September 19, 2020
Shaved Zucchini + Stone Fruit Salad
I love a good end-of-Summer savory fruit salad. It’s kind of a yearly thing with my brain, and I’m here for it.
This is no exception to that rule. This salad is about as light as one would expect, but works well. I worried that the zucchini wouldn’t be great, but it was; even raw. The key here is to peel it into ribbons. I used my regular vegetable peeler. My ribbons weren’t even, but they were delicious.
So much so, I can’t really say this is more than a 1-person meal. I mean, sure, you can feed 2 if you want to throw a main in, but I managed to knock it out in a second helping at lunch.
If you can’t find the Kewpie dressing, a nice sesame would be good. So would my love pomegranate molasses. Balsamic would also work really well. Grapefruit would play nicely.
I had also meant to grab some good vegan Feta for this salad but forgot. It would be nice and would definitely help fill this out to more of a meal, but wasn’t necessary.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo
Shaved Zucchini + Stone Fruit Salad
1 large zucchini, ribboned thinly
1/2 shallot, minced
1 plum, chopped
3Tbsp. Kewpie no-oil Yuzu dressing
1Tbsp. your favorite neutral oil
2Tbsp. smoked almonds, chopped
1.5tsp. fresh thyme
1/4c. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2tsp. red chili flakes
Ribbon the zucchini thinly and add to a large bowl.
I tossed any ribbons that were purely peel to the pups, and stopped when I hit all-seed strips. A bit is wasted here, but can be easily chopped and chucked in a pan for a quick little pop of veggie later in the week. I ended up using mine in a breakfast zucchini & fried egg rice with browned butter and snipped chives.
Mince the shallot, de-stem the thyme, and chop both the parsley and plum. Add to the bowl.
Add the red chili flakes, along with the dressing and oil. I’d start with 2 Tbsp. dressing, toss, and see if it needs more. Hit with a few grinds salt and pepper.
When it’s time to plate, add the chopped almonds and toss quickly so they don’t go soggy.
Serves 1 – 2 for lunch depending upon what all else you have going on
September 18, 2020
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September 16, 2020
September 15, 2020
September 14, 2020
September 13, 2020
September 12, 2020
Zucchini Rice Pilaf
Sneaky veg FTW in this one. I snuck half a huge zucchini in this rice and it went unnoticed (or at least un commented on). Win.
I served this the first night with seared salmon, and the second with some pepper steak Quorn and a sprinkle of mushroom powder. Both were delicious, and I could see a swirl of pomegranate molasses or some chopped apricot or golden raisins working well here. Smoked almonds instead of plain slivered would also be fantastic.
I also *almost* added the juice and zest of 1 lemon, but am glad I pulled back from that at the last minute. Lemon would be good, but I apparently missed buttery rice in my life.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Zucchini Rice Pilaf
1c. basmati rice
2c. water
1Tbsp. butter (dairy or non; whichever you prefer)
1/2tsp. salt
1/2 a big zucchini (you could actually add the whole thing, but I erred on the side of caution)
1 large shallot
2Tbsp. slivered almonds
2Tbsp. capers
1Tbsp. snipped chives
2Tbsp. chopped parsley
Neutral oil of choice
Make your rice however you make rice, using the water as the liquid and the butter as the fat. Don’t forget to add salt.
While the rice is working, grate the zucchini, snip the chives and chop the parsley. Add to a large bowl.
Finely slice the shallot and fry in a little oil over medium-low heat until browned. When nicely browned (I had wanted caramelized, but this small a quantity of shallot in only the bare minimum of oil browns rather than caramelizes. Would also be amaze with caramelized onion), push the shallot to the side of your pan and add the capers and a bare drizzle of fat.
Push that to 1/3 of the pan until the capers look like they’ll start jumping any minute.
Add the slivered almonds to the last 1/3 of the pan. Toast. Pull the individual items as they are ready and add to the big bowl.
When the rice is done but still warm, add to the big bowl and stir all vigorously to combine.
Serves 4 as a side
