Need help with side dish for dinner party!

[goldilocks]

Aggie - Your menu sounds delicious, but are you sure you're only cooking for 4 people, that's a lot of food! I would love your recipe for the pesto twice baked potatoes, they sound great.

I don't really think you need the pasta as a side dish, but I think the asparagus is a great idea. While I haven't tried the Roasted Sesame Asparagus, I think the flavors would really compliment the tuna. If you want a variation - I roast mine with olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and salt and pepper. If you have a Costco near you, buy your asparagus there if you can. They are slender and the price is fantastic for the bundle you get.

As for dessert, I would go with the Strawberry Parfaits (again, I haven't tried them, but have heard great reviews) and I think the light berries would compliment your dinner. Good Luck!

[Julia1Pin]

Can I come to your party? Sounds yummy http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

The sesame roasted asparagus is very light, and wouldn't over-power anything. I even added some sesame seeds (the asian ones that look translucent) to the dish, and it was great. We paired it with steamed clams and shrimp (both done on the BBQ), so you shouldn't worry about it being too much for tuna steaks.

[aggie94]

You know, I did think, as I was typing up the menu, "Good God that's a lot of food for 4 people!!"

So you think I can cut out the pasta? We are having a carb-heavy appetizer with the bruschetta. (By the way, it's going to be a sampler plate of bruschetta, so I'm trying to keep the pieces SMALL). I just have these gigantic dinner plates and thought they could use something other than just tuna and a veggie.

Ok, so I think I'll go with my instincts on the sesame-roasted asparagus (which is pretty similar to goldilocks's asparagus, but with sesame oil) and the strawberry parfaits. That is, unless others have better ideas... (keep 'em coming!)

Goldilocks - the pesto twice-baked potatoes recipe is on this thread: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/006944.html

Thanks, guys!

[KValley]

Eva,

Your menu sounds so wonderful-what lucky friends! I think the roasted asparagus and strawberry parfaits will be perfect.

BTW- where did you find the tuna steaks?

Instead of the pasta side, what about another vegetable? I'm thinking of roasted or grilled red peppers with simple brush on of olive oil and herbs- perhaps the same as what you are using for the tuna. The color would a lovely addition,the peppers wouldn't be heavy, and they could grill next to the tuna.

I was also thinking orzo, if you are still considering a carb side dish...

[aggie94]

Julie,

We get all our fresh fish at a local market called Newman's. They have fabulous yellowfin tuna steaks -- expensive, but totally worth it. Seafood is one thing that I will always splurge on, especially for company. Now watch - they won't have any on Saturday morning, and I'll have to pick up something else, which will throw another big wrench into my menu-planning.

The pasta side dish was really thrown in for DH, who isn't a huge veggie fan, although he does like the sesame-roasted asparagus and the salad. The roasted red peppers sound delicious, but DH wouldn't touch them, I'm sure. I do like the idea of orzo, though --maybe I could do that instead of the linguine. What do you think? Just tossed in a little olive oil, black pepper, and maybe throw in some good parmesan cheese?

[browneye]

I second the grilled peppers idea-or even additional grilled veges....with the peppers too!
Oven-roasted vege combos are great too, I like one with red onion, red bell pepper, a few baby red potatoes, summer squash or zucchini, all tossed up in a splash of olive oil, pepper, garlic and salt sprinkled with Fines Herbes...roasted about 30 minutes at 400-425. The last five to ten minutes you can add tomato wedges if you like. Very good with a light basil aioli...or without!

[browneye]

Or this-you can make it earlier in the day, it tastes very light, despite the ingredients I think it would complement your Tuna very nicely....

Squash-Rice Casserole
8 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain; partially mash with a potato masher. Combine zucchini mixture, rice sour cream, cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl. Stir gently. Spoon zucchini mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Broil 1 minute or until lightly browned.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
197 cal (25% from fat); Fat 5.5g (sat 2.7g, mono 1.6g, poly 0.4g); Protein 12.7g; Carb 24g; Fiber 1.4g; Chol 65mg; Iron 1.5mg; Sodium 623mg; Calc 209mg

[mandarin2j]

I third (fourth?) the grilled/roasted veggies idea--that is our standing side dish pretty much all summer long!

-Amanda

[Karen from VA]

Aggie, I was counting on getting asparagus yesterday and my (huge) grocery store, which has carried beautiful asparagus all spring, didn't have any. Guess it's getting late in the season. I don't know where you live, but you might want to check out availability.

Karen

[SusanMac]

Actually, I wondered why you said the twice-baked potatoes were "out" with salmon. I think that would go well (although I didn't read the recipe link)

Also...be sure to check out the thread about cooking salmon on cedar planks. It's supposed to be very yummy!

