Category Archives: Side Dishes

Karl’s Tapas: Chorizo Relleno de Pepino (Chorizo Stuffed Cucumber)

Adapted from a Orce Serrano Hams recipe

I am making a Spanish tapas dinner for this Sunday. This is a tasty and easy tapas. Stuff the sausage into the cucumber and slice it into rings just before serving.

Karl’s Tapas Chorizo Relleno de Pepino (Chorizo Stuffed Cucumber)

Karl’s Tapas
Chorizo Relleno de Pepino
Chorizo Stuffed Cucumber

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Filed under Side Dishes, Vegetables

Karl’s Tapas: Garbanzos Picantes Asados (Roasted Spicy Chickpeas)

Adapted from an Eating Well recipe

I am making a Spanish tapas dinner for this Sunday. Knowing my family as I do, I knew that I needed one or two hors d’oeuvre tapas—that I could make well ahead—to keep them in check while I finished the other tapas. While some tapas have a fairly set ingredients list—like Tortilla Española—others allow for more creativity. Roasting chickpeas into crunchy “nuts” lends themselves to creative variations.

Karl’s Tapas: Garbanzos Picantes Asados (Roasted Spicy Chickpeas)

Karl’s Tapas
Garbanzos Picantes Asados
Roasted Spicy Chickpeas

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Filed under Beans, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Brandied Mushrooms and Green Beans

Since I was using alcohol in my main dish—port—I thought I should keep it up and add some brandy to my vegetables. Mushrooms and green beans are very popular at our house. They also go very well with barbecued beef.

Karl’s Brandied Mushrooms and Green Beans

Karl’s Brandied Mushrooms and Green Beans

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Filed under California Fusion, Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Memorial Day Potato Salad

This salad is based loosely on my mother’s potato salad. Although I remember my mother’s salad having celery, it was not on her 3×5 card. I also could not conceive of potato salad without black pepper.

Karl’s Memorial Day Potato Salad

Karl’s Memorial Day Potato Salad

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Filed under Holidays, Potatoes, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Karl’s Oyster Mushrooms and Chive Stems in Black Pepper Sauce

For Miriam’s birthday dinner, she asked for Spicy chicken and pan fried noodles. This is a dish that takes an hour of “mindful” frying and—while it is a wonderful dish—I make it less than my kids would like—like maybe every day. This is a one dish meal by itself, but I decided to add another favorite of Miriam’s and make a mushroom side dish.

Karl's Oyster Mushrooms and Chive Stems in Black Pepper Sauce

Karl’s Oyster Mushrooms and Chive Stems
in Black Pepper Sauce

Note: I actually used one pound of mushrooms for this dish. It was popular enough that it left people wanting more—even though Eilene would not touch it. I added another half pound of mushrooms to the ingredients list. Continue reading

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Filed under Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Stir-fry, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Leftovers: Karl’s Ham and Baby Bok Choi Stir Fry

I made ham steak the other day and, after the meal, I had half a pound of ham left. By itself it was not enough to feed three people, but with some creativity I could make a meal of it. Stretch the meat with some vegetables—add an interesting sauce and some rice—and you have something new and different.

Karl’s Leftovers: Karl's Ham and Baby Bokchoi Stri Fry

Karl’s Leftovers:
Karl’s Ham and Baby Bokchoi Stri Fry

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Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s South American Slaw

A while ago, Jan went to Napa and came back raving about Pica Pica’s arepas. She demanded that I learn how to make these South American pocket breads. I did my best, based only on her description and what I could find on the internet. Last week, we went up to San Francisco and I actually got to try one of Pica Pica’s arepas. I decided to try to make them again.

Karl’s South American Slaw

Karl’s South American Slaw

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Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Karl’s Leftovers: Salmon Salad with Raspberry Radish Slaw

This Sunday we had a complex soup, cioppino,  that would take up most of my attention. I did not want to have just a plain greens salad, but it needed to be simple. Fortunately, yesterday was Jan and my 33rd anniversary and I had made salmon wraps for dinner.

Karl’s Leftovers: Salmon Salad with Raspberry Radish Slaw

Karl’s Leftovers:
Salmon Salad with Raspberry Radish Slaw

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Filed under California Fusion, Fish, Green Vegetables, Salads, Vegetables

Karl’s al Pastor Taco Salad with Hot-Pan Salsa

I had bought meat to make tacos al pastor for dinner, but Jan said wanted something lighter—code word “salad.” A few weeks ago, I made a chicken taco salad that was a raging success, a dish sure to become a regular family meal. However, it doesn’t always have to be exactly the same, I thought about trying that as an al pastor taco salad.

Karl’s al Pastor Taco Salad with Hot-Pan Salsa

Karl’s al Pastor Taco Salad
with Hot-Pan Salsa

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Filed under California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork, Salads, Vegetables

Karl’s Szechuan Pepper Shrimp and Arugula Salad

The mushroom hater is on an overnight at a friend’s house, so Jan asked for a mushroom dish. She really liked the last one I did, so I thought I would do a variation. Soup calls for salad and crackers.

Karl’s Szechuan Pepper Shrimp and Arugula Salad

Karl’s Szechuan Pepper Shrimp and Arugula Salad

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Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Seafood, Shrimp, Side Dishes, Vegetables