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).
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 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, admittedly, is a weird one. But bear with me – sometimes those weird-ass Chopped pantry situations work out well.
At the beginning of Quarantine Life, DH brought home a bunch of packets of tuna – one of those was buffalo flavored, and I thought that was just fascinating. Of course, it was the last one left in the pile, and it had me craving wings.
Which of course I had zero ingredients to make – so I had to get a little creative.
Note: Ingredients I wanted but did not have: celery, ranch dressing, cucumbers, pickle relish, capers
gluten-free
Buffalo Chicken with Smashed Potatoes
1 pouch (2.5 ounces) Starkist buffalo chicken
1 scallion
1/2 tsp. celery salt
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
6 green olives
Black pepper
500g baby potatoes
3 Tbsp. zaatar
Juice of 1 lemon
Oil, salt & pepper
Set your largest pan over high heat. add the potatoes and enough water so they’re 1/2 – 3/4 covered. Boil 10 minutes or until fork tender.
Transfer the potatoes to a prepared baking sheet and smash flat. Spritz with oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake at 400F for 20 – 25 minutes or until crispy.
Pull and sprinkle with the zaatar and lemon juice.
In a small bowl, combine the buffalo chicken, green onion (diced), celery salt (celery would be great here), mayo, green olives (diced – capers or pickle relish would also be good) and a little black pepper.
To serve, divide the potatoes and chicken salad into two bowls and toss.
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.
This dish is based on a half-remembered few bites of absolutely delicious I had in the Souq in an Iraqui? Iranian? Syrian? restaurant awhile back. No idea if the flavors are quite what I tasted, but the theory is based on a popular dish called Tahdig. Tahdig means “bottom of the pot” and from what I’ve heard is a good comfort food. I can definitely see that, and we could all use a little comfort right about now.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Vaguely Persian Crispy Rice
1.5 cups leftover cooked rice (I used a long grain wild/basmati mix and I heartily suggest something along those lines)
1/2 yellow onion
2 Tablespoons mustard oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons butter or vegan butter substutute
1 small butternut squash, roasted with salt & pepper
1 scallion
Pomegranate molasses
Fresh parsley
Slivered almonds
Optional: leftover chicken sauteed simply with salt, pepper & oregano in a little oil
In a smallish nonstick pan, bring the mustard oil up to temperature over medium-high heat. While that’s working, mince the garlic. Add the turmeric, mustard seeds and garlic to the hot oil. Let bloom, stirring occasionally a few minutes or until the seeds just begin to pop and the air smells great.
While the spices are working, roughly chop the onion.
Add and sautee until softened.
Add the leftover rice, stir well to combine, season with salt & pepper and smash flat onto the bottom of the pan. I smashed mine with a potato masher into as thin and even a layer as possible.
Let cook undisturbed until crisped on the bottom. You will know the rice is done when the brown rice starts to pop, the air smells a bit nutty, and little bits you push from the outside of the pan to the edges look toasty. This is a nerve-wracking prospect.
When your rice is about 2/3 of the way done (or you’re at peak ‘I know it’s burnt’ anxiety), add the butter in pieces all around the pan.
While that’s working, chop and reheat the squash. Chop the scallions. Chop the parsley.
When the rice is ready, top with the squash, scallions, parsley & slivered almonds. Drizzle the pomegranate molasses over top. Serve with the chicken if you need a protein in your meal.
This pantry-friendly fried rice is quick enough for a weeknight meal (for when the world gets back to working outside the home), and makes a great lunch the next day if there are leftovers.
Gluten-free, pescatarian
Chili Tuna Fried Rice
1.5 cups leftover cooked rice (I used sushi rice)
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/3 cup frozen cut green beans
2 Tbsp. neutral oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. sambal olek
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 can chili tuna in oil, drained
Add your neutral oil to a large pan over high heat. When it shimmers, add the frozen veggies and green onion. Stir fry until no longer frozen and starting to look cooked.
Add the rice and tuna. Continue to stir fry until the veggies begin to brown.
Make a well in the center of the rice mixture and crack the eggs in. Let sit until the bottom is firm, then scrape up, folding into the rice mix.
Add the coconut aminos, fish sauce and sambal. Stir quickly to combine.
Gastography 