This is a nicely spiced little weeknight chicken that goes perfectly with a side of roasted or fried potatoes.
gluten-free, paleo
Oops. I had no idea my Hipstamatic phone app was set to moody black & white when snapping the leftovers – picture a nice spice crust on a chicken breast with a dusting of lemon zest
Sumac Chicken
3 – 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. sumac or lemon powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. coriander
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper
Pat the chicken dry and dust liberally with the spices. Pat the spices in and hit with salt and pepper. Cook using your favorite method – I baked mine at 220C/375F for 15 minutes; this would be an awesome addition to flour for fried chicken.
I served mine alongside a semi-failed potato rosti (my potatoes didn’t form a cake, but who’s kidding – fried potatoes are always awesome).
Not *quite* the same as hibachi out, but still satisfying. And the sauce is kind of addicting – I’ve had it twice in as many days and plan to slather a Beyond Burger with it next burger night 🙂
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Hibachi Bowls
Sauce:
Heaping Tablespoon tahini
2 Tbsp. spicy mustard
2 cloves garlic, grated
4 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 inch ginger, grated
2 – 3 Tbsp. water
Sesame Tofu:
1 block extra firm tofu
1-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. corn starch
Sesame Ginger Snow Peas:
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch ginger, grated
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 package snow peas
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos
Black pepper
To Serve:
Rice
Pickled ginger, chopped
Sesame seeds
Scallions, chopped
Preheat your oven to 375F/220C. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch thick slices, cover with a paper towel and press to get the water out. Cut the slices into cubes and toss with the rest of the tofu ingredients.
Spread out in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet.
Bake 25 minutes or until crispy and browned.
While the tofu is working, stir-fry the snow peas until browned in spots.
Whisk the sauce ingredients together, adding more water if you want the mixture more runny.
Serve with the rice, chopped ginger, sesame seeds and scallions.
I’m calling this BBQ sauce for lack of a better descriptor. This sauce is actually a riff on the burger sauce I made a few nights prior involving spicy mustard, chipotle Choula and Kewpie mayo.
It also works well as the base for a meatball dressing.
gluten-free, paleo
BBQ Chicken Meatball Bowl
Carrots:
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. neutral oil
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
Preheat your oven to 375F/220C. Toss the carrots with the rest of the ingredients and spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet that’s been lined with silicone or tinfoil. Bake about 25 minutes or until desired brownness has been reached.
While the carrots are working, make the meatballs and sauce.
Meatballs:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1.5 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder mixed with 1 tsp. water
Mix all meatball ingredients together by hand – warning: the mix will feel a little wet if you’re not used to making meatballs by this method. Shape into ping pong ball sized meatballs and drop into a large pan where you’ve brought a few good glugs neutral oil up to medium high heat.
Fry until browned on all sides, being sure to turn gently as the balls will be a bit delicate until 2 sides are cooked.
Sauce:
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. brown mustard
4 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup water
Salt & pepper
Whisk sauce ingredients together and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half.
Serve alone or over a side of rice, shirataki noodles, spaghetti or spaghetti squash. Serves 3 – 4
This recipe is based on a loose description posted on Instagram about a month ago. No idea which ‘grammer I caged the idea from, but I suspect it was someone either Indian or Middle Eastern, given the direction this dish took. Or, I could have just had Zaatar and mustard oil on hand 🙂
Either way, this is a good little side – would be nice with some tangy goat cheese if you do dairy, and also goes nicely with the Vaguely Persian Crispy Rice I posted awhile back.
Heat the oil and ghee over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds & oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant and just beginning to pop. Add the garlic and stir to combine.
Add the beets and flatten to cover the bottom of the pan. Hit with salt and pepper. Let crisp up a bit before stirring – or, let form a cake on the bottom of the pan and flip in wedges (or altogether if you’ve got that kind of skill).
