ISO side dishes to go with Tortilla Soup

[beacooker]

I am having my mom's bday dinner next Tuesday night. I will be getting home about 4:30 that day, and hope to eat about 5:30. After dinner, we are going to a symphony, so I don't want the meal to be very heavy. I am a working mom with very young kids, so I really don't have much time for cooking, so am looking for easy, not-too-heavy, hopefully make-ahead side dishes to go with Tortilla Soup. No need for anything very fancy. Any ideas?

[acginkc]

The Sour Cream, Cheddar, and Green Onion Drop Biscuits are great, and super easy to put together.

ETA: These are from CL 3/05 (I think)

[Gail]

Now, let me get this straight. Is this just a quick bite for the family or are you entertaining?

It depends upon the tortilla soup recipe, I think. Some of them are really chunky and filling. Some have meat; some are more like vegetable soup with tortilla strips and cheese. What's yours like?

[jabelt]

How about:

Spicy Chicken Ranch Wraps (CL)
http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/display/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=316686

or Mexican-Style Chick-Pea Salad (Sara Moulton)
http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/display/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=316686

[beacooker]

Gail, its kind of a hybrid affair, I guess. It is only family (my immediate family + my parents), but I am also entertaining (my parents). So, nice but very casual is what I'm looking for.

My tortilla soup is the one from Stop and Smell the Rosemary, which has chicken in it.

acginkc, those biscuits sound yummy - I will have to look them up! :)

[GeckoGirl]

Hey you!

How about a Mexican rollup type of thing where you mix cream cheese and salsa, spread on tortillas, top with green onions, olives, whatever you want, roll up, chill, and slice?
:cool:

[gertdog]

How about some simple flour tortilla
quesadillas (you can grate the cheese and slice/dice any other fillings beforehand) and a green salad with avocado and pinto beans tossed along with the usual ingredients?

My favorite quick quesadillas include cheese, diced tomato, canned diced green chile, sliced green onion, and some chopped cilantro for those who like it. Place on tortillas, fold over, and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

[Terrytx]

I also vote for the quesadillas. We often have just cheese with the tortillas, when having soup.

[beacooker]

Originally posted by GeckoGirl
Hey you!


Whoa! Did you hear that clunk? That was my head hitting the floor when I passed out in surprise. ;) Drop me a line, chica!

I actually really like the roll-up idea - I can make those the night before, as opposed to quesadillas which I would need to make at the last minute.

I want to do a salad with it, but I never serve salad with Mexican food because I can never figure out what sort of dressing to use. Who can help me with that one?

You guys are great!

[Clover]

I would just do a green salad. You already have tortillas in the soup. And I'm assuming there's a dessert involved here too. I don't know about you, but if I don't eat lightly before going to a sit-still-in-the-dark kind of thing like the symphony, I can't stay awake.

[sherri]

Another idea is black beans and sauteed greens (served seperately of course). I usually serve these two items as sides when I make this soup...a good combination!

[Clover]

Originally posted by beacooker



I want to do a salad with it, but I never serve salad with Mexican food because I can never figure out what sort of dressing to use. Who can help me with that one?


I almost always use oil and vinegar on salad. Do other people not like it? I do vary the kind of vinegar. Or blood orange juice is good. I guess I really prefer oil and vinegar or a simple vinaigrette whatever the main course is.

[acginkc]

If I serve a salad with Mexican, (or a taco salad), I alwaysmake an avacado ranch. I just take what ever ranch dressing I have on hand (whether homemade or bottled) and blend it with an avacado. It is actually much lighter tasting than it sounds. Also, for something even lighter, you could blend some avacado and olive oil.

[gertdog]

Originally posted by beacooker

I want to do a salad with it, but I never serve salad with Mexican food because I can never figure out what sort of dressing to use. Who can help me with that one?


You could do a simple vinaigrette with a little cumin and/or chili powder added to taste.

My favorite Mexican place up in Ithaca does a buttermilk salsa dressing that I try to approximate at home- essentially it is just buttermilk, salsa, a scoop of (light) sour cream and salt and pepper to taste, whirled up in a blender.

