BBQ Side dish- a few faves.

For you Amanda :)  

A couple fave simple sides-  

Orange Fennel Salad

-Double recipe for BBQ

3 Oranges (preferably blood oranges)

1 Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

About 1-2 tbls fresh mint

salt + pepper

(Add pitted black olives if you like!)

Remove membranes from oranges:  Peel and pull apart orange sections.  Remove outer skin of each section to expose the flesh of the orange.  Do this over a bowl, reserving the orange juices.  

Toss the orange with the fennel, red onion, lemon and orange juices, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Add the mint and toss gently.  Season with salt and pepper, serve cold.

You can alter this dish by removing the red onion and mint and adding grilled shrimp, 1 tsp chopped chives, and a pinch of cayenne if you like.  

Citrus Chicken Pasta Salad- 

-This is enough for a BBQ!

2 boxes seashell pasta

10 chicken breasts- boneless, skinless, cooked (preferable baked/ roasted, not grilled), and shredded                           

About 1 cup fresh pineapple, slices cut into very thin little tidbits, juice reserved

8 clementines, outer skin removed to expose flesh of the orange

8 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, core removed, and finely diced

2 cups mayo

1 tsp almond extract

Cook seashells according to package instruction, until al dente.  Run under cold water, drizzle with a little olive oil, and reserve.

In a large bowl, mash the clementines with a potato masher until most sections are soft and mushy.  Drain about half of the orange juice, and pour the remaining juice into a small bowl. Add to the small bowl the mayo, reserved pineapple juice, and almond flavoring. Stir to combine. 

In the large bowl, add to the mashed clementines the seashells, shredded chicken, pineapple, apples, and oranges.  Pour dressing over and stir gently.  

Other options:

Caprese Salad Skewers always go over well, although not really a recipe of my own....  Just skewer a piece of fresh basil, a grape tomato, fresh mozzarella, and caper.  They get eaten quick. 

Fruit skewers are fun and cute.  Buy a bunch of fruit- melons, pineapple and cut into fun shapes.  Toss them with a little lemon juice and a bunch of fresh mint, and skewer them onto long wooden skewers.  Place in a sallow vase for a fruit bouquet. 

Sorry no potato salad recipes- I'll post one soon!