Tag: side dishes

Roasted Citrus Galettes

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This is a super simple and beautiful way to serve up some late winter/Spring citrus fruits – and yes, you can eat the peels!

Makes a great brunch spread centerpiece- stay tuned next week for 3 quick and easy yogurt additions to serve alongside.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Roasted Citrus Galettes

Grapefruits, blood oranges, clementines – whatever looks good at the grocery
Olive or neutral oil
Rosemary or thyme (preferably fresh, but work with what you have)
Salt
Date molasses or honey
Phyllo dough squares or toast or some other hand-to-mouth vehicle (gluten free if you need!)
Optional: goat cheese or vegan spreadable cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 F and prep a sheet pan with silpat or baking paper.

Scrub your citrus and slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Quarter the slices and arrange on the baking tray.

Sprinkle with herbs, oil, and a little salt.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until nicely browned and caramelized. In the last 5 minutes or so if cooking, drizzle a little honey or date molasses over top.

Bake your dough squares, toast your toast, or prep whatever eating vehicle you are using.

To serve, spread the base with cheese if you want and tip with a tangle of caramelized sweet and tangy and bitter all at once citrus.

Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes

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This side dish is fantastic as-is, but would be even more magical if I’d managed to make it also crispy.

As it stands, the rounds are a touch fragile – but are still frickin delicious.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian

Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes

1-2 sweet potatoes
High smoke point oil
3 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper

First, preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Take the barest amount of oil and brush a foil-lined baking sheet to coat.

Slice your potatoes in 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick rounds. Brush with a little oil, and hit with salt and pepper. Bake 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop the parsley & garlic and melt the butter. Make a sauce by combining all ingredients.

When the potatoes can be smushed by a fork, lightly smash – you may need to gently place the potatoes back into their original shape, depending on how much extra room in the pan you have and how aggressive you are a masher. I had a few of the thinner pieces whose middles didn’t want to stay in the center – for those pieces, I just patted everything back into shape.

Once your potatoes are how you want them, pour the sauce over top and broil until golden and crispy (ideally), or, if you don’t have a broiler – bake about 15 more minutes to brown up.

Serves a bunch as a side

All-Purpose Parsley Sauce

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Parsley sauce?

I know it sounds weird and possibly boring, but this sauce is super quick to knock together and brings a little extra oomph to things like: roasted veggies, plain chicken, potatoes, anything in the bowl of carbs realm, or like toast.

It’s just delicious.

The picture below is of this sauce tossed with some chicken breasts I salted & peppered and roasted quickly, plus the Brussels sprouts/cauliflower/potato medley I batch cooked alongside.

Gluten-free, pescatarian, paleo

All-Purpose Parsley Sauce

Big double hand full fresh parsley (about a cup)
3-5 olives
2 tsp. anchovy paste
1/2 – 1 tsp. dry mustard powder
3 big cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. your favorite oil
2+ tsp. water

Whiz all ingredients together, adding water a teaspoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.

Get to tossin’. Or slather on some toast. Or drizzle on some eggs. Or swirl into soup.

The world is your oyster. You do you.

Serves a bunch

Thai Grapefruit Shrimp Salad

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This recipe came about because I had something similar one fateful night when I got delivery pan-Asian – and then proceeded to think about it nonstop for a solid week.

While this isn’t 100% the same as that dish, it’s pretty close – and almost equally as addictive. The sharp bitterness of a good grapefruit pairs really well with sweet-tart tamarind, and the earthiness of nut butter. Yum all around.

gluten-free, paleo, low carb

Thai Grapefruit Shrimp Salad

1 ruby grapefruit
14-16 shrimp
1/4 c. roasted nuts
1 small shallot
1 red chili
1 clove garlic
2 small cucumbers
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
Salt & pepper

For the dressing

1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (or fish sauce)
1 tsp. Thai roasted red chili paste
2 tsp. tamarind paste
1/2 tsp. honey
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. nut butter

Add to a large bowl, the grapefruit (peeled and supremed), shallot, chili and garlic (minced), cucumbers and nuts (chopped), and cherry tomatoes (halved).

