Turmeric-roasted cauliflower with dates and pistachio gremolata

March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 Belinda

Recipe by Emily Connor
“This recipe is a low-effort, high-impact dish that’s so striking in flavor and presentation. Freshly grated turmeric brings an earthiness to the dish that I love, but if you can’t find it, ground turmeric is a fine substitute.
The pistachio gremolata and pomegranate arils add so much freshness and zing, and I like to use them liberally to make the dish a little salad-like. When pomegranates aren’t in season, either omit, or omit the dates and use currants or dried cranberries in place of the pomegranate arils. “

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Serves 4

1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
2 tbsp finely grated fresh turmeric (from about three 3-inch pieces), or 1 tsp ground turmeric (or as needed to fully coat the florets)
3 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
6 Medjool dates, pitted and halved (or quartered if large)
1 large lemon (finely grated zest plus juice)
1/3 cup shelled pistachios, raw and unsalted are ideal but roasted work too
½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup pomegranate arils
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or to taste

Heat oven to 425°F.

Toss the cauliflower with the turmeric and olive oil on a sheet pan, season with salt, and arrange in a single, even layer.
Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven.
Add the dates, toss everything together, and redistribute in a single, even layer.
Continue roasting until the cauliflower is nicely browned and tender, and the dates and little bits of grated turmeric are starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes more.
Remove pan from oven, and squeeze half a lemon (zest it first—you’ll need it for the gremolata in Step 3!) over the whole dish; add more lemon juice and salt, to taste.

Meanwhile, make the pistachio gremolata:
Toast the pistachios in a small skillet over medium heat, until they’re fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and when cool enough, chop them into fine yet irregular pieces with a knife.
In a small bowl, toss together the pistachios, lemon zest, parsley, pomegranate arils, and Aleppo pepper; season with a pinch of salt.
Arrange the cauliflower and dates on a large serving platter, and scatter the pistachio gremolata over the top.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Accompaniments · Appetizers · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Nuts · Vegan

Chipotle and rosemary spicy nuts

March 24, 2019November 12, 2025 Belinda

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You can double or tripe these amounts for a bigger batch. None of these measurements for the nuts have to be exact. Put in more of the nuts you really love.

4 oz cashew nut pieces
4 oz Macadamia nuts
5 oz pecan halves
5 oz walnut halves
3 oz whole almonds, skin on
4 oz pumpkin seeds
4 oz pistachio nuts
3 oz sunflower seeds
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
6 tbsp avocado oil
2 tsp Kosher salt
6 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp cayenne

Preheat the oven to 325F
Put all the ingredients in a very large mixing bowl and mix well with your hands
Transfer to a lined roasting tray or large cookie sheet and spread out the mixture evenly.
Roast for 15 to 17 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the nuts turn a dark brown.
Remove, stir in 1 tsp more of salt, taste and sprinkle with a little more cayenne pepper if you would like more of a kick.
Leave to cool in the tray, stirring from time to time.
Once cool, transfer to an airtight container.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

“Greens” braised in coconut milk and ginger

March 21, 2019 Belinda

This recipe yields collards that are tender, creamy, and incredibly flavorful. They’re a perfect accompaniment to a simple beans and rice dinner or a bowl of chili. Add more chili flakes for a little extra spice. Recipe by Gena Hamshaw

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Serves: 4

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 pound collard greens, stems removed, cut into ribbons
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp tamari, to taste
1 pinch salt, plus more to taste
1 pinch red chili flakes, to taste

Melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large wok or skillet.
Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it’s clear and soft.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, for another minute.
Add the collard greens to the pan. Stir frequently for a minute or two, until the collards are just wilting (if it helps to wilt the greens, you can cover the wok or skillet for a moment).
Add the coconut milk, vegetable broth, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of tamari to the wok or skillet and stir everything well.
When the mixture is simmering, reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the greens are totally tender.
If the simmering liquid starts to dry up, add a few splashes of vegetable broth as you go along.
Season the greens to taste with extra tamari, if desired, as well as salt and red chili flakes.
Serve

Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019 Belinda

A twist on a Moroccan recipe.

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Serves 4 to 6

2 medium red beets, tops trimmed
2 medium golden beets, tops trimmed
3 blood oranges
1 medium navel orange (preferably Cara Cara)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandoline
1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced on a mandoline (about 1/3 cup)
Good-quality extra-virgin olive, pumpkin seed, or walnut oil (for drizzling)
Coarse sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro and/or chervil leaves

Preheat oven to 400°.
Wash beets, leaving some water on skins. Wrap individually in foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges; discard. Working over a medium bowl, cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into bowl; squeeze juice from membranes into bowl and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and Cara Cara orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon juice and lime juice.

Peel cooled beets.
Slice 2 beets crosswise into thin rounds. Cut remaining 2 beets into wedges. Strain citrus juices; reserve. Layer beets and oranges on plates, dividing evenly. Arrange fennel and onion over beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over, then drizzle salad generously with oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt and pepper. Let salad stand for 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Garnish salad with cilantro leaves.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Meet my beets.

