Tag: paleo

Okra Mango Hash

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I know. Hang with me for a second. While this may sound like stoner or pregnant woman food, it strangely works.

Unbeknownst to me until relatively recently, the American South doesn’t actually corner the market in okra – okra curries are actually popular throughout India, and they’re delicious. Mango curries are also a thing that are delicious.

I had intended on including a couple spoons red pepper pesto to make a vaguely curries sauce, buuuuuuuut mine had molded. Oops. As did the miso butter I made months ago. So, no sauce but egg yolk and the taste I was thinking of turned out much more subtle than the original Chopped style concept (what can I say, I’ve been too lazy to go grocery shopping).

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian

Okra Mango Hash

1/2 – 1 c. okra, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds

1 small mango – I used the yellow kind

2 ounces leftover chicken – I used curried breasts I’d bulk cooked earlier in the week

2 tsp. fat of choice

2 eggs

1 tsp. butter or other egg cooking fat

Salt, pepper & your favorite curry powder

In a large pan over medium-high heat, bring the 2 tsp. fat to temperature. Add the okra, hit with the spices, and cook, stirring frequently, until the okra is browned a bit.

While that is working, shred your chicken and peel and chop the mango.

When the okra is done, add the chicken and mango and cook, stirring frequently, until the mango gets a kiss of brown.

While that is working, cook your eggs to their desired doneness after sprinkling with the spices.

To serve, top the hash with the eggs.

Serves 1 because DH is 1000% not into anything about this dinner

Weeknight Hash with Chive Pesto

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This pesto is bright, zingy and addictive. It’s great with rice and rotisserie chicken, with zoodles and shrimp, and of course with my absolute favorite – a nice weeknight hash.

Weeknight hash: because breakfast is *always* the right answer.

Gluten-free, paleo

Weeknight Hash with Chive Pesto

For the pesto:

1 bunch chives
2 cloves garlic
Juice 1 lemon
Couple glugs good olive oil
A little water if needed
Salt & pepper

For the hash:

Sweet potatoes
Onions
Fat of choice
Salt & pepper

Protein toppers:

Leftover chicken
Eggs

First, wash and chop your potatoes. Cut the onion into chunks. Toss with fat of choice, salt & pepper and bake at 180/200C until cooked to your desired doneness. Alternately, cook in a large pan on the stovetop.

While the potatoes are working, make the pesto by combining all ingredients but water in a blender. Drizzle in a little water if needed to move better. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed – you’re looking for tart and bright.

Grab your proteins and you’re ready to roll. To serve, spoon up some potatoes, top with your protein, and a couple Tablespoons pesto.

Pesto serves 4 or so – the hash depends on how much you make

Roasted Mustard Veggies

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This dish was exactly what I was picturing when I picked my bottle of mustard oil up.

It’s simple, quick, keto, pantry-friendly and delicious. Plus: it can be dressed up a million different ways. I served with 2 fried eggs for a low-effort dinner one night.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, keto, paleo

Roasted Mustard Veggies

10 ounces frozen veggies (I used a mixture of cauliflower, broccoli, and romanesco)
2-3 Tbsp. Fat of choice (I used coconut oil)
1 Tbsp. Mustard oil (can be found in Indian or middle-eastern groceries)
1/4 c. Slivered almonds
Sprinkle nutritional yeast or Parmesan (optional)
Salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 200C.

While your oven is heating, line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spread your frozen veggies on top. Sprinkle with the oils and hit with salt and pepper.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned to your liking.

While the veggies are roasting, dry toast the almonds over high heat in a large pan. Set aside.

To serve, top the veggies with the almonds.

Makes a hearty main (with something light like eggs) for 1 or decent side for 2

Persian-ish Cauliflower Rice

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This recipe came about because I’ve been diving deep into Persian and Arabic cuisine, trying to wrap my head around what flavors are consistent and what ones are more regional – aaaaaaand I needed to use up a few stock ingredients before purchasing more fresh.

So – with this dish, we take the tomato, pomegranate and pistachio from this region, the parsley and onions found pretty much everywhere, cauliflower rice from the US (or you could probably go for India here – they have cauli, but riced is an American thing to the best of my knowledge), and blueberries from the US/Europe.

This makes a nice light side for basic chicken or beef (I first ate it with curry chicken breast), or alone and chilled as a salad.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, keto (watch your carbs from tomatoes, nuts and berries)

Persian-ish Cauliflower Rice

1 small head cauliflower, riced about 4 cups (I used some I had frozen and thawed)
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. fat of choice (I used coconut oil)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
10 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup pistachios
Salt & pepper

Dice the onion and garlic. Heat your fat in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sautee until translucent.

While the onion and garlic is working, gather the rest of your ingredients.

When the onion and garlic mixture is translucent, add the cauliflower rice, a hit of salt & pepper, stir, and let cook 3 – 5 minutes.

While the cauliflower mix is working, cut the tomatoes in half and chop both the pistachios and parsley.

