Archive for the ‘SIDES’ Category
King Oyster (Eryngii) Mushroom Steaks with Mayo
This is Japanese in origin, and is delicious! Don't be fooled by the name, these are not served with mayo, they are cooked in mayo. I made this on 4 Sep 2017 and was well received by the family. This is an adjust as you need recipe, like if using less mushrooms, use less mayo, etc.
Ingredients
- 6-8 King Oyster mushrooms, small to medium size is best
- 1-2 tablespoons mayo
- 1-2 tablespoons white wine
- black pepper, to taste
- soy sauce, to taste
- dried parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Trim off the root end and rinse the mushrooms and shake off excess water. Slice each one in half lengthwise.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the mayonnaise and the sliced mushrooms. Cook on both sides.
- Pour in the white wine, place a lid over the pan, reduce temp to low, let the mushrooms simmer until wilted, season with black pepper and a drizzle of soy sauce.
- Top with some parsley, serve as a side with rice or pasta.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Sounds yummy! Avocados are grown here and there is imports, and if you have good friends that have a tree or were lucky enough to get some avocados, you can grow your own. On my to cook list. Seems like a lot of steps but this would come together quickly.
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 500 grams shrimp, peeled, deviened, tail removed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, scopped whole
For the Mayo Dressing
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mayo
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- juice from 1/2 lime, tiny Thai limes use 2-3
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons yellow bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Lime Sauce
- juice from 1 lime, tiny Thai limes use 3
- handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- splash red wine vinegar
- splash olive oil
- salt, to taste
- lettuce leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Add the shrimp to a bowl, season with the spices listed for the shrimp, add a splash of olive oil as well, let this marinate while you make the sauces.
- Meanwhile, to make the Mayo Dressing, mix together the combining mayo, yogurt, juice of half a lime, orange juice, bell peppers, red onion, a dash of chili pepper, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- For the Lime Sauce, combine cilantro, garlic, juice of one lime, a splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt in a blender. Or mix by hand. Set aside.
- Cook the shrimp in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil, once they begin to brown slightly and turn opaque, turn them and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain and cool.
- While the shrimp is cooking, halve, pit, and scoop out the whole avocado from the skin using a large spoon. Place lettuce leaves on each plate, top with each piece of avocado.
- When the shrimp has cooled, roughly chop and mix into the Mayo Dressing.
- Fill avocados with the shrimp filling equally divided between the 4 pieces. Drizzle on the Lime Sauce, serve as an appetizer or side.
Notes
Shrimp prices can vary a lot, from farm raised to wild caught, choose wisely. Small White Shrimp from Tesco will cost about 80 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 60 cents per serving. Keep in mind, many of these ingredients can be locally sourced.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Classic Seasoned Black Beans
Sounds like an excellent side dish, I'll have to make these.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dry black beans
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 8 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
- 1-2 Bird's Eye Chilis, seeded diced, optional
Instructions
- Place black beans in a large bowl and cover with at least two inches of water. Refrigerate and let soak overnight. Or, for a quick soak, add the beans to a large pot cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil, boil hard for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and let soak for an hour.
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Return them to the pot. Add in all the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the beans are tender. This will depend a lot on the age of your beans. Fresher beans will be ready in 45-60 minutes, older beans might take 2-3 hours. Start tasting around the 45 minute mark.
- Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary, then remove beans using slotted spoon. Serve as a side dish.
Notes
Low cost.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Black Bean Chili (Slow Cooker), made it, GO-TO recipe.
Potato Casserole II
I love a good potato side dish, this sounds really good. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 kilos potatoes, diced, peeled is up to you
- 10-12 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
- 250 grams Cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 2/3 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 1-2 inches of cold water. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Remove pot from heat, drain potatoes and return to empty pot. Preheat your oven to 180 C. Smash potatoes to desired consistency, season to taste with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, butter, and 1 cup Cheddar cheese, then transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle bacon and remaining cheddar cheese over the top and place in oven; bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
- This would be good with pork chops, pork steaks or fried chicken.
Notes
Figure about 130 Baht for the bacon, 120 Baht for the Cream cheese, and 180 Baht for the Cheddar cheese. For 8 servings, this is about $1.58 per serving, expensive for a side but would be great for visiting friends and family.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Mexican Rice II
Sounds good, I like Mexican Rice as a side with various Tex-Mex recipes. Only 3 ingredients as well unless you prepare the shortcut offered. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry rice, white or Jasmine work fine
- 2 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
- 1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce, OR make from a shortcut
Instructions
- In a large saucepan add the rice, chicken broth and enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stir well, cover the pot, then turn down the heat to medium.
