Refreshing Summertime Side Dishes

With summer quickly approaching, our thoughts turn to grilling and outdoor eating. Here are a few great summertime dishes to accompany your favorite grilled dinners. Included are serving suggestions and substitutions.

Grape Salad
This is a year round favorite in our household but it really tastes great on those hot summer days. This is sweet enough to be a dessert but you can also use it as a side dish. The slight bite of the grape offsets the sweetness of the sugar and cream cheese.

3-4 lbs. Red Seedless Grapes, washed
8 oz. Sour Cream
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ cup Granulated Sugar
4 oz. Chopped Pecans
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Directions: In a large bowl, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla and granulated sugar. Add pecans, then stir. Add grapes, then stir. Sprinkle in brown sugar, stir. Wait a minute then stir again. Refrigerate overnight.

Substitutions: You can substitute cream cheese for Neufchatel or low calorie cream cheese. You can also use green grapes or other varieties of grapes. Just do not use champagne grapes as they are too small. You can also substitute sour cream with low fat sour cream.

Other notes: You do not have to leave it overnight but the tastes blend better if it is left overnight. This is an excellent complement to grilled chicken dishes.

Strawberry Fields Salad

If you do not mind putting forth a little effort, this is a fantastic tasting salad. Even my non-lettuce eating family enjoys this. Serving it immediately allows your diners to enjoy the coolness of the salad and the warm crunch of the caramelized pecans.

Caramelized Pecans:
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup pecans
1 tbsp. sugar

Spinach Salad:
4 cups washed fresh spinach leaves
1 pint strawberries, hulled, sliced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil
2 tbsp. raspberry or balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

To make pecans: Heat oil over medium heat in a large nonstick sauté pan or skillet. Add nuts and sauté 1-2 min. Sprinkle sugar over nuts and continue to sauté, stirring constantly, 1 minute until sugar melts, coats nuts, and turns golden brown. Remove nuts to a plate to cool.

To make salad: Toss spinach, berries, oil and vinegar in a large bowl and add salt, pepper and caramelized nuts. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Other notes: Do not make this in advance. If it sits in the refrigerator, the oil and vinegar soaks into the salad making it soggy and inedible. If you want to prep ahead of time, keep the dressing, pecans, strawberries and spinach in separate containers.

Quick & Easy Fruit Cottage Cheese
If you are looking for one of the simplest solutions to a summertime side dish, try this! It complements most meals.

½ cottage cheese per person (large or small curd)
Fresh or canned fruit (peaches, strawberries, pineapple, oranges)

Directions: Spoon cottage cheese into a small dish or onto plate and top with choice of fruit.

Substitutions: You can also use plain yoghurt or vanilla yoghurt in place of the cottage cheese, however the dish becomes much sweeter as a result.

Other notes: The canned fruits are sweeter and make a nice complement to the cheese but if you are looking for something healthier, stick to fresh fruits.

Sunny Veggie Salad
This is a great vegetable recipe. I got this from a friend of mine in a recipe exchange and it is a tasty way to incorporate those hard-to-get-the-kids-to-eat veggies.

5 cups broccoli florets
5 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tbsp onion, optional
½ cup raisins
¼ cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar

Directions: In large bowl toss the veggie mixture with dressing mixture.

Substitutions: You can substitute raisins for dried cranberries.

Other notes: This makes a lot; you may want to halve it.

Cucumber Salad
Love the freshness of cucumbers? Try this pretty looking and great tasting salad! It complements a grilled steak nicely.

4 medium-large cucumbers
1 small basket of cherry tomatoes
1 med. red onion
1 small can sliced black olives (optional)
1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing

Directions: Peel cucumbers. Cut into thin slices. Slice ½ of the onion. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Drain black olives.

