Marinated Manchego

September 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

The only thing more crowd-pleasing than cheese is marinated cheese. If Manchego isn’t your thing, go for any semi-firm cheese like white cheddar, Gouda, or Monterey Jack. They go just as well with the notes of bright citrus and sweet cooked garlic.

1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 12 cloves)
1 small orange, quartered through stem end, thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 sprigs rosemary
Kosher salt
1 lb. young Manchego cheese, cut or broken into ¾” pieces

Cook garlic, orange, and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to turn golden, 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat and add rosemary sprigs. Season with salt and let cool.

Pour garlic mixture into a medium bowl, add cheese, and gently toss to coat cheese. Cover and chill at least 12 hours before serving.

Do Ahead: Cheese can be marinated 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Baking · Breakfast · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food

Easy Spiced Hot Fruit Bake or “Hot Alabama fruit”

September 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

A delicious and healthy Holiday breakfast bake for something a little different.
This gluten free spiced hot fruit bake also makes for a great topping for waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, or by simply by itself! A nutritious dish to add to your Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Brunch! Vegan friendly.
Another reason to love this is the smell as it’s baking… you know, the smell of spices, the smell of Christmas morning breakfast.

2 cup sliced apples
2 cups pear slices
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup pineapple chunks (save the juice)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar (unrefined) or brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup, agave, or honey
1 tsp cinnamon (extra for topping)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 stick melted butter (4 to 5 tbsp melted vegan butter can be substituted)
Optional – An additional 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil or butter to coat walnuts
1/3 cup chopped raw walnuts or pecans
extra cinnamon for nuts or serving

Preheat oven to 300F.

In a large bowl, toss your fruit and add in 1-2 tsp lemon juice. Set aside.
In another glass bowl, combine your melted butter, spices, and honey or maple syrup.
Mix in a few tablespoons of your leftover pineapple juice as well.
Add this sugar/butter mixture to your fruit and coat evenly.
Pour fruit evenly in a 9×12 baking dish.
Pour the leftover sugar/butter/oil mixture on top.
Baking for 1 hr.

OPTIONAL – Toss your nuts in a tiny bit of melted coconut oil or butter and pinch of cinnamon. I usually just coat the nuts in the leftover butter/sugar from the fruit mix bowl. Then sprinkle the nuts to the top of dish and bake all together for 1 hr.
Sprinkle any additional cinnamon and spiced over hot fruit bake before serving, if desired.

NOTES
You can prep this dish the night before and baking the day of. There are a few ways.

Option 1: You can mix everything, place in casserole dish, place in fridge, then bake the next morning.
Option 2: The fruit is is more bright and crispy if you mix the fruit in lemon, place in a large dish, cover. Then mix the melted butter, sugar, spices in another bowl. Place that in fridge too. In the morning, reheat the butter/sugar mix and pour it over the fruit. Then bake.
Option 3: Bake everything the night before and then simply reheat for 20 minutes at 300F before serving.

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

Easy salmon coconut curry

September 8, 2020September 8, 2020 Belinda

Salmon coconut curry is an easy weeknight dinner bowl that’s on the table in less than 30 minutes. We’re talking big juicy chunks of salmon and fresh spinach in a light Thai inspired red curry sauce ~ popped with the holy trinity of lime, cilantro and fresh ginger.

Serves 4

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (more to taste)
1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp powdered turmeric
1 Serrano pepper, thinly sliced into rounds
15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
fresh lime juice, to taste
sea salt to taste
1 lb salmon fillet, cut into large chunks (or you can do smaller chunks if you prefer)
3 handfuls of fresh clean spinach leaves

Garnish
lots of fresh cilantro
lime wedges

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
Add the curry paste, turmeric, and hot peppers to the pan and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for a few more minutes, stirring almost constantly.
Add the coconut milk and a tablespoon of lime juice (you can add more to taste.) Bring the mixture up to a bubble. Add salt to taste.