Ashley (I think it's Ashley) aka agcinkc posted on another thread a dressing she uses for taco salad that is prepared ranch dressing blended with avocado and a pinch of taco seasoning- I think that would work for any green salad too. ETA: whoops, she beat me to it!! :D

Personally, I like creamy dressings on salads that accompany spicy foods because it helps balance the heat a little.

[MnSnow]

Rick Bayless has an adapted caesar salad in his "Mexican Kitchen" cookbook. He uses lime instead of lemon juice in the dressing and adds a serrano chile to it. He also adds some cilantro to the greens.

Jody

[Gail]

If the soup is a fairly hearty one, I think I'd also be inclined just to go with a salad (even though green salads aren't such a Mexican thing...) At first I was thinking of a jicama kind of thing (or a salad with jicama), then I thought maybe a green salad with some avocado and a vinegar and oil dressing.

acginkc made me think of avocado dressing and I see that Rick Bayless has one which sounds good in "Authentic Mexican." I know you have the other book (forgot name offhand)so I'm not posting it in case you have this one, too.

If the chicken in the soup is sort of incidental to it and the soup isn't really heavy, another option might be to do sort of an appetizer platter thing. Some guacamole, some quickie nachos and a few quesadillas, even (gasp!) even cheat and throw in a a few frozen taquitos to save time. Around here at least they sell some pretty decent ones.

[cminmd]

One of my favorite "mexican" salads is a hearts of palm salad. It is very quick and easy and mostly comes out of the pantry. The recipe is very forgiving so you can just use what you have with the basic idea.

Heart of Palm Salad

Dressing:
1 T cumin
2 cloves garlic- minced
1/3 cup basalmic vinegrette salad dressing
whisk together dressing first to let flavors meld

Salad
1 can hearts of Palm- sliced thin
1 can black beans- drained
1 can corn- drained
2 med tomatoes diced (even works with canned diced tomatoes in a pinch)
Mix together- add in dressing to taste. Usually does not take all the dressing depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes. Cool in frig.
Great to make early in the day.

[RebeccaT]

I always make that same Tortilla Soup, and around here we sometimes have corn muffins or quesadillas, and usually broccoli slaw on the side. Doesn't really match, but they all taste good together (well, not all in the same bite, but you know what I mean...)

[beacooker]

Thanks for all the ideas! I don't know why I am so side-dish impaired. :( I haven't decided exactly what I will make yet, but there are lots of good ideas here.

MnSnow, funny you mention that Rick Bayless Caesar salad recipe - as much as I love most Rick Bayless recipes (and I've tried a lot of them!), that is the one recipe of his that I disliked. Don't know what it was about it. But I've been thinking about trying it again, just to see if my taste-buds were having an off night the night I tried it.

Thanks again, guys!

[Sheila in MD]

I vote for a salad with greens, roasted red peppers (jarred will work although homemade tastes better IMHO!), black beans, corn, green or red onions, maybe some grape tomatoes and a sprinking of some kind of mexican or cheddar cheese. I'd top with with Creamy Cilantro Dressing. I love this dressing but I also love cilantro and creamy dressings! I'd also do the CL COrnmeal Scones-I love these with Tortilla Soup and I use the same recipe you are using (although I add black beans, corn and a bit of fresh squeezed lime juice and often leave out the chicken!).

Sheila in MD

Creamy Cilantro Dressing

2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fat free or low fat sour cream
1/2 cup low fat mayonaise
2 Tbls. fresh lime juice
1/4 teas. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. grated lime peel

Combine in food processor until smooth.

My Notes: I do not measure the cilantro. I have made this with both low fat and fat free sour cream. When I use fat free, the dressing goes pretty watery (although it still tastes fine) in just a day or two. Low fat sour cream remains thick for several days. I use the Just 2 good or whatever that Hellmans low fat mayo is. I don't usually measure the garlic or the lime peel either. I have halved the recipe with no problem.

[paula]

I don't know what is in your soup, but a couple of years ago, CL published a quick salad to accompany a spinach-mushroom enchilada recipe. It was very simple and very colorful. It went something like this: Drain and rinse a can of black beans; add a can of drained Mexicorn, 1/4 c cider vinegar, and a pinch of cumin.

Paula