Getting the Side-Eye.

The holidays are coming up soon, starting with Thanksgiving. Perhaps it’s time to zhuzh our side dishes, lest we get the side-eye from guests that implies  “Those tired old sides again?” If you are looking for something different, or haven’t yet decided what you’ll be serving, here are some of my favorites (each recipe title is a live link). The nice thing about some of these recipes is that they are very hearty enough to be main dishes for our vegetarian and vegan friends. 

Calabacitas — this recipe is included in a previous post for a Mexican meal. It is my version, maybe not quite authentic, but it is delicious and vegan. 

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Creamy Mashed Chipotle Sweet Potatoes — As you can see, I created this favorite to go with my Cinnamon Chile Chocolate Pork Tenderloin. Dinner guests always request seconds.

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Creamy Southern Rice and Peas — I had this in a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, and recreated it from the list of ingredients shared by our server. While it is intended as a side dish, it has a lot of good protein, and it is perfect as a vegetarian main dish if you omit the bacon.

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Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole — being a bit of a food snob, I won’t use any canned soup in my recipes. To make everyone’s favorite 1950s green bean casserole without the ubiquitous can of cream of mushroom soup, I created this for a cooking class for my students at the university so they could make something for the table when they went home for Thanksgiving. Many of them did, and they and their families loved it. It also makes a good main course for our vegetarian friends and family.

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Goat Brie, Shiitake, and Potato Gratin — this is another dish that is perfect for a vegetarian entrée. Regular creamy brie works well, too. It’s flavorful, hearty and filling and oh so rich! Potatoes, cheese, and mushrooms — what else could be better?

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Cauliflower, Tomato, and Chèvre Gratin —it is nice to have an special cauliflower dish that can be served as a side dish but also makes a great main course for vegetarians. If your guests aren’t fond of goat cheese, another very soft melting cheese can be used.

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Mashed Butternut Squash with Sage — this dish, while similar to the one above, is a little more traditional in flavor for thanksgiving: squash and sage. A nice vegetarian side that can also be made vegan with substitutions.

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Mushroom Lentils — I have served this with salmon for Thanksgiving, and it is one that we often eat as a main course. Definitely perfect as a main course for vegetarians and easily made vegan by switching the chicken broth to vegetable stock.

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South of the Border Sweet Potato Salad — if you eat midday and outdoors, as our climate allows at Thanksgiving, sometime dishes that are more casual and room temperature feel right. This salad is a flavorful vegan side dish, but lacks protein to make it a main.

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White and Sweet Potato Gratin — for many of my friends, this is my signature dish. It is the way I got Markipedia to eat sweet potatoes (a vegetable he previously claimed to be a crime against nature), and now he loves them. Very hearty and rich, filled with cream and cheese, it can be served as a vegetarian entrée. If there is a turkey or rolls or stuffing or pies are in the oven, and every burner is simmering, don’t worry; this can be made in the micerowave (directions for both oven and microwave included).