Great Summer Sides
by
Pamela Meredith Doyle

Ah, summer! We look forward to the time when we can forget about frozen and canned vegetables and enjoy the fresh versions, preferably from our own gardens or a farmer’s market.
When you’ve got fresh ingredients, you don’t have to get too fancy – just grill or sauté it with a little olive oil and some sweet onions and you’ve got a scrumptious side dish. But it’s nice, too, to get a bit more sophisticated.

GRILLED SUMMER SQUASH with FRESH PESTO
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 t. sea salt
2 medium summer squash (about 1 lb.), sliced 1/4-inch thick
Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat grill to medium-high.
Combine basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Coat both sides of the squash slices with cooking spray. Grill the squash until browned and tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve topped with the pesto.

GRILLED CORN SUCCOTASH
Grilled corn succotash works well with grilled fish and takes advantage of summer produce.

1 cup shelled edamame
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. honey
1 t. ancho chili pepper
1 t. sea salt
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
4 ears fresh corn
1 small red bell pepper, cored and quartered
2 green onions, thickly sliced

Bring 1 quart of water to boil in a medium saucepan on high heat. Add the edamame and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until it is bright green and tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, honey, ancho chili pepper, sea salt and crushed red pepper in a small bowl until well blended.
Remove the husks and silk strands from the corn. Brush some of the vinaigrette on the corn and bell pepper.
Grill the corn over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender and lightly charred, turning occasionally. Grill the bell pepper for 2 to 4 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Cut the bell pepper into half-inch pieces. Place the edamame, grilled vegetables and green onions in a bowl. Add the remaining vinaigrette and toss well to coat.

POTATO DIPPERS with a TRIO of SAUCES
Serves 6-8
While you might think of potato wedges as heavy fare, these potato dippers feature flavorful but light dipping sauces that use fat-free Greek yogurt as a base. Make the sauces up to 24 hours in advance; just store tightly covered in the refrigerator. They work well as an appetizer or as a side dish.

2 lbs. Russet potatoes cut into wedges
1 T. olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Dipping sauces

Place potato wedges in a large bowl and coat with olive oil. Grill over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through and grill marks appear. Season with sea salt and serve immediately with dipping sauces.

BASIL RED PEPPER DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup basil leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Puree the yogurt, peppers and garlic in a blender or small food processor. Add the onions and basil and pulse on and off until finely chopped. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

CHIVE and ONION DIPPING SAUCE
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup sliced chives or green onion tops
2 T. fresh rosemary leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, then let cool. Puree the onion and yogurt in a blender or small food processor until smooth. Add the chives and rosemary and pulse on and off until finely chopped. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

CILANTRO-AVOCADO DIPPING SAUCE
3/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 T. fresh lime juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Puree the yogurt, avocado and garlic in a blender or small food processor until smooth. Add the cilantro and lime juice and pulse on and off until finely chopped. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

BARBECUED CHINESE LETTUCE WRAPS
Serves 6
1-1/2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
2-1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 lb. chicken breast or chicken tenders, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 small tin (6 to 8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 scallions, chopped
2 T. peanut oil
Coarse sea salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 t. fresh ginger
1 orange, zested
3 T. Hoisin (Chinese barbecue sauce)
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
Wedges of navel orange

Begin by gathering and chopping your vegetables. This recipe comes together quickly, so be sure to assemble all ingredients.
Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
Add oil to the hot pan. Add butternut squash and stir fry for 4 minutes. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook about a minute more.
Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry the mixture.
Add the Hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot mixture to a serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce alongside. Add wedged oranges to the platter as a garnish.
To eat, pile spoonfuls of the mixture into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around the filling, and squeeze an orange wedge over the top.

BULGUR WHEAT STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Serves 6
Note: Bulgur wheat is a super food. It is found at health food store, and also is the main ingredient in Tabouli salad. Boxes of Tabouli are found in the rice aisle in supermarkets – set aside the flavor packet and you have the exact amount of bulgur wheat for this recipe.

3 small acorn squash, halved and seeded (this is also great with yellow squash or zucchini)
3/4 cup bulgur wheat
2 hot Italian sausages, casing removed OR 1 cup vegetarian “sausage” crumbles
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
2 T. chili sauce
1/4 t. sea salt
2 T. maple syrup

Heat oven to 400°.
Place squash halves, cut side down, on a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Add 2 cups of water and transfer to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, put bulgur wheat in a bowl. Pour 3/4 cup boiling water over bulgur; cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
Once bulgur is softened, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic powder and red pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the bulgur, chili sauce and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Remove the squash from the oven and pour off the water. Flip the squash over and brush with the maple syrup. Season with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Spoon filling into squash and return to the oven. Bake for 10 more minutes.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH with JALAPENO SAUCE
Serves 6
1 spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs.), cut in half lengthwise and scraped clean
2 cups milk
2 to 3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and chopped
2 T. butter, plus more for pans
3 T. flour
1 t. salt
1 cup shredded Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.
Put squash, cut side down, on a lightly buttered baking sheet and bake until tender when flesh is pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.
Another way to cook the squash would be to poke several holes in the skin of the squash with a fork and microwave it on high for 10 minutes. The squash should be tender when pierced with a fork. If it isn’t, microwave on high for 1-minute intervals until it is tender.
Let sit until cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and jalapenos until bubbles form along the edge of the pan. Remove the mixture from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the jalapenos.
When squash is cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scrape the strand out of the skin and into a large bowl.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour and salt and cook, whisking, until flour smells cooked (like pie crust), about 3 minutes. Slowly pour in jalapeno-infused milk while whisking. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour mixture over squash and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Jack cheese and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 30 minutes.