Category: Dairy-free

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Vegan

Baked tomatoes with basil bean cream

Belinda

A bells and whistles version of tomatoes on toast here, but with good reason. As you slice into the baked tomatoes, their sweet-sour juices spill deliciously over the soft mound of herb-speckled bean puree – a taste of deep summer.

Recipe by Nigel Slater

Makes 4 toasts

1lb (500g) tomatoes or 12 small-medium
6 thyme sprigs
3 tbsp olive oil
4 slices thick sourdough or ciabatta

For the bean puree
1 15oz (400g) can haricot or cannellini beans
5 tbsp olive oil
1oz (20g) basil
1 clove garlic

Set the oven at 400F/210C fan/gas mark 8.

Put the tomatoes snugly in a roasting tin, tuck in the thyme sprigs, then pour over the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, then bake for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are just starting to burst.

Drain the beans and bring them to the boil in a pan of fresh water. (I often add a few sprigs of thyme and a couple of bay leaves, but it is not essential.) Lower the heat to a simmer and leave for 10 minutes. Drain the beans reserving a tablespoon of the cooking water. Put the beans into the bowl of a food processor, add a little salt and black pepper, the 5 tablespoons of olive oil and the basil leaves. Peel and add the clove of garlic, then process for a few seconds (only) to a thick, green cream.

Toast the bread on both sides. Spread the basil cream over it, then divide the tomatoes between the toasts, spooning over any thyme-scented juices from the pan.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Best Gazpacho

Belinda

By Julia Moskin for the New York Times

More of a drink than a soup, served in frosted glasses or chilled tumblers, gazpacho is perfect when it is too hot to eat but you need cold, salt and lunch all at the same time. Gazpacho is everywhere in Seville, Spain, where this recipe comes from, but it’s not the watered-down salsa or grainy vegetable purée often served in the United States. This version has no bread and is a creamy orange-pink rather than a lipstick red. That is because a large quantity of olive oil is required for making delicious gazpacho, rather than take-it-or-leave it gazpacho. The emulsion of red tomato juice, palest green cucumber juice and golden olive oil produces the right color and a smooth, almost fluffy texture.

Serves 8

About 2lbs ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 Italian frying (cubanelle) pepper or another long, light green pepper, such as Anaheim, cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 cucumber, about 8 inches long, peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste
Salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling

Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.

Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids.
Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired, or in a bowl. A few drops of olive oil on top are a nice touch.

Dairy-free · Fish · Meat

Cod with chorizo and white beans

Belinda

Chorizo and red peppers give this cod dish a nice Spanish flavor. This is a really easy way of cooking fish and there’s plenty of delicious veg to go with it.
A lovely recipe from “The Hairy Bikers”.

Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
6oz (150g) cooking chorizo, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced1 red pepper
9oz (250g) white cabbage, shredded
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
7 fl oz (200ml) red wine
2 tbsp tomato purée
14oz (400g) can of white beans (preferably cannellini), drained and rinsed
4 filets of cod or other thick white fish, skinned
salt and black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or frying pan with a lid. Add the chorizo and brown it quickly on all sides, then remove it with a slotted spoon. If there’s a lot of fat in the pan, spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons.

Add the red onion, red pepper and cabbage and cook them over a medium heat until they have started to soften, then add the garlic and thyme. Cook for a further 2–3 minutes, then turn up the heat and pour in the wine. Leave it to bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes, then stir in the tomato purée, beans and about 250ml of water. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the pan and leave to simmer until the vegetables are just tender. Put the chorizo back in the pan. Season the cod steaks with salt and pepper and place them on top of the beans and veg. Cover the pan and leave to steam very gently for about 15 minutes or until the cod has just cooked through.

Serve sprinkled with parsley, if using, with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Fish · Gluten Free · Rice · Salad

Sesame Salmon Bowls

Belinda

This one-pot meal, which is inspired by chirashi, or Japanese rice and raw fish bowls, features a savory vinegared rice that’s typically served with sushi.
Traditionally, the rice is cooked first, then mixed with vinegar, but here, the rice is cooked in vinegar-seasoned water to eliminate a step. The result is sticky rice that’s tangy and sweet, and a perfect bed for fatty salmon.
The salmon is added toward the end to steam directly on top of the rice for an easy one-pan meal.
Packaged coleslaw is a time saver, eliminating extra knife work.
Make a double batch of the zesty dressing for drizzling over roasted vegetables or green leafy salads the next day.

