Side Dishes for Burgers and Sausages – Easy and Awesome (recipes included)

Like I mentioned in previous posts, I can be creative in the kitchen. Looking at the veggie tray in the fridge, I think for a few seconds, then I grab what I need, and I either make something up on the spot, do a variation on an existing recipe, or I prepare the better known (and veganised) meals my parents used to make for me.

So, today I came up with a great side dish for vegan burgers, sausages, or barbecues, and I thought, “why not share several side dishes instead of just one?”

So, here we go, side dish nr. 1

The Versatile Potato

My parents used potatoes in nearly every meal, either boiled, baked, fried, or mashed. There are, however, many more ways to prepare potatoes. Today was one of those days that I stood in front of the fridge and decided to spice up the simple fried potatoes. This side dish comes with a little kick 😉

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large potato
• 1 cambray onion
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• A pinch of salt
• 1/3 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1/2 guajillo chilie
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (optional)
• 3 ounces of water

Preparation

It’s easy and quick, so it’s the perfect dish to make when you’re feeling very hungry.

• Heat the oil in a frying pan
• Add salt
• Cut the potatoes into cubes
• When the oil is hot, add the potatoes
• Add cumin, pepper, and paprika
• Stir
• Fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add the chopped onion and chilie
• Mix well
• Add soy sauce
• Let it cook for another minute
• Then add water
• Let it steam
• Finally, add chopped greens of the onion (optional)
• Cook until the potatoes are tender, stir occasionally

The chilie gives it a nice kick. If you like it very hot, then add the whole chillie. If you prefer to leave out the chilie, that’s OK too. It still tastes great. I sometimes leave the chillie out, depending on how I want my potatoes at that moment. Fry your vegan bean sausages (see my previous post for recipe) and you got yourself a wholesome, tasty, and cruelty-free meal 🙂

What Then?

What else goes well with burgers and sausages? Salads, of course, but if you know me from my previous posts, you’ll know that salads are not my first choice. Avocados are among my favorite staples. Like the potato, you can do so much with them, and not just guacamole. I love guacamole though, which is another beautiful side dish that you can get creative with. So, I’ll include a recipe for guacamole later on (scroll down in this post for recipe)

So, for side dish nr. 2 we are going to see how else we can use the avocado, besides guacamole.

Avocados – Let’s Be Creative

I was thinking of making a nice, easy sandwich for dinner. Just make sure that the bread is vegan. Check on the packaging if any eggs or dairy were used. In my hometown, most store bought rye, ciabatta, and also flax seed bread are vegan. Again, always check or ask.

Ingredients:

• Bread rolls
• Vegan butter or margarine (whatever your preference is)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 5 – 6 fresh basil leaves
• A pinch of salt
• Pepper to taste
• (Optional) Dijon mustard

Instructions

• Heat the bread rolls in the oven for a few minutes
• When the rolls are warm, spread the margarine (or vegan butter) on them
• Cut the avocado in two halves and remove the seed. Take off the peel.

OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer

• Cut the avocado halves into 3 or 4 pieces, and place them on one buttered half of the bread roll
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over the avocado
• Add basil leaves
• (Optional) spread some Dijon mustard on the other half of the bread roll (I love mustard, but it is really up to you. You can also replace the mustard with veganaise or something else)
• If you still have some vegan sausages left (see recipe in my previous post), fry one up and add it to the sandwich.

And what about the guacamole? Well, for side dish nr. 3 let´s have a little variety on this simple recipe. Guacamole tastes great with chopped tomatoes and basil. On some occasions, I’ve also added a dash of curry. But before going a little crazy with my improvisations, let’s leave the curry out for now. We´ll do that one some other time 😉

Before I moved to Mexico, I always hated tomatoes. Although I liked tomato soup, I didn’t care for the taste of raw tomatoes. Here in the Baja I had organic tomatoes for the first time, and oh my goodness, what a difference. So sweet and juicy. Now, I absolutely love tomatoes.

Guacamole is easy to make, and quick. So, here it goes 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 tomato
• A pinch of salt 
• Pepper to taste
• 8-10 basil leaves
• 1 spoonful of olive oil

Instructions

• Cut the avocados in two halves and remove the seeds. Take off the peel.
• Put the avocados in a bowl and cut them up.
• Chop up the basil leaves
• Add salt, pepper, olive oil, and chopped basil leaves to the bowl
• Use a fork to mix the ingredients.
• Mash it up a little. The fork works fine for this.

(If you want it completely mashed, you can use a food processor, but it is so easy to mash up a ripe avocado with a fork; a food processor would just result in more dishes to wash 😉 And who likes to wash dishes? I don’t …)

• Chop the tomato into small pieces and add them to the bowl
• Mix the tomatoes with the mashed avocado
• Scoop up the guacamole with tortilla chips or crackers, and enjoy 🙂

In my next post, I will come up with more ideas for avocados, and of course, there will be a new recipe for sausages. Vegan sausages and avocados are such a nice and easy lunch, and they are healthy too. Avocados are loaded with vitamins. They are nutrient-rich, heart healthy, good for the eyes, great for osteoporosis prevention, protection against cancer, and rich in folate which reduces the risk of miscarriages. Avocados are high in fiber which maintain a good and healthy digestive tract. They lower the risk of depression and provide natural detoxification.

This is one incredible fruit. Yes, avocados, although listed as vegetables, are actually fruits. Interesting, huh?

So, stay tuned for more awesome ideas for avocados, sausages, side dishes, and foods to snack on.

Who said healthy was boring?