Add the garlic powder, onion powder, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, pomegranate molasses, half the lemon juice, and tomatoes. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Cut the heat and add the blueberries, parsley and pistachio. Taste and add salt & pepper if needed – add the rest of the lemon juice here if desired. I wanted mine extra zingy, so I did. It would have been fine without.

Serves 4 as a side

Dilled Butternut Squash

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This sounds like a whole bunch of weird in one dish, but it’s freaking delicious. I ate both servings in one day – and was suuuuuuuuuuper sad when I didn’t have enough for leftovers the next day.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Dilled Butternut Squash

Small butternut squash
3 Tbsp. fresh dill
2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. cayenne powder
1/4 c. tahini
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp. water
Fat of choice
Mustard oil (optional – this ingredient is Middle Eastern/Indian and is freaking delicious with roasted veggies and meats)
Salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Chop your butternut squash into 1/2 inch chunks, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with your favorite fat (I used coconut oil) and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Drizzle with a little mustard oil as an accent – I used about a Tablespoon (think of it like sesame oil in Japanese food) and I think that was the right amount.

Bake 25 minutes or until soft.

Note: I don’t peel my squash and don’t mind the skin – you may want to peel yours; you don’t have to. 

While your squash is roasting, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl into a thick paste. Whisk in the water slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

When the squash is done, add to the bowl and toss to combine.

Serves 2 as a side dish

Thai Coconut Beef Curry

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This dish is quick to throw together, takes a minimal amount of effort, and makes enough to last a few days.

gluten-free, paleo, keto

Thai Coconut Beef Curry

2 – 3 Tbsp. your favorite oil
1 medium onion
1 lb. ground or sliced beef
5 – 7 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
13 ounce can coconut milk (full fat is best)
10 ounces shredded cabbage
1 orange bell pepper
5 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1 c. frozen spinach
Juice 1 lime
Salt & pepper

Chop the onion. In a large steep-sided pan or pot, add the oil and heat to medium. Sautee the onion until softened.

Add the beef, hit with some salt and pepper, and cook through.

While the beef is working, chop the garlic and ginger and bell pepper and cabbage. Add the ginger and garlic to the beef mixture and cook 1 – 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Add the veggies, coconut milk, 1 can of water, curry paste, and another hit salt & pepper.

Bring to a boil, add the frozen spinach, knock the heat down and let simmer 10 – 15 minutes or until the coconut milk has reduced to the consistency you want.

Turn the heat off, add the lime, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/acid if needed.

Serves 4

Vegan Za’atar Lasagna

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This recipe was inspired by a Roasted Eggplant and Za’atar Lasagna recipe posted by Lottie + Doof. Za’atar is one of my favorite new spice blends, and I’ve been looking at using it lately in a wider context of flavors. How it would blend with traditional Italian seasonings was intriguing, and I’m glad to say it’s a good match. The za’atar isn’t super prevalent in this dish, but I think the nuttiness kind of rounds out the flavors going on here and gives good balance for the fatty “cheese” and sweet veggies.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Vegan Za’atar Lasagna

1 large Italian eggplant
Fat of choice
Head of garlic (about 10 cloves)
1 small onion
1 small butternut squash
400g (about 14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp. za’atar
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
Curry powder (I used madras)
Salt & pepper
1/4 c. sliced green olives
Nutritional yeast

For the Vegan Ricotta

1 c. raw cashews
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 small cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. onion powder
Salt & pepper

First, set your cashews to soak in warm water. You want these to soak for at least 20 minutes.

Next, set your oven to 200C and cover a baking sheet with foil. Cut the eggplant into roughly 1 inch cubes, sprinkle with oil, salt, pepper & curry and roast 20 – 25 minutes or until browning and soft.

While the eggplant is working, dice the onion and garlic and add to a large pan over medium – medium-low heat with a couple Tablespoons fat. Saute until translucent.

Add the tomatoes, za’atar, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Crush the tomatoes with your stirring spoon if they are not already crushed and cook an additional 3 – 5 minutes to marry the flavors.

When the eggplant is done, make the ricotta by blending all ingredients with enough water to make the mixture go but not get too thin.

Slice the butternut squash width-wise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick rounds (remove the seeds of the seeded end and cut into moons).

To assemble, cover the bottom of a baking pan with a little sauce, a layer of squash, a later of ricotta, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, and a layer of eggplant. Repeat, ending with sauce.

Bake at 180C for 20 minutes or until the squash is soft. Serve sprinkled with olives.

Southabic Summer Fridge Salad

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Southabic? What’s a Southabic?

I was craving Southern-style tomato/cucumber/onion/vinegar salad, had a bunch of local tomatoes and cucumbers, and have a lot of Arabic-style spices on hand (plus: I have a whole literal drink cup full of pomegranate arils I have to use up before they go bad) – so, this salad was born.

