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Grain-free Baja Fish Taco Bowl {Paleo-friendly}
For most of my life, I have always had a (totally rational) fear of fried foods, something I can say I happily accepted and followed. It wasn’t until this past year or so that I finally experimented with for-real frying at home, beyond a simple pan-fry. Besides the occasional french fry indulgence, I never really found myself drawn to deep-fried anything. It just was never my thing. But to be totally honest, beyond the fact that I intuitively never liked how fried foods made me feel, it was mostly because of the scary calories and fat. And while calories and fat should absolutely be a valid concern, in excess, after spending time truly learning about fats and oils in nutritional therapy school program, I have learned what we should really fear more than these numbers, instead are the oils themselves and the havoc that they can wreak on our bodies and our health. That old saying ‘quality not quantity’, has really never been more appropriate.
At most restaurants, even the nicest of places and honestly in most people’s homes, fried foods are generally cooked in denatured vegetable and seed oils. These are usually highly refined polyunsaturated fats that are highly unstable, especially in high heats. Often they are hydrogenated and when exposed to heat they oxidize and go rancid very quickly and form free radicals. “These chaotic, skewed fatty acid molecules, now in the form of free radicals, wreak havoc on the body attacking and damaging DNA and RNA, cell membranes, vascular walls, and red blood cells, all of which cascade into deeper physiological damage such as tumor formation, accelerated aging, arterial plaque accumulation, autoimmune imbalances, and more!”[1] WOAH – just woah, right? My life-long intuition-led opinion on fried foods was definitely not for nothing.
Now, before we get into this recipe, I am certainly not advocating that fried foods, even in healthful oils, are something we should consume often. Like sweets and treats, even of the more healthy variety, this type of cooking falls into the category of once-in-a-while eating. But, being totally afraid of something and never being able to enjoy it, that doesn’t really feel good either and it certainly isn’t a lifestyle I ever want to live or promote. However, these curiosities for a better option, this is usually how I manage to come up with an alternative, a new way to enjoy something one-in-a-while that I never get to, but in a much more health-minded approach.
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Grain-free Basil and Mint Zucchini “Noodles”
Being in the blogging world over 6 years now, I have had the pleasure of meeting some very incredible people along the way. But some, they walk into your life and you know that they were placed into your path with a purpose. I met Amie Valpone last year, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy conference. We spoke like half-witted high school girls, catching up, giggling, sharing and connecting over our personal healing journeys. Amie has an infectious lust for life and for living that instantly resonated with me. As someone that has spent the past 10+ years dealing with various (though very minor in comparison) health struggles, I very much appreciate how Amie has chosen to use her struggles as a means to help others, through her website thehealthyapple.com, I also admire that she has used her very challenging healing journey to fuel her passion to teach others that your health and vitality lies in your hands and that you DO have the power to overcome. I feel like the word “inspiration” is hardly enough for this firecracker.
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Spring Greens Salad with Roasted Beets, Walnuts and Creamy Feta Vinaigrette
There is something so magical about the spring, all the beautiful new produce, the delicate, fresh and new little baby stuff especially makes me happy. It’s like seeing those adorable fuzzy little ducklings at the park following around their mama duck. They just suddenly appear out of nowhere and break your heart with sweetness. But, I also love that we still have the remnants of the long winter season, the hearty, long-lasting, robust foods of the colder time. Squash, the bright and fresh citrus, all the root veggies. Even though we are well into Spring at this point, the swing-season status of Spring lasts the longest of all, which I really adore. The crossover of produce makes for some of my favorite dishes.
We’ve been getting tons of beets in our weekly CSA boxes (community supported agriculture) from the farm and besides beet kvass, I have mostly been roasting them, as it’s my favorite way to enjoy the flavor of beets. The roasting actually brings out a subtle sweetness and takes down some of the earthiness for those that aren’t big fans of it. Plus roasting makes peeling beets a breeze, the skin literally slips right off. Beets are, in my opinion, a very underrated superfood, offering liver support by thinning bile to decongest a congested liver or biliary stasis or insufficiency. They also contain high levels of folate and manganese which support gallbladder function. Underground vegetables like potatoes, beets, carrots, etc – they also contain silica – important for collagen formation and for connective tissue’s elasticity and resilience. Silica also regulates calcium placement in bone and tissue. Beets also include fructooligosaccharides which is a great nutrient source for healthy micro-flora in the GI system. Finally, beets contain trimethylglycine, a methyl donor used in liver detoxification. Trimethylglycine is used by the body to detoxify substances by donating one of it’s methyl groups to the toxic molecule yielding a less toxic methylated substances and dimethylglycine. Dimethylglycine is also a methyl donor and is also used to stabilize toxic substances for further processing and elimination.