In a separate bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together.

Pour over salad and toss.

Sautée the shrimp in the oil in a medium pan 3-5 minutes or until cooked through, making sure to season with salt & pepper.

When done, add to the salad. Toss again and let chill a couple hours to allow the flavors to marry.

Serves 2 as a light meal

A Standard Southern Slaw

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This year for his birthday, DH requested a Southern-style feast to go with games and an ice cream cake.

Southern, I can do – no problem. The ice cream cake was a stretch (shudder remembering all the terrible ice cream cakes I had growing up and the disappointment that they still had icing), but it went over well – as did my backup lactose-free salted caramel ice cream stuffed red velvet cupcakes.

This simple slaw I made so we’d have a (non-fried) veggie (the fried okra I made was a big hit as well), and something with a little crunch. Lactose-free mac-n-cheese that certainly didn’t taste it and pulled pork with ENC style sauce rounded out the day.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

A Standard Southern Slaw

About 2 cups shredded red cabbage
About 2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped
1/4 white onion, minced
1/2 cup your favorite mayo or mayo substitute
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. your favorite mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Liberal salt & black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients (mayo and below).

Add the fruit & veggies and mix with your hands, massaging the dressing into the cabbage. Liberally salt & pepper.

Let sit in the fridge a couple hours to marinate and serve.

Serves enough for a party

Dairy-Free Potatoes Au Gratin

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So. Freakin. Good. Such a 💩 picture.

I haven’t had potatoes au gratin for years, and I’m happy DH requested it for Christmas dinner, and that I found a dairy-free version online to riff on. This was fantastic, and my guests had no idea it was dairy-free until I told them.

You can’t taste the coconut at all.

Note: I used lactose-free sharp cheddar cow cheese. This doesn’t bother my stomach, but if you’re vegan, I’ve really liked the Daiya shredded cheeses.

gluten-free, vegetarian

Dairy-Free Potatoes Au Gratin

3.5 lbs. potatoes, sliced 1/8 in. thick
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 – 3 shallots (about 3-4 c minced)
2 tsp. olive oil
14 oz. coconut cream
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
Salt & pepper
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Shredded lactose free cheddar

Preheat your oven to 200C.

Grease your pan if you’re not using a disposable – you want something rectangular.

In a large pan, sautée the shallot and garlic in the oil until softened and starting to brown.

Add the coconut cream, almond milk, spices, salt & pepper and bring to a gentle boil.

Boil 10 mins. While that’s working, slice the potatoes and add to another large bowl – covering with cold water so the potatoes don’t brown.

To the coconut mixture, add a slurry of the chicken broth & cornstarch. Stir vigorously to thicken the sauce.

To assemble, make a slightly overlapping layer of the potatoes, top with sauce and cheese and repeat until you run out of potatoes. You want the top layer to be potatoes followed by a generous layer of cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 60-75 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle meets no resistance.

Remove the foil and bake 5-10 minutes or until the cheese browns. If your oven has a broil function, more the better.

Serves a bunch

Roasted Carrot & Onion Salad

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It was a roasted veggie kind of holiday around here. This one I initially served lukewarm with a rib roast and killer lactose-free potatoes au gratin, but I’m happy to report that it makes a killer hot hash the next day with eggs and chunks of beef. 🤤

Next time I may either not share with friends, or make more: this dish turned out really well.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30

Roasted Carrot & Onion Salad

2 lbs. carrots
1 – 2 fennel bulbs
2 large red onions
Neutral oil for roasting
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. pepitas
2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. smoky chili powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Small hand full fresh mint, chopped
Salt & pepper

In a 200-ish C (around 425F) oven, bake your fennel & onion which you’ve sliced into thin wedges, arranged with plenty of space on a baking sheet, drizzled with oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper. Bake 25 minutes.

