Tag: side dishes

1 Week of ‘Girl Dinners’ for Lunch

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I’m yet again on a health journey – will fill you in later – and my doctor has suggested: a return to paleo eating, a supplement regimen and not eating leftovers as we attempt to fix my gut.

This is proving difficult. Paleo is fine – no worries there – but wrapping my brain around not only not batch cooking but aiming for no leftovers is doing my head in.

How am I supposed to cook recipes if I’m only cooking 2 portions? Or not even 2 sometimes – 1?

My solution for now: smoothies for breakfast, ‘girl dinner’ charcuterie plates for lunch & dinners of simple veg (maybe) & a single serving protein like steak or salmon.

Here is the breakdown of a whole week’s worth of my charcuterie lunches. If you’ve got any suggestions for paleo-friendly additions, let me know!

gluten-free, paleo, vegetables, meat

Monday

Hand fulls of cherries, blue berries and dill pickle flavored cashews; 4 radishes; 1/4 red bell pepper: 3 Tbsp garlic hummus; 2 oz smoked deli turkey; 3 oz steak (this was a cheat and a leftover, but come on … I wasn’t wasting steak)

Tuesday

Hand fulls of blueberries, cherry tomatoes, cherries & trail mix; almost double hand full of carrot coins; 3 Tbsp garlic hummus with chili crisp; 1/4 red pepper; 3 radishes; 4 oz smoked turkey

Wednesday

Hand full: sugar snap peas, carrot coins, blueberries & cherries; 4 radishes; 1/4 red bell pepper; 3oz smoked turkey; 3 oz turkey kielbasa; vegan yogurt with ranch powder

Thursday

Hand full: carrots, sugar snap peas; hand & a half (the rest of) the blueberries & cherries, 1/4 red pepper, 5oz turkey kielbasa with a blob of English mustard; soy yogurt with ranch powder; salad chips

Friday

Big hand fulls of: carrot coins, sugar snap peas & cherry tomatoes; soy yogurt ranch; the rest of the Salad chips; 5oz turkey kielbasa with 2 bread + butter pickle slices and British mustard

And that’s the week. I think it was a success. I suppose I technically ate leftovers, since the yogurt carried on and the meats were repeated, but I don’t think it’s practical to have a no-leftover life unless you’re relying on premade foods.

I think I’ll carry this experiment on as I’ve rather enjoyed having nibble plates for lunch.

Let me know what you’d put in yours!

Carrot Pistachio Salad

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A quick salad to serve with Air Fryer Dilled Salmon (recipe to come), for a light dinner.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Carrot Pistachio Salad

1-2c Carrot coins

1 Tbsp Date molasses 

3 cloves garlic, Crushed

2-3 glugs Olive oil 

Salt & pepper

2 Tbsp Tahini 

Juice & zest 1 lemon

1/2 tsp Sumac 

1/2 tsp Cumin 

Big sprinkle Red pepper 

1/2 tsp Paprika 

Big handful Scallions or chives 

Big handful Pistachios 

Big sprinkle Sesame seeds 

In a large bowl, whisk together: date molasses, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, crushed garlic and the spices. Taste. Adjust as needed. Add salt & pepper.

Slice carrot coins and add to the bowl. Add the scallions & pistachios; toss. Top with sesame seeds.

Serves 2 – 4

Satay Greens

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Satay sauce is one of my favorite condiments – dressing up your greens with satay is a great way to bulk them up to at least feel like a substantial side for nights when you don’t want anything too carb-heavy.

If you wanted to turn this into a full meal, some marinated crispy tofu or tempeh would be amazing here.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Satay Greens

1 small red onion – mostly thinly sliced into moons, with 2 Tbsp minced set aside

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 c mixed greens (I used baby bok choy & kale) 

1 Tbsp honey (sub if vegan)

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ground cumin

Sprinkle ground cardamom

1-2 small chilis, diced

Thinly slice the onion into half moons, reserving 2 Tbsp minced for garnish.

Chop the garlic.

Add both to a medium-high pan with a little oil and sautee until a little brown and softened.

While that’s working, wash and chop the greens.

Add to the pan and sautee, tossing a couple times, until wilted. Set aside.

Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the onion) to a large bowl to make the sauce, thinning with a little water if needed.

When the greens are done, toss with the sauce and garnish with the reserved onion.

Serves 2-3 as a side

Gochujang Air Fryer Carrots

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Sweet & spicy roasted carrots made simple with the air fryer.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Gochujang Air Fryer Carrots

4 large carrots

2 Tbsp Gochujang (check your labels!)

2 tsp maple syrup (can sub, but I thought it was worth it to break out the liquid gold)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp sushi rice vinegar

1 Tbsp garlic powder

Salt & pepper

Sesame seeds

Scallions

To a large bowl, add the gochujang, maple syrup, olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Stir to combine.

Chop the carrots into large coins and toss with the sauce.

Air fry on 15-ish mins at 400 or u til browned and cooked through but not burnt burnt.

Top with thinly sliced scallions & sesame seeds.

