Vegetable side to make with black bean soup and cornbread

Kenzi is an Assistant Editor of Food52.

added 6 months ago

Are tomatoes and corn in season where you are? Some kind of raw salad with cilantro, lime, and punchy red onion comes to mind.

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AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.

added 6 months ago

To add a bit of texture to the soup, I'd probably crumble some chips on each bowl as a garnish. And on the side, I'd make a cole slaw type salad with jicama, napa cabbage -- what we get at our Korean grocers here has a nice dark leaf -- and Fuyu persimmon, in a citrus/cilantro vinaigrette. To save time, I'd buzz all three primary ingredients through the shredding blade of my food processor. Gee, now I want to make that for dinner . . . . ;o)

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What about cheese, a selection, with grainy crackers, or shredded, to put on top of the soup?

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Kenzi is an Assistant Editor of Food52.

added 6 months ago

Ohh good Idea. If it's shredded, you could put out little topping bowls, which could be fun. Sliced avocado, salsa, and/or sliced green onion?

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No tomatoes and corn here. I was planning on serving the soup with shredded cheddar and sour cream, and since someone is bringing guacamole I thought avocado might be overkill... Keep em coming!

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Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.

added 6 months ago

I like a crunchy salad with soup. The Brussels Sprouts Salad a la M.Wells, and the Arugula, Pear and Goat Cheese salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette are 2 of my Food52 favorites. (I can't include the links; sorry.)

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Thanks drbabs -- I have Brussels Sprouts in the house, and that salad looks great! I may try it with pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts, to complement the other Mexican flavors.

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Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.

added 6 months ago

What a great idea! You might want to add jicama and maybe a ground dried chile for spice instead of the pimenton. (You can definitely leave out the speck without the salad suffering. I do it all the time.)

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HalfPint added 6 months ago

Strangely enough, I immediately thought of one of my favorite slaws - a classic cabbage slaw (mayo-based) with some grated tart apples, like Granny Smith, mixed in. The apples cuts the mayo flavor and brightens up the slaw.

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Sam1148 added 6 months ago

How about a jicama salad/slaw with lime and tomatoes? Maybe some orange wedge in the mix.

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You could use the magic lime in several simple ways: sliced jicama with lime and cayenne on it, or diced watermelon with lime juice and mint ( and maybe a little feta), or roasted butternut squash - toss slices in oil, roast them and then sprinkle with lime juice , garlic , salt and smoky paprika.

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If you still want sweet potatoes, I've had some delicious tacos with chorizo, sweet potatoes, and cotija cheese. Since it's a vegetarian dinner party, I would just mimic the effect of chorizo by incorporating garlic, paprika, and oregano in a sweet potato-walnut mixture. It would retain the flavor profile but be healthier. :)

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blanka.n added 6 months ago

I would try a roasted vegetable of some sort like Brussell sprouts, broccolli or cauliflower.
I'm sure you're doing a salad also.

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blanka.n added 6 months ago

I would try a roasted vegetable of some sort like Brussell sprouts, broccolli or cauliflower.
I'm sure you're doing a salad also.

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Hey -- Thank you for all the suggestions. I did something of a combo from many of the inspirations here... I roasted chunks of delicata squash, sprinkled with cumin and aleppo peppers, and then I also roasted some sliced brussels sprouts. Mixed them together, and added toasted pumpkin seeds and lime juice. Tastes good now -- we'll see how the guests like it!

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