On a separate baking sheet, add the carrots which you’ve cut into 3-ish inch chunks, oiled & seasoned. Bake 25 minutes or until everything is well browned and almost burnt in spots.

Actually, if the onion is a bit crispy, it’s even better.

Toss the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl to form a vinaigrette.

Add the veggies & toss again.

Serves a bunch

Orange Beet Salad

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This dish made a nice light little punch of vegetable brightness for a holiday potluck.

Hence the fake picture.

I’ll insert the real and terrible pic I took after the recipe – suffice it to say, wine + taking pictures basically in the dark is not a great combo.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30

Orange Beet Salad

5 roasted and de-skinned beets
1 small head roasted cauliflower (toast until deeply browned)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. hazelnuts
4 small oranges (not naval – something tastier)
1 shallot (about 3 T when minced)
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. pomegranate molasses
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
4 – 5 Tbsp. fresh tarragon
Salt & pepper

Add your cauliflower to a large bowl. Chop the beets and add. Peel, segment, de-seed and halve the oranges minus one half.

Squeeze that last half orange into a small bowl (about 2 Tbsp. juice). Add the lemon juice, olive oil, molasses, vinegar and spices. Chop and add the parsley. Mince and add the shallot. Add salt & pepper.

Pour over the salad and toss.

In a dry pan, toast the hazelnuts. Chop and toss on the top of the salad with the chopped tarragon.

Serves a party

Smothered Butternut Squash

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The sauce on this recipe is addicting. So much so, I’ve managed to eat half a squash today and want more sauce.

What is it with me and raw garlic? I can’t get enough.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Smothered Butternut Squash

1 smallish butternut squash
8-10 cloves garlic
1/2 – 2/3 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
4 tsp. sweet paprika
Generous salt
Generous pepper

First, preheat your oven to 200C and prep a baking tray with tinfoil.

Cut the stem ends off your squash, and halve down the middle lengthwise. Scoop the seeds and discard.

Now make your dressing by whizzing all the remaining ingredients.

Spoon a generous amount over each cut half of squash and arrange face up on the sheet.

Bake 25 – 35 minutes or until the thickest part is soft.

To serve, you can either scoop out of the skin in the kitchen, table side, or eat the skins. Whatever your fancy.

Serve with the rest of the sauce drizzled over top (or in my case, slathered).

Should serve 4 with a small squash

Pear + Radish Salad

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It’s the season of potlucks – or one of them, at least, and as such I’ve been in my typical ‘vegan veggie things in a bowl with zero gluten – but nuts, so no suitable for almost but not quite everyone’ mode.

This salad as written makes a ton. Like 2 trays full, which is overkill for a 10-person potluck. Hopefully, more will turn up – or everyone comes hungry. I’ve got too many party leftovers at my house.

Gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Pear + Radish Salad

A crapton shredded kale (I used something like 6 – 8 cups because that was the size of my package – this dictated the size of my salad because I didn’t want leftovers)
2-3 cups chopped red cabbage
6 smallish pears, chopped
20 radishes (I used English Breakfast, but watermelon or another peppery variety would be even better)
2 hand fulls slivered almonds
1 hand full raw pepitas
2 hands full pine nuts
1 bunch snipped chives

For the dressing

Note: I doubled this recipe to get the amount of dressing I wanted

1/4 c. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
1.5 Tbsp. date molasses
4-5 glugs or turns around the mixer olive oil
Hand full parsley
4 sprigs thyme
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. grainy mustard (if you’ve been reading awhile, you’ll know by this I always mean Maille Wholegrain because it’s my 😍)
1 green onion
Generous salt & pepper

Prep all salad ingredients and add to a vessel of some sort. Whiz the dressing together in your food processor and pour over the salad. Massage with your hands to combine and work into the kale.

Serves a party