March 4, 2019July 23, 2019 Belinda

This is such a lovely (and quick) recipe with a really super combination of flavors

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Recipe and photo c/o Lakshmi Sundar on the website “Food 52”

Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min

2-3 beets
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cleaned
4 tbsp freshly grated coconut (or 2 tbsp coconut milk)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 dried chili pods
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Wash and peel the beets and cut into small cubes.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add the mustard seeds and dried chili pods to the hot oil.
When the mustard seeds start popping, add the beets, salt, and turmeric powder. Stir, cover and cook till the beets are cooked, yet crunchy (about 10-15 minutes).
Add the spinach, fresh coconut or coconut milk and toss a few times.
Serve

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

Green pea hummus

February 24, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is delicious and oh soooo easy, using frozen peas!

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Makes about 2 cups

1lb frozen baby peas or petit pois, thawed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Set aside 1/4 cup peas for garnish. Place remaining peas, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice in bowl of food processor and process until smooth puree is formed, scraping down sides as necessary, about 30 seconds total.

Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining whole peas, drizzle with additional extra-virgin olive oil, and serve with crostini or pita bread.

** For Green Pea Hummus with Mint and Feta:
Follow directions for Green Pea Hummus adding 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves and 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese along with other ingredients to food processor in step 1. Serve garnished with additional chopped mint and crumbled feta.

Dairy-free · Pasta · Vegan · Vegetarian pasta

Easy pistachio, chili and lemon spaghetti

February 24, 2019 Belinda

This recipe from Meera Sodha was in the Guardian newspaper, a great resource for wonderful and inventive recipes. This easy vegan dish is packed with zest and spice.
* If you’re not as fond of heat as I am, add as much chili as you’re comfortable with.

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Serves 4

Salt
4oz fresh basil, leaves picked
1 -2 garlic cloves, peeled
4oz pistachios
2 red bird’s eye chillies
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
3 fl oz olive oil
1lb spaghetti

Put a large pan of water on to boil and add two teaspoons of salt for every 2 pints of water.
In the meantime, finely chop the basil, and do the same with the garlic, pistachios and chili.
Run the knife repeatedly over all the chopped ingredients, until they’re very, very fine, then transfer to a large bowl.
Add the lemon zest, three tablespoons of lemon juice, the olive oil (if you like, use a little more, to loosen the sauce) and half a teaspoon of salt (or to taste), and mix well.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water for seven minutes (or according to packet instructions), until al dente.
Scoop out 1/2 cup or so of the pasta water with a ladle, then drain the pasta. Add the cooked pasta to the pesto bowl, toss to coat thoroughly, adding a little pasta water, if necessary, to loosen the sauce, then serve.

Chocolate · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Whole 30/Paleo brownie balls

January 11, 2019September 7, 2022 Belinda

When you’re off sugar, grains and dairy, sometimes you really want something sweet and it can be hard to find. These little gems are chocolatey and rich, but really healthy with lots of protein, fiber and healthy fats.. Thank you to “Paleo Grubs” blog.
You simply blend everything together, and then roll the ‘dough’ into bite-size brownie balls.
Sometimes it’s nice to roll the finished brownie bites in chopped nuts or dried coconut and they are definitely best served straight from the refrigerator.

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1 1/2 cups walnuts
Pinch of salt
1 cup pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. I love Scharffen Berger)

Add the walnuts and salt to a food processor. Mix until the walnuts are finely ground.
Add the dates, vanilla, and cocoa powder to the blender.
Mix well until everything is combined. With the blender still running, add a couple drops of water at a time to make the mixture stick together.
Using a spatula, transfer the mixture into a bowl. Using your hands, form small round balls, rolling in your palm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Dairy-free · Salad · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa and Avocado

October 20, 2018 Belinda

This recipe is from the food blog “Alexandra Cooks” and is such a lovely combination of flavors and textures, especially served with garlic rubbed ciabatta toast.

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3/4 lb. carrots, scrubbed, root ends trimmed, but unpeeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Harissa to taste, I use about 1/4 cup of homemade Harissa, but I suggest starting with a teaspoon if using store-bought.
1/2 tsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
½ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro or a mix of the two
1 avocado, halved and thinly sliced

Send the carrots down the chute of your food processor with the shredder attachment in place. Transfer shredded carrots to a large bowl. Alternatively, coarsely grate with a box grater.

In a small saucepan, toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until they begin to darken and smell fragrant. Add the garlic, Harissa, sugar, salt, and olive oil, and bring to a sizzle. Cook until fragrant, about one to two minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add the lemon juice.

Pour the dressing over the carrots and mix. Add the herbs and mix again.
Add the avocado, if using, and toss again. Serve immediately or let stand for an hour or so before serving.

Note: If you would like to make this ahead of time, hold the avocado until just before serving.