Dairy Free

Some traditional Southern cooks swear you have to cook your collards all day long. This recipe has a great silky, tender texture and good bacony flavor, but you don’t have to quit your day job to make it. Collards also pair well with Double Orange Pork Chops (page 24) and Down-Home Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks (page 127).

Prepared shredded coleslaw mix is one of our favorite items in the produce aisle because it’s so easy to toss in a bowl—all the work’s already done. You can bring this slaw to a potluck supper and get raves, and it takes less than ten minutes to put together. It’s no surprise that this is also terrific with Sweet and Spicy Pork (page 128), and kids will love it with Mini Macaroni Pies (page 168).

When Jamie craves salad (believe it or not, he does!), this is what he’s after: something you can chow down on. Hearty, crunchy romaine is perfect for that. We also love it with Mama’s Tasty Baked Beans and Sausage Soup (page 126) and Sautéed Ravioli with Cheese and Bread Crumbs (page 166).

If there’s no time to pick up a bottle of BBQ sauce in the after-work rush, here’s a simple homemade recipe using ingredients you probably already have in the fridge or pantry.

This is Brooke’s favorite kind of salad—nutty and sweet (just like her dear husband maybe?). It’s a light, tasty side that goes with just about anything, but especially with a rich dish, like Sautéed Ravioli with Cheese and Bread Crumbs (page 166) or Buttery Chicken “Scampi” Pasta (page 106).

If you’ve already got the grill going, this is a surefire way to get great veggies fast. They get deliciously smoky-sweet, and all you need is a handy grill basket to keep the small pieces from falling into the fire (or you can use a sheet of aluminum foil). A colorful assortment of veggies makes this especially fun. You can serve it with any of the grilling recipes in the chapter, but it’s especially great with Grilled Tilapia Po’boys with Homemade Tartar Sauce (page 95) and Easy After-Work BBQ Chicken (page 91).

Cheese, peppers, bacon, grill . . . This is a winning combo that will steal the fire from anything else you have going on. Well, except maybe the Super Bowl, which it will make just that much better. Serve it anytime you’ve got a group of buddies coming over, which, for Bobby, is nearly every night. We love these with our ultimate rib steak and also with All-Day Beef Chili (page 122).

If you’ve ever baked frozen fries inside while you were flipping your burgers outside on the grill, you might have wished you could just grill your fries, too. Well, we got sick of wishing and gave it a shot. These get nice and crisp, and we toss them with a little spice to make them that much more special.

We’ve had some incredible West Indian food on some of the cruises we’ve taken, and this is our nod to those island flavors. Adventurous kids will like this slightly sweet, creamy, nutty rice. You should also try it with Broiled Tuna with Pineapple-Chipotle Salsa (page 57) and Spicy Honey Chicken Salad over Spinach (page 150).

As soon as we discovered how fast couscous is to make—we’re talking five minutes-there was no holding us back. We serve it with everything from Balsamic-Glazed London Broil (page 15) to Peppery Turkey Scaloppini (page 46).

You’ll be amazed at how much two ingredients can transform green beans. Blending olives with olive oil creates a chunky sauce with enough flavor to carry the day. We also love this with Italian-Style Pork Chops (page 23) and Braised Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms (page 129).

When we were kids, just a little older than Jack is now, we used to run over to Granny Paul’s house to pick the baby lettuce in her spring garden. Now we can find bagged conveniently baby lettuce in our supermarket. We like to make this salad to accompany and lighten up all kinds of heartier fare, like Creamy Chicken Alfredo Bake (page 32). If you can’t get baby lettuce, you can make this recipe with any kind of lettuce you’ve got in the fridge.

Folks love this recipe, whether or not they’re broccoli fans. It’s dressed like a salad, with a nice little tang from the vinegar. It adds something green and healthy to meaty mains like this one, and we also love it with Mama’s Hamburger “Hobo Sacks” (page 7) and Smothered Pork Chops and Rice Bake (page 22).

This salad looks almost too pretty to eat! Try it with other Asian-inspired dishes like Broiled Tuna with Pineapple-Chipotle Salsa (page 57) or Bobby’s Favorite Beef Teriyaki Stir-fry with Broccoli and Peppers (page 18).

We don’t use much sesame oil in our cooking, but we love how a little bit gives your whole dish a nice nutty flavor. We were playing around with trying to re-create an Asian salad dressing we had in a restaurant when we struck gold with this combo. But don’t limit it to when you’re cooking up Asian-inspired food. It’s also great with tangy dishes like Double Orange Pork Chops (page 24) and Broiled Tuna with Pineapple-Chipotle Salsa (page 57).

Potato salad always brings back good memories for us. Our dad would make it, and just as soon as the warm potatoes were tossed with the dressing, we’d all dig in. Try serving it with Roasted Spicy Mayo Chicken Breasts (page 43).