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Greek Lamb Gyro Bowls with Tzatziki
Being away from my family living in California, it has gotten a bit easier with time and there are less and less tears over random moments, holidays, but one of the things I miss most is Sunday dinner as one a big family.
I grew up eating delicious home cooked Greek food. My family, they know their way around the kitchen. Everyone has their specialties and their things. My mom is an incredible baker, while not Greek herself she has mastered Greek desserts and pastries, baklava, koulourakia cookies. My dad is the king of savory, the grill master, the Greek God of souvlaki, marinated grilled leg of lamb, roasted potatoes among many other specialties. Sadly while my dad makes THE best lamb you’ll ever eat, neither he nor anyone else in our family has ever mastered homemade gyro. Whenever my parents serve up gyro, which isn’t super often, it usually comes already prepared and frozen. Meh. It makes me sad that we aren’t making it ourselves. Also sadly, these pre-made gyro meats tend to be very processed and they almost always contains gluten, so naturally I won’t touch them. Short of going to a more traditional shop, cart or restaurant, where they cook the meat traditionally over a spinning spit or rotisserie – it’s impossible to get the real thing, I haven’t had it in many, many years.
Traditional Greek gyro, from what I have read, is made with whole cuts of pork, slowly cooked rotisserie style, and thinly shaved, while Americanized Greek gyro is the pressed, almost sausage-like, thinly sliced minced beef and/or lamb blend. Usually served in a pita, wrap style it is a meal that I never get to eat, yet I still find myself craving it.
I am home in New York right now, with my family, visiting and meeting my brand new nephew Keaton James, born just three weeks ago. As I was preparing for this trip home to Buffalo, I got giddy at the thought of all the homemade Greek food I would be eating. Greek food is my comfort, it’s what I crave at the holidays, when I am homesick or when I come down with a bug. Greek food from a restaurant is just never the same and somehow making a big feast of Greek food at home, just the two of us, while I do it occasionally, it just never tastes the same to me. This is the food best served with a large group of the people you love most. A big Greek feast needs to come with a side of very loud chatter, tons of laughs, stories from back in the day and it needs kids running around the very same living room that my dad ran around as a little kid.
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Grain-free Salmon Cakes with Old Bay Aioli
Truth me told, the loaded fries and the chicken wings, those are more my husband’s football food. He begs and pleads for junk food on football Sundays, so I have always caved by simply recreating the classics for him, but in a healthier way. It’s a good deal for both of us. Me, I am a bit more uppity when it comes to what I want in a party spread. Give me an epic charcuterie or crudités platter, a little homemade roasted red pepper and feta dip, some tasty, fresh homemade salsa and chips (I reach for the plantain chips these days), a simple, but flavorful chili, the best darn gluten-free soft pretzel bites or these…tasty, crispy salmon cakes!
These Grain-free Salmon Cakes with Old Bay Aioli may seem a more fancy option at your Super Bowl spread, compared to the chips, fries or wings, but don’t let these fool you. They are whipped up in a mere minutes and they are the perfect small bite, party food. A little crispy on the outside with a soft, fluffy, perfect interior. Do not, I repeat do not skip out on the Old Bay Aioli. It’s a must here.
Though salmon cakes aren’t a food I grew up eating, these are comfort food to me. They are totally fuss-free, so they actually make for a very simple weeknight meal or a quick lunch or brunch, even. We almost always have canned salmon on hand, but this recipe is also great for leftover cooked salmon, as well. I love these served over a mixed baby greens salad, but they make an amazing appetizer, as well. Make the patties even bigger and go for more of a burger vibe, if you’d like.
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Warm Kale Salad with Roasted Fennel and Cranberry Meyer Lemon Salsa
‘Tis the season for sweets and treats, Christmas cookies and cocktails galore. You guys already know by now that I am one for balance and not setting such strict rules on yourself that you restrict everything completely and end up flailing around and ruining your lifestyle after one “slip up”. Balance and occasional indulging is important, especially during this special time of year. However, I am also someone that absolutely HAS to have my daily greens. It absolutely is not an option for me to skip out.
I believe a few treats here and there during the holidays can be a special indulgence without derailing all the special attention you give to your food, lifestyle and your health throughout the year. But, I also feel that just means it is more important than ever to make sure you are getting the good things. Nourishing, properly prepared, nutrient-dense foods – this is precisely the fuel our body needs to get through this hectic, and oftentimes stressful, time of year.
