Warm salad of roasted carrots with cilantro avocado sauce and chili salt

September 22, 2018 Belinda

Matt Wilkinson is known for his adventurous salads and this one is a beauty. The caramelized roasted carrots sit on the colorful, creamy cilantro/avocado sauce, kicked up with the chili salt.

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1/4 cup + 4 tbsp olive oil
4 large carrots, quartered lengthways
Juice of 2 oranges
3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 star anise
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped,2 tbsp whole leaves reserved
1 good sized avocado, roughly chopped
1 long green chili, seeds removed, chopped

Chilli salt
3 tsp salt flakes
1 tsp dried chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large frypan over high heat. In batches, cook the carrots, cut-side down, for 3 minutes each side or until golden.
Transfer to a roasting dish, pour over the orange juice, then add the cardamom and star anise. Roast for 15 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whizz the garlic, cumin, sugar, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, avocado, chili and 1 tsp salt in a food processor to a puree. Stir through remaining 3-4 tbsp of oil.

For the chili salt, using a mortar and pestle, grind salt and chili to a rough powder.

Spread the puree over a serving plate and top with warm carrots, chili salt and extra cilantro leaves to serve.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides

Grilled asparagus with caper salsa

June 7, 2018September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a really super recipe I got from the NYT and the salsa really complements the asparagus beautifully. If you can’t get the right goat cheese that crumbles easily, you can use crumbled feta cheese too.

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3 bunches asparagus, approximately 1lb, woody ends trimmed and discarded
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
¼ cup capers, ideally small, drained, rinsed and patted dry
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, peeled, crushed and minced
⅓ cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup crumbled caprino fresco cheese, or another soft goat cheese like chèvre, or crumbled feta if you can’t get the right goat cheese

Fill a medium-size pot with cold water, and place it over high heat. When the water boils, add the asparagus, and blanch for 1 minute.
Drain the asparagus, and rinse it immediately under cold water. Drain the asparagus again and place in a medium bowl, with 1 tablespoon of the oil, a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper.
Mix gently, and set aside.

Light a charcoal or gas grill, or place a grill pan on the stove over high heat. Once it is hot, add the asparagus in batches, and grill for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, turning a few times, until the spears are lightly charred. Transfer to a large platter with all the tips facing in one direction.

Meanwhile, make the salsa. Mix together the capers with the remaining tablespoon of oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Add the goat cheese to the mixture, stir gently and spoon over the asparagus.

Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Spaghetti squash with cheese, garlic and spinach

April 28, 2018 Belinda

This gorgeous recipe comes from a vegetarian blog called “Peas and Crayons”

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AUTHOR JENN LAUGHLIN – PEAS AND CRAYONS

YIELD 2-4 SERVINGS

1 medium spaghetti squash
2.5 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive or avocado oil
5 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp cream cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
salt and pepper, to taste
grated or sliced mozzarella for topping, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400F.
Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
For easy cutting, feel free to stick your squash in the microwave to soften it up just a tad. Pierce it a few times with a knife (to help vent so it doesn’t burst) and cook for for 3-5 minutes. The knife slides through way easier this way! Smaller squash will need about 3 minutes while larger ones will be good to go at 4-5 min.

Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish.
Rub the cut side of the squash with a teeny bit of olive oil and place on your baking dish/sheet and roast face-down for about 40 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of your squash, and larger squash will need to roast a bit longer to tenderize. Once ready, the once rock-hard exterior of the squash will be visibly softened with a tender interior.

The squash can be roasted and stored in the fridge for a few days if you’d like to meal prep and plan ahead for a speedier dinner.

While the squash roasts, start on the sauce.

In a medium pot or skillet, bring a drizzle of olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté the garlic until fragrant.
Next add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add your cream, cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
Once the squash is done roasting, allow to cool until easily handled or pop on an oven mitt and use a fork to separate and fluff the strands of spaghetti squash.
Pour your sauce over each squash boat, stir to mix, and top with a little mozzarella cheese and additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

For a golden cheesy topping, flip your oven to broil on high for just a minute or two until lightly browned.

Dairy-free · Holiday Food · Vegetable sides

Baked onions with fennel bread crumbs

April 22, 2018October 13, 2021 Belinda

This is a Nancy Silverton recipe. (creator/founder of La Brea bakery)
The recipe is pretty simple and has the onions fall-apart tender. The fennel seeds really give the crispy topping a punch in flavor.

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Serves 4 to 6

3 medium onions, peeled and halved lengthwise, root ends left intact
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Kosher salt
1/2 cup chicken stock
6 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp minced sage

Preheat the oven to 425 F
Brush the onion halves with olive oil, season with salt and arrange cut side down in an ovenproof medium skillet. Add the chicken stock and scatter the bay leaves around the onions.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hurs, until the onions are very tender

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the fennel seeds over a moderate heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a work surface and let cool, then coarsely crush the seeds. Transfer them to a small bowl, add the panko crumbs, sage and 2 tbsp of olive oil and toss well. Season with salt to taste.