[aggie94]

I just think fish (tuna, salmon, anything) is too light for a heavy side like baked potatoes. I have done salmon on a cedar plank before, but my cedar plank isn't big enough to do a meal for 4. For two, though, it's perfect! I love to plug my cedar plank -- easy, yummy dishes (fish, chicken, veggies, appetizers, just about anything!).

I hadn't even thought that I wouldn't be able to find asparagus. If that doesn't work out, roasted other veggies also sounds good. Even if I do find asparagus, I may go ahead and throw in some other veggies, like zucchini, baby red potatoes, red peppers, etc.

Thanks again guys!

[foodiedelite]

Your menu sounds divine, as is.

For anyone that is interested in a fantastic tuna dinner, check out the archives for Gail's Canoehouse Tuna.

I fixed this for Memorial Day, grilling the tuna versus searing on stovetop. I served with wasabi mashed potatoes and stir fried vegetables.

[aggie94]

foodiedelite:

It's funny you should mention that. Before DH decided that he wanted steaks for dinner (and then later changed his mind to tuna steaks), I was thinking about Gail's Canoehouse tuna. I just thought it was a little too Asian-flavored, and the last time we had this couple over, I served Chinese food. Besides, if we were going to have tuna, DH wanted them grilled. (Personally, I think he just likes to be out there on the deck, with the big BBQ tools and a beer).

[KValley]

Eva,

In my *new* CL Complete and Vegetable Heaven cookbooks, I have found two simple orzo recipes. Give me a holler if you are interested- I'd be happy to post....

[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 06-14-2001).]

[aggie94]

Well, it's not exactly a dinner party. It's another couple coming over for dinner, but I want it to be really nice!

I had the menu all planned up, along with my grocery list, but DH threw a wrench into it when he decided he wanted to grill tuna steaks instead of regular steaks. So the pesto twice-baked potatoes were out. Here's the menu I have planned:

Appetizer: 4 different types of bruschetta (sweet red pepper, white beans & cheese, arugula & tomatoes & smoked gouda, artichoke)

Salad: mixed baby greens with candied walnuts, gorgonzola, mandarin oranges, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Entree: grilled tuna steaks with fresh herbs -- they're just salted & peppered, then brushed lightly with a mixture of olive oil, thyme, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, and garlic, and grilled

Side dishes: Here's where I'm having trouble. I was thinking of a simple pasta -- linguine or spaghetti tossed in olive oil, pepper, lemon juice, maybe a touch of pesto. But I also need a vegetable. I can always manage to screw up steamed vegetables, so I was thinking of maybe roasted asparagus? Do you think the sesame-roasted asparagus would be too strong or different a flavor for the tuna?

Dessert: I need help here too. I was thinking the strawberry parfaits from May, but DH really liked the butterscotch parfaits from earlier this year (either Jan/Feb or March). Strawberries seem to go better with this meal, plus it's berry season! I thought the butterscotch would be a little too rich/heavy.

Thanks for any thoughts you'd care to share!

[m4star]

.02:
Berries or fresh fruit all the way for dessert with this meal. I've never had the parfaits but it sounds good. Simple, light, and sweet. Your menu sounds heavenly! I think asparagus is exactly what's called for with the meal. Funny, I was thinking it as I read about the tuna before you even mentioned it.

Hope it turns out great!

[ElinorC]

Your menu sounds great and I think grilled asparagus would be super. I also would prefer the strawberry parfait to the heavier butterscotch. Go with your instincts--they seem very good. Good luck.

[valchemist]

Julie,

I would love to see the orzo recipes. Just found out recently that my husband likes orzo. I had been avoiding making it for a long time because for some reason I had it in my head that he didn't like it (turned out that it was couscous that he doesn't like, not orzo).

Valerie

[KValley]

Originally posted by aggie94:
I'd love to have those orzo recipes as well, Julie. Thanks!

Eva, I posted them on the "Orzo Recipes for Val" thread, and uncovered a whole slew of yummy orzo recipes...

Let us know what you end up making!

[toothmom]

I think the asparagus with sesame dressing might be a bit too overpowering. Why not just grill the asparagus and drizzle some olive oil on it with fresh parmesan cheese shavings over top. I also have to agree with you that the caramel would be too much for dessert. What about fresh strawberries with a cream type of dip for the dessert. There was a thread posted earlier about the dips. I have a dip that calls for grand marnier, brown sugar and sour cream which is really great. If you might like it let me know.

[This message has been edited by toothmom (edited 06-15-2001).]

[aggie94]

I'd love to have those orzo recipes as well, Julie. Thanks!