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Massaged Kale Salad with Sweet Potato Noodles, Persimmon and a Smoky Orange Vinaigrette
It’s that time of year again, the web is a buzz with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pie and all the sides, so here we go!! This salad celebrates the best of the season and not only is it beautiful, but it packs a punch in the flavor department. It is sure to impress anyone you serve it to and I can promise this salad will be the Knight in
shininggreen armor at any carb-heavy holiday meal.
Amongst this crazy busy time of year, I would bet we could all use a massage or two, so let’s treat our kale, too. Seriously though, all joking aside, if you haven’t yet experienced the magic of massaged kale, you need to get on this train. I find many people think that they don’t love raw kale, I agree, it’s not super palatable in it’s raw form. It’s rough, fibrous, strong and often times bitter, but you would be shocked what a 5 minute rub down can do for this popular superfood. The flavor mellows, the texture becomes more silky and it’s infused with the soft flavors of the olive oil and citrus.
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Autumn Harvest Salad with Green Horseradish Vinaigrette
There is something about the fall and the winter and the cooler weather they bring, that not only elicits those feelings of cozy comfort, for me it also brings a desire to gather and share nourishing food, with others. With the holidays on the horizon, this love of community and connection is strong and needed, in these darker, cooler months ahead.
Earlier this month I hosted Gather, a women’s retreat here in Southern California. Beyond teaching yoga every morning, I also had the wonderful pleasure of preparing all of the delicious, seasonally-inspired food for all of the meals we shared together. Mostly vegetarian and exclusively gluten-free, the meals highlighted light, comfort food, the flavors of the fall and as always when I am cooking, nutrient-rich, whole foods. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tuna and Arugula Salad with Avocado, Black Olives & Lemon Parsley Vinaigrette
Sometimes you find yourself in places and situations you hadn’t planned. Life is funny that way. How do you handle it? Can you roll with the punches? I like to believe that ultimately there is a plan for me, it helps with those little bumps and the unplanned surprises. As Seane Corn, one of my favorite yoga teachers says “everything happens as it is supposed for our souls to transform”. Not only do I now believe and live by this, but it has also allowed me to be much more open and flexible in my life. I know that things unfold as they should, oftentimes to teach me something. It has allowed me to see things with clearer eyes and to allow things to transform and evolved as they are meant to. I wasn’t always able to do this. This is a practice I have been working at for sometime now. In the past, if I set a plan and things veered off course, I would at times get a little freaked out and possibly allow to ruin my day or whatever situation I was in. It was never fun. Not only did it make the situation harder to deal with, but it made me harder to deal with. It’s not to say that is still doesn’t happen now and again, that I too don’t need these reminders once in a while.
What does this have to do with a tuna salad I’m sure you are wondering? The first time I made this salad, was in one of these very situations where I was being tested. My husband, Mark, and I, were planning a quick summery dinner of grilled ahi tuna steaks. We bought these beautiful wild-caught tuna steaks and I had planned an Asian-inspired meal around them, we were going to to serve them over cauliflower rice with a quick arugula salad on the side. I was thinking ginger, coconut aminos, garlic, sriracha. I asked Mark to grill them up quick, a task he has done many, many times before. Seared tuna steaks need but a couple minutes per side, to keep that beautiful rare center that this particular cut lends itself so well to. Overcooked tuna steaks can be a bit dry and tough.
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Summer Veggie Power Bowls with Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
This week marks the start of summer which means lots of fun and exciting adventures await us! Traveling around and exploring or just hanging out in your hood, summer is all about enjoying the sunshine and fresh summer food, getting together with family and friends, savouring fresh summer-inspired meals outside and of course, being on the go.
These summer-inspired veggie power bowls are the perfect tasty, nourishing option for a picnic, a trip to the beach, a backyard BBQ or summer potluck. You can play around with the various ingredients to what you have on hand and like best or what is most fresh near you right now, it’s a simple recipe perfect for customizing. Pre-assemble the bowls and cover, bring the dressing on the side and pack up your Yellow 108 Travel Roll up cutlery set for the perfect meal-on-the-road to accompany your summer adventures.
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Charred Snap Pea Salad with Creamy Almond Butter & Ginger Dressing
Sugar Snap Peas are one of my most favorite spring snacks, as of late. Throughout the day, I open the fridge, there they are, edible just as they come. I really enjoy just eating them raw, sometimes I eat them as is, with a sprinkle of course sea salt, other times, I dip them in guacamole or whatever homemade dip I have on hand – either way I just love their sweet, crisp, fresh and bright flavor. When I am not snacking away on them raw, I also really love eating them in stir fries and now grilled, too.
