With 4th of July barbeque invitations rolling in, wouldn’t it be great to have some really great sides you can bring to take a load off your hosts as well as earn yourself some accolades? Never fear, OMFGstyle.com is here with three guaranteed crowd pleasers for your picnic this weekend or dinner table anytime this summer.
Fresh Corn Salad
This is a recipe I copied down from one of my mom’s cookbooks or magazines at one time or another and have tweaked to perfection over the years. Although shucking and cutting the kernels off the cob make this a bit of a messy one, the results are worth the extra clean-up.
In a bowl, mix:
- 6 ears of corn: boil in salted water for seven minutes, then cut the kernels of corn off of the cob
- 1 pint of grape tomatoes: halfed
- 1/3 a cup of basil leaves: thinly sliced
In a food processor or blender, puree:
- 1 small shallot: minced
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- 2 T hot water
- 1 t dijon mustard
- 3 T vegetable or canola oil
Toss the corn, tomato, and basil mixture with the dressing and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. This can be made the night before, but if you’re making it in advance, wait to add the basil until your within an hour of serving.
Pesto Potato Salad
Potato salad is a BBQ regular, but it’s never very good. And why get paranoid about the mayo going bad or the dish not going over with a health-conscious crowd? This potato salad is not only yummy, its bright colors and the fact that it’s vegan make it appealing to the eye and the waistline.
In a bowl, pile:
- Several different types of potatoes (red, purple, yellow): boiled in salted water until fork-tender, then drained and bathed in cold water to stop the cooking
- Bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or orange): diced
- Sweet onion: minced
- A mixture of a couple of handfuls of basil, 2-3 cloves garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil: pureed
- Pine nuts: toasted
- 2 T Vegan mayo
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Stir everything together and keep cool. Keeps for up to a week in the fridge, but is most visually appealing in the first 48 hours.
Grandma’s Tomato Salad
Light, refreshing, and packed full of flavor, this is a favorite at our place, and often as a main course! It’s based on my Italian grandmother’s tomato salad that she always made for me as a child.
In a bowl, mix:
- Several (6-8) ripe tomatoes: diced
- 1/3 a baguette: diced into bite-sized chunks
- 2 cloves of garlic: minced
- 1/3 a cup of basil leaves: thinly sliced
- 2-4 T high quality balsamic vinegar
- 2-4 T olive oil
- 1-2 shakes of a vegan Worchestire sauce (such as Annie’s Organics)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Adding more isn’t necessary, but it can only make it better:
- Kalamata olives: diced
- Smoked tofu: diced
- Tofurkey Italian sausage: sliced and browned
- Red onion: diced
This one is best served within a few hours of preparation. I recommend adding the bread about 20 minutes before serving.
