I made this as an accompaniment to some killer meatballs (recipe coming next week), but this dish as it is would be great as a holiday side or studded with any protein of choice for a rounded out meal.
Note: I completely forgot to do so when making this recipe, but chucking a couple big hands of baby spinach was a fantastic way to dress up the leftovers and add a nutrient punch.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Pomegranate & Fig Salad
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into inch-ish chunks
6 figs, sliced (I had dried on hand but fresh would be even better)
1/4 c. pecans, chopped
1/3 c. pomegranate arils
Tahini & pomegranate molasses to drizzle
Salt & pepper
Your favorite seasoning – I used a spicy creole mix
Oil
Preheat your oven to 200C/375F. Prepare a baking sheet.
Chop the sweet potato into inch-ish chunks, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper & seasoning, spread out onto a baking sheet and bake until your desired level of doneness is achieved. I let mine go until the pieces were almost crispy.
Toss with the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with the sauces.
As noted in the head notes, a good couple hands of baby spinach and your protein of choice would round this out to a great meal.
Everything But The Bagel Seasoning is on it’s way out of the zeitgeist, but I’m behind the times. EBB seasoning has been causing a stir as of late where I live, with warnings going out left and right to not try and smuggle illegal items into the country while coming back from your Summer vacations.
Whaa?
Where I live, poppy seeds are illegal. I thought this had something to do with them not being halal, but according to Islamweb.net, they are fine to consume as food. The Global Arabic Encyclopedia says that the seeds have no narcotic properties, and are fine for both human and livestock consumption. [Source]
No idea why they’re illegal where I live, but they most certainly are.
In a 2019 bulletin, they were still on the banned import list.
“All Types of Papaver or Opium poppy seeds with or without mixing with other substances and all foodstuff include Papaver or Opium poppy seeds as ingredient.” The reason given was “Precautionary measure due to possibility of non-food prohibited use.” [Source]
Which is a total bummer, since I’ve been dying to get my hands on an EBB seasoned avocado toast (I know, stick me in Uggs and gimme a PSL at Target).
I was not about to risk going to jail for a seasoning, so I indulged during my trip to the US and then made plans to make my own when I got home.
I’m glad I did. Yum. I remember liking EBB seasoning on bagels, but it’s a nice way to dress up an otherwise pretty plain breakfast (unless you top it with Tajin, that is – my other go-to).
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Legal Everything But The Bagel Seasoning Avo Brekkie
seasoning:
2 Tbsp. granulated onion (chunky dried onion)
2 Tbsp. granulated garlic (chunky dried garlic)
1 Tbsp. black sesame or nigella seeds
1 Tbsp. white sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
2 tsp. flaky salt
the rest:
2 tsp. oil
1/2 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3-1/2 c. frozen spinach
Dusting nutmeg
Dusting smoked paprika
Salt & pepper
1 small avocado
2 slices toast
Heat the oil in a pan over medium. Sauté the shallot and garlic until soft. Add the spinach, and let go a minute or two to start thawing.
Add a couple dashes of water to steam the rest of the spinach thaw.
When thaw, add the spices and stir. Let cook a minute more to combine. Hit with salt & pepper.
To serve, mash the avocado lightly and spread in a thick layer on the toast. Add the spinach and sprinkle the whole thing liberally with the EBB Seasoning. Add a little more flake salt to the top. Enjoy.
This is a good one and fine for a nice light Summer dinner. I think I also finally licked the issue with having my coconut curries turn out too bland – I think I *finally* added enough spice!
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Roasted Veggie Coconut Curry
2-3 c. pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 c. broccolini, chopped
2 green chilis, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
15 oz. can coconut milk
2 empty cans’ worth your favorite stock
4 Tbsp. curry blend
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
Protein of choice
Rice noodles
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 scallion, sliced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
Bake the pumpkin at 400F in a little oil, seasoned with salt & pepper, 20-30 minutes or until soft.
Add the rest of the ingredients to a slow cooker or Instant Pot, minus the protein, noodles, lime juice, scallion or cilantro. Set on “Soup” or “Stew” and let cook. If you are using chicken, add the protein at this step. If you’re using something like seafood or tofu, cook separately and add at the end with the noodles.
Prepare your noodles separately.
