Stir-fried sesame shrimp and spinach

January 5, 2019 Belinda

More clean-eating recipes, this one from Martha Rose Shulman

The classic Chinese way to clean shrimp and ensure a succulent flavor and crisp texture is to use a combination of salt and water, either dousing the shrimp in two rinses of heavily salted water or rubbing the shrimp with salt, then rinsing with water. I recommend bunch spinach for this; you don’t have to stem it, just cut away the base of the leaves and rinse well.

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1lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt to taste
⅛ tsp sugar (leave out if on Whole 30)
2 tbsp light sesame oil
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
¼ to ½ tsp crumbled dried red chili
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 generous bunch spinach (about 1 pound), stems trimmed at the end, rinsed in 2 changes water
2 tsp dark sesame oil

Place the shrimp in a large colander and rinse with water. Sprinkle generously with salt and toss together for about a minute. Rinse with water and repeat. After rinsing one more time, drain on paper towels. Pat dry with more paper towels.

Combine 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) and the sugar in a small bowl and place close to your wok.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the garlic, ginger and chili flakes and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Push to the sides of the pan and add the shrimp in one layer. Let cook undisturbed for 1 minute, then add the remaining oil and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the sesame seeds and spinach and stir-fry for 1 minute, until it has begun to wilt but the wilting is still uneven. Add the salt and sugar, sprinkling it evenly over the spinach, and continue to stir-fry until the spinach has wilted but is still bright and the shrimp are cooked through and bright pink, about 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat, drizzle on the sesame oil, toss together and serve, with rice, noodles or other grains.

Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Shrimp in garlicky green sauce

January 5, 2019 Belinda

Mark Bittman came up with this super recipe that can serve 4 as a main course or 8 as a starter.
The dish draws its color from parsley and its impact from chilies, scallions, and mostly garlic. (Can’t have too much garlic!)

Shrimp is the perfect candidate for this green sauce: it can withstand high heat, it gives off some juices while it cooks, and its pink hue is absolutely gorgeous when surrounded by the flecks of green.

You can serve this with pasta, rice or bread to mop up the sauce, or just a simple green salad if you’re Paleo/Whole 30.

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6 cloves garlic, peeled
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1 cup parsley, leaves and thin stems
2 pounds shrimp, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
4 dried chilies or a few pinches of crushed red chili flakes, or to taste
⅓ cup stock (shrimp, fish or chicken) or white wine or water

Heat the oven to 500 degrees.
Combine the garlic and oil in a small food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add the scallions and parsley and pulse until the mixture is minced. Toss with the shrimp, salt, pepper and chilies.
Put shrimp in a large roasting pan. Add the liquid and place the pan in the oven.
Roast, stirring once, until mixture is bubbly and hot, and shrimp all pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Pan-seared salmon with currants, celery, olives and capers

January 5, 2019 Belinda

After December, the month of excess, it’s always lovely to hit January with clean-eating recipes. This recipe is simple, but complex in flavors, thanks to Yotam Ottolenghi’s divine combination of “salsa” ingredients.

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⅔ cup currants
A generous pinch of saffron
4 salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each), skin on
About 1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper
4 sticks celery (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice, leaves removed and reserved for garnish
¼ cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
A scant 1/4 cup drained capers, plus 2 tablespoons of their brine
8 large green olives, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch/1-centimeter dice
⅓ cup parsley, roughly chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice

Cover the currants with boiling water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes. In a separate small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of boiling water with the saffron and also leave for 20 minutes or longer.
Gently rub the salmon fillets with 2 teaspoons of the oil, 1/3 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Set aside while you make the relish.

Add 1/3 cup of olive oil to a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the celery and pine nuts and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts begin to brown (watch carefully as they can burn quickly).
Turn off heat and stir in the capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water and a pinch of salt. Drain the currants and add them as well, along with the parsley, lemon zest and juice. Mix well and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add salmon fillets skin-side down and let cook for 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the fillets over and cook 2 to 4 minutes more (depending on how much you like the salmon to be cooked).
Divide the salmon on 4 plates and serve with the warm relish spooned on top. Scatter reserved celery leaves (if using) and serve immediately.

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

Charred Cauliflower With Anchovies, Capers and Olives

November 1, 2018January 5, 2019 Belinda

This deeply versatile recipe from the New York Times is essentially a baked cauliflower salad. You can serve it room temperature as an antipasto, as part of a buffet or warm as a nearly vegetarian main course with rice pilaf, roasted sweet potatoes or pasta. It is also a perfect make-ahead side dish to accompany nearly everything from roasted chicken or fish fillets to steaks and chops.

