachio pineapple fluff salad is incredibly easy to make (in 5 minutes), and is a great side dish or dessert your family will LOVE!

Category: Dessert, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pistachio pineapple fluff salad
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 197 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3.4 ounces pistachio instant pudding mix (1 small box)
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
  • 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans , chopped
  • 8 ounces lite whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Place pudding mix, mini-marshmallows, crushed pineapple (including juice), and chopped walnuts or pecans in a large bowl. Stir these ingredients very well, to fully combine.

  2. Fold in container of thawed whipped topping until fully blended into salad.  Cover bowl, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve (I recommend at least an hour or two, if possible).

  3. When ready to serve, grab a spoon and dig into this salad (or dessert). It's scrumptious!

Nutrition Facts
Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 199mg9%
Potassium 150mg4%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 29g32%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 85IU2%
Vitamin C 6.7mg8%
Calcium 51mg5%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!This sweet, creamy and delicious pistachio pineapple fluff salad is incredibly easy to make (in 5 minutes), serves 8, and is a great side dish or dessert your family will LOVE!