Tag: side dishes

Jicama, Pear & Grapefruit Salad

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This little side salad is as delicious as it is versatile. It’s bright, kicky, crunchy and can please a crowd. I served it along side some quick pork chops for dinner and then topped with chicken breast for lunch the next day.

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Jicama, Pear & Grapefruit Salad

Adapted from a recipe I saw while rifling through a cookbook … which one? I was too busy day dreaming after reading the ingredient list to remember things like that

1 jicama
1 pear
1 grapefruit
2 medium carrots
1 lime (zest + juice)
Fresh mint/cilantro/basil (you’re looking for 6 Tbsp. total here)
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
1-2 tsp. sriracha (use Whole30 approved if necessary)
Flaky salt
Cracked black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 c. toasted nuts (I had macadamias on hand)

Peel and julienne the jicama. Julienne the pear. Grate the carrots. Add each to a large bowl when finished.

Supreme & chop the grapefruit into bite sized pieces, squeezing the extra juice into a small bowl. Add the grapefruit pieces to the julienne bowl.

Zest the lime, adding the zest to the julienne bowl. Squeeze the juice into the dressing bowl with the grapefruit juice.

Finely dice the herbs. I did 4 Tbsp. combined mint & cilantro with 2 Tbsp. basil chiffonade. Add to the julienne bowl.

Add the grapeseed oil & sriracha to the dressing bowl and whisk to form an emulsion. Taste and add more acid or sriracha as needed.

Sprinkle two generous pinches salt into the julienne bowl, with a few cracks of black pepper and the toasted nuts. Toss well to combine. Pour the dressing over (you might want to start with half) and toss well to combine (I used my hands). Taste and add more salt or dressing as needed.

Makes enough to serve 4 for dinner or 2-3 big lunch bowls.

Caramelized Onion Mashed Fauxtatoes (paleo)

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This is a new spin on the typical cauliflower mash – a little gussying up, as it were. I served alongside some mini meatloaves topped with a paleo-fied ketchup and dinner was a smash success. Meatloaf & mashed “potatoes” – what’s not to love?

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Caramelized Onion Mashed Fauxtatoes (paleo)

1 head cauliflower
Good quality stock (chicken, vegetable or turkey)
1 medium onion
1 scant 1/2 tsp. 100% maple syrup
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter (or vegan butter substitute)
Kosher salt & white pepper to taste

Thinly slice your onion and add to a medium pan over medium/medium-low heat with the grapeseed oil. Sautee, stirring occasionally and adding the maple syrup about half way through – about 15-20 minutes or until caramelized. Add the onions to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth, adding splashes of the liquid from the pot of needed to get things going.

While the onions are caramelizing, chop your cauliflower into smallish pieces and add to a medium pot. Add stock until the cauliflower is covered by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook 10 minutes or until soft. Drain, reserving half a cup or so of the cooking liquid.

Add the drained cauliflower to the food processor along with the butter, 2 tsp. kosher salt & a few shakes white pepper. Puree until smooth, adding reserved stock as needed. Taste and add salt & pepper if needed.

Serves 3

Butternut Squash Mash (paleo, whole30)

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Mmmmm….. comfort food. A nice heaping bowl of warm is perhaps my favorite thing about the colder months and meals featuring this side (or a side very like it) sustain me through the cold and the dark like none other.

Try it: under a moroccan tomato ragu with sausage and a fried egg, as a base for a nice thick meaty traditional-style tomato sauce, under some firey shrimp & bacon in place of grits, as a sturdy starchy side for a steak, with a bright gremolata & crunchy almonds, as the “anchor” for a topping of crisped veggies, or pretty much anywhere else you need something substantial to make up a meal.

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Butternut Squash Mash (paleo, whole30)

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
Good quality stock (vegetable, chicken or turkey)
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter (or vegan butter substitute)
1 tsp. ras el hanout (optional)
Kosher salt & black pepper – to taste

Place your peeled butternut squash into a medium pot and add enough stock to cover by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drop the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Drain, reserving half a cup or so of the cooking liquid. Add the drained squash to a large bowl, along with the butter, 2 tsp. salt, a few twists pepper and ras el hanout (if using). Mash, adding splashes of stock, until the mixture is smooth and almost soupy. Re-taste and add salt & pepper as needed.

Serves 2-3 as the main anchor of a dish.

Steak with Shaved Asparagus Salad (paleo)

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Some nights it’s good to be in the house alone. I’d been seeing talk of shaved asparagus on the interwebs for weeks and developed a hankering. Turns out, raw asparagus makes a tasty salad. A finicky, fussy, tasty salad.

This dish serves one, but can be easily scaled up to serve two. The salad could actually possibly serve two as it stands if you’re having something other than just steak and asparagus, but I happily ate it all in one go.