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1 medium cauliflower (about 1 1/2 lbs)
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 to 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry and finely chopped
½ cup roughly chopped good-quality green or black olives
1 tbsp capers, rinsed, patted dry and roughly chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
½ tsp red-pepper flakes, or to taste
½ cup roughly chopped parsley
3 tbsp chopped scallions

Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, with a large knife, cut the cauliflower into quarters. Cut off the tough core at the stem end of each piece. Cut cauliflower quarters into rough 1/2-inch slices. Cut larger slices into several pieces, so all the chopped cauliflower is about the same size.

Salt the boiling water generously and add the chopped cauliflower. Cook for 2 minutes, then drain and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.

In a large bowl, put garlic, anchovy, olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk ingredients together and taste. Adjust salt or lemon juice as necessary.

Add blanched cauliflower to the bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add a generous pinch of red-pepper flakes, or add to taste, and toss cauliflower with your hands to coat evenly with dressing.

Transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish, small roasting pan or sheet pan. (Recipe may be prepared up to this point several hours ahead of baking.)

To finish, heat the oven to 450 F.
Bake the cauliflower, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the top is browned and beginning to char in some places.
(For extra char, place dish under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.)
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve at room temperature with a sprinkling of parsley and scallions. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired.

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.

Accompaniments · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Sweet basil dressing

September 21, 2018September 7, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

This is a non-dairy, but creamy dressing (from blogger, littlebitsof.com) which is sweetened by the pureed dates and is gorgeous over chicken or salad.

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Serves 4

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
2 pitted Medjool dates, soaked in hot water to soften
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until the dates are broken down and the dressing is smooth and creamy.
Drizzle over salad or chicken.

Gluten Free · Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Crispy garlic butter chicken and Brussels sprouts

September 20, 2018 Belinda

This is a very simple yet flavor-loaded recipe with a divine creamy sauce from the blog “Endless Meal”
If you want crispy skin, then buy chicken thighs with skin-on.

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8 chicken thighs – skin on or off, your choice!
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, cut in half
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp butter (or ghee for Whole 30)
3-4 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or very finely minced

Add the chicken to a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat skin side up. (If using skinless thighs, add a teaspoon of oil.)
Sprinkle half the salt and pepper over the chicken and let it cook for 5 minutes, or until it has browned on the bottom. Flip the chicken over and sprinkle on the remaining salt and pepper. Cook until the skin is crispy or the top is brown, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.
While the chicken is cooking, cut the Brussels in half. Add them to the pan and let them cook until they are brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Push them to the side of the pan and arrange the chicken on the other side of the pan. Pour the chicken stock into the pan (not over the crispy chicken) and let it simmer until the pan is dry and the chicken is fully cooked, about 15 minutes.
Pile the Brussels sprouts on one side of the pan and add the butter and garlic. Let the garlic cook for 2 minutes then spoon some garlic butter over the tops of the chicken. Mix the rest of the garlic butter into the Brussels sprouts.
Serve with lots of extra black pepper.

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

Avocado, strawberry and mango salsa

July 31, 2018September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is the quickest, tastiest summer salsa and can be served either with pita chips as an appetizer or as a side to a lovely piece of salmon, which we particularly love. These flavors complement salmon beautifully.
It takes about 20 minutes to make and is the perfect summer dinner party side.

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1 heaped cup diced strawberries (a little more than a half pound of strawberries)
1 heaped cup diced ripe mango (from 2 large mangoes)
2 avocados, diced
1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced
3 tbsp finely diced red onion
4 tbsp diced cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to combine.
Garnish with extra cilantro.
Great served with pita chips for dipping and also great served on salmon, fish tacos or shrimp.

Serves 4-6. Recipe easily doubled

Beverage · Breakfast · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Carrot cake smoothie

October 10, 2017September 7, 2022 Belinda1 Comment

I happen to be married to someone who adores carrot cake, so when I found this recipe recently, there was no way I wasn’t going to include it. I mean, a healthy smoothie tasting like carrot cake??

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1 cup carrots, peeled and then grated (if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, you could probably just roughly chop them)
1 organic banana, frozen
1 1/2 cups coconut/almond milk(or other non-dairy milk of your choice)
1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for two hours (or 1/4 cup homemade cashew nut butter)
1 tsp good vanilla extract
1 good sized Medjool date
1 tbsp organic raw shelled hemp seeds, or protein powder.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Optional – instead of the hemp seeds, for additional nutritional support, you could also opt for a scoop of Protein Powder, either the Vanilla Chai or straight Vanilla would be great.

Directions: Add all of the ingredients to your high speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. Top with a little cinnamon and a pinch of grated carrots. Enjoy immediately.