side dishes – Page 14

Whipped Garlic Brussels Sprouts

February 14, 2015February 14, 2015RecipesLeave a Comment

This is me attempting to re-create a mind-blowing brunch side dish I had awhile back – and mostly succeeding. This isn’t quite the same, but it’s still pretty fantastic and gives me a good excuse to re-visit Marietta for another taste.

Gluten-free, vegetarian, paleo

Whipped Garlic Brussels Sprouts

1 pound brussels sprouts
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 head garlic
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. granulated garlic
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. ghee

First, you’ll need that head of garlic to be caramelized. Chop the top (non root) end off, drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap in foil, and bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and unwrap to cool.

On to the brussels. Wash your brussels, cut the stem ends off, and halve or quarter (you want them all a uniform size). Add to a cast iron skillet. Toss with 2 good glugs of olive oil, a couple generous pinches of Kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, or until roasted and browned.

While your brussels are going, add the caramelized garlic, fresh garlic (grated), granulated garlic, 2 tsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. ghee, and a couple more pinches of Kosher salt to a small bowl (or mortar) and mash together to form a paste.

When the brussels are done, add the paste and toss to combine. Taste, and add a bit more salt if needed.

Serves 2, maybe 3 as a side dish

Crispy Lemon-Thyme Brussels Sprouts

December 22, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

Mmmmmmm…… lil baby cabbages. If you haven’t noticed, I love brussels sprouts. Luckily, so does my DH – so we have them quite often around here; generally just cooked simply with a little bacon grease or ghee and tossed with mustard. And they’re delicious.

But this time I wanted to go French-ish and wanted some crunchy bits to serve as a contrast for the wine-braised short ribs I made.

This recipe was intended to serve as a side for two, but as providence would have it the hubbs was called away at the last minute, and I got to eat the whole damn thing myself. And eat it all I did. With delight.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30

Crispy Lemon-Thyme Brussels Sprouts

1 bunch brussels sprouts (I had about 2c)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Kosher salt & pepper
1/4 a preserved lemon
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Rinse the brussels and quarter or halve so you end up with roughly half inch portions. Toss in the coconut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on your baking sheet – making sure not to crowd – so that you have room for air to circulate between each piece. Bake 10 mins, stir and bake another 10 minutes. Check. If they’re crispy now, great, take them out. If not, let go a couple more minutes until they’re crispy but not incinerated.

While the brussels are working, mince your preserved lemon (you want 2 Tbsp.) and chop the thyme (1-2 Tbsp.).

When the brussels are ready, toss with the lemon and thyme and serve.

Allegedly serves 2

Bacon-Wrapped Butternut Squash

November 29, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

I, dear friends, have been saddled with a squash nonbeliever.

I did it to myself, really. I *knew* my DH harbored this character flaw way back when he was only ‘the boyfriend’, and chose to ignore it – to deal with this injustice later; to blindly turn my eye to the potential battleground that would become dinner and forge ahead.

This squash distainer sits at my dinner table (who am I kidding? the couch) every night during the fall, hoping whatever huge wintery monstrosity made my eyes shiny at the grocery store/farmers’ market the weekend before is not making an appearance on his plate. And then it does, and the poor guy does what he can with it. Funky textures, sweetly savory tastes and all.

This dish is an olive branch of sorts – a peace offering for the many, many hashes and roasted lumps of undesirables I make my longsuffering DH consume each year when the mercury dips below 50. For the broken promises of crispiness; the bait-and-switches that come when silky purees don’t have the expected flavor profile.

Who doesn’t love bacon? And if you have to eat squash to get it, maybe that bacon fat-basted root veggie won’t be so bad.

Gluten-free, paleo, Whole30 if you luck up and can get compliant bacon

Bacon-Wrapped Butternut Squash

1/2 a large butternut squash
6 slices bacon
Salt
Pepper
Chili powder

Preheat your oven to 400 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Now attack your squash. Peel with a vegetable peeler, lop off the ends and cut into half width-wise (you should have two big hunks of squash – 1 with seeds and 1 without). Cut your seedless half into half again and then into large fry looking wedges.