The charred pods keep a nice fresh flavor, but it they are also slightly tender and the grilling really brings out their inherent sweetness. I love the grilled snap peas over a salad like this one, but they are also great dipped in a homemade aioli or hummus.
This healthy, vibrant and crunchy Spring salad has a bit of an Asian-flare to it with the almond butter and ginger dressing that also has soy sauce, lime juice and sesame oil. If you want to skip the salad part however, grill the snap peas and instead serve the dressing as a dipping sauce. Voila, instant appetizer or snack.
[print_this]Charred Snap Pea Salad with Creamy Almond Butter & Ginger Dressing {gluten-free, vegan, paleo}
serves 4-6
- 1 lb sugar snap peas, washed, strings removed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- red chile flakes, optional
- 5 cups lettuce mix
- 1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup toasted almond slices
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Creamy Almond Butter & Ginger Dressing
- 1/3 cup unsweetened unsalted almond butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons, soy sauce, gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes
- water, as needed to thin
Grill the Snap Peas: Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat, with a grilling basket preheating as well. Toss the snap peas with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil and season with sea salt and black pepper or red pepper flakes, if you like a little more heat. Grill the snap peas for 5-8 minutes, tossing occasionally until charred, they should be crisp-tender.
Make the Dressing: Whisk or blend dressing, adding water as necessary to thin out to your desired consistency.
Assemble the Salad: Arrange the salad greens on a serving platter or in bowls, top with the grilled snap peas, top with carrot ribbons, sliced avocado, almonds, scallions and cilantro. Drizzle the dressing over top, just before serving.
NOTES:
No grill? You can also cook the snap peas in a grill pan or a cast iron skillet on the stove top, if you don’t have a grill.
As with any green veggie, the longer you cook the snap peas, the more olive green they will get in color. For a brighter, fresher green color, just cook for a little less time.
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Chipotle Barbacoa Burrito Bowls with Cilantro Lime Cauli-Rice
Part of being a food blogger is being lucky enough to meet and become friends with loads of other amazing and talented food bloggers, cookbook authors, recipe developers, food photographers, etc. It just sort of happens over time. Besides having social media feeds loaded with food photos and constantly chatting about what’s for dinner, it’s mostly just incredibly inspiring. Being surrounded virtually and in the real world with people that are passionate about food, eating and sharing this love and passion with others. It’s pretty darn amazing.
More and more of these talented folks are authoring beautiful cookbooks filled with their creative recipes. I now have bookshelves full of incredible recipe resources. In 2014, I got a bit behind on my cookbook reviews and I am working to remedy that this year. So, I am working on a new series I am calling Foodie Friend Fridays, where every other Friday (or there-abouts), I will share cookbook reviews and recipes from some of my favorite cookbooks, guest posts from incredibly talented friends, occasional giveaways and more! Some of the reviews will feature cookbooks that are paleo, some vegan, others just a general topic cookbook, with recipes that would work for us gluten-free folk, but be sure I will always share gluten-free recipes and I will always give you my honest critiques.
First up is Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple by Danielle Walker. It felt natural that this would be the first cookbook I’d review and share a recipe from, in this new year, as I had the pleasure of working closely with Danielle this past fall on the set of Access Hollywood. Danielle was a guest on a segment promoting this book and she asked if I would work as her food stylist for the shoot. This meant I shopped for and made all of the recipes from her book featured on the episode, from start to finish, plating the dishes, getting the set all prepped for the shoot and making it all pretty. (watch the segment here, check out the sweet plating, the props from my home collection and the pretty flowers, too while you’re there 😉 ) It was an incredible experience and also a ton of work. I now have an immense amount of respect for people that do this on the regular. More than anything, I was excited to get to get my hands dirty creating 3 of the delicious recipes from Danielle’s latest NY Times Best Seller.
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Baby Kale and Quinoa Salad with Dates, Avocado and Citrus Hibiscus Vinaigrette
Even if I eat the very best that I can during the holidays, the minute the celebrations are over, my body craves greens, salad, soups and anything else healthy and comforting it can get it’s hands on.
This year, the morning after Christmas the hubby and I hopped into the car with the pooch and headed off to Palm Springs for a much-needed, relaxing 3-day getaway. We stayed at the Ace Hotel, which we simply adore. Despite the chilly desert weather, we enjoyed the time away, snuck in some pool side cocktails, a couples massage and lots of laying around.
The best part about getting away for me, is letting other people do the cooking, for once. As much as I enjoy doing it, it has still become a job, of sorts, for me and oftentimes I look forward to those moments when someone else is serving me something delicious and nourishing, that I didn’t have to slave over.
