This is a fantastic way to hide some eggplant and use up a big hunk of pesto. I’ve served this on toast, with eggs, as the base of a sandwich, and would absolutely love the pesto swirled into some mashed potatoes. The hummus, too, tbh. Ooh. Would also be nice thinned with a bit of oil or water and tossed with pasta. I need to make a second batch.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Eggplant Hummus with Dill Pesto
Hummus
1 smallish eggplant, roasted
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. tahini
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper
Salt
To make, combine all ingredients in a food processor and whiz. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or acid as necessary.
Dill Pesto
1 huge hand dill (about 1/3 of a cup packed)
About 1/3 of a cup smoked almonds, chopped
1 big clove garlic
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. water
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt
To make, combine all ingredients in a food processor and whiz. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or acid as necessary.
Makes about a cup of hummus and half – 3/4 a cup of pesto
This is a nice little dairy-free use of enchilada sauce. Would work well in a burrito.
A couple notes: I was wanting a little more fat with mine – the addition of a little butter before baking would work, and if you eat cheese – that would work as well.
Also watch your chicken. Mine turned out a touch rubbery – I may go for pre-sliced chicken strips next time.
Enchilada Chicken & Rice Bake
Gluten-free
1 small onion
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
1 cup long grain brown rice
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 bell peppers
1 jar enchilada sauce (375g)
3-4 chicken thighs
Optional: Avocado, cilantro, scallions, cheese
Slice the onion thinly and add to a large pan with 1 Tbsp. neutral oil over medium/medium-high heat. Sautée until beginning to soften.
Add the rice and toss until coated. Sautee until the rice smells nutty and is beginning to pop and brown a bit. Add to the bowl of a rice cooker or pot with 2 cups water, some salt and the spices. Cook how you cook brown rice.
While the rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 200C/375F and very lightly grease a casserole dish.
When the rice is done, add to the casserole. Thinly slice the peppers and arrange on top of the rice. Nestle the chicken on top. Top with enchilada sauce. Add a jar of water.
Cover tightly with tinfoil and bake 30 – 35 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.
This recipe as written, I realize, may not be accessible to anyone who does not share my love of grabbing interesting looking ingredients from the Asian aisle and chucking them in whatever looks good.
If you’re still curious to see what this tastes like and don’t share that predilection, an approximation can most likely be made by combining lemon juice, a hint of pomegranate molasses and a hint of rotel green chilis.
I served this plain for dinner (DH added rotisserie chicken to his), and with chili tuna for lunch the next day. Both plain and with some added tuna were good; if you want a little more nutrition with your dinner, broccoli would be great here. Maybe a bit of sesame seed for a little more fat.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Roasted Potatoes with Avocado Dill Sauce
Sauce:
1 stalk celery
1 Tbsp. Japanese Yuzu jalapeño sauce
1 Tbsp. Kewpie Yuzu no-oil dressing
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. oil of choice
Neutrally seasoned roasted potatoes (I roasted mine in a combo of garlic oil, salt and pepper until browned in a 220C oven ~35 mins)
Chop celery and garlic and add to a blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Whiz. Taste for salt and acid, adding more if necessary. Add a little more water if it’s too thick for your liking. Mine was fine, but your mileage may vary.
Sauce serves 4 – 5; potatoes can adjust to accommodate that number or more
This recipe started off as a way to use up some fresh dill that wasn’t my favorite egg salad and somehow ended up morphing into a riff of an old Summer family favorite: seafood salad. Which I can’t believe I haven’t shared a recipe with y’all for yet. I c-r-a-v-e it every tomato season.
The original (to my family at least) salad included Krab, shrimp, hard boiled eggs & lots of mayo. Sometimes, depending upon which Aunt got a wild hair, chopped up bits of lettuce. Which is weird, but good.
Anyways. I gave myself an aversion to fake crab my first Summer out of high school (reminder, kids: check your expiration dates), so that was out. I swapped with flaked salmon but kept the shrimp in this version; I also sadly forgot the egg until I was eating trying to figure out what was missing. I was also wanting a little more mustard punch, so adjust yours as necessary.
And a note on seasoning: I happen to love this salad with way too much pepper and salt, because that’s how my family usually served it. This recipe includes a normal amount of each (depending on how HAM you go with the cracked pepper); I had to go back twice for more after the salad hit the fridge.
gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan with substitutions
Avocado Dill Pasta Salad
Dressing:
1 avocado (mine was small and I could have gone for more)
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. water
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salad:
4 – 6 cups pasta of choice (I used rice spirals)
15 cherry tomatoes
1 smallish cucumber (about 2/3 cup chopped)
1 smallish bell pepper (about 1 cup chopped)
2 – 4 stalks celery (about 3/4 cup chopped)
1/2 shallot, minced
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. celery seed (if using celery salt instead, you may not need to salt the salad – taste, taste, taste)
Loads of fresh cracked black pepper
Salt
Shrimp (I used 13 medium), peeled, cooked & chopped (optional)
Krab, crab or salmon (also optional)
2 – 3 Tbsp. your favorite mayo (optional)
Start you pasta boiling according to package directions, taking care to salt the water. When almost done, chuck your shrimp in to cook. Drain and set aside.
Pull the shrimp and chop. Add to a large bowl.
Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, celery, scallion and parsley. Add to the big bowl.
Mince the shallot and add. Halve the tomatoes and add those too. Add the celery seed.
In a blender or food processor, blitz all dressing ingredients until smooth. If you want your dressing a little runny, add more water until desired consistency is reached. Mine turned out a bit thick, which I liked, but I ended up adding 2 – 3 Tbsp. Kewpie mayo to the salad to loosen it a bit.
