Your July 4th Ultimate Grill-Out Sides Roundup

[related-psots]This July 4th, we declare independence from goopy, mayo-choked potato and macaroni salads, uninspired vegetable dishes, and lame store-bought, frozen or canned versions of what should arguably be the second-most important part of your 4th of July barbecue: sides. Obviously the meat is the most important part, but it just hangs out on the grill. Or maybe fireworks are first, meat second, sides third.But pay attention to your side dishes, and you'll be greatly rewarded when somehow your ribeye tastes even better because you're eating it with goat cheese and asparagus macaroni salad and the char on your grilled chicken is charr-ier because there's a little grilled baby bok choy on that forkful too. No matter what your food creed, there's something in this mix for everyone.

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Macaroni Salad

Add some asparagus to your macaroni salad for a pleasant crunch.

Cobb Macaroni Salad Recipe

You'll be lucky to have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

Summer Corn With Lime And Manchego Recipe

The flavor combination here works really well.

Grilled Romaine Salad Recipe

There's no vegetable that can't be grilled, though some take to the barbecue more readily than others. Lettuce's grilling potential is often overlooked because it's typically not cooked at all, but the slight wilt from a few minutes over high heat as well as the resulting smoky infusion make for a much more flavorful salad than leaves in a bowl.

Chorizo Potato Bites Recipe

It's like a little potato-y taco in a single bite. (Photo: Mark Shaw.)

Green Beans With Pistachio Pesto Recipe

These beans will get you excited to eat your veggies.

Eggplant Caponata Recipe

Fabio Vivani of Top Chef and Top Chef All-Stars releases his cookbook this week! We nabbed a couple of recipes from this awesome new addition to our food library, including this super-simple, rustic Sicilian eggplant caponata you can serve with any Italian meal. 

Pork Powered: Collard Greens With Ham And Bacon Recipe

Add some porky goodness to your collard greens.

Pickled Feta With Cerignola Olives And Strawberries Recipe

Pickle that feta then throw it in this salad.

Salt Block Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Simple Tomato Tart Recipe

We've been on a tomato bender. It's hard to resist ripe, juicy summer tomatoes that burst with flavor. Here's a recipe that won't let you down. All you need are a few ingredients to make this simple yet delicious tomato tart

Grilled Vegetable Salad With Brown Butter Vinaigrette Recipe

See your grilled veggies in a whole new light.

Spicy Vegan Dragon Noodle Salad Recipe

These spicy, peanutty noodles will change your mind about vegan cuisine for the better.

Fingerling Potato Salad With Dill And Lemon-Saffron Vinaigrette Recipe

Pinky up! Time to class up your potato salad with some French mayo.

Easy Beer Beans Recipe

Marc Murphy's Pickled Onion Rings Recipe

A mountain of onion rings never looked so good.

Jeweled Couscous Salad Recipe

A couscous fitting for a crown.

Texas Potato Salad Recipe

Add toasted pumpkin seeds to your potato salad for the ultimate crunch.

Pao De Queijo Recipe

Traditional Brazilian cheesy puffs.

Blackened Okra With Red Rice Recipe

When the hot weather hits and the grills are smoking, there is most certainly a place for vegan cuisine. And, really, you don't have to be vegan to enjoy it. It's light, healthy and can be pretty easy to make. Blackened okra with red rice is an instant winner for any occasion. The recipe, after the jump.

Charred Padrón Peppers With Lemon And Sea Salt Recipe

Charred Padron or shishito peppers make a great summer dish to pair with wines from Spain's Rueda and Ribera Del Duero regions.

Trofie a la Genovese Recipe

One of the most famous Ligurian recipes, traditional trofie pasta comes together with cubed potatoes, steamed beans and bright earthy pesto in this one pot dish. High quality ingredients make this simple dish shine. The recipe, after the jump.

This Is How You Make Frito Pie

Morgan's Barbecue is bringing the famous frito pie north to NYC. Their version is served old-school style in a slit-open Fritos bag, smothered with Texas red chili and topped with white onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions and Morgan's signature slow-smoked brisket.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy With Miso Butter Recipe

Romanesco Summer Salad Recipe

Add some color to your summer dining line up.