Other notes: Combine all ingredients into a glass salad bowl. Pour dressing over and toss until well coated. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Creamy Tortilla Roll Ups
These are great as an appetizer with a Mexican themed meal. They are served chilled and are very tasty.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ cup cilantro leaves (optional)
1 cup refried beans
3 tortillas (10 inch)
Salsa

Directions: Mix cream cheese, garlic powder, and cilantro leaves with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread each tortilla with the cream cheese mixture, then a thin layer of beans. Roll tortillas up tightly. Refrigerate 30 min. Cut into ½ inch slices. Serve with salsa.

Substitutions: For less fat/calories, make these with low fat or Neufchatel cream cheese.

Other notes: These can be difficult to slice, so be sure they are chilled first before cutting. Also you might want to use a serrated knife. (I like to use my bread knife.)

Dill Dip
What is summer without chips and dips? Enjoy this dill flavored dip as a lighter tasting alternative to the heavy French onion dips.

1- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1- 8 oz. carton sour cream
2 tbsp. finely chopped green onion
2 tbsp. snipped fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried dillweed
½ tsp. seasoned salt or salt
Milk (optional)
Assorted vegetable dippers, crackers, or chips

Directions: In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sour cream, green onion, dill, and salt with an electric mixer on low speed till fluffy. Cover and chill 1-24 hours. If dip thickens after chilling, stir in 1 or 2 tbsp. milk. Serve with veggies, crackers or chips. Makes about 2 cups of dip.

Fresh Fruit Salad
This salad is an attractive alternative to the tossed fruit salad.

Various fruits of different colors
Lemon juice
Sugar

Directions: Cut up fruit into bite sized pieces. Remove inedible peels. For each fruit, lightly shake with lemon juice and a tiny bit of sugar (to take the bite out of the lemon juice.) I use a small Gladware container to shake the fruit. Layer the fruit as groups in a large serving bowl. I usually start with apples, then oranges, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, and end with a unique fruit like star fruit or kiwi. Serve as soon as possible.

Other notes: The sugar/lemon juice glaze gives the fruit a longer shelf life in the refrigerator and keeps the bananas and apples from turning brown. It has a nice flavor too (You can just toss with lemon juice if you don't want the added sugar.)

Sour Cream Fruit Dip
¼ cup apricot or peach preserves
1- 8 oz. carton of sour cream (or substitute same sized carton of plain yogurt)
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Apple, pear, or peach slices

Directions: Cut up any large pieces of fruit in the preserves. In a small mixing bowl stir together the preserves, sour cream, and cinnamon. Cover and chill for 1-24 hours. Serve with fruit slices. Makes a 1 cup dip.

Super Easy Marshmallow Cream Fruit Dip
1 bar of Cream Cheese
1/2 jar of marshmallow cream

Directions: Heat it in the microwave and stir until well blended. Refridgerate.

Other notes: Strawberries taste especially good with this dip.

Tropical Cottage Cheese Salad
3 oz. pkg. Orange Jell-O
12 oz. Small Curd Cottage Cheese
8 oz. Crushed Pineapple, drained
11 oz. Mandarin Oranges, drained
8 oz. Whipped Topping

Directions: Mix dry Jell-O and cottage cheese until Jell-O is dissolved. Add drained fruits and whipped topping. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. Serves 10.

Cold Italian Salad
8 oz. cooked pasta noodles (bowtie, wagon wheel, tri-color rotini, or shells work best)
½ bottle Zesty Italian dressing
Diced black olives
2 TBSP chopped onion (optional)
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 can (drained) or frozen whole kernel corn
1 can (drained) garbanzo beans
Cubed mozzarella
Diced sundried tomatoes
Diced (cooked) Italian sausage, prosciutto or ham (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients with dressing. Add additional dressing as needed. Dressing should cover but not soak the salad. Serve or refrigerate.

Substitutions: You can easily adapt this using any available ingredients. To make this a ranch salad, exchange the Italian dressing for ranch and use frozen peas, cubed cheddar, cubed ham or bacon and garbanzo beans.