Recipe by Kay Chun for The New York Times.

Serves 4
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 ½ cups sushi rice (short-grain white rice), rinsed until water runs clear
1 ½ lbs skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 tbsp safflower or canola oil
2 tbsp coarsely chopped scallions
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger (from one 2-inch piece)
3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
8 ounces green coleslaw mix (about 3 packed cups)
1 avocado, halved, pitted and thinly sliced
Torn toasted nori sheets, for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt; stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rice and 1 3/4 cups water, and mix well. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss salmon with 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil and season with salt. Once rice is tender (after about 20 minutes), arrange salmon in an even layer on top of rice. Cover and steam over low heat until fish is cooked to medium, about 12 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, white vinegar, safflower oil, scallions, ginger and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well, and season with salt.

Scoop salmon and rice into bowls. Top each with some cucumbers, coleslaw mix and avocado. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with nori, if using.

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Sauces · Vegan · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

6 ingredient lemon ginger sauce to serve with roasted asparagus

Belinda

This is the perfect side dish to any dinner! It’s ready in 20 minutes and is totally vegan & oil-free!

12 oz asparagus spears, washed and patted dry
salt and pepper
1/4 of a lemon

LEMON GINGER SAUCE (makes 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup (60g) water
2 tbsp (30g) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (64g) roasted creamy almond butter
2 tsp (8g) peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp (10g) agave or maple syrup
2 medium garlic cloves (5g)
1/4 tsp ground turmeric powder
1/4 tsp fine salt + 1/8 teaspoon pepper

NOTE
Don’t worry about this sauce being spicy. The ginger gives amazing ginger flavor, but it is not spicy at all. The lemon juice, almond butter and agave all balance it out like a dream.
I’d suggest making the sauce early in the day or the day before. While it’s not totally necessary, it does thicken as it sits. But it’s delicious immediately.

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a pan with parchment paper.

Trim the ends off of each asparagus about 2-3 inches. Place on the pan spread out evenly. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 of a lemon over the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 8-9 minutes until fork tender, but still firm. You don’t want them overcooked and limp, but not raw either. Depending on the thickness of the spears, time may need adjustment by a minute or so.

While the asparagus is roasting, make the sauce.
Add the water, lemon juice, almond butter, ginger, agave, garlic, turmeric, salt & pepper to a food processor or a Vitamix, if you have one. Either will work fine. For the ginger, you want to make sure you get the right amount, so weigh after peeling. I basically grated a large piece of fresh ginger over a bowl and then measured.

Blend everything on low, slowing increasing speed, until smooth. Scrape the sides down well and blend once more on low. It will be a fairly runny sauce, like a salad dressing. This is so it drizzles easily over the asparagus.
But it does thicken overnight or several hours in the fridge. It also doubles beautifully to toss as a salad dressing in greens. So so good.
Drizzle over the hot asparagus and serve immediately.
You will be tempted to drink the sauce!

Chocolate · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Icecream

Avocado Ice cream

Belinda

This avocado ice cream is so creamy, made with only six ingredients and doesn’t require an ice cream maker! It’s also vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe from Food Blog “Eating Bird Food”

2 ripe avocados (You could try another non-dairy milk too)
½ cup almond milk
¼ cup maple syrup honey or other liquid sweetener
1 Tbsp coconut oil measured in a liquid state
¼ tsp peppermint extract
¼ cup chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed)

Add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips into a high powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Stir in chocolate chips and pour into a freezer-safe container. I used a loaf pan lined with parchment.
Place container in the freezer to set. It should take about 4-5 hours.
Once frozen, pull ice cream from the freezer, let sit out on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften. Use an ice cream scoop to serve and enjoy!
You can use an icecream maker if you prefer, so after blending the ice cream, pour it into the ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions

Notes
Sweetener: Feel free to use your sweetener of choice here. Play around with using stevia instead of maple syrup/honey if you want to reduce the sugar content.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Whole30 compliant

Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Cumin-Coriander Tahini Sauce

Belinda

I loved roasted carrots and these ones are so tasty. Make sure you roast your cumin first, it makes all the difference.

