Tag: vegetarian

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.

My Fall Addiction – Pumpkin Spice Latte (paleo)

Categories Life3 Comments on My Fall Addiction – Pumpkin Spice Latte (paleo)

It’s fall, and here in NYC the mercury is finally sort of starting to agree with that statement. Not that I’m complaining about the lack of brisk coolness (much), since I’m dreading winter, but fall is my favorite season. No more blazing hot sweat fests! Boots! Jackets! Cute Scarves! Not freezing to death!

And with all of that comes my love and my nemesis … the pumpkin spice latte. I have a seriously love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with the mermaid coffee shop. Their coffee on its own sucks. It’s bitter and burnt and undrinkable without a metric ton of sugar and other fillers, and that’s just no good and not what I desire to be putting into my body. But … they’re everywhere. And they have pumpkin. And the pumpkin. Lucky/not lucky for me, they have never made a “skinny” sugar-free version of the syrup they use & the sugar content of their full fat/sugared coffees makes me sick, so for the last few years I’ve limited my consumption drastically.

This home made version, I’m happy to say, is tasty. Really tasty. I’m still working on the sweet ratio – for me, 1 tsp. of maple syrup is a bit too sweet — I may drop it completely from subsequent batches — but it is solidly good. And it has a vegetable in it, so score there.

For my inaugural run, the version in the picture, I used Earl Grey tea as the base – mostly because I was too lazy to grind coffee. Feel free to use coffee instead. 🙂 The amounts of tea to coconut is also scaled to fit my tea container, which I think is 12 ounces.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte (paleo)

1 1/4 cup brewed Earl Grey tea
1/2 cup coconut milk
1.5 Tbsp. canned 100% pumpkin
1 tsp. 100% Maple syrup
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (equal parts cinnamon, ginger, allspice & nutmeg)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Brew the tea. While the tea is steeping, heat the coconut milk + all other ingredients in a small pan until just bubbling, whisking to combine fully.

Combine the brewed tea with the milky mixture and go to town. If you’re looking for a fancier drink, top with whipped cream and extra grated nutmeg. I drink all hot beverages out of a travel mug (sippy cup for grownups – don’t let me fool you; that pretty latte in the picture went right into the mug), so whipped cream is a no-go. But, were I having company similarly obsessed with pumpkin, whipped cream would not only be a go, but a necessity.

Serves 1

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

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Reformed beet-hater now occasionally craves the color and majesty that is a perfectly roasted beet every once in awhile. When I have those days, I’m happy someone in the health food biz decided to offer pre-roasted beets for sale at Whole Foods.

The recipe is written with a single lunch serving in mind. Feel free to scale up to feed your desired number.

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Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

1 small roasted beet (I took the lazy way out here and bought some pre-roasted beets)
1/2 avocado
1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
3-4 ounces leftover rotisserie chicken (optional but delicious)
1/2 grapefruit
Citrus salt (or other flaky finishing salt)

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. almond oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed)
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1/2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar (Braggs ftw)
1 big squirt grapefruit juice

Slice your beets wafer thin, shred the chicken, slice the avocado thin, and toast the almonds in a dry pan until lightly brown. Supreme the grapefruit.

Either add all to a bowl or lay out pretty for a composed salad. Both are equally tasty.

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients and pour over the top. Finish with some tasty salt and eat.

Serves 1 for lunch, but can easily be scaled up to feed more.

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.

1-Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream

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Oh, wow. I cannot believe I’ve ignored you guys like this. This recipe for banana ‘ice cream’ is really tasty, dead simple to make, whips up quick, and lasts in the freezer for as long as you need it to. It’s cheap, too, averaging however much bananas cost where you live per serving. And it’s paleo. Have I mentioned it’s also good? And filling? And healthy? And lactose free? What are you waiting for?! Ice cream waits for no man!

A good friend of mine recently made the jump to paleo (ok, it was a few months ago now) and I realized I hadn’t posted a recipe for this yet for you guys. This ‘ice cream’ is fantastic. I made it pretty much all summer last year and ended up almost living on it when the days got so hot I didn’t want to move, let alone put anything in my mouth that wasn’t freezing.

