Tag: main dishes

Tuscan “Chicken”

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I was craving a creamy, luxurious meatless chicken pasta, and I think this fits the bill.

vegetarian, vegan

Tuscan “Chicken”

Extra firm tofu

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp. poultry-ish seasoning (I used the kelp seasoning from Bragg’s)

Salt & pepper

1/3 cup or so flour

Spritz oil

1 cup raw cashews

1 + 3/4 cup veggie broth, divided

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

6 cloves garlic

1 cup sun dried tomatoes

3 cups fresh baby spinach

Bow tie or other pasta

Add the cashews to a saucepan with water; simmer 15 minutes or until soft. Alternately, soak them overnight in water to soften – but I never remember to do this.

While the cashews are doing their thing, make the “chicken”.

Slice the tofu into batons or chunks, cover with paper towels, press to release as much water as possible.

Lay out a dredging station with 1 dish full of soy sauce and 1 of panko mixed with the poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and flour.

Dip the tofu in the soy sauce, coat in the breading, and lay on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Spritz with some oil if desired. Bake at 400F/220C for around 25 minutes or until browned and crispy.

While the “chicken” is chicken-ing, make the sauce by blending the (mostly drained) cashews, broth (starting with 1 cup and drizzling in more as needed), nutritional yeast, garlic, and a little salt and pepper.

When done, add to a large pan with the sun dried tomatoes (chopped). Add the spinach and stir gently to wilt. Add a little more stock if you’ve got it or water if you don’t if the sauce thickens too much. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Serve with pasta or rice.

Serves 4 for dinner

Peachy Keen Steak Bowl

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This dish *started* as a riff on a Mediterranean steak bowl … and then my local grocery had nice peaches. So we went a different way. FYI, hummus pairs quite well with peaches.

gluten-free

Peachy Keen Steak Bowl

Steak:

1kg. flank steak or something similar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

Liberal cracked black pepper.

First, combine all steak ingredients in a bag or vessel of some sort and marinate at least an hour and up to over night. When it’s time to cook, remove the steak to a prepared baking sheet. Toss the marinade.

Salady bit:

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2 red onion, fairly thinly sliced

1-2 peaches, sliced into quarters or eighths

1 small cucumber, chopped

Splash rice vinegar

Splash oil

Salt & pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon (I halved and roasted mine along with the veggies)

Set your oven to broil. Add the cherry tomatoes, halved lemons, peach wedges and onion slices to the prepared sheet with the steak.

Pop into the oven for 4 minutes, flip the steak, and back into the oven for 2 more for rare (if your steak is thin); more for not-rare. When the steak is cooked to your liking, remove and let sit 4 – 10 minutes to rest. Slice thinly against the grain with rested.

While the steak and veggies are broiling, make the dressing.

When the tomatoes are blistered and the peaches have some color, add to a large bowl with the cucumber (chopped). Add the rest of the ingredients, toss, and taste for salt and acid.

Dressing:

1/2 cup yogurt (I was lucky enough to find plain soy yogurt this week)

1 Tbsp. neutral oil

The other half lemons’ juice

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. salt

A little black pepper

Stir all dressing ingredients to combine. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Bowl:

Hummus

Microgreens (optional, I used radish)

Toasted pepitas (Optional)

Chives or green onions (would also be lovely)

To assemble the bowl, lay a Tablespoon or a few of hummus down. Top with greens if you’re using and some salad. Lay the steak on top, top with dressing, and sprinkle with the optional garnishes. Hit with a few grinds pepper & an extra sprinkle salt.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch

Orange Salmon

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This recipe is unabashedly stolen from a (mostly) Internet friend, who daily sets his sights on making the rest of us in our little corner of the (virtual) world drool.

Gluten-free, pescatarian

Orange Salmon

2 salmon fillets

1-2 cups cooked rice

1 cup snow peas

1 orange

1 thumb + 1 thumb ginger

1 Tbsp. + 2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar (the original recipe called for mirin, but I can’t get that where i live)

1 Tbsp. honey

2 cloves garlic

1 green onion

Sesame seeds

Mix together the soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. sesame oil, rice vinegar and honey. Grate and stir in the garlic and 1 thumb ginger.

Brush the mixture over your salmon and place skin side up on a prepared baking sheet.

Broil 3 – 5 minutes, flip, baste, and broil another minute or two – until your desired done ness is reached.

While the salmon is working, bring the other Tablespoon of sesame oil up to medium-high in a large pan. Add the snow peas in and toss. Grate the second thumb of ginger in and toss. Zest the orange and toss in.

Sauté until browned in spots. Remove.

Supreme the orange and slice each segment into thirds.

To serve, toss the rice with the segmented orange. Thinly slice the green onion and toss in.

Arrange the rice mix in a bowl, top with a bed of snow peas, and a salmon filet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the whole lot.

Serves 2 for dinner

Sumac Chicken

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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).

Serves 3 – 4

Hibachi Bowls

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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.

Serves 4

BBQ Chicken Meatball Bowl

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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

Sesame Coconut Rice Bowl

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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.

Serves 3 as a light meal or side

Indian Spiced Burgers

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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.

Serves 4

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Buffalo Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

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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.

Serves 2 for dinner

Hummus Salmon with Relish

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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.

Makes enough relish for 4; the rest is up to you