Category: Side Dishes & Salads

Grilled Corn Disks with Honey Butter

July 4th marks the beginning of corn season here in Indiana. It’s when the best corn starts to become available at our local farmer’s markets. Nothing beats fresh sweet corn (especially if it’s from My Dad’s Sweet Corn)… unless you have something even sweeter to put on it. These grilled corn disks with honey butter are easy to make and look and taste great.

Grilled Corn Disks with Honey Butter

Great. Now I’m Addicted To Corn Disks.

If you want to add more kick the honey butter on these grilled corn disks with honey butter, add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper and throw a few jalapeno rings in with them. Either way, they’re highly addicting. I eat them like popcorn. Weird, you cut corn into little disks and all of a sudden I can eat twice as much corn as I normally would. They are definitely delicious.

I recommend that you use a grill basket when making this dish. It makes cooking easier. And cleanup is easier too!

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For a little kick, I also like to make my grilled corn with ancho chili butter.

Grilled Corn Disks with Honey Butter
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Grilled Corn Disks with Honey Butter

Nothing beats fresh sweet corn… unless you have something even sweeter to put on it. These grilled corn disks with honey butter are easy to make and look and taste great.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword butter, corn-on-the-cob, grilled, honey
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 148kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Picture Perfect Meals

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your grill for indirect cooking.
  • Place the corn disks in a large bowl and drizzle with the oil and toss to coat.
  • Place corn on the grill and cook 5-10 minutes per side until the corn is tender.
  • Meanwhile, mix together the butter, salt and honey.
  • Brush the cooked corn with some of the honey butter.
  • Serve corn garnished with parsley along with the remaining honey butter for dipping.

Notes

Use a hot honey for a nice spicy kick to offset the sweetness of the corn.

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 352IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Deluxe Creole Pasta Salad

Our post on a peas and pasta salad has been the most popular post on Life’s A Tomato for a long, long time. We make it often. Well, I was reading through Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue: Barbecue Your Way to Greatness With 575 Lip-Smackin’ Recipes from the Baron of Barbecue when I came across this recipe for Creole pasta salad. I knew it would be a hit. It has everything in it that we love, from crunchy celery, to salty olives, to a great buttermilk dressing. I made a few minor changes to the recipe and made up a big batch. Oh, how it was sooo good. It was even better the next day after the olives got happier in the dressing, giving the entire salad a nice lightly salty olive flavor.

Deluxe Creole Pasta Salad

Don’t Fear The Leftovers

If the salad gets a little dry the next day, stir in a little extra buttermilk or mayonnaise. And then give it a good stir.

Paul Kirk’s book is amazing. I can’t recommend it enough. It has recipes for everything from sauces, to meats, to wonderful salads like this one.

I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

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Also try my Mardis Gras pasta salad and my other other version of Creole pasta salad.

Creole Pasta Salad Version 2.0
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Deluxe Creole Macaroni Salad

When I came across this recipe for Creole pasta salad I knew it would be a hit. It has everything in it that we love, from crunchy celery, to salty olives, to a great buttermilk dressing.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Creole, pasta salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 14
Calories 277kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Paul Kirk’s Championship Barbecue book

Equipment

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni cooked, drained, rinsed
  • 2 cups tomatoes seeded, diced . You can omit these if you want
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese cubed
  • ½ cup celery diced
  • ½ cup sweet onion diced
  • ½ cup green bell pepper diced
  • ¼ cup pimento-stuffed green olives sliced

For the dressing

Instructions

  • Combine all of the salad ingredients in a very large bowl.
  • Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.
  • Pour dressing over the salad and gently stir to combine.
  • Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 499IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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BBQ Pasta Salad

This is the perfect BBQ pasta salad side for a cookout. It’s a nice twist on your standard traditional macaroni salad (it has BBQ sauce in it!). Great with burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken… anything!

BBQ Pasta Salad

This Isn’t Grandma’s Pasta Salad

Use a spicier BBQ sauce for more kick in your BBQ pasta salad. You can use homemade sauce, too. I was in a bit of a rush so I grabbed a bottle of store-bought sauces. I also think cubed pepper jack cheese would go great in this salad, so I’ll add some next time I make it (which will be soon!). Roasted red pepper (or chopped pimentos) also adds a fantastic flavor.

I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

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Also try my easy pasta salad.

Inspired by a recipe from Gonna Want Seconds.

BBQ Pasta Salad
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

BBQ Pasta Salad

This is the perfect BBQ pasta salad side for a cookout. It’s a nice twist on your standard traditional macaroni salad (it has BBQ sauce in it!).
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, BBQ, pasta salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 302kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Gonna Want Seconds

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain well and let cool.
  • Place bell pepper, celery, green and red onions in a large bowl and mix.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and hot sauce.
  • Add in the vinegar, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper, and garlic powder and mix well.
  • Add sauce to the bowl of vegetables and stir.
  • Add in the pasta and cilantro and stir gently until combined.
  • Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

Serve leftover salad chilled.