When the curry is done cooking, tase for salt & pepper and top with the lime juice, scallion and cilantro.
Miso. Butter. Is. Amazing. I don’t know why the combo never occurred to me, but when I scrolled past the mere mention somewhere out there on the Internets, I was intrigued.
I’m glad I followed that particular tangent, because I would happily slather this stuff on pretty much anything (including toast).
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan if you swap for vegan butter
Pictured here with sweet potato fries, which is also a good call
Miso Butter Bowl
miso butter:
3 Tbsp. your favorite butter, softened
2 Tbsp. white miso
A big hand full of minced scallion whites
Mush the above into a compound butter.
bowl:
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Your favorite seasoning (I used Tony’s Cajun)
toppers:
Roast chickpeas (to make: drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, spread out in a single layer on a prepared sheet and bake at 400F for 20-30 mins or until your desired level of crisp and brownness has been reached. Toss with a Tablespoon of oil and a liberal amount of your favorite seasoning – I used more of that Tony’s)
The greens from your scallions
Sesame seeds
This would also be great with a good cashew cheese, but I did not have any on hand
To assemble, sauté the zucchini, corn, onion and garlic in a teaspoon of oil until your desired level of brownness has been reached. Season with salt, pepper and your seasoning. Add the miso butter and let go another minute or two.
Add the veggies into a bowl, and top with your extras.
I’ve been having a mini love-affair with miso this week – stay tuned for more umami bomb recipes coming in the next few weeks – and this delicious little dinner salad does that love justice.
I can see using the leftovers of this dressing mixed with quinoa, or in a pumpkin-heavy dish. Also as a drizzle for chicken.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Miso Vinaigrette Salad
Dressing:
1 heaping Tbsp. white miso
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. neutral oil
2 Tbsp. sushi vinegar
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. honey
Pinch cayenne
Salt & pepper
Salad:
1 large zucchini, chopped
1 large bok choy, washed and sliced thin
1 package baby spinach
2 tsp. sesame oil
Soy sauce
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds
Big hand pepitas (toasted cashews would also be great)
Protein of choice: I used simply sautéed tofu
Optional topper: crispy chickpeas
Chop the zucchini and bok choy (whites) and set to sautee over medium-high with the sesame oil.
Let cook until crisp-tender.
Add a generous sprinkle of soy sauce.
Add the spinach and bok choy greens and toss until the spinach is barely wilted. Set aside. Drain if wet.
To make the dressing, whisk or shake all ingredients together.
To assemble the salad, add the toppers and toss with a couple Tablespoons dressing.
Preheat your oven to 375F/200C. Halve your zucchini and semi-scoop the middles out. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle heavily with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet cut side down.
Bake about 20 minutes or until browning and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make your bruschetta topping. Dice the tomato, mince the onion and garlic tear or chop the basil, chop the picked thyme. Add to a bowl with a couple good glugs of oil, a generous amount of salt & pepper, 1 tsp. your favorite vinegar, and a generous drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Let sit while your zucchini bakes.
To assemble, fill each zucchini like a boat and serve.
To bump this out to be a more substantial meal, add some chopped leftover shrimp like I did, or add some pearl couscous cooked in stock to the bruschetta mix.
This is a great riff on a classic Middle Eastern sauce (kinda like the ME version of chimichurri) with a nice, light salad.
This sauce can also be used as a meat marinade, as a topper for crispy potatoes, as a sauce in a sandwich, mixed with zucchini, avocado & peas in pasta, and as a mix-in for rice. I’m sure there are 999999 other ways to use it, but I ran out before I could try more. Which I will. I suspect this would be bomb with a Kewpie mayo egg salad sandwich.
I think next time I make this sauce, I’ll use a mortar & pestle instead of a blender – my favorite version from a local restaurant has a thicker mince and even punchier garlic.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, low-carb
Cucumber Salad with Zhoug Sauce
Zhoug
6 cloves garlic
3 jalapeños (or a mix of jalapeños and other peppers – seed if you need to)
1 cup flat leaf parsley
1 cup cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
Pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
Pinch sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 c. olive oil
Blend to combine in your food processor or blender until your desired consistency is reached.
Salad
2-3 small cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber, sliced thinly or diced
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced wafer thin
Generous amount flake salt & black pepper
1/2 c. zhoug sauce
Combine and let sit 1/2 an hour or more to let the flavors meld.