Carefully turn the onions cut side up in the skillet. Spoon the fennel breadcrumbs on top and bake for about 15 to 20 mins longer, until the crumbs are lightly browned and crisp. Discard the bayleaves and serve the onions hot or warm.

Make ahead
The baked onions can be refrigerated overnight. Let them return to room temperature and top with the breadcrumbs before baking.

Holiday Food · Vegetable sides

Mashed sweet potatoes with banana and rum

November 19, 2017November 19, 2017 Belinda

Don’t be put off by the “baby-food” look of this dish. The flavor is FAR from baby food! It’s from the Silver Palate cook book and is a super addition to the Holiday table.

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8 cups peeled, diced sweet potatoes
3 ripe bananas
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tbsp rum
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
salt to taste
1 cup sliced almonds

Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Cook covered until very tender. Drain.

Cut the bananas into 1 inch pieces and puree in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the hot potatoes, 4 tbsp of the butter, the rum and the brown sugar.
Process until smooth. Add the grated nutmeg and salt to taste and process just to blend. Keep warm.

Melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter in a small skillet. Add the almonds and sauté until lightly browned. Sprinkle wth a little salt.
Top each serving of the sweet potato with a generous amount of toasted almonds or scatter the whole dish with them.

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Vegetable sides

Slow-cooked spiced red cabbage

November 19, 2017September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is wonderful with roast turkey or beef and divine with a crown roast of pork. The aromas and flavors are so Christmassy and it literally cooks itself for 2 hours in the oven.

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Serves 6 – 8

1 good sized red cabbage
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
2 large red onions, halved and sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a good glass of Ruby port
3 tbsp dark Muscovado sugar. (or as dark a sugar as possible)
2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
1 cinnamon stick, split in 2
4 oz butter, cut into cubes
finely grated zest and the juice of 1 large orange

Heat the oven to 250 F
Put all the ingredients in a Dutch oven with a lid.
Put over medium heat, stir well then cook everything for 5 minutes until the butter is melted and everything is well mixed together.

Transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours. Season before serving.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Vegetable sides

10 minute Portobello pizzas

October 15, 2017October 15, 2017 Belinda

The perfect low-carb pizza with the added flavor of earthy portobello mushrooms and ready in 10 minutes!.
From the wonderful blog, “Cafe Delites”

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Serves 6

6 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed, washed and dried with a paper towel
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
6 tsp Italian seasoning (or a dried oregano and basil leaf blend), divided
3/4 cup pizza sauce (garlic and herb)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or a pizza cheese blend)*
30 miniature-sized pepperonis**
6 or more cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to broil / grill settings on high heat. Arrange oven shelf to the middle of your oven.

Combine the oil, garlic and 4 teaspoons of the seasoning together in a small bowl. Brush the bottoms of each mushroom with the garlic oil mixture and place each mushroom, oil side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet / tray.
Fill each mushroom with 2 tablespoons of the pizza sauce per cap, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, 6 pepperoni miniatures and tomato slices. Broil / grill until cheese has melted and is golden in color (about 8 minutes).

To serve, sprinkle with the remaining Italian seasoning (or mixed herbs), and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Notes
*I find using dry cheese such as shredded mozzarella gives the best results. Using fresh mozzarella may cause the mushrooms to release some liquid during the broiling / grilling process.
**For the miniature pepperonis, I bought normal-sized pepperonis and cut them with an apple corer like this one to get miniature sized ones. (I used 8 slices.) However, you can use whatever you can find!

TIP: Do NOT over bake them! They WILL release a lot of liquid if left in the oven for too long! Make sure your oven is preheated well and HOT when putting them in.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides · Whole30 compliant

Coconut creamed spinach

September 24, 2017September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a terrific recipe from the blog, “Pure Wow”. Coconut milk replaces the cream in this gorgeous, silky spinach dish and the fresh ginger and dash of curry powder make it more fragrant.
I served it with “Rosemary rack of lamb” from The Barefoot Contessa’s book “Make it ahead”.
This is a delicious side dish to lamb, chicken or beef.

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INGREDIENTS
2 – 3 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion–peeled, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
One ½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
8 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and dry
1 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Kosher salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.

Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, stirring until it wilts before adding more. Continue until all the spinach is added.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about four to five minutes.
Mix together the cayenne pepper, curry powder, smoked paprika and salt in a small bowl and start by seasoning the dish with half of it, stirring to combine. Taste, and if you would like more heat and spices, add some more.
I only used 1/2 of mine