Side Dishes

Use to add flavor to your meals or enjoy as a healthy snack.

Light, fresh, and perfect for hot summer days.

Try pairing this sauce with some grilled corn on the cob, or use it as a wonderful spicy condiment for other dishes. I also use it to season couscous and grains by incorporating a few tablespoons before adding water to cook.

African bird’s-eye chilies have grown wild for centuries in Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. They are the main ingredient in this sauce, which is popular throughout Africa. If you can’t find bird’s-eye chilies, you can substitute another pepper, like serrano, which will be milder, or a habanero, which will be hotter. Drizzle this hot sauce over fritters or any other main dish.

Although this version is a bit thicker than a typical barbecue sauce from my hometown of Memphis, the important characteristics are all here: It’s tomato based, tangy, and sweet from rich pomegranate molasses and fresh peaches. Enjoy this sauce over grilled or roasted vegetables, or add it to beans or black-eyed peas for a new take on baked beans.

Celebrate the Fourth of July with this fun flag pizza.

Most store-bought sauces contain high-fructose corn syrup and other artificial ingredients and preservatives. Try this healthy, sweet, and spicy sauce instead.

Blackening is a Cajun technique in which food is coated with a medley of spices and cooked over high heat, usually in a cast-iron skillet or on a grill. To give your food big, complex flavors, toast whole spices, then pulverize them in a mortar or spice grinder. This blackened seasoning pairs well with vegetables like the grilled okra seen here. 

Braising softens radish roots and tempers their spicy rawness. The sweet honey and aromatic black pepper in this recipe complement, rather than detract from, the character of the radishes, and the browned edges of the radishes themselves add a flavorful touch.

Think beyond the pea pod. Succulent pea shoots have long been a staple in Chinese cooking, and some U.S. farmers are now growing peas especially for their shoots and leaves. Look for pea shoots in late spring, and enjoy them in any dish as a replacement for greens like spinach, Swiss chard, or kale. You can add raw pea shoots to salads for an extra kick, but wilting them really brings out their flavor.

Garlic scapes are the tender shoots of the garlic plant that grow up and out of the stem, curling their way toward the sky. Most commercial growers remove the scapes to preserve the energy of the garlic bulbs and increase yield. For home cooks, though, they’re a real treat. Look for scapes at farmers’ markets in early summer. You can chop and prepare them like green beans or slice them thinly and sauté to bring out their delicate aroma. Scapes have a far milder taste than mature garlic.

Many store-bought dressings contain added sugars and unhealthy oils. Try this healthy, homemade version instead.

Zucchini is more than a ubiquitous plant that grows out of control in summer. Along with other summer squashes like yellow crookneck and pattypan, it’s a symbol of Mediterranean cooking. The tender textures and light flavors are inextricably linked to summer and sun.

This recipe will convert any Brussels sprouts naysayer — even kids and picky spouses! The mild, nutty bitterness of the caramelized sprouts combines beautifully with smoky pork. There’s a reason this recipe is the most popular one on my blog. 

A gremolata is a condiment made from chopped aromatic herbs and citrus zest. This variation is a particularly pretty one, and tastes great served with roast lamb, other roasted or grilled meats, or fish. Lemon zest is used traditionally, but you can change it up by trying lime, grapefruit, or orange zest.

This beautiful winter salad combines tart pomegranate with tangy citrus, rich avocado, and deep-dark leafy greens. Substitute arugula, endive, or baby kale greens for the spinach if you like. For a little extra crunch, sprinkle with a handful of toasted walnuts or pecans.

Pomegranates transform humble, roasted sweet potatoes into a dish perfect for entertaining.

Packed with 45 varieties of antioxidant flavonoids, kale delivers outstanding amounts of brain-enhancing vitamin K (for memory), vitamin A (for learning), and vitamin C (for mood). The anthocyanins that give the sweet red grapes in this recipe their deep color are phenomenal antioxidants that may also enhance memory. The olive oil’s fat increases the bioavailability of kale’s fat-soluble nutrients.

Sautéing apples enables you to cook them through without dehydrating them like baking or roasting does, and it allows the apples to maintain their shape and not get mushy. Serve with plain yogurt, a drizzle of cream, or a crumble of goat cheese.

Sautéing these sturdy vegetables over medium-high heat caramelizes their natural sugars, developing rich color and flavor. For additional pizzazz, toss and coat with various seasonings at the end, such as fresh lemon juice and herbs, or a tablespoon of butter and minced garlic.

Braising hearty greens helps make them tender, and finishing them with a splash of vinegar brightens their flavor. Play with different combinations by switching up your oils and acids: Instead of olive oil and vinegar, try coconut oil and brown-rice vinegar, or ghee and fresh lime juice. Other nice flavor additions include grated fresh ginger, crushed garlic, or minced jalapeños.