This dish turned out miles better than I feared it would. I was hella worried that by using coconut milk as the sole liquid to cook my rice I was going to blow up my rice cooker.
I’m glad those fears were unjustified, because this rice is bomb. So bomb, I made more just so I could serve it with another ‘stepping out on a limb’ dish I’m hoping will be good enough to share with you guys in a few days (spoiler: it involves beets and stir-frying).
This rice makes a great base for simple broccolini like I’ve served here, a nice light green curry, some simple salmon, or even – strangely – some soft-scrambled eggs (or as soft as I can get them, which is not Julia Child level soft).
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Sesame Coconut Rice Bowl
1 cup rice (I used a Basmati/wild combination)
1 14 ounce can coconut milk
1 Tbsp. sesame oil (+more)
2 tsp. your favorite chicken bouillon (mine happens to be vegan and it’s fantastic – Ida’s is the brand and I believe it’s out of South Africa)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. tahini
Red chili flakes
Toasted sesame seeds
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch broccolini, chopped
2 tsp. neutral oil
2 tsp. ground turmeric
Set your rice, coconut milk, sesame oil and chicken bouillon in your rice cooker. Add a generous sprinkle salt and cook however you cook rice.
While the rice is going, stir-fry the broccolini and onion in the oil until browned (if you add the stalks in first and get those going until just starting to look cooked you’ll have less chance of burning the flowery bits). Whack with salt and pepper. Add the turmeric and toss. Throw in a few Tablespoons water and let cook until the water evaporates and the broccolini is done to your liking. We like browned in spots but still crisp-tender.
Stir in the tahini and lemon zest.
To serve, add 1/3 of the rice to a bowl and top with 1/3 of the broccolini. Add a drizzle of sesame oil, sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Our little Monday night burger night needed a little kick in the pants. We’ve been doing whatever fake meats our local market has on hand (our favorites so far have been the Beyond Burgers and the Quorn Southern Fried “chicken” patties)j, and it’s been going really well. This week they happened to be out of good (non-lentil, non-bean) options, so I went for something a little different.
It was a big hit with me; with DH, not so much. He’s much more of a traditionalist when it comes to “staple” kid-friendly foods and has to be in the right mood for anything too far off the beaten path.
gluten-free, paleo
Indian Spiced Burgers
500g ground beef
1 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste (I used prepared)
3/4 small bunch cilantro
2 small green chilis
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. curry powder (your favorite mix)
Juice & zest of 1 lime
1 tsp. red chili powder (I used cayenne)
Mince your cilantro and chili. Add with the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix until combined well, but not gluey.
Divvy into 4 burger patties and fry until your desired done ness has been reached.
I served mine with Kewpie mayonnaise and a generous dollop of Bombay Sandwich Chutney on a soft bun. DH added cheese to his.
This sounds like a weird combination, but it works really well. Bonus: this side dish makes a great little flavor punch for pretty much any main component. I served mine with next week’s Indian Spiced Burgers the first night and leftovers with plain chicken in the next day’s lunch and both were flavorful and delicious.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Dilled Curry Potatoes
500g baby potatoes
Neutral oil
1 Tbsp. curry powder (your favorite mix will do, and some fresh curry leaves would also be great here)
1 small green chili pepper
1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. red chili powder (I used cayenne)
4 – 5 cloves fresh garlic (3 Tbsp. when minced)
2 Tbsp. fresh dill (or more if you have more – I would have actually liked a little extra)
Salt & pepper
Fill your largest high-sided sauté pan with water to 3/4 of the way up the sides, nestle the potatoes in, add a bunch of salt and bring to a shallow boil for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain carefully and cut into halves.
While the potatoes are cooking: mince the garlic, chop the chili pepper, assemble the dried spices, and chop the dill. Set the dill aside.
Add enough oil to your pan to cover the bottom, and heat over high/medium-high until the oil starts to shimmer. Add the potatoes, liberally salt and pepper, and give a good stir for a couple minutes until they start to color.