Reserve the other half for another purpose (a nice hash, perhaps).

Cut your bacon into half so you end up with 12 slices.

Wrap a slice of bacon per wedge – my large butternut yielded 12 good wedges; perfect for the amount of bacon I had on hand. When wrapping, make sure both ends wind up on the same side and put that side down on the prepared baking sheet.

Sprinkle with chili powder, salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until the squash is soft and the bacon is done), kick your broiler up to high, and broil 5 minutes on each side to finish crisping the bacon and brown the edges of the squash.

Serves 3

Blistered Cabbage & Apples

November 8, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

Yay, fall. This dish makes a satisfying lunch “salad” or dinner side dish, and just screams fall to me. And it’s quick – plus easy. A big win in every category.

Vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo

Blistered Cabbage & Apples

1 small head cabbage (about 2c. when shredded)
1 Fuji apple
2 Tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 pinches kosher salt
Few grinds steakhouse seasoning
1 tsp caraway seeds

Wash, core and shred the cabbage. De-seed and chop the apple.

Heat the ghee in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, hit with salt and a few grinds of your favorite steakhouse seasoning and sauté, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes or until softened and blistered in places. You could also broil the cabbage here to the same effect.

In the last few minutes, add the apple, vinegar and another shot of salt. Stir and continue to sauté until the apples are almost tender.

Serves 1-2 for lunch or 2-3 for dinner.

Spicy Chard & Cabbage Slaw

November 1, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

It must be the Southerner in me, but every time I think ‘pulled meat’ (hee hee) I think ‘slaw’. This week, I made pulled beef as my big multi-meal protein, and was graced with some really nice cabbage and chard in this week’s CSA box.

Slaw it is, and what better kind than spicy?

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Paleo (swap aioli for strict)

Spicy Chard & Cabbage Slaw

1/2 small head cabbage
1/2 bunch rainbow chard
4 scallions
1 small bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
Fresh black pepper

For the dressing

2 Tbsp. mayo (I used Just Mayo, which is pretty great and not filled with a bunch of crap – it’s not strictly paleo (contains canola oil & tiny amounts of sugar & pea protein), but it is good and waaaaayyyy more convenient than my futile attempts at making aioli)
3 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. water
2 pinches kosher salt

Core and shred the cabbage and add to a large bowl. Ribbon the chard and add. Thinly slice the scallions and add. Julienne the pepper and add. Mince the garlic and add. Toss with a few cracks black pepper.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, water and salt.

Drizzle the dressing over the slaw and toss with your hands to combine.

Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a bigass salad

Shredded Potato & Scallion Waffles

October 25, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

Mmmmm….. waffles. Savory, savory waffles. It should come at no surprise that I’m not a huge fan of a sweet waffle – dessert for breakfast has never really appealed to me (plus: that much sugar has pretty much always made me sick), but breakfast for dinner – now that’s a different story. Bring it.

This waffle came about because I was craving waffles, wanted a sandwich, and haven’t found a paleo bread I actually want to eat as part of a sandwich. To me at least, white potatoes aren’t really paleo – but they *did* come in my last CSA batch, so they needed to be eaten. This waffle is the perfect delivery system (and a good way to make sure you don’t go carb crazy!) I served 1/2 a waffle with a nice spicy kale & chard salad (recipe coming soon) and pulled beef – for a dinner that was decadent, delicious, and wholly satisfying.

Rock on, potatoes, rock on.

Paleo-ish (you could totally swap the white potatoes for sweet here), vegetarian, vegan (swap the fat)

Shredded Potato & Scallion Waffles

2 russet potatoes
4 scallions
Kosher salt & fresh black pepper
Ghee

Peel and shred the potatoes (I used the shredding disc attachment for my food processor and would highly recommend going this route). Press between paper towels to get as much liquid as possible out.

