recipe roundup - Father's Day

I thought I'd post a last minute recipe roundup for Father's Day, assuming that many of you are getting together over the weekend for some grilling or picnicking or what have you. What follows is a list of mainly salads and sides, things that are easy to throw together and transport well, things that will feed a crowd, and some treats for dad.

Wild rice and chickpea salad  remains one of the most popular recipes on this blog. The recipe makes A LOT, so if you're not feeding a big crowd you may want to half the recipe, or, leave the pecans out of a portion of it (they get soggy after a couple of days) and pack the leftovers for lunch next week!

Cold rice noodles with cashews is a good thing to make on a hot day. You only have to turn your stove on for long enough to cook the rice noodles, everything else is chopping and whisking. The dish is served cold or can stand for a few hours at room temperature.

Wheatberry salad with eggplant  is a Greek style grain salad with pan fried eggplant and feta. The eggplant gets all soft and caramelized in the pan and almost melts away in your mouth. Mmmmmm.

Savoy slaw is a great twist on coleslaw, with a tangy miso dressing and crispy cubes of pan fried tofu.

I love this black bean salad with spelt berries. I've been making a batch and packing it for lunches instead of sandwiches lately. It travels well and is great picnic or bbq fare.

For a crowd, I like making a big Cobb salad on a platter. That way everyone can serve themselves with the bits they like.

This spicy kohlrabi salad is a fun twist on a Thai green mango salad. If your dad likes Thai food, make this for him!

Curried potato chickpea patties make for a great side dish at a bbq. They're good hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Pesto penne with edamame , served cold, turns into a tasty pasta salad.

Have you tried this broccoli kamut slaw? Another coleslaw twist, kept light with a yoghurt dressing and made hearty with the addition of grains.

Soba noodle salad with spinach would also be a great side dish. This salad is definitely best eaten the day it was made.

Does Dad have a sweet tooth?

Are the local blackberries ripe where you live? Lucky! Blackberry crisp (with blackberry iced cream) is a total crowd pleaser.

We've had a crummy spring so the local strawberries are only just appearing. I can't wait to make another batch of these strawberry cupcakes. I bet your dad will love them!

Whose dad doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? These whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are hands down my favourite recipe. Make a batch for your dad!

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2012