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is completely cooked, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper and top with sliced green onions and cilantro if you desire. Serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Enchilada Sauce.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Coconut Rice (Rice Cooker)
Great tasting rice! I use a basic Cook / Warm 1 liter (1 quart) rice cooker.
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your rice cooker and stir together.
- Cover and set to Cook setting. Let cooker complete the cook cycle, takes about 25-30 minutes,
- When the cooker switches to Warm setting, leave on Warm setting for 5 minutes, then unplug and leave cover on and let sit for 15 minutes to complete the cooking process.
- When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff with a rice paddle, serve, and enjoy
Mexican Corn
Sounds like a perfect side for any Mexican dishes. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups corn, frozen, canned, or fresh
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped, or a Thai chili
- 1/2 cup salsa, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Fresh corn would be the best to use, but canned (drained) or even frozen corn can be used. For fresh corn, I would boil that first then cut from the cobs.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the corn, red bell pepper, zucchini, green onions and jalapeño and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Mix in the salsa and chopped cilantro. Stir until heated through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Salsa.
Used in Recipe Listed on this Site:
Mexican Tortilla Casserole. Adapted from an internet recipe.
Mexican Tortilla Casserole. Adapted from an internet recipe.
Potato & Bacon Foil Packs
Sounds like a great side dish, on my to cook list for when I have a BBQ. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2-3 sheets foil
- 10-12 small potatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, for serving, optional
- sour cream, OR make from a shortcut, for serving
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Rub each sheet of foil with olive oil. Top each piece with equal portions of potatoes, bacon, 1 packet onion soup powder and mix together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each packet. Wrap securely.
- Grill for 20 to 30 minutes. Or you can bake it in the oven, at 180 C for about 35 minutes or till done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve in foil placed in the center of the table, have sour cream and or cheese available if desired, and let people serve themselves.
Notes
The bacon would cost about 70 Baht, for 6 servings this is about 34 cents per serving. Using the optional cheese and or sour cream will increase the cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Dry Onion Soup Mix, Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
Sounds good. I have never had fried apples so I will have to give this a try.
Ingredients
- 4 large Golden Delicious apples, with peel, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
- 2 1/2 cups apple juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, add 2 cups apple juice, butter, and the sliced apples. Simmer gently until apples are fork tender but not mushy, turning apples frequently. Remove apples from juice using a slotted spoon and place in an oven safe dish.
- In a blender (or whisk in a bowl), combine the remaining 1/2 cup apple juice, cornstarch, spices, salt and sugar. Blend a few seconds until smooth.
- Whisk mixture into hot apple juice in skillet and cook, stirring constantly on medium high heat until it bubbles and becomes thickened and smooth. Pour thickened mixture over apples and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
Cheesy Garlic Baked Potatoes
These are great! Large potatoes make a main dish with a vegetable or salad on the side, smaller potatoes should be used if making these as sides. These are basically Hasselback style potatoes with a twist. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes, washed and dried
- 3-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- olive oil, as needed to brush the potatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh chives, or spring onions, chopped
- bacon, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
For the Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C (390 F).
- Make several parallel slits, about 1/2 inch apart, into each potato top, making sure not to slice completely through. Place 3-5 garlic slices between the slits on each potato, use more if you like. I used a slice of garlic in every slit.
- Brush each potato, all sides, with olive oil. Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- When the potatoes begin to “fan out”, about 15 minutes depending on your oven and the size of the potatoes, it’s time to add bacon. Carefully slip a chunk of bacon into each slit of the potato and return to the oven. Don’t worry if a slit breaks through, the cheese will hold it together later. Lay a piece of bacon over a slit, then use the handle of a spoon and press the bacon into the slit, folding it as you gently press it in the slit.
- Once the potatoes and bacon are fully cooked, use fork to test, you can leave them as is, meaning with the garlic, bacon, salt and pepper, they are delicious no matter what way you have them. If that is your choice, pour a little melted butter and chopped parsley over each potato and put into the oven for about 5 more minutes. To give you an idea on the size of these potatoes, they are in a pie dish.
- Or top the potatoes with the Cheddar cheese.
- Bake until tops are crispy. The baking process total time is about 1 hour. Transfer to a serving dish and top with the sour cream and chives.
For the Sour Cream
- Mix all the ingredients for the sour cream together and refrigerate until use.
Notes
Figure about 90 Baht for the cheese. For 4 servings, this is about 66 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
United States.