Serves 2-3

Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

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A smart little salad perfect for serving with all of Summers’ goodness – or alone.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30, paleo, keto

Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

2-3 medium cucumbers, sliced fairly thinly 

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp coconut vinegar (ACV with a sprinkle of red chili flakes will do in a pinch)

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & pepper

3 Tbsp mayo (my current fav is Dutch Zaanse, but Japanese Kewpie is a close second) – swap for vegan if desired

2 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced into half moons

Drizzle honey or pinch sugar 

2 tsp stone ground mustard (Maille FTW – if you’ve been around long enough for my lament against whomever stopped importing my favorite mustard, I’m happy to report that it’s back on shelves – at least for now – hold please: I need to stock up)

Thinly slice the cucumbers and let dry on paper towels.

Thinly slice the shallots, run a knife through the capers, mince the garlic, and chop the dill; adding to a large bowl as you go.

Add the vinegar, honey, salt & pepper, mustard and mayo. Stir to combine.

Add the cucumbers and toss really well to incorporate fully.

Let sit for an hour or so to marinate and serve.

Serves 2 – 4 as a side, depending on how large your cucumbers are

Cucumber Herb Salad

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This fresh salad is tangy, herby and makes a great foil for a light Summer protein.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo

Cucumber Herb Salad

1 -2 medium cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds

Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 small wire or red onion, sliced into thin moons

1-2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2-4 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3-4 Tbsp chives, snipped

2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Generous cracks salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients but the cucumber and onions to form a dressing. Toss with the veggies and serve with your favorite protein – or on a thick slab of toasted bread.

Serves 2

Pepper Relish & Potatoes

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This recipe is based on the Turkish dish Ezme, but is here served as a hearty dip for slacker dinner nachos.

I served this dip 1 day slathered on a sub roll to support thinly sliced steak and the next alongside crisped potatoes as a barely-involved nacho-style dinner.

Yum either way.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Pepper Relish & Potatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried mint

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup parsley

10 – 15 cherry tomatoes

1 cubano or Serrano pepper, chopped

2 big green chilis, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

Big pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp sumac or lemon powder

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

Small new potatoes

Spray garlic oil

Your favorite seasoning (I used Tony Sachery’s Cajun)

Preheat your air fryer to 400F for 3 mins.

Slice your potatoes into thick slices. Chuck into the pre-heated air fryer basket & spray with a couple hits garlic oil. Shake a generous portion of Cajun seasoning over top. Shake & repeat.

Air fry, shaking a few times, 20-ish minutes or until browned + crisped to your liking.

While the potatoes work, add the rest of the ingredients to your food processor.

Whiz until just a little chunky. Taste and add salt & pepper to taste.

Makes 2-4 servings potatoes; 2-4 servings ezme.

Caesar Potato Salad

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I’ve been craving a good Caesar dressing ever since DH and I had lunch at that Italian restaurant during Ramadan and he got a pretty great salad I was sad I couldn’t partake in (cheese).

So I thought about it, worried about coddling eggs, and came up with another plan. And than abandoned that plan (involving the 1 brand of good vegan Parmesan I’ve found because it has abandoned the country). This version is naturally dairy-free and is no less delicious than I wanted it to be. Serve hot or cold.

gluten-free, dairy-free, pescatarian(ish)

Caesar Potato Salad

10 – 12 small white potatoes, chopped

2 tsp anchovy paste

Juice 1/2 lemon

2 cloves garlic

3 egg yolks

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp mustard powder

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/3 c olive oil

2 tsp capers

2 spring onions or a small shallot, minced

Salt & fresh cracked black pepper

Add the potatoes to a pot with enough nicely salted water to cover. Boil 6-8 mins or until tender. Drain.

Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the capers and shallots or spring onions) to a blender and process, drizzling the olive oil in slowly. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Toss with the potatoes, capers and alliums and serve hot or cold.

Serves 4 – 6

No Added Fat Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes

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This is a killer weeknight crispy potato recipe that comes together quickly and requires zero added fat.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo

No Added Fat Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes

1 large baking potato, cut into bite-sized pieces

Lots of salt

A seasoning – I used chicken salt, but your current favorite potato seasoning would be perfect

Generously salt a pot of water.

Add your potatoes and bring up to a boil.

Boil until fork tender, about 8 mins.

During the last few minutes of cooking, preheat your air fryer to 400F.

When the potatoes are tender, drain and chuck back into the pot you cooked them in. Vigorously shake to break the potatoes up a bit and get them messy. Toss with your seasoning and air fry about 12 minutes, shaking a couple times during cooking, until your desired crispiness has been reached.

Serves 2, but can be quickly scaled

Heenat Salad

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This is a blind stab at recreating the show-stopping salad served at Heenat Salma Farm last month during the yoga/Pilates day retreat I went to.

It’s not perfect – by far – and I meant to “fix” the issues the original had (too sweet dressing – needed acid and/or heat), but I’m not sure this hit the mark. It’s been like a month since I’ve tasted the original, and all those ingredients were organic farm fresh – so I did what I could.

This rendition is fantastic. Not the same as the other, but definitely craveable.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Heenat Salad

2 nectarines, chopped

8 dates, seeded and chopped

200g feta (I used vegan feta from Sheese), cubed

~2c kale, chopped

~4c red lettuce, chopped

~1/4c red onion, sliced into wafer thin moons

~1/2c walnuts, chopped

~1/2c (roughly 20) black olives, chopped

~1/4c cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

3Tbsp date syrup

2tsp cardamom (ground)

3Tbsp lime juice

6Tbsp olive oil

1tsp smoked paprika

Salt & pepper

Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add all the salad ingredients (minus the feta) and massage in. Add the feta, generous salt & pepper and toss to combine.

Serves 4