Add the spices and garlic and stir-fry until the potatoes are as browned as you want them to be and the garlic goes nice and crispy.
Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the dill to complete.
This was one of those providential recipes that just sort of fell together. I was craving a bright salad – where I live, cucumber/tomato salad is ubiquitous – my auto-pilot has Asian flavors on the brain – and I had half a tub of premade hummus that needed using up. And past-me was smart and put two salmon fillets in the freezer. Go, past-me. Thanks for looking out.
gluten-free, pescatarian
Hummus Salad with Relish
First, start the salmon:
1 salmon fillet per person (defrosted if frozen)
Red chili powder
Cumin powder
Salt & pepper
Pat the salmon dry, dust with spices on both sides and pan sautee in a couple spritzes neutral oil until your desired doneness is reached. We like a nice medium.
While the salmon is working, make the relish:
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 ounce pickled ginger, minced
2 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
Juice of 1 lime
I scallion, minced
Combine all relish ingredients and let sit.
To serve:
Leftover rice cooked in chicken stock (I had a mixture of basmati and wild rice I’d made a few days before)
3-4 Tbsp. hummus per person
To assemble, line the bowl with a generous smear of hummus. Top with the rice, lay the fish on top of that and spoon some relish over the whole shebang.
This dish started with a craving for the taste of charred vegetables, lemon and the fattiness of hummus. Weird, I know, but it turned out really well and I’ll definitely be making this again the next time I have a tub of hummus chillin’ in the back of the fridge that’s in danger of going slimy.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Hummus Pasta with Burnt Green Beans
1.5 cups pasta (I used a gluten-free rice/quinoa mix pasta)
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
1/4 cup hummus
1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic in paper
250g green beans
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt & pepper
A few spritzes oil
Preheat your oven to 220C/375F and prep a baking sheet with foil or a silicone liner.
Chop the green beans into bite-sized pieces and toss with a few spritzes oil + salt & pepper. Spread on the sheet in a single layer.
Chuck the garlic cloves (still in their paper) and the lemon (halved, cut side up) on the baking sheet and bake around 25 minutes, or until the green beans have started to burn in spots.
While the beans are working, cook the pasta according to directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Return to the warm pot.
Add the green beans when done. De-paper the garlic and squish if the cloves are squishable and chop if they’re crispy. Add to the pot. Squeeze the lemon into the mix (I used a chip clip to do so because the lemon was still really hot and my tongs were in the dishwasher). Add the nutritional yeast and hummus and toss, using the reserved pasta water to thin the mixture out if it looks too dry.
Season with salt & pepper.
To serve, spritz with a pump or two of oil to add a little more moisture.
I love a good hidden veggie pasta, and this dish is no exception. Almost smoky (smoky would be awesome here), a little tart, a little silk – this one is good.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Burnt Eggplant Pasta
2 small purple eggplants
Salt, pepper, neutral oil
2 Tablespoons neutral oil
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon Thai roasted red chili paste
1.5 Tablespoons tamarind paste
1 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1.5 cups cooked pasta
Lemon or sumac powder
Preheat your oven to 220C/400F and prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or tinfoil. Halve your eggplants lengthwise, score, dust with salt & pepper and sprinkle with neutral oil. Bake about 40 minutes, or until blackened but not turned into charcoal.
Pull and let sit to cool.
In a medium saucepan, sautee the onion and garlic (chopped) in 2 Tablespoons of oil until nicely browned. Hit with salt and pepper.
Scoop the eggplant guts into the onions and stir to combine.
Add the red chili paste, tamarind paste and pomegranate molasses. Stir to combine.
Chuck into the bowl of a food processor and whiz until mostly blended. Taste and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.
Put back into the pan with the cooked pasta.
Chop the pistachios and parsley. Fold into the pasta mixture and serve topped with the lemon or sumac powder.
Gastography 