Add the chunks of salmon and let the pot gently simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, just until the salmon is cooked, it doesn’t take long. Stir to cover the fish with the sauce. Add the spinach and cook just until it wilts.
Check the seasoning again, and serve the curry over hot rice

Make ahead instructions:
The sauce can be made a day in advance. Don’t add the fresh cilantro until ready to serve.

Asian flavors · Curry · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · lentils · Vegan

Sweet potato and lentil curry

September 7, 2020 Belinda

A vibrant, low-calorie and vegan dinner, made with sweet potatoes, red split lentils, coconut milk and plenty of spices.
Recipe from Olive Magazine

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger , finely grated
6 fresh or dried curry leaves (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 medium (about 500g) sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
3oz (75 g) red split lentils
14 oz (400 ml) low-fat coconut milk
14 oz (400 ml) vegetable stock
a handful of cilantro leaves
1 lime, wedged

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook three-quarters of the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves, if using, and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet potato and lentils, then add the coconut milk and stock. Stir well, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding a splash of water if it’s getting dry, until the potatoes and lentils are cooked through. Season.

Serve in bowls with coriander and the remaining onion on top, with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Asian flavors · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Rice

Coconut, rum and raisin rice pudding

September 6, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a fabulous dessert from Barney Desmazery in the BBC Good Food Magazine.
When posting non-American recipes I am now keeping the metric system as it’s far more accurate.
It’s worth investing in kitchen scales that have metric as well.Most of the measuring cups are both these days, so they are easy to find

50g butter
150g short-grain (pudding) rice
150g golden caster sugar (Bakers or superfine sugar for the USA)
2 x 400ml cans coconut milk
300ml double cream , plus a little extra
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the rum & raisin syrup
150ml spiced rum
100g muscovado sugar (It’s a dark molasses-y sugar available on Amazon)
100g raisins

For the rum & raisin syrup, tip all the ingredients into a large saucepan and heat gently over a low heat for 5 mins, or until the sugar has dissolved and created a syrup and the raisins have plumped up. Tip into a bowl, cover and set aside.

In the same saucepan (there’s no need to clean it) melt the butter over a medium heat until sizzling, then scatter over the rice and toast in the hot butter until the butter is just starting to brown. Stir in the sugar, then pour over the coconut milk, cream and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook gently for 40-45 mins until the rice is tender, adding a splash more cream if it becomes too thick.

To serve hot, stir a third of the rum & raisin syrup through the pudding and spoon the rest over the top. To serve cold, leave the pudding to cool, then chill in the fridge to firm up so that you can serve it in scoops with the rum & raisin syrup spooned over.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides

Catalan-style Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins

September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 Belinda

This is a lovely recipe from Jose Andres

Serves 4

2 tbsp Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 golden delicious apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch cubes
4 tbsp pine nuts
4 tbsp seedless dark raisins
10 oz baby spinach, washed and whole
Salt to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a high flame. When the oil is very hot, add the apple cubes and sauté until slightly browned, about a minute. Add the pine nuts to the skillet and cook another 20 seconds until slightly browned. Keep the pan moving so the ingredients don’t burn.

Add the raisins and sauté another 20 seconds. Add the spinach and sauté briefly until the spinach starts to wilt. Remove from the heat; the spinach will continue to wilt off the flame. Add salt to taste and serve immediately.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides

Miso butter onions

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 Belinda

These onions are a revelation, and the very definition of low effort/high impact.

Two things are vital, though: the roasting tray must be big enough to fit 16 onion halves (if not, roast fewer, decreasing other ingredients proportionally) and these must be basted well, so they remain moist. Serve spooned over toast, mashed potatoes or rice, or with roast chicken.

Serves 6 as a side

8 medium onions, skinned (1.2kg)
4oz (100g) unsalted butter, melted
4oz (100g) white miso paste

Heat the oven to 500F/gas 10. Halve the onions lengthways, trim tops and a little off the bottom (you want the halves held together at the base).

Whisk the butter, miso and 2.1 pints (one litre) of warm water until fully combined.

Space apart the onion halves, cut side down, in a 16″ (40cm) x 11″ (28cm) high-sided baking tray or dish.
Pour over the miso water, cover tightly with foil, bake for 35 minutes, then remove foil and turn onions cut side up.
Baste well and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until very soft and deep brown.

