Tag: Whole30

Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

A smart little salad perfect for serving with all of Summers’ goodness – or alone.

gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30, paleo, keto

Pickled Dill Cucumber Salad

2-3 medium cucumbers, sliced fairly thinly 

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp coconut vinegar (ACV with a sprinkle of red chili flakes will do in a pinch)

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & pepper

3 Tbsp mayo (my current fav is Dutch Zaanse, but Japanese Kewpie is a close second) – swap for vegan if desired

2 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced into half moons

Drizzle honey or pinch sugar 

2 tsp stone ground mustard (Maille FTW – if you’ve been around long enough for my lament against whomever stopped importing my favorite mustard, I’m happy to report that it’s back on shelves – at least for now – hold please: I need to stock up)

Thinly slice the cucumbers and let dry on paper towels.

Thinly slice the shallots, run a knife through the capers, mince the garlic, and chop the dill; adding to a large bowl as you go.

Add the vinegar, honey, salt & pepper, mustard and mayo. Stir to combine.

Add the cucumbers and toss really well to incorporate fully.

Let sit for an hour or so to marinate and serve.

Serves 2 – 4 as a side, depending on how large your cucumbers are

Instant Pot Sous Vide Steak

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Instant Pot Sous Vide Steak

I *finally* bit the bullet and after 7+ years, bought another Instant Pot. It’s not like I haven’t missed mine – I have – but it just wasn’t available here for years and I found workarounds.

I’m so happy I have an Instant Pot again – and un upgrades at that! We opted for the Duo – mainly because we already have an air fryer and this model has a Sous vide function.

This past week I hit a sale on tenderloin – under $10 a kilo! After doing a little dance, what else was there but to christen my Sous vide?

gluten-free, paleo, keto

Instant Pot Sous Vide Steak

Steaks – I used roughly an inch thick tenderloin slices but other steaks would work the same

Seasoning – I used a combo of Lowry’s Seasoning Salt and Worcestershire Sauce

Fat of choice – I happened to have bacon fat, which was amazing

Portion your steaks, season as desired, and place into baggies with the air squeezed out (or vacuum seal bags).

Fill the Instant Pot halfway full with water, place the steamer trivet in the bottom as a precaution, and lay your steaks in the bath.

Set the Instant Pot to Sous Vide and set to 2 hours. Close and let go.

When done, remove from the bath and sear with a little fat for a little extra color & taste.

Serves however many steaks you make, but I found 3 steaks to be the max amount for my pot

Crayfish & Egg Scramble

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Crayfish & Egg Scramble

I’ve mentioned to y’all that finding ingredients familiar to my life in the States where I live can be a bit hit-and-miss. This is an example. Substitutions given.

gluten-free, paleo, keto, whole30

Crayfish & Egg Scramble

2 Duck eggs – sub large or XL chicken eggs

3 oz crayfish, cooked & peeled – shrimp was what I originally wanted, crayfish was what they had

Hand full thinly sliced green onions

White pepper & salt

Sesame oil

Magic sarap – sub chicken broth granules

Prep your ingredients: slice the green onions, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk, gather everything else and have on hand.

Over low to medium-low heat, add a little bit of sesame oil to a pan.

After the oil warms and starts to be fragrant, add the beaten eggs. Let the bottom of the eggs firm up before running your spatula through them to create soft folds.

While the eggs are still liquidy on top, add the green onions, crayfish, salt, pepper & a sprinkle of magic sarap/bouillon granules.

Let cool until your desired doneness is reached.

Serves 1 for a decadent breakfast or light lunch

Sofrito Meatballs

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Sofrito Meatballs

Popular in Mediterranean, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American cuisines, Sofrito is one of the world’s mother seasonings. This salsa-like insta bomb has a little of everything – perfect for building flavor layers quickly. Like these meatballs, which need pretty much nothing else to taste amazing.

gluten-free, paleo, Whole30

Sofrito Meatballs

1/2 c cilantro

2 small tomatoes

5 cloves garlic

1 small white onion

2 medium Cubanelle peppers

2 Tbsp citrus juice (lime or lemon)

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 c olive or avocado oil

Salt & pepper

1 lb ground meat (I used beef)

1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

To make the sauce, whiz together the cilantro, tomato, garlic, onion and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil to make a nice chunky salsa. Season with the citrus juice, apple cider vinegar, salt & pepper. Set aside.

To make the meatballs, combine the beef with about a quarter cup of the sofrito and some additional salt & pepper. Cook as usual.