Recipe by Angela Liddon

Serves 4

For the carrots
1 1/2 – 2 lbs rainbow carrots
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (roasted)
3/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

For the Sauce
2 tbsp tahini
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin (roasted)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt

Prepare the carrots by trimming their stems, washing them off, and patting them dry.
Parboil the carrots until barely tender in salted boiling water, drain and dry the carrots with kitchen towel.
Place the carrots on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Roll the carrots along the baking sheet to evenly disperse the olive oil.
Sprinkle the oiled carrots with the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt, and black pepper and toss.
Roast the carrots at 425 F until fork-tender but still slightly firm, about 20-25 minutes.
While the carrots roast, prepare the sauce by whisking together the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, ground cumin, ground coriander, and sea salt.
Drizzle the sauce over the roasted carrots and enjoy.

Accompaniments · Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan

Slow-Cooker Tomato Compote

Belinda

This savory compote — a typically sweet, slow-simmered fruit preserve — is a delicious way to eat cherry tomatoes, especially those that are on the verge of being too soft. But it’s also a great way to intensify the flavor of middling supermarket cherry tomatoes in the winter. Either way, the sweet-tart tomatoes can build super-quick meals: Put them on top of ricotta or avocado toast, or squish them into a grilled cheese. Toss them with hot or cold pasta. Use the oil and juices in salad dressings and the tomatoes in the salad itself. The compote can be used right away, but it’s best the next day and will keep in the fridge for at least a week. Feel free to throw in any hardy, woody herbs you like, but don’t add very delicate herbs like basil, chives or dill before cooking. You can add a handful of those softer herbs before serving, if you like.
Recipe by Sarah DiGregorio for the New York Times

Yields about 3.5 cups

2lbs cherry or grape tomatoes (about 4 pints)
4 garlic cloves, smashed
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 bushy sprigs fresh herbs, such as rosemary, tarragon, thyme, sage, parsley or a mix
½ tsp red-pepper flakes (optional)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Juice of 1/4 lemon (about 2 tsp)

In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, honey, vinegar, herbs and red-pepper flakes (if using), and stir to combine. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and a few generous grinds of pepper. Cook on low for 6 hours, until the tomatoes are wrinkled, sweet and very soft, and some have burst. Remove the herb sprigs and squeeze in the lemon juice. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Dairy-free · Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Asian-style garlic noodles

Belinda

Asian-style garlic noodles only takes 15 minutes to make and are perfect for a busy weeknight when you need dinner on the table fast!

Serves 2 but can be easily doubled

8 oz thin spaghetti

For the sauce:
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp pepper flakes
1 cup thinly sliced or chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4-1/3 cup water, broth or pasta water
2 green onions chopped reserve green parts for garnish
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish

Cook your spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. Boil a large pot of water and once boiling, add a good helping of salt and add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once starting to get hot, add in your garlic and cook until the garlic is starting to get golden on some edges. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
Then add in the turmeric and pepper flakes and mix in. Then add in soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and mushrooms and mix well.
Cook for 2 minutes and add in the sesame oil, green onions, and parmesan and mix in.

Add in a 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the pasta water and mix in. Then mix your pasta and toss well to coat. Then take off of heat.
Taste and adjust salt and flavor then plate. Add some more parmesan on top and some green onions and serve immediately.

Appetizers · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Fish · Gluten Free

Shrimp satay skewers

Belinda

Serve with lime wedges for the perfect summer appetizer!

Recipe by Tara Holland

Servings: 4

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp. sugar
2 limes—1 zested (1 tsp.) and juiced (2 tbsp.), 1 cut into wedges for serving
1 1/2 lb. medium shrimp—peeled and deveined, with tails
Chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro leaves, and sliced red chiles, for garnish

For the sauce, in a medium pan, whisk the first 6 ingredients, lime juice, and 1/4 cup water.
Pour half of sauce into medium bowl; toss with the shrimp. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Thread the shrimp onto skewers; season.
Grill the shrimp until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to platter.

In a saucepan, heat the remaining sauce over medium until heated through, about 5 minutes, adding more water to loosen, if needed.
Stir the lime zest into sauce. Garnish the shrimp with nuts, cilantro, and chiles.
Serve with lime wedges and remaining sauce.