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Steak with Shaved Asparagus Salad (paleo)

1 tsp. grainy mustard
1 tsp. wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. almond oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed)
Big pinch citrus salt
12 oz. asparagus
Nice thick steak
1 tsp. coconut oil
Your favorite steak seasoning
Aged balsamic vinegar

First, prep your asparagus by snapping off the woody stems. Now shave. I’ve found the best way to do this with my particular vegetable peeler is to hold the tip and kind of balance the asparagus over something – like the jar of grainy mustard – and carefully go to town. I was left with a bunch of tips + some thicker pieces I couldn’t shave down enough and a few broken stalks from overzealous peeling. Save those rejects for a frittata. Add your asparagus curls to a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, make the vinaigrette by whisking the mustard, wine vinegar and oil to form an emulsion. Hit with a big pinch of citrus salt and set aside.

On to the steak. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. While that is going, pat your steak dry and season with your favorite steak seasoning + salt if it doesn’t already incorporate it. Cook your steak until the desired doneness is reached. I had a 1/2 inch thick strip steak and like my steak rare, so I cooked 4 minutes on 1 side, flipped, and cooked an additional 3 minutes on the other. Remove the steak to rest 5 minutes and cut the heat. Chuck in your asparagus tips and let soften and cook using the residual heat in the pan.

To serve, give the vinaigrette another whisk and toss with the asparagus. Drizzle with some nice aged balsamic for a little extra kick.

Serves 1, with a large portion of the salad.

Summer On A Plate – Bacon, Tomato & Peach Salad (paleo, Whole30*)

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I read something enchanting a few weeks ago: grilled bacon. I saw it somewhere, in some recipe header, and the concept lodged in my brain; unwilling to let go.

Grilled bacon, brain said, in the middle of the night. GrilledBacon, it said, in the afternoon. GRILLED BACON, it screamed, while trying to think of what to have for dinner. So I tried grilling bacon. And … ???? It was just like pan-fried bacon, only more burnt. Still fantabulous, mind you, since I happen to *like* bacon that’s been on fire – but not the best use of my bacony buck. Maybe I should have read the recipe afterall.

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Summer On A Plate – Bacon, Tomato & Peach Salad (paleo, Whole30*)

2 strips bacon (check your source for Whole30!)
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 Saturn peach (or any variety, I just so happen to be addicted to the Saturn variety from Trader Joe’s)
3 leaves basil
Citrus salt
Balsamic vinegar (the best quality, thickest you can find)

Crisp your bacon however you see fit, drain on paper towels and chop. Chiffonade the basil, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and the peaches in thin slices. Combine all and drizzle with balsamic. Finish off with some nice citrus salt.

Serves 1 as a side for dinner or lunch. Easily scaleable to feed more.

*This recipe can be made Whole30 compliant. Bacon isn’t completely verboten, just mostly. According to the Whole30 edict, bacon that is made with no added sugar is clear, which you’re most likely not going to find in the regular grocery store. US Wellness Meats sells Whole30 approved bacon, and your local natural food store, butcher or farmers would be a good place to look as well.

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (paleo)

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I saw the inspiration for this recipe somewhere along my merry food blogger wanderings, though I can’t for the life of me remember where. I read the title, moved on, meant to come back to it, and completely forgot. But somehow the title stuck with me – it was something about cauliflower steaks – and a hankering was born.

My version combines the nuttiness of roast cauliflower with the sweet depth of tahini and a sharp tang from Asiago. Capers would be fantastic here, as would any sort of nice nutty spice blend (za’atar would be dynamite). I served alongside a simple steak, though I could easily see this dish turned into a grilling affair.

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Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (paleo)

1 head cauliflower
Coconut oil
Sea salt and black pepper
1-2 tsp. tahini
A sprinkle of fresh asiago or parmesan cheese – omit if you are cutting dairy

Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut your cauliflower into 1/2 inch thick steaks – leaving the stem on for cutting helps. I had a medium head and ended up with 3 steaks + a bunch of florets.

Lay your steaks on the prepared baking sheet and brush with coconut oil. You might want to pour the oil into a separate dish to dip into or you just may end up with a little relative density of cauliflower vs coconut oil science project. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Broil 25 minutes, or until the steaks are browned and smell nutty – make sure to flip halfway through to avoid burning.

When the steaks are browned, brush with tahini and sprinkle with parmesan. Broil until the cheese is melted.

Serves 2 as a side with enough florets leftover for a nice lunch.

Spicy Broccoli Slaw with Snap Peas & Bacon

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This dish received the highest of praises from the DH. He not only ate every bite, he also said he really liked it. Sweet. Into the repertoire you go. While not strictly paleo as-written, you can easily swap something more paleo-friendly for the snap peas — tiny broccoli florets (broccoli overload!), kale, even celery would go great here. As would mango. Mmmmm … spicy mango.