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 201mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 736IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Egg Salad

Ah, yummy egg salad! Perfect on crackers. Or as a sandwich. Or, on a hot dog! Yes, trust me. It’s fantastic! The coolness really contrasts the hot all-beef dogs. Believe it or not, I made this just for topping my deli hot dogs. You won’t believe how well a hot-of-the-grill dog and this cold egg salad go together.

Egg Salad

I’m Boiled Egg Challenged

Update since my original post: I absolutely stink (best word I could think of) when it comes to making boiled eggs. Hard or soft, doesn’t matter. I am egg challenged. So I picked up a little cheap egg cooker like the one below. This lil baby cranks out 6 eggs in about 15 minutes and they’re perfect each and every time! I don’t even feel bad any more that I just cannot make boiled eggs!

When I am feeling particularly adventurous, I roast eggs on my Char-Broil Big Easy. It’s easy, and makes for a great salad. If I’m feeling doubly adventurous I’ll use smoked eggs.

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I don’t recommend using light mayonnaise when making this or any mayonnaise-based salad for that matter. Grab the real stuff. For me, that’s Duke’s.

Also try my cool-n-crunchy egg salad for a different twist to the classic.

Deli Hot Dogs
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Egg Salad

Ah, yummy egg salad! Perfect on crackers. Or as a sandwich. Or, on a hot dog! Yes, trust me. It’s fantastic! 
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword eggs, salad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 319kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Gently place the eggs into a saucepan.
  • Add enough cold water to just cover the eggs.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Remove from heat and cover. Let set for 12 minutes.
  • Rinse eggs in cold water.
  • Peel and chop coarsely.
  • Place eggs in a medium bowl.
  • Stir in the mayo, mustard and green onion.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste and paprika and stir.
  • Serve.

Notes

I prefer to let the salad chill for a few hours before serving, but that’s just a personal preference.

Nutrition

Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 339mg | Sodium: 318mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Buffalo Slaw

We absolutely loved this Buffalo slaw. It is no doubt one of our favorite non-traditional slaws. It is creamy, and smooth, thanks to mayo, sour cream and blue cheese crumbles. There’s a great celery crunch. There’s just a hint of Buffalo wing sauce flavor. Served cold, this slaw complements any meal, and especially, something hot off of the grill!

Buffalo Slaw

Nice And Blue Cheesy

If you find that blue cheese is a bit too strong for you, you can substitute Gorgonzola cheese crumbles. This slaw is great with either. But it does need some tang, some funkiness. So don’t leave it out.

This slaw is great by itself. I also like it on top of a grilled chicken sandwich.

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This slaw is the perfect side for our Buffalo hot dogs.

Buffalo Slaw
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Buffalo Slaw

We absolutely loved this Buffalo slaw. It is no doubt one of our favorite non-traditional slaws. It is creamy, and smooth, thanks to mayo, sour cream and blue cheese crumbles. 
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword Buffalo, cole slaw, coleslaw
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 176kcal
Author Based on a recipe from The Food Network

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place cabbage mixture into a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar and salt
  • Stir in the wing sauce and celery.
  • Add sauce to the cabbage and gently stir or toss until combined.
  • Add crumbles, to taste and stir.

Notes

Great on hot dogs!

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Three Bean Macaroni Salad

I’m always on the lookout for a new salad, especially if it has macaroni in it. This three bean macaroni salad is somewhat similar to our popular peas and pasta salad. It has a nice creamy dressing and a nice crunch thanks to onion and bell pepper. The addition of dill really makes the dressing even better. And oh, the dressing. Delicious.

Three Bean Macaroni Salad

Cheese Is Optional

I can see adding cubed pepper jack cheese to this three bean macaroni salad to really take it over the top. So I included it in the recipe, though I didn’t make it with the cheese. I trust my judgement on this one.

I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

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Also try my regular-ole-macaroni salad. Classic flavor in every bite.

Three Bean Macaroni Salad
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Three Bean Macaroni Salad

I’m always on the lookout for a new salad, specially if it has macaroni in it. This three bean macaroni salad is somewhat similar to our popular peas and pasta salad in that it has a nice creamy dressing and a nice crunch thanks to onion and bell pepper. The addition of dill really makes the dressing even better.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword beans, pasta salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 308kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Kraft

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain well and let cool.
  • Place all of the beans, the bell pepper and onion in a large bowl and mix.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and Italian dressing.
  • Pour dressing over vegetables and stir to combine.
  • Add in the pasta and the dill and stir until the pasta is well coated.
  • Add cheese and stir gently.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 489mg | Potassium: 571mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 346IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Cauliflower Steaks

Roasting is my favorite way to cook vegetables. The flavors really, really come out. From broccoli to Brussels sprouts to cauliflower, you just can’t beat them roasted. And they’re even healthy (if you watch what you put on them). But they can get rather boring. These cauliflower steaks aren’t boring. And not only do they taste great they also look cool!

Cauliflower Steaks

Easy. Cool. And Yummy.

This approach to roasting cauliflower is super-easy, and very easy to change to suit your own tastes. It can be a bit challenging cutting the cauliflower into steaks. After you do a few you kind of get the hang of it.

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Also try my Buffalo bacon roasted cauliflower.

