I am a sucker for a good alternative fry, and this simple side fits that bill perfectly. Every time I’ve made this, I’ve eaten an embarrassing number of zucchini.
Note: Mine are a little pale in the picture because in this batch I forgot to spritz with oil. They were still yummy, though.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan (check your labels)
Zucchini Ranch Air Fryer Fries
3-4 small zucchini
2 Tbsp. ranch seasoning (check your labels if you need this to fit into your specific dietary requirements)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Generous sprinkle salt
Fry Sauce
2 Tbsp. mayo
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. pickle relish
Oil for brushing
Preheat your air fryer for 3 minutes (200C/400F).
While your air fryer is preheating, slice the zucchini into fry shapes. Salt generously and let sit in a bowl while you make the fry sauce.
Whisk the fry sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
When the air fryer is heated, add the Ranch seasoning and cornstarch to the bowl and toss well to coat.
Add to the bowl of the fryer in a single layer. Spritz lightly with a little oil or brush a little on top.
Fry 8 minutes, shaking a couple times and hitting with a little more oil if needed.
This is a satisfying sweet and spicy bowl that makes great use of a pantry staple – the humble chickpea. While it’s not as high protein as a dish including meat, 100g of tofu gives you 8-10g and the chickpeas give another 5. Not too bad, and if you know of a good vegan protein powder to add you can bulk it even more.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Vegan General Tso-Style Protein Bowl
1 can chickpeas
1 block extra firm tofu
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch broccolini, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 thumb ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos, divided
4 Tbsp. rice vinegar, divided
1/3 c. broth (I used mushroom onion; faux-chicken or any other stock would work just as well, you just want something with a little extra flavor to layer)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. nut butter (I used peanut, but any nut butter would do)
2 Tbsp. sweetener (I had date molasses on hand but your favorite sweetener will do – if you go for something sweeter than molasses, consider halving to 2/3-ing the amount
2 tsp. heat (don’t be like me and use ghost pepper garlic sauce unless you want a punch in the mouth – go for something saner like a nice sambal olek for the same spicy garlic without the shock)
1 tsp. + sesame oil
1 tsp. grainy mustard (y’all know I love my Maille)
2 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder +
Generous grinds pepper
Toppers: thinly sliced scallions, sesame seeds
Drain the chickpeas, add to a bowl and marinate in 1 Tbsp. soy + 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar for half an hour – a couple hours.
Press the tofu, chop into half-inch cubes, and add to a large bowl. Add 2 Tbsp. soy & 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar. Let marinate alongside the chickpeas.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining Tbsp. soy & Tbsp. vinegar, broth, tomato paste, nut butter, sweetener, heat, 1 tsp. of the sesame oil, grainy mustard, 2 tsp. cornstarch and a few grinds pepper.
Chop the veggies and get everything ready.
Add a couple Tablespoons cornstarch to the tofu mix and toss vigorously to coat. Air fry 7-8 minutes, tossing often to ensure even crispiness.
While the tofu is crisping, sauté the onion over medium heat in a couple teaspoons sesame oil until translucent. Add the ginger, garlic and broccolini and continue sautéing 2-3 minutes or until the broccolini looks like it’s beginning to soften a touch.
Add the peppers and let go another 2-3 minutes until those begin to soften, stirring often to avoid burning.
Add the bowl of sauce and the chickpeas. Stir well and sauté until the sauce is nice and thick and everything is well incorporated.
Add the tofu to each bowl individually (100g gives you 8g; 1c. of the chickpeas gives you 5), top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve.
This is a nice and simple sandwich that can be dressed a bunch of ways and has a good mix of protein, fats and carbs. I served these as a stand-alone for dinner and was satisfied.
high protein
This picture is tragic, but I was starving
Zaatar Chicken Sandwiches
150g chicken breast per person, sliced into thin strips
2 Tbsp. zaatar
Salt & pepper
Drizzle chicken with a touch of oil (a teaspoon worth max), toss with spices and air fry 7 minutes, shaking a couple times during cooking.
Whisk together:
1/4 c. yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (more if necessary to add more zing – I started with this amount and kept adding to mask the taste of coconut yogurt)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder (more if necessary)
Salt & pepper
Toppers:
Sliced avocado
Sliced cherry tomatoes
Sautéed mushrooms & bell peppers
Sliced olives
Cucumber strips
Stuff a pita with chicken, top with veggies of your choice & yogurt sauce.
My pita ended up not being able to hold all the chicken I needed to hit my 150g protein macro, so I had a little extra in the side – along with the avocado, which kept leaping out of my sandwich. Delicious.
This spin on a bulgogi bowl was my favorite dish of the week, and with a 150g of chicken serving, it helped meet my protein goal for the day with 33g.
gluten-free
Bulgogi-Style Chicken Bowl
500g boneless, skinless chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Marinade
1 crisp apple, grated
1 pear, grated
2 inches ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1/4 onion, grated
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. gochujiang
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. date molasses, honey or sugar
Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken for a few hours. To cook, I air fried the chicken for 10 minutes, shaking every few. Note: this marinade is a bit wet for the air fryer and it kind of made a mess, but it was workable; I just had a bit of cleaning to do afterward.
Bowl Base
1 package broccolini, chopped
Optional: shiritaki noodles, rice, etc.
Prep your bowl base. I air fried broccolini tossed in a scant teaspoon oil, salt and pepper for 7 minutes. I meant to bulk the dish up some with shiritaki, but ended up being not so starving for dinner. Broccolini worked great.
Toppers
1 scallion, minced
Nice amount of kimchi
1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 fried egg
Optional: sesame seeds, teriyaki sauce, sriracha mayo, sliced nori
The chicken makes 3 servings, the toppings as written 2
This is a quick little salad that is easy to scale up to feed a crowd.
As written, this dressing recipe makes extras. I drizzled some on a fruit salad (kinda crappy mango & persimmon), and swirled a dollop into a quinoa brown rice mix for an extra creamy kick. Delicious.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Roasted Potato Salad with Miso Tahini Dressing
250g baby potatoes
Big hand baby spinach
1 clove minced garlic
Big hand cherry tomatoes
2Tbsp. tahini
2tsp. soy sauce or coconut aminos
1tsp. white miso
1tsp. date molasses or maple syrup
2tsp. citrus juice
Oil, salt & pepper
Optional topper: feta (mine was vegan feta)
Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet.
Bring a small pot of water to boil and parboil the potatoes 7 minutes or until almost done.
Halve the potatoes (or quarter if they’re a bit large) and add to the sheet. Drizzle with oil and season liberally with salt, pepper and any other spice you love (I used a chicken spice mix). Spread potatoes out into a single layer.
Lightly smush with the bottom of the pot or something heavy.
Bake 15 mins or until desired crispness is reached.
In a small bowl, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, miso & citrus juice to make dressing. Thin with a little water to your desired consistency.
Add the potatoes, spinach, garlic & tomatoes to a large bowl, and toss with dressing.
This is a good one – smoky, satisfying, and just the thing when you’re craving some veggie goodness – or when you’ve found a cache of almost-bagels and need something to dunk them in.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo
Smoky Roasted Tomato Soup
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons curry powder
Preheat oven to 400F/220C. Pull the tomatoes out of the sauce and place on a prepared baking sheet with the garlic cloves and the onions (chopped roughly). Bake 30 – 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are a bit blackened on the top. My onions were a bit burnt on the outside layer, but I think that added to the flavor. I chucked about half the burnt outer layer parts.
Cool and add to a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Whiz until smooth.
Add to a saucepan and simmer 20 minutes or so, stirring semi-frequently, and tasting to add salt & pepper.
Gastography 