Serves 3 – 4 as part of a meal

Air Fryer Sweet Potato & Chive Chicken Meatballs

Categories Recipes, Whole30Leave a Comment on Air Fryer Sweet Potato & Chive Chicken Meatballs

These are addictive. I’m not sure why, since they’re so simple, but they are. It’s probably the chive. So good, I’m keeping some on hand for snacking.

gluten-free, paleo, Whole30

Air Fryer Sweet Potato & Chive Chicken Meatballs

1 pound ground chicken

1 small sweet potato, peeled & rough chopped (about 2 cups when shredded)

1/4 cup chives, snipped fine

1 small shallot, peeled & rough chopped

Salt & pepper

Whack your chopped sweet potato and shallot in a food processor until the pieces look like small shreds. Mix with the ground chicken and hit with generous salt & pepper.

Preheat your air fryer to 200C/400F for 3 minutes.

When your air fryer is done heating, form the ground chicken mix into roughly ping pong ball sized meatballs and drop into the basket in a single layer, leaving a little space around each ball to breathe. I did mine in 2 rounds. Air fry 7 minutes per batch, shaking a few times during the cooking process to avoid sticking. Mine wanted to stick a bit, but with the shaking, the balls stayed together and ended up coming out just fine.

Serve with pretty much anything – I had some for a super simple ‘I’m not that hungry’ dinner with some babaganoush one night, nestled in a mess of stir-fried snow peas for lunch, and alongside some lazy af Ranch-y zucchini for another dinner. These babies are versatile. Would also be great with pasta.

Serves 4-6, depending on what you do with them

Mango Chive Salad

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Mango Chive Salad

Although it is not, regrettably, high mango season where I live – I just couldn’t resist some particularly tantalizing ruby red beauties in the grocery last week. Here, we are starting to dread the summer heat – while hanging on to every last shred of cool weather (and the winds they bring). I thought a nice, refreshing salad was just the thing to combat those spring ‘I’m not ready for surface of the sun temps’ blues.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan

Mango Chive Salad

1 large mango (if you’ve got a big boy, or 2 smaller), skinned and chopped

3 small Persian cucumbers or 1 large English variety

1/4 c chives, snipped

1 jalapeño, seeded

1/4 c pepitas

2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp your favorite mustard (I used Dijon, but my love – grainy Maille – would also be great here)

2 tsp honey, agave or date molasses

2 Tbsp your favorite neutral oil (or neutral-ish; I used olive)

2 tsp any fruit vinegar (I used ume plum)

1 red bell pepper

Optional add-ins for bulk: Hand full simply stir-fried snow peas, 1/4 – 1/2 avocado per serving

Optional add-ins for protein: rotisserie chicken, shrimp or sesame tofu

Chop the cucumber into bite-sized pieces and add to a large bowl.

Chop and add the red pepper & half the jalapeño and add to the bowl.

Snip the chives into small bits and add.

Add half the mango (I had a big boy so I added about a cup and a half, reserving about half a cup of mango for the dressing).

Toss all and set aside.

In the carafe of your blender, add: the other 1/2 cup or so of mango, the second half of the jalapeño, garlic, pepitas, lemon juice, mustard, sweetener, oil, and vinegar. Whiz to combine. Salt to taste.

Toss the salad with the dressing and any add-ins. Whack with a sprinkle flaky salt & black pepper to finish.

Serves 2 as a big meal-sized salad; 4 if you’re adding in the proteins & bulk items

Cucumber Salad with Zhoug Sauce

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Cucumber Salad with Zhoug Sauce

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.

Fresh Shakshouka

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Fresh Shakshouka

This version of shakshouka makes a great topper for crusty bread, uses a good blend of fresh + pantry ingredients – and makes a bonus second meal if you swirl some of your leftover sauce in with noodles.

It’s also DH approved, and he’s not a fan of skin-on tomatoes. He could live without the spinach, but we had greens and needed chlorophyll.

This would also be great with chickpeas for added protein and either scrambled or poached eggs/substitute cooked in the sauce. I wanted to keep my eggs separate to maximize leftovers. Scrambled soft tofu would be fantastic.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, halal

Fresh Shakshouka

1 small jar fire roasted peppers in oil

2 hands cherry tomatoes

1 large onion

4 Tbsp. zaatar

1 Tbsp. smoked paprika

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 c. tinned tomatoes (I used crushed but use what you have)

2 tsp. sambal olek (this is my favorite)

1/2 c. parsley

Baby spinach

Eggs

Crusty bread

3 – 4 cloves garlic – 2-3 minced and 1 or 2 whole with the end sliced off

Thinly slice the onion and sauté on medium in 1 Tbsp. of the oil that comes from the jar of peppers until soft and lightly brown in spots.