Carefully transfer to a platter, pouring the sauce over. Serve at once.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Light Eggplant Rollantini

August 23, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe by Suzy Karadsheh from the food blog “The Mediterranean Dish”

This is an easy, lighter eggplant rollatini recipe, made with a lighter cheese filling, basil pesto and fresh parsley.

Serves 4-6

2 eggplants (get ones as straight and plump as possible, or get one extra one if they are very curvy)
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil I used Private Reserve Greek EVOO
2 cups Store-bought Marinara sauce Or homemade pasta sauce
For filling
2 eggs beaten
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup part-skim shredded Mozzarella, plus more for later
3 tbsp grated Parmesan
2 tbsp basil pesto homemade or store-bought, more for later
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Slice eggplants length-wise into 1/4-inch thin slices (it’s easier to do this using a mandolin slicer) You should have about 12 slices of similar size (reserve end pieces that are shorter or odd-shaped for another use).
Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside on paper towel for 20 minutes. This will help the eggplant sweat out any bitterness. Pat dry. Rinse with water, then dry again.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush a large baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange eggplant slices in one layer on baking sheet. Brush the tops of the eggplant slices with more extra virgin olive oil. Bake in heated oven for 8 minutes or so until soft enough to fold (do not overcook.) Remove from oven and set aside briefly to cool. (Leave the oven on for the rollatini)
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a bowl, add eggs, ricotta, Mozzarella, grated Parmesan, basil pesto, and fresh parsley. Mix until well-combined.
Spread about 3/4 cup marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 1/2″ x 13″ baking dish.
Spoon about 2 tbsp of the filling onto one end of each eggplant slice, and spread. Starting from the short end, roll up eggplant slices tightly and arranged on prepared baking dish.
Top eggplant rollatini with the remainder of the marinara sauce, more basil pesto, and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Bake in heated oven for 30 minutes or until the eggplant rollatini are fully cooked and tender.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.
NOTES
Prepare-ahead and Freezing Instructions: You can prepare eggplant rollatini in advance and freeze it before baking. Or you can fully bake it and freeze any leftovers. When ready to use, simply reheat frozen rollatini, covered, in the oven at 350 degrees F.
Variation. Add spinach to your cheese mixture for more heft. I did not use spinach in this recipe but I have on occasion, and it does add nutrition and body to the filling. Use 1 package of frozen spinach that has been thawed and very well drained (you do not want added water to the mixture).

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Fish · Gluten Free

Chilean Sea Bass Recipe with Asian Glaze and Sesame Spinach

August 20, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is quite simply the most sophisticated fish dinner you could make, that happens to also be ready in 30 minutes. Although a pricey piece of fish, it’s one of our favorites, as the flesh is so buttery and meaty.
The recipe is made with a filet served atop wilted sesame spinach and drizzled with a spicy, sour sweet Vietnamese inspired sauce. Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free.
Recipe from food blog, “Avocado Pesto”

Servings: 4

1 pound Chilean sea bass fillet cut into four 3/4 inch thick pieces
1/2 – 1 tsp fish sauce
splash of lemon juice
salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp avocado oil

For the sauce:
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp thai chili garlic sauce sambal olek (or Paleo Chef Sriracha)

For the spinach:
10 oz spinach
1 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp sesame seeds

Wash and pat dry sea bass fillets. Drizzle with fish sauce, lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste on both sides (optional)

Heat a cast iron or heavy non-stick skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Reduce the heat to medium high and add 1 teaspoon avocado oil. When hot add sea bass fillets, in a single layer. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side (without touching them) until browned and cooked through.

In a small bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients – lime juice, minced ginger, fish sauce, rice vinegar, agave, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, olive oil and sambal olek. Whisk until smooth.
Remove the cooked fish and set aside. In the same pan cook the spinach in 1 teaspoon sesame oil until just wilted — about 1 minute.

To plate, first divide spinach onto four plates, sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with sea bass, and drizzle with sauce.