Dump into a large bowl. Thinly slice the scallions, adding to the bowl when finished.

Toss to combine. Hit with some salt and a few grinds black pepper. Toss and hit again.

Preheat your waffle iron to medium. When it beeps, brush both sides of the hot iron with ghee.

Put half the mixture on the iron bottom, making sure to distribute evenly. Close and flip.

Cook 10 minutes, check to see if golden brown and crispy. If so, cool, you’re done. I needed 10 additional minutes on mine.

Cut into quarters and serve.

Serves 4 (half waffle portions)

Miso Pepita Broiled Squash

October 18, 2014December 29, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

I know I have a winner on my hands when the first taste of something horrifies my mouth – but subsequent tweaks and tastes cause me to salivate, eat too much, and wind up having to pour water over the bowl to cease the smorgasboarding. (sidebar: you don’t even want to know how many times I typed Smorgasburg instead of smorgasboard – I may have been living in Brooklyn too long)

Back to topic. This side is pretty great. The topping is sweet and salty and rich and a little crunchy – while the squash is a little sweet, soft and a touch velvety. The two play well nicely together.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo-ish [miso is not strictly paleo (neither is rice wine vinegar for that matter), but as far as soy products go – fermented isn’t quite the devil that unfermented is. I will also love my rice wine vinegar forever, regardless of what the paleo police say]

Miso Pepita Broiled Squash
Adapted from Broiled Spaghetti Squash with Walnut-Miso Glaze by Saveur

1 medium butternut squash
Coconut oil
1/2 c. pepitas
1/4 c. white miso
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
Pinch red chili flakes
Pinch kosher salt

First, prep a baking sheet with tinfoil and set your oven to heat to 400 F.

Peel your squash with a vegetable peeler, cut into two easier-to-manage hunks, and cut into potato wedge looking sizes (scooping the guts from the bell end as you go). Lay on the prepped cookie sheet and drizzle a little coconut oil over. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake 30 minutes or until soft and just starting to brown a bit on the edges.

While your squash is baking, make the crumbly goodness.

Combine the pepitas, miso, maple syrup, vinegar, chili flakes & salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined and gravelly looking. Taste. The mixture should be weird but strangely delicious and addicting after the second taste or so.

If you need to cut the weirdness, adding a little more maple syrup would work; adding some “warmer” spices (like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice) may also help. I kept it weird.

When your squash is done, move your rack up and kick the oven on to broil.

Top your squash with the miso pepita mixture – I used the whole batch when I made it (mostly because I was already obsessed with the taste, but in hindsight this was a wise choice).

Broil 3 minutes or so, until the top is nice and crunchy and browned.

Serves 4 as a side.

Harissa Roasted Squash + Kale Salad

October 11, 2014RecipesLeave a Comment

Delicata squash is my new favorite thing. I’d forgotten how it basically tastes like fall candy. Y-tothe-U-tothe-M. This easy to slap together salad + squash combo makes a decadent dinner dish when paired with a quick pan seared duck breast. If your squash makes it that long – I had trouble getting the amount I did to the table and away from grazing hands.

As written, this recipe isn’t wholly paleo – if you want a paleo-friendly version, swap the olive oil you bake with out for coconut and omit the miso (or sub a little coconut aminos).

Harissa Roasted Squash + Kale Salad

For the Squash

1 delicata squash
1 Tbsp. harissa (my favorite brand is Mina)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch baby fennel

For the Salad

1 bunch kale
1 Tbsp. harissa
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Ras el hanout (optional but tasty)
Kosher salt

Preheat your oven to 425 F. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Slice the ends off your squash and push the seeds out with a spoon. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Clean and trim your fennel.

Toss the squash and fennel with 1 Tbsp. harissa and 1 Tbsp. olive oil and arrange in a single layer on your prepared sheet – making sure not to crowd, working the fennel around the squash.

Bake 20 minutes, flip, and bake another 20 minutes or until browned and nutty on both sides.

