Tag: side dishes

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

Chinese Mustard Brussels

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I was super shocked when this side was a huge hit with an International audience this Thanksgiving. I warned everyone that came that I had gotten carried away and spiced things to my taste – but … they still liked it. Aussies, French and Brits alike. 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

This side wasn’t the star my husband’s bourbon ham was (to be expected) … oooor the Chipotle sweet potatoes I 100% forgot to write any kind of recipe down for – but they were loved. I’ll take the win!

Boooooooooo – this picture sucks, but I forgot in the serving rush to take a better and didn’t end up with leftovers to shoot.

Chinese Mustard Brussels

1.5 lbs brussels sprouts, washed, de-stemmed and quartered

2 Tbsp mustard oil

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp Chinese mustard

4 Tbsp sesame seeds

4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp red chili flakes

Salt & white pepper

First, prep your Brussels by washing them, cutting off the stem ends and quartering.

Preheat your air fryer on 400 for 3 minutes.

Toss the prepped Brussels with the oils, vinegar, paprika, and generous sprinkles salt & white pepper.

Air fry, tossing a few times, until nicely browned – about 15 mins.

When nice and roasted, toss with the mustard, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast and chili flakes to serve.

Makes a nice side for 6 in a Thanksgiving spread.

Dilled Breakfast Toasts

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This dish makes a nice light dinner or decent breakfast.

vegetarian, dairy-free

Dilled Breakfast Toasts

2 slices your favorite bread, toasted (I had a nice chewy rye on hand)

2 eggs

Hand full cherry tomatoes

Tablespoon snipped dill

Dairy-free chive cream cheese

Red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper

Toast the bread and fry the eggs to your liking. I wanted runny yolks and it was delicious.

Add the tomatoes to a pan over medium-high and sauté until blackened in spots and ready to pop. You can help them a bit to pop – I kinda smashed mine so they deflated and wouldn’t be dangerous to eat.

Spread a generous layer of cream cheese on the toast, top with the snipped dill and red pepper flakes and egg. Salt & pepper to taste.

Serves 1 for dinner or 2 for breakfast

Coconut Rice

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Yum. This rice is rich, *and* has hidden veggies – I’m calling that a win-win.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Coconut Rice

1 c basmati rice

1 can coconut milk

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce or coconut aminos

Juice + zest of 1 lime

2 tsp neutral oil

2 tsp mirin (optional)

Generous sprinkle salt & pepper

1 c zucchini, grated

Combine and cook how you normally cook rice – I did mine on the “rice” setting of my electric cooker. Mix in the raw grated zucchini and serve.

Serves 4 – 6 and goes great with next week’s recipe

Dilly Salmon Mograbiah (Pearl CousCous)

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This is a luxe tasting but super easy to make main that pulls together from mainly pantry ingredients. A win-win.

pescatarian

Dilly Salmon Mograbiah (Pearl CousCous)

Zest and juice 1 lemon

3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 small shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Big hand frozen spinach

1 c Mograbiah (pearl couscous)

1 Tbsp butter

1.5 c stock

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt & pepper

Canned salmon

First, make the Cous. Heat the butter in a smallish saucepan over medium heat until bubbly at the edges. Add the cous and toast 3-5 minutes or until spots are beginning to brown.

Add the stock and a generous pinch salt, bring up to a boil, cover and knock the heat back. Simmer 15 minutes or until just barely al dente. Add the spinach in the last minute or so of cooking so it thaws.

Meanwhile, chop the dill & shallot fine and add to a large bowl with the mustard, drained salmon, lemon zest + juice, and minced garlic.

When the cous is finished, add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and toss.

Taste, add more mustard, salt or lemon if needed.

Serves 4

Mediterranean Spiced Hash

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This deeply-spiced potato hash is great for a quick weeknight dinner – or as the centerpiece of a nice brunch. Serve with eggs, chicken, sausages, or leftover shawarma meat for a nice protein boost.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Mediterranean Spiced Hash

3 small yellow potatoes, chopped fine

2 big hand fulls okra (or asparagus, or green beans – whichever you can find), sliced into rounds

Big hand full cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small cucumber, chopped fine

Big hand parsley, chopped fine

1 red onion, diced (about 1/3 c)

Neutral oil

Stock or water + chicken flavoring (I used Magic Sarap)

4 Tbsp zaatar

2 tsp sumac or lemon powder

2 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp smoked or sweet paprika

1 Tbsp garlic powder

Salt & pepper

Squeeze lemon juice

In a large pan over medium/medium-high, heat a couple turns oil. Add the potatoes and onion once chopped and sauté until beginning to soften, cutting the heat down if things start to get too brown.

Add the okra (or other veg) and stir a minute or so.

Add 1/4 c of the stock or seasoned water. Stir.

Add all the spices + generous lashes of salt and pepper.

Stir frequently, adding more water if your mix dries out and starts to burn, until the potatoes are cooked through and your okra de-slimes. Your potatoes will look super spiced and a sort of gravy will form. This is what you want.

To finish, toss with the cucumber, parsley and tomato. Taste and hit with a little lemon juice, salt or pepper if needed.

Serves 3 – 4, depending upon what you pair it with

Moroccan Tfaya Dressing

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This is a sweetish, rich, luxe topping that can be used a bunch of different ways.

I’ve had this batch slathered onto bread, and used as a topper for a veggie-based couscous dish coming next week. In restaurants, I’ve had it as a sort of dip for roasted meats as well.

gluten-free, vegetarian

Moroccan Tfaya Dressing

1/2 cup golden raisins

3 small red onions, peeled and sliced thinly

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup water

Generous amount black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

Generous pinch salt

Pinch saffron threads

Slice the onions thinly and add to a pot over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the saffron) and simmer :30 – 1:00 or until the onions are on their way to breaking up and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup. Add the saffron in the last 10-15 minutes.

Serve over next week’s couscous dish, slathered on bread, as a dip for meats or tossed into scrambled eggs.

Serves 4 – 6

Tunisian Spiced Salad

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This is a nice little salad that can be bulked up for a good dinner or served light for a refreshing lunch.

gluten-free, paleo

Tunisian Spiced Salad

Dressing:

1 shallot, minced

2 Tbsp fruity vinegar (I used plum)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp Ras el Hanout

2 tsp honey

1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

4 Tbsp oil (olive or neutral)

Large pinches Salt & pepper

Salad:

1 large carrot, ribboned

1 package baby spinach

1/4 c slivered almonds

1 large mango, skinned and cut into bite sized cubes

Protein of choice (I used rotisserie chicken)

Whisk all dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Toss the salad ingredients into the bowl as you prep and mix well.

Serve with protein of your choice, or to bulk out – add your favorite grain (Cous cous, bulgur or farro would be great).

Serves 4