Add the sambal and 2 – 3 cloves minced garlic. Sauté a minute or two more to meld together.

While that is working, remove the peppers from the oil and roughly chop.

Add the tomatoes and peppers and sauté until the tomatoes burst.

While the tomatoes are doing their thing, roughly chop the parsley, slice the bread into thick slices and drizzle with some of the pepper oil.

Broil the bread until your desired toast level has been reached. Remove from the oven and rub with the cut end of the reserved garlic clove. Set aside.

When the tomatoes have burst (with or without a little help), add the Zaatar, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. Stir to combine and let sauté a minute or so to meld.

Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and half a cup of water. Bring up to a boil, reduce the heat, add the spinach + half the parsley on top, and simmer 7 – 8 minutes. As soon as that spinach wilts and can be thoroughly mixed in is the time to add eggs if you are cooking them like a traditional Shakshouka.

If you are not, fry your eggs separately in a little of the pepper oil to your desired doneness.

Serves 2 for a light dinner + makes enough sauce to be used for another night’s pasta

A Nice Herbed Hash Base

Categories Recipes, Whole30Leave a Comment on A Nice Herbed Hash Base

Yes, another hash. Don’t @ me; I’ve got a deep and abiding love for hash.

This version takes a “safer” route than I usually take to cook the potatoes to unburnt perfection. I also upped the fat content because I was working with a cast iron skillet, and I have not yet gotten the full hang of using it without stickage.

gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, Whole30 (sub the oil for W30 or strict paleo)

A Nice Herbed Hash Base

1 lb. small potatoes (I used a mix of purple, white and red)

1/2 lb. green beans

Sun dried tomato oil (or roasted red pepper oil – or, regular oil with a bit of either mixed in would also be great)

Citrus salt (I made mine and used this recipe as a starting point. Unfortunately, I didn’t post the recipe here. Mine has cracked peppercorns, rosemary and oregano mixed in and I believe the citrus mix is lemon + orange)

2 -3 cloves garlic

4 Tbsp. mixed fresh rosemary and dill – more if you want it even herbier

Some nice finishing salt (I used Maldon flake salt)

Maybe a splash of red wine vinegar at the end to punch up the flavors and cut through the richness (I added a dash upon reheating leftovers and it was fantastic)

Chop your potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Parboil in a large pot of salted water about 5 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Drain.

While the potatoes are working, tip and chop the green beans into bite sized pieces.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pan over medium-high until shimmering.

Add the potatoes, sprinkle with your citrus seasoning, and sauté 2-3 minutes or until just beginning to get some color.

Add the green beans & some pepper and sauté an additional 3 – 5 minutes or until nicely browned.

While the hash is working, mince the garlic and chop the herbs.

Add the garlic & herbs to the pan and stir to combine. Let cook a few minutes to meld. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

Finish with a sprinkle of good salt and/or a splash of vinegar.

I served with some vegan cashew curry sausages for dinner the first night and with a sausage, a little leftover seared red pepper + a fried egg the second. Both ways were yum.

Serves 2 for dinner & 1 for lunch if your portions are small (at least small to me; if you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know I love a healthy portion)

Indian Spiced Burgers

Categories RecipesLeave a Comment on Indian Spiced Burgers

Our little Monday night burger night needed a little kick in the pants. We’ve been doing whatever fake meats our local market has on hand (our favorites so far have been the Beyond Burgers and the Quorn Southern Fried “chicken” patties)j, and it’s been going really well. This week they happened to be out of good (non-lentil, non-bean) options, so I went for something a little different.

It was a big hit with me; with DH, not so much. He’s much more of a traditionalist when it comes to “staple” kid-friendly foods and has to be in the right mood for anything too far off the beaten path.

gluten-free, paleo

Indian Spiced Burgers

500g ground beef

1 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste (I used prepared)

3/4 small bunch cilantro

2 small green chilis

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. curry powder (your favorite mix)

Juice & zest of 1 lime

1 tsp. red chili powder (I used cayenne)

Mince your cilantro and chili. Add with the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix until combined well, but not gluey.

Divvy into 4 burger patties and fry until your desired done ness has been reached.

I served mine with Kewpie mayonnaise and a generous dollop of Bombay Sandwich Chutney on a soft bun. DH added cheese to his.

Serves 4

\\