Serves a few as a simple side with a protein. Would also make a fantastic bbq side in place of a Southern-style cucumber salad.
I know, *another* hash. Can you get any more basic?
Nope. Nope you can’t. This girl loves breakfast, and hates eating dinner off of a plate at home. I also had an inexplicably strong desire for shredded zucchini, so hash it was.
I’m glad I listened to my weirdo craving – this was dang good. I’ll be making it again because this base is super versatile.
Some topping options:
Like I served it with leftover crumbled sausage, cherry tomatoes & Choula
Taco meat, guacamole and salsa
Chorizo or breakfast sausage & a fried egg
Turkey bacon & a fried egg (had this for breakfast the next day and it was 💯
Marinara & shredded protein of your choice with red pepper flakes
Salmon burger or crab cake with lemon aioli and capers
Let me know if you make any of these other options, tag me on Instagram @gastography – I’d love to see how they turned out!
On to the actual recipe.
gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan
Ignore my poor little abused Ikea bowl. She’s got problems.
Veg-Forward Hash Bowl Base
4 small waxy potatoes (about 2 cups shredded)
1 small red onion, shredded
1 large zucchini, shredded
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 cup sautéed minced red pepper & onion
Salt & pepper
Neutral oil
Shred the veggies and add in a pile to a clean tea towel. When all the veggies are in, twist as hard as you can to release as much water as possible. You want your mixture pretty dry so it picks up a bit of color rather than just steaming – if you’re me. You do you, though.
Heat a Tablespoon or so of your favorite fat over medium high heat. Add the squeezed veggies and stir to break up.
Hit with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Stir again.
Let sauté until browned to your liking. Add the pepper & onion mix. Stir to combine.
This process took me about 12 minutes to hit my desired level of brownness (stirring pretty frequently to avoid all-out burning) and for my potatoes to be cooked through.
You could also use frozen hashed browns here and that may take a different cooking time.
Taste for seasoning and hit with more salt, pepper or garlic powder if needed. Smoked paprika would also be nice here – cumin would be good, too. I made mine plain so I had maximum topping options.
This is a great grab-n-go to have in your back pocket any time you’ve got too many bananas and need a quick breakfast.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Chai Spiced Baked Oatmeal
2 cups rolled oats
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 over ripe bananas
1.5 cups your favorite milk (I’ve used both hazelnut and oat milk and they were both great)
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbsp. date molasses or maple syrup
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
3 Tbsp. pepitas
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Optional topper: a drizzle of nut butter, fresh or frozen berries, more banana
Preheat your oven to 200c/375F.
In a small baking dish, combine the dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate.
In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and add the wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix to combine fully. If you still have little chunks of banana, mash them with the back of a spoon while combining. You want to make sure all the oats are wet.
Bake about 25 – 35 minutes, or until the bake is set and nicely browned.
Slice into 6 big squares and serve with your optional toppers.
Orzo is an ingredient I under-utilize and I’m always surprised how much I like it each time I remember to make it. I’m imagining it’s because I spent years exclusively eating paleo, and have been into low carb for years upon that – but this is really good.
This recipe tastes fresh and makes a great accompaniment to next weeks recipe – a baked Mediterranean chicken. It’s also great as a standalone dish.
Vegetarian, vegan
Garden Orzo
1/2 cup orzo
1.5 cups liquid – I used 1/2 a cup of good stock & 1 cup of water; you do you, though I’d suggest using some good flavorful broth as well
6 sundried tomatoes
500g baby spinach
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. your favorite oil
Optional add-ins: pine nuts, a good salty cheese (this one from Violife was what I used for the dish I made to go with and it was fantastic – they also make a “Parmesan” that would probably be great here), a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of Zaatar
Sauté the garlic in the little bit of oil until just beginning to turn tender.
Add the stock & water and bring up to a boil.
Add the orzo and cook, stirring quite frequently to prevent sticking, until just al dente, a minute or so before the cook time is up.
While the orzo is working, chop the sundried tomatoes.
When the orzo is al dente, remove from the heat.
Chuck the sundried tomatoes in, stir, and add the spinach on top.
Let steam a couple minutes, and stir the wilted spinach in.
Gastography 