Add the cooled-ish pasta and dressing to the bowl. Mix well to combine. Hit with a bunch of pepper. Taste. Add more salt, lemon juice or some mayo to finish off.
Stash in the fridge for a bit to chill and let the flavors get acquainted.
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
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.
This lower-than-it-could be in carbs dish started life as the baby of a Japanese curry recipe and a ramen recipe and snowballed into a straight-up yummy pasta dish. I’m super bummed I only made enough to serve two; this was fantastic.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Roasted Pumpkin Miso Pasta
About a cup chopped pumpkin or butternut squash
2 tsp. white miso paste
Veggie or chicken stock
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
Olive oil
1 Tbsp. + sesame oil
Curry powder
1 inch peeled fresh ginger, minced
2 scallions, minced
Sesame seeds
Soft egg (optional)
Togarishi (optional)
Kontjac noodles or sushi rice or ramen or udon or zoodles – all would be awesome, though I’ve only tried wide kontjac and rice
Preheat your oven to 200C/375F. Peel and chop the pumpkin into smallish pieces. Add to a prepared baking sheet, lash with oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and curry powder. Toss. Bake about 40 minutes or until browned in spots and soft.
Let cool for a beat, and then add to a blender with the miso, red chili flakes, 2 tsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. curry powder, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, and 1/2 a cup of stock. Blitz, adding more stock if needed to get smooth. I used about a cup in this stage.
In a saucepan or tall-ish sided skillet, add the minced ginger and the white + light green parts of the scallions with 2 tsp. garlic oil. Sauté until the onion is beginning to soften.
Add the blitzed pumpkin and another half cup or so of stock. Let simmer down to the consistency of a thick soup.
Add your drained and rinsed kontjac or whatever curry vehicle you’re feeling, toss, and let simmer a few minutes to combine.
Serve with an optional soft egg, the green parts of the scallions, a little drizzle of sesame oil, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and some togarishi if you want another hit of spice.
Finally! I’ve been trying to make a silky, luxurious feeling Thai-style red curry for a minute and keep screwing something up. Either I don’t let it reduce long enough, or I drown the flavors some how – or I forget a key component like curry paste or coconut milk.
This go round, I forgot to pick up coconut milk. I swear my kitchen eats the stuff. I’ve lost like 3 cans of it in the last few months. But, with a last-minute grocery trip I was all ready to go. Whoo. I’m glad I was, too – this is a good one.
gluten-free, paleo, pescatarian
Thai-Style Red Curry
1 can coconut milk
Veggie, fish or chicken stock (1 of the empty coconut milk cans’ worth)
2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce/coconut aminos
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, peeled to reveal the soft center – mince 1 and whack the other with the back of your knife to release its flavors while cooking
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 Thai red chilis (optional), minced
1.5 cups pumpkin or butternut squash, chopped
3/4 cup chopped okra
2 Tbsp. minced basil
Minced smoked salmon (optional)
Rice to serve
This is a simple slow-cooker dump meal. Prep all ingredients and dump into your cooker (minus the salmon, basil and green parts of the scallions). Cook however you would make a stew.
When complete, add to a saucepan and simmer until reduced a bit and silky. Serve over rice, topped with the green parts of the scallion and chopped basil.
I miss Italian sausage. Or any sausage, really, that isn’t merguez, sojuk or a loose mix for kebabs.
The only sausage other than those I’ve seen where I live are chicken or beef hot dogs, and occasionally some smoked turkey or beef kielbasa. Delicious, but not exactly what I’m after. I’ve also seen Beyond Burger brats a couple times, but haven’t for months and I’m tired of waiting.
I used to make sausage back in my Charcuteapalooza days and loved it. This isn’t that, and maybe someday I’ll have the access and equipment to make legit sausages again, but this is a step in at least having those flavors in my life again.
I used my mix two ways: sprinkled liberally over ground chicken in a hash type situation, and sprinkled over potatoes with a little sun dried tomato oil before roasting. Both were delicious.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Sausage Mix
1 tsp. each of the following dried spices:
Oregano
Basil
Paprika (I used sweet but smoked would also be delicious)
Black pepper
Onion powder
Dill
Rosemary
Celery seed (or celery salt)
2 tsp. each of these:
Garlic powder
Salt
Cayenne pepper
If you have fennel, this mix will lean more Italian sausage – add 2 teaspoons to the mix. I did not, so I added half the amount of dill. Caraway would also be nice in the 1 tsp. quantity, as would thyme or sage.
Makes about enough for 1 lb. of meat + 1 tray of potatoes
This makes a nice little Summer dinner. It’s low fuss, can be eaten cold or room temperature, and dressed a bunch of different ways. As pasta salads can.
Gluten-free, pescatarian
Salmon Soba Salad
1 package soba noodles
2 salmon fillets
4 – 6 ounces watercress or microgreen
1/4 cup chives, snipped
1/2 cup scallions, sliced thin
Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
1 medium cucumber, sliced into thin ribbons or diced
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sriracha
Marinade
2 tsp. gochujiang
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
Combine the marinade ingredients. Marinate the fish 30 mins – an hour. Discard marinade and bake or sauté the fish until your desired done ness is reached. I pan sautéed mine until medium with nice and crispy skin. Do watch the fish; your marinade has honey in it so it is like to burn. Mine did a bit, but it was still delicious.
While your fish is working, whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cook your soba according to package directions, drain and set aside, adding a scant sprinkle of sesame oil and tossing quickly to avoid the noodles sticking together while they sit and cool. If you want your salad cold, chill in the fridge.
Dice and mince the cucumber and herbs. Add to the bowl. Add the micro greens. Add the noodles. Toss to combine.
To serve, plate up a bowl of noodle salad, topped with thick batons of fish and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