Also? It’s toddler-approved. My girl has a munchkin who loves bananas – and this dessert. It’s making its way into heavy rotation at her house as a summertime treat to combat her little guy’s first summer dealing with crazy heat.

This ice cream is surprisingly creamy for having a single ingredient and has a light banana taste when made with no add-ins. I always add almond butter because I absolutely love it and usually honey and a generous pinch of flaky salt as well. If paleo marshmallow fluff existed, that would go in as well. Ooooh. Steve’s Original Paleo Krunch (or some other grainless granola) would be fantastic here. Cocoa nibs if you’re so inclined.

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1-Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream

1 banana per serving

Add-ins: I usually use 1 Tbsp. almond butter + 1 tsp. honey + a big pinch of flaky salt per serving

Peel your banana, break into large pieces, and freeze at least an hour to overnight before starting.

Put your banana + any add-ins into your blender. Blend until it looks like soft-serve. At this point, your ice cream is entirely edible – but if you stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours, you will be rewarded with a rich, dense ice cream that is so satisfying you’ll never miss the dairy – or other ingredients.

Serves however many you want it to.

A note about blending: Don’t overload your blender. Just … don’t. Even if you have a Vitamix. Your blender doesn’t want to handle 9 bananas at once and you’ll have to dig out frozen and welded-together clumps of fruit before doing the right thing and blending 2 bananas at a time max. Just be patient and wait for the first bananas to do their thing before adding more. Of course this comes from experience. Experience and my wonderful, supportive DH giving a much-deserved ‘I told you so.’

Bonus shot!
Bonus shot!

Spring Pea and Asparagus Quinoa with Mushrooms and Leeks

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This dish might look like it takes a lot of pans and bother to make, but things can be simplified by cooking the mushrooms with the leeks. I left separate because I am the only mushroom-eater in the house and had a craving.

I also had leftovers for lunch the next day topped with 2 fried eggs – fabulous. The kind of fabulous that made me sad I didn’t have a larger bowl.

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Spring Pea and Asparagus Quinoa with Mushrooms and Leeks

2 c. vegetable stock
1 c. quinoa
2 leeks, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic
1 lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced
10 oz. fresh English peas
1 shallot
1 bunch asparagus
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. butter
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 Tbsp. chopped mint
Salt & pepper to taste

Add the quinoa and stock to a medium pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, knock the heat back to a simmer and let cook 15 minutes or until curlicues open.

Slice the leeks into thin rounds and chop the garlic.

Add to a large pan with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter. Sautee over medium 10 minutes or until browned. Season with salt and pepper. When the leeks are done, add to a medium bowl.

Add the mushrooms, 2 tsp. olive oil and 2 tsp. butter to a medium pan over medium heat. Sautee 15 minutes or until softened and browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the shallot into thin rings and chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces. Add to the vacant leek pan with the peas and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. sautee over medium-high until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the shallot/pea/asparagus mixture to the leek bowl and toss to combine. Hit with the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Add the mint and toss. Serve over the quinoa, topped with mushrooms.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.

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.

Spring Asparagus and Broccolini Farro & Kale Pesto

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Farro is one of those whole grains that speaks volumes about comfort to me. It’s nutty and toothsome and just the thing to serve as a great base for any season’s fresh veggies. This dish takes all the best spring has to offer and ties it into perineal favorites like broccolini and lemon.

The picture is wonky but the dish is good. Promise :)
The picture is wonky but the dish is good. Promise 🙂

Spring Asparagus and Broccolini Farro with Kale Pesto

1/2 c. farro
1 c. vegetable broth
1 bunch broccolini
1 bunch asparagus
3/4 bulb fennel
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. water
1 Tbsp. garlic infused olive oil
1/2 c. kale pesto
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Big pinch red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

Bring the farro and stock up to a boil in a medium pot. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit with the lid on an additional 5 minutes.

On to the veg. Chop the broccolini and asparagus into bite-sized pieces. Slice the fennel thinly. Chop the garlic. Add all to a large pan with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sautee 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Add the 1/2 c. water and continue sauteeing until water cooks out and everything gets nicely browned.

Tip the veggies out into a large bowl. Add the farro, garlic-infused olive oil, kale pesto, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Taste for seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.