Vintage Kitchen Vixen

Side Dishes

Sesame Naan Bread: A Cast Iron Skillet Recipe

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It’s time to pull out the cast iron skillet and learn how to whip up a batch of this sesame naan bread. It’s the perfect accompaniment for those winter soups and curries! 

holding a plate of sesame naan bread

CAST IRON SKILLET SESAME NAAN BREAD

If you’ve never had naan before, it’s kind of like pita bread that’s found in many Eastern cuisines.

When I think of naan, Indian is the first cuisine that comes to mind, but it’s one of many.

Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor oven, but since I don’t have one of those in my kitchen, I always turn to my trusty cast-iron skillet whenever I’m making a batch. This is also the case when I make flour tortillas and breakfast biscuits, so naan bread is a natural fit.

If you’re new to the world of cast iron cooking, you might want to read up on how to use cast-iron cookware, but if you know your way around cast iron, please, continue. Of course.

It’s also possible to use whatever pan you wish, but I hope you give cast iron a shot!

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Easy Roasted Garlic for Big and Bold Flavour

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These roasted garlic cloves are big on flavour and make a healthy condiment you don’t want to be without. The next time you fire up the oven, toss in a couple of heads of garlic for the easiest roasted garlic you will ever make.

the easiest roasted garlic tutorial ever

THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE ROASTED GARLIC

Easiest roasted garlic, you say? Well, here’s a new flash: all roasted garlic is the easiest!

Considering the beautiful simplicity of this flavourful bulb, it doesn’t seem to be used very often except by restaurants and the consumer packaged goods industry. And why not?

If you had to choose between plain hummus and roasted garlic hummus, which would you choose? Or what about butternut squash soup and roasted garlic butternut squash soup? Unless you’re a purist, the chances are you’d be reaching for the latter in both cases. Not only is it delicious added to recipes, it even sounds good.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED GARLIC VIDEO

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The Best Brussels Sprouts Skillet (with bacon and parmesan)

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These pan fried and roasted brussels sprouts are cheesy, smoky and crispy. They also look great being pulled from the oven in a cast iron skillet. It’s the kind of side dish you want on your holiday table!

bacon parmesan brussels sprouts skillet

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS: YOU EITHER LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM

Bacon parmesan brussels sprouts are a terrific side for roasted meats due to the strong flavour that people either love or hate. If you would have asked me when I was a kid whether or not I wanted a scoop of brussels sprouts on my plate, I would have shook my head to decline.

The thing is, when brussels sprouts are overcooked, they leave a bitter taste in your mouth and an unpleasant memory if you’re tasting them for the first time.

Brussels sprouts should be green, not gray, and they should be a vegetable everyone reaches for, including children.

Vegetarians aside, who would turn down a dish with bacon and parmesan? The Panko bread crumbs also make them crispy, giving them an intriguing crunch factor.

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Creamy Celery Root & Potato Purée (it’s sinfully decadent!)

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This creamy celery root purée is a flavourful and decadent side dish to serve alongside roasted meats and fish. You’re going to love it!

holding a bowl of creamy celery root purée

CELERY ROOT PUREE: A SIDE DISH TO REMEMBER

Creamy celery root and potato purée, really?

The first time I ever had celery root purée was in a fancy restaurant. It was nearly a decade ago, so I couldn’t tell you what it was served with or what I had for dessert, but I do remember the appetizer was beef tartare which is a recipe for another day.

I fell completely in love with the flavour, which is reminiscent of the celery stalks we’re used to, but it’s more delicate, more intriguing.

It was my first of many celery root purées.

This is a simple recipe with only five ingredients and I hope you love it as much as I do.

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Maple Bourbon Cranberry Sauce Made Easy for the Holidays

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cranberries for maple bourbon cranberry sauce

This maple bourbon cranberry sauce will beat anything that comes out of a can. Learn how to make this classic holiday condiment and the different ways you can punch it up to make it your own.

Maple bourbon cranberry sauce, how good does that sound?

Better than the sound cranberry sauce makes when it’s sliding out of the can, that’s for sure!

When I was a kid, it was usually my job to mash up the jellied cranberry sauce to make it more presentable for the table.

A few of us would put a polite spoonful on our plates and a couple of us, well, just my uncle, would say no entirely. I can’t blame him.

Really, who wants high-fructose corn syrup in their cranberry sauce anyway?

Making cranberry sauce from scratch seems intimidating at first, but it couldn’t be more simple!

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Easy Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

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Beets are not only a terrific source of nutrients, they’re also delicious! Learn how to make this easy roasted beet salad with an orange vinaigrette, walnuts, and as much goat cheese as you can handle.

roasted beet salad with walnuts, goat cheese and orange vinaigrette

ROASTED BEET SALAD FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Whether you need a side for dinner, a dish for a potluck, or you just have a craving for beets (I’m not alone, am I?), this roasted beet salad is ready to rise up to the occasion.

Dressed with a simple orange vinaigrette and studded with walnuts, goat cheese crumbles and fresh dill, it’s guaranteed that each forkful will offer a bite of goodness.

I also love that it’s easy to make, especially if you roast the beets ahead of time!

Best of all, you can play with this recipe, in fact, I encourage you to do so!

If the aforementioned flavours don’t excite you, fret not, I’m including a few other flavour combinations below that you can experiment with.

ROASTED BEET SALAD VIDEO

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