While the squash is doing it’s thing, make the salad.

Wash and cut your kale into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk the miso, harissa, olive oil & lemon juice.

Massage the dressing into the kale and sprinkle with salt and ras el hanout. Continue tossing and massaging and adding salt & spices until all your leaves are glistening and your spice/salt level is where you want it.

Serve.

Makes enough salad for 3-4 and enough squash for the same (if you don’t eat it all before it hits the table).

Charred Corn & Leek Salad with Carrot Top Pesto

September 14, 2014September 14, 2014CSA Shares, RecipesLeave a Comment

Mmmmmm….. summer CSA corn. It’s not paleo, but damn is it ever good. And we’ve been swimming in it at our house – the best ears we’ve had in years, too. North Carolina Silver Queen, eat your heart out.

This salad is nutty and sweet from the toasting the corn gets and savory from the leeks – with a nice hit of smokiness from bacon and a side of carrot top pesto (waste not, want not) to round out the herbaceous notes.

Gluten-free

Charred Corn & Leek Salad with Carrot Top Pesto

2 ears corn
3 leeks
Coconut oil
2 Tbsp. carrot top pesto (see recipe below)
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground chipotle powder
2 slices thick bacon

First, char your veggies. Set your broiler to High, cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil and prep your veg. Shuck the corn and halve the leeks lengthwise (don’t forget to rinse). Brush with coconut oil and broil until charred on all sides – the leeks will be done first.

While the veggies are caramelizing, chop the bacon and fry. Drain and move to a large bowl. Add the vinegar, cumin, and chipotle. When the leeks and corn are browned to your liking, remove from the broiler and let cool a bit. Chop the leeks and add to the bowl. Remove the corn kernels (I shave off one side, flip onto the flat side and chop down the side of the ear as close to the cob as possible) and add to the bowl. Toss. Add the pesto, toss and taste for seasoning.

Serves 2 as a side dish if you use smallish corn and leeks.

Carrot Top Pesto

1 small bunch carrot tops (about 1/2 c.)
Olive oil
3 Tablespoons parmesan (optional)
1.5 tsp. citrus juice (I used lime)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

Add the carrot tops, parmesan, red pepper flakes and a generous pinch salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Process until broken down. Add olive oil in a stream while the machine is running until you get the consistency you want. Add the lime juice and give another couple whizzes. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary.

Makes enough to double the salad recipe.

Paleo Shake-N-Bake Zucchini Fries

September 6, 2014Recipes3 Comments

I think I’ve found my favorite way to eat a surfeit of zucchini: as fries. This version bakes up crispy if you’ve cut your fries right, doesn’t have too much breading, and provides a really decadent-feeling side dish for something summery like a bunless burger. Delicious!

A note on fry cutting: You want fries roughly the size of fast food fries here – think Wendy’s over KFC. Fry wedges are great, but they just won’t get crispy.

An additional note on greasing the cookie sheet: Do not, under any circumstance, skip this step. You will have a mess on your hands and a whole lot of inedible mush.

Paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan

Paleo Shake-N-Bake Zucchini Fries

1 medium zucchini
1/2 cup almond flour (you can use coconut, but I prefer almond)
1 Tbsp. of your favorite all-purpose seasoning
1 Tbsp. garlic powder (optional, but I love it)
Coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and foil a cookie sheet. Brush the cookie sheet with coconut oil.

Cut your zucchini into fry shapes – shoot for Wendy’s size.

Add the almond flour and seasonings to a large ziploc bag.

Add half your fries and shake like you’re frying chicken.

Pick your fries out of the bag and arrange on the pan – don’t crowd.

Bread the second half and add to the pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes (until the side touching the pan is browned a little)

Flip and bake an additional 15 – 20 minutes (browned on both sides).

Let sit a few minutes to continue firming up. These fries won’t get as crisp as potato fries (the skinniest will), but they will firm up enough to approximate fries and they taste damn good.

Serves 2 as a side.

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