And it was so freaking delicious I ate it for two dinners in a row with ground beef mixed in as a protein.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto

Southabic Summer Fridge Salad

2 medium tomatoes
2 – 4 cucumbers (I used Arabic cucumbers, which are smaller than the American or English varieties, with less large seeds)
1/4 red onion
1 clove garlic
1 slack hand full dill
1 slack hand full parsley
Red chili pepper
1/4 c. sliced green olives
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Sprinkle (about 1 Tbsp.) apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper
Madras curry (or your favorite curry, really, I just went for the most generic)
Cumin powder
Optional garnishes: chopped pistachios and pomegranate arils
Optional bulk proteins: ground beef or rotisserie chicken

To prepare the salad, chop the cucumber and tomato and add to a large bowl. Mince the onion, dill, parsley, chili and garlic and add to the bowl. Add the olives.

Drizzle the olive oil over top. Sprinkle the vinegar and spices (I’d say I used about a teaspoon of curry and half a teaspoon cumin all told), and hit with salt & pepper.

Toss to combine and stick in the fridge a couple hours to let the flavors marry.

Serves 2 for dinner when bulked up by a protein

Sweet Potato Toasts with Vegan Labneh

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This is another recipe inspired by the talented Sukkari Life – who, I’m happy to say, has inspired me to get off my butt and finally start buying bulk nuts & spices – and to focus on reorganizing my pantry with a focus on reusable containers that aren’t a pain to use and that actually fit into my space and how I use it.

I’ve only been here 6 months – it’s about freaking time.

gluten-free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian

Sweet Potato Toasts with Vegan Labneh

Inspired by Vegan Labneh from Sukkari Life

1 sweet potato
1 c. cashews (soaked in warm water for at least 20 minutes)
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt
1 – 2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 – 2 Tbsp. water
Dash white pepper
1 small garlic clove
Pomegranate arils
Pomegranate molasses (make sure to grab one with no sugar added!)

Preheat your oven to 200C. Wash your sweet potato and cut into “toasts” about 1/4 inch thick (or thinner if you happen to have a mandoline and want to make your life easier).

Arrange on a baking sheet, rub with a little oil, and hit with salt and black pepper.

Bake 25 – 35 minutes or until browned and blistered in spots – your thinner slices will be crispy and the thicker ones will still be good. Keep in mind that if you save some for tomorrow, your tomorrow toasts will not be shatter crisp like today’s. Which is still fine. I ate mine over 3 days and loved them cold and a touch floppy for breakfast on day 3.

While the toasts are toasting, blend everything else but the pomegranate products to form a thick paste not unlike a thick yogurt that happens to taste tangy.

To serve, spread the labneh on the toast and top with double pomegranate. Would also be delicious with a sprinkle of fresh thyme if you have it. I did not.

Serves a few, depending on the size of your potato

Butternut Squash Pasta with Pistachio Crumble

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For some unknown reason, a lot of vegan-related content comes up in my YouTube feed (actually, I think it’s because of the intersection between vegan and minimalist content creators – for some reason, I follow a lot of them). I recently stumbled upon this really cool creator from Saudi Arabia – Sukkari Life. She is a young woman that vlogs about culture, veganism, yoga and minimalism – and is crazy inspirational. I absolutely love how she blends local culture and tastes with standard vegan fare – and if she can go zero waste in Saudi, I can certainly quit whining about the lack of options right next door.

Check her out if you haven’t already – Sukkari Life blog and YouTube – this recipe (and my next!) were inspired by her.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan (with omissions)

Butternut Squash Pasta with Pistachio Crumble

Inspired by Butternut Squash Pasta & Garlic Crumble by Sukkari Life

1 small butternut squash
1/2 c. water (or more)
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/2 tsp. dry oregano
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. lime juice
1 – 2 Tbsp. fat of choice (I used a combo of ghee and olive oil)
Hand full rotisserie chicken per person (optional)
Shiritaki noodles (I eat 1 package alone – the rest of this recipe serves 2, so if you want dinner for 2 and eat like I do, grab 2 packages)

Pistachio Crumble

2 Tbsp. pistachios
2 Tbsp. pecan halves
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
Salt & pepper
Nutritional yeast (optional)

First, slice your squash down the middle length-wise, rub with oil, salt & pepper and bake on 200C until soft (mine took about 30 minutes). Remove and let cool.

When the squash is cool, scoop about half a cup into a food processor and blend with the garlic clove, ginger powder, oregano, turmeric and lime juice. Add water until you get a sauce consistency you like. Taste. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Set aside.

In a large pan over high heat, dry toast your nuts. Set aside.

Knock the heat back to medium-high and add your fat of choice. Drain and rinse your noodles and add to the pan. Hit with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the noodles begin to smell nutty.

While the pasta is working, add the crumble ingredients to your (washed and dried) food processor and turn into a crumble. This may be even better with a little fat added, but I just made a dry crumble.

When your pasta is where you want it, add the chicken if you’re doing chicken, let go a minute or two, and add the pasta sauce. Toss well and let cook an additional minute or two to combine properly. Dust with nutritional yeast if you are using. Hit with one last pass of salt and pepper.

Plate and top with the crumble. Some nice fresh parsley may also be nice.

Serves 2 for dinner 

Note: I ate the second half of this the next day for lunch with some leftover cabbage noodles cooked in ghee with rosemary/salt/pepper/garlic powder/onion powder, ground beef cooked with garlic powder/onion powder/salt/pepper and a few cloves roasted garlic and it was even better.