Cauliflower Steaks
Print Pin
4 from 1 vote

Cauliflower Steaks

These cauliflower steaks aren’t boring. And not only do they taste great they also look cool!
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword cauliflower, roasted
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 46kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
  • Stand cauliflower on end and cut into 1/2″ thick slices.
  • Place in a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
  • Brush with olive oil.
  • Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  • Place in oven for 15 minutes. Flip and cook another 10 minutes or until stalks are tender and florets are starting to brown.
  • Combine the tomatoes, olives, red onion, one half tablespoon of the parsley.
  • Add about a tablespoon of vinaigrette and mix.
  • Serve cauliflower topped with the tomato mixture and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Notes

Add a little crumbled feta or blue cheese for a delicious twist!

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 349mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Mardi Gras Slaw

I’m a huge fan of anything slaw. It’s kinda odd since when I was growing up I couldn’t stand slaw at all. Now, slaw is the one thing I almost always order when eating out. I often make it when cooking at home. And slaw isn’t just a wonderful side. It’s fantastic on top of hot dogs, hamburgers, and best of all, pulled pork or smoked brisket sandwiches. This colorful Mardi Gras slaw is one of the slaws that changed my mind about slaws.

Mardi Gras Slaw

A Wonderful Twist On A Classic Slaw

This recipe for Mardi Gras slaw comes from Marguerite at Cajun Delights, my favorite place for all thing Cajun, from food to music.

I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

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Also try my bacon ranch slaw.

Mardis Gras Slaw
Print Pin
4 from 1 vote

Mardi Gras Slaw

I’m a huge fan of anything slaw, which is odd since when I was growing up I couldn’t stand slaw at all. Now, slaw is the one thing I almost always order when eating out, and I often make it when cooking at home. 
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Cajun, cole slaw, coleslaw
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 140kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Cajun Delights

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine cabbage, onion and bell peppers in large bowl.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients.
  • Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss to coat completely.

Notes

Always stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 637IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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All-American Mac-and-Cheese

Who doesn’t love mac-and-cheese? I’ve certainly made lots of variations on the classic, from a Cholula mac, to pepperoni pizza mac, fondue mac, to roasted garlic and thyme mac. I decided to go a more traditional route. Loaded with cheese, my All-American Mac-and-Cheese is just flat-out cheesy. And it has a little twist at the end to boot.

All-American Mac-and-Cheese

Add A Little Kick

You don’t have to sprinkle your All-American Mac-and-Cheese with cayenne pepper, though I do recommend it. Leave it off entirely or try a little dusting of paprika instead. I think it adds a nice (needed) contrast to the tons of (yummy) creamy cheesiness. Otherwise you end up with a big ole bowl of yellow orange. Sure, it’s tasty yellow orange, but life (and mac and cheese) needs a little kick so add some!

Reheating Leftovers

If I end up with leftovers, I warm them up on the stovetop with a few splashes of milk (not the evaporated stuff, the stuff from the carton). And I might add a pat or two of butter. It helps the sauce get creamy again.

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

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Also try my 20-minute mac-and-cheese.

All-American Mac-and-Cheese
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

All-American Mac-and-Cheese

Loaded with cheese, my All-American Mac-and-Cheese is just flat-out cheesy. And it has a little twist at the end to boot.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 563kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the macaroni.
  • Continue boiling until the pasta is al dente. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Continue whisking for 1 minute.
  • Whisk in the evaporated milk and continue stirring until thick, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the cheeses and stir until melted.
  • Add the pasta and stir. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of the reserved pasta water.
  • Heat through and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

You might have to add a bit of milk or water to the mac-and-cheese when reheating if it’s too thick.

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 861IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 627mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Italian Olive Salad

Italian olive salad is a wonderful thing. Although I use it pretty much exclusively on sandwiches, you can also mix it with pasta for a great salad. There’s a great mix of textures and taste. From crunchy carrots to rich Kalamata olives, to the kick of pickled cauliflower and pepperoncini. Although it’s a little work, and takes a few ingredients, this salad is the best there is. Make sure to let it set overnight before using it.

Italian Olive Salad

Olive Lover’s Heaven

If you love olives, you’ll more than love this Italian olive salad. It makes for the world’s best sandwich, a muffuletta.  I can eat muffuletta all day long. I can also eat this salad out of a bowl. And if you’re looking for something different, add a good spoonful of this salad to your next pizza.

Make sure your olives are completely pitted. That’s one advantage of making this salad at home versus buying it. You can make sure each every pit is gone. I used a store-bought olive salad to make a muffuletta the other day and I bit into a pit. I about broke a tooth. No more of that. It’s homemade for me!

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Yeah, you can buy olive salad online or in a store. And it’s good stuff. But, oh, there’s nothing like the homemade salad.

Italian Olive Salad
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5 from 1 vote

Italian Olive Salad

Italian olive salad is a wonderful thing. Although I use it pretty much exclusively on sandwiches, you can also mix it with pasta for a great salad. 
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Italian, olives, salad
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 30 minutes
Servings 14
Calories 405kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a large seal-able bowl.
  • Let set in fridge overnight, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir again before serving.

Notes

Add more oil, in very small quantities, if the mixture gets too dry.

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 1385mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2147IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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