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Spicy Broccoli Slaw with Snap Peas and Bacon

4 ounces thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 tsp. grainy mustard (I use Maille)
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (I use the kind with the chicken and flecks of garlic)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg)
1 tsp. honey
3 Tbsp. almond oil (or any neutral oil – grapeseed would be great)
6 ounces broccoli slaw
5 ounces sugar snap peas
Flaky salt and pepper to taste

Brown your bacon, drain and set aside. Make a vinaigrette out of the wet ingredients and whisk to form an emulsion. Toss everything together and serve.

Serves 2 for dinner. Great with a grilled meat (or in our case, some really substandard bratwurst).

Fresh Snap Pea and Radish Salad with Sprouts

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This is a fabulous little fresh spring salad – full of bright crunch from the snap peas, balanced with nice bite from the radish and kicked up a notch by the addition of some nice flaky salt. A fresh, bright side for something decadent – like the lamb chops I served it with.

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Fresh Snap Pea and Radish Salad with Sprouts

Snap peas (about 4 cups ?)
4 large radishes – I used plain old regular red radishes
1/4 cup sprouts – I used broccoli sprouts, though I bet the hot variety would be nice as well
3 Tbsp. almond oil
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 big pinches flaky grey salt
Black pepper (a dusting)

De-tip your snap peas and cut into rough fork-sized chunks.

Slice the radishes thin, stack the rounds up, and cut into match sticks.

Add both to a medium bowl with the sprouts.

Whisk together the oil, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Add the salt and taste – add some more if the tastes don’t pop.

Pour the dressing over the salad and work in, using your hands to toss and separate the sprout threads.

Dust with black pepper and serve.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch as a side dish.

Tangy Chipotle Slaw with Pecans

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This slaw makes the best of winter with the sort of tangy, smoky, spicy kick usually reserved for brightening up a summer fete. I served this slaw piled on top of these paleo tortilla crepe things, with some leftover flank steak and seared broccoli stalks. Yum.

If you’re southern, you can be forgiven for wanting to toss a handful of golden raisins into the mix. Eating my bulked up version (I added the broccoli florets and pecans) for salad the next day, I could almost smell the warm grass and smoked pig.

Paleo (with aioli), gluten-free and vegetarian (ish – contains eggs – sub for vegan mayo if going that route).

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Tangy Chipotle Slaw with Pecans

2 carrots, shredded
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, ribboned
1 Fuji apple, julienned
2 crowns broccoli, separated into bite-sized florets
1 cap organic apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. pecans, chopped or halved
1/2 c. aioli (if you have to sub mayo, at least use one made with olive oil)
2 tsp. adobo sauce (the sauce in a can of chipotle)
6 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar
2 big pinches salt

Toss the first 5 ingredients together while you are making the dressing and toasting your nuts.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl, thinning out with a splash of water if you need it.

Pour over the slaw and toss to combine. When the nuts are nice and toasted, throw them in as well.

Serves some to a bunch – If you’re eating this on top of a burger or taco, it goes a long way. Big lunch bowlfuls will get you 2.

Gluten-free Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Chard and Brown Butter Sauce

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Yay, gluten-free and paleo friendly gnocchi! I was so excited to find this recipe using almond flour on the interwebs, and it does not disappoint. This is a hearty, filling, and satisfying meal and comes together in just enough time for a (late) weeknight meal. And, as an added bonus, it’s chock full of vegetable goodness.

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Gluten-free Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Chard and Brown Butter Sauce

Based on Baked Rosemary, Almond Flour & Butternut Squash Gnocchi by The Urban Poser

Small butternut squash
3 c. finely ground almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 egg yolk
Big pinch salt
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. fresh basil
2-4 cloves garlic
1 bunch chard
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side up on a cookie sheet and roast 45 minutes or until softened. When the squash has been working for 10 minutes or so, toss in 3 cloves garlic still in their paper.

Scoop out about 1/2 to 3/4 c. squash and add to a large bowl with the almond flour, egg yolk, salt, herbs and roasted garlic.

Work ingredients until they are well mixed together and form into a ball. Your dough will be a bit sticky, but it should hold together well. If it is too wet, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little more squash. Coat your ball of dough with olive oil and chill about half an hour.

While your dough is chilling, make the chard. Wash chard and cut into ribbons. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chard, and sautee until it is wilted down. Kick the heat up to medium high and add the butter. Sautee until the butter starts to brown. Salt & pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

When your dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350. Take pinches of dough and form into grape-sized balls. Place dough grapes onto a cookie sheet, and lightly press with a fork while holding the sides so you have a gnocchi shape. I got about 45 gnocchi out of the batch. Brush the tops of the gnocchi with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Bring your chard back up to temperature and toss with the gnocchi when it gets out of the oven.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.