While we were away, one morning I had a delicious kale and quinoa salad for breakfast at the King’s Highway, the fab diner at the Ace. I had it topped with a poached egg and it was exactly what I needed. But as usual, I immediately started dreaming of ways I could make it better. I obviously cannot take total credit for this, but this salad is my take on their dish. I changed some things around, I opted for baby kale, rather than regular raw kale (which I find can be slightly bitter, at times), I also added some sliced avocado and chose toasted, spiced, shelled pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for crunch rather than Marcona almonds, the caramelized shallots replaced onions. Also, I feel like I can say this, my vinaigrette puts theirs to shame.
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Roasted Beet and Persimmon Salad with Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette
First of all, I have to be honest and tell you that I really wanted to call this post “Ode to Persimmon”. If you can believe it, just a couple weeks ago, I finally tried a persimmon for the first time ever. Yup, to my knowledge, I had never had one until very recently. I haven’t been actively avoiding them, by any means, it just hadn’t happened. I mostly attribute it to growing up in Western New York, where they don’t seem to grow and aren’t as common. On the contrary they seem to be everywhere out here in California.
For me, it was love at first bite. A persimmon is unlike anything I have ever tasted before. I honestly can’t compare their flavor or even their texture to anything else, they are a completely unique and beautiful creation. Their size and look seems more like something of the tomato family than any other fruit. The flesh is soft and creamy, similar to a peach or nectarine, but not as juicy. Something about the sweetness reminds me of dates, but I can’t put my finger on it. The skin of persimmons is edible.
So far, I have enjoyed the persimmons I have been getting in my CSA boxes, raw, sliced or eaten like an apple, in smoothies and in salads. This particular salad has quickly become a favorite of mine. It has the earthy rustic flavor of the beets, with soft sweetness from the persimmons, the creamy, richness of the goat cheese in contrast plus the fresh and bright flavor of the micro-greens (ir a baby green if you so choose instead) and finished with the toasted nuttiness of the tart vinaigrette.
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Autumn Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
This healthy, fall-inspired Autumn Harvest Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette, is the perfect way to enjoy all of the many amazing flavors of the season in one flavor-packed healthy salad. It is light enough to not leave you heavy and weighed down, but also hearty enough to be a meal on it’s own. This makes 2 large meal sized servings or 4 side salad-sized servings. I like to make this salad and dress the servings individually so I can enjoy the leftovers later. This was the perfect lunch during a long day of yoga teacher training, a few weeks back.
Lately, this is one of my most favorite ways to enjoy raw kale and I find even those not super crazy about the superfood green, absolutely love it in salad like this. The key is to massage the kale to get rid of the toughness and the bitterness. Yup, I said “massage”! No, you don’t have to whisper sweet nothings to it or buy it dinner first, just a good ‘ol fashioned no-strings-attached massage.
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Bacon Roasted Grape Salad (gluten-free + dairy-free w/ vegan option)
This Bacon Roasted Grape Salad is life-changing in it’s simplicity. Smokey, savory and a little sweet – this salad will forever change how you look at grapes!
I am not one that is necessarily good with rolling with the punches and going with the flow. In many ways I am very easy going and able to just pick up and go, deal with what is handed to me and make lemons out of lemonade. On the other hand, when it comes to my work and the things I am most passionate about, it can be hard when things don’t go exactly as I planned.
This seems to be the theme of my life right now. Whether it’s rethinking my publishing schedule and the few weeks of recipes I had planned to make, due to 20+ lbs of fresh grapes coming from our grape vines or realizing the trip to San Francisco I was meant to go on with my hubby for work, just wasn’t going to happen and that he would be going alone and I would have to stay behind.
The recipe was originally meant to be shared on another website, a big time foodie site that had asked me to put together a recipe for an ongoing gluten-free column they were interested in. After working away on my pitch and this recipe, I found out that they had VERY different ideas and expectations than what I had. What they wanted and what they were willing to offer me, just didn’t add up. It meant a great deal of work for me and from their end I would barely be compensated for the groceries I would be buying. Rather than getting caught up in the glitz and glamour of their name, forgetting about the bragging rights and what it would feel like to have their name on my resume – I decided to respect myself and my work enough to say “NO!” One of the very hardest things to do, especially when my pride is concerned. So, originally this recipe wasn’t going to be shared here on Tasty Yummies today, I was saving it for a this fun new column I thought I was going to have.
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Red Grape and Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts {gluten-free}
We’ve been living here in Southern California just over 16 months and I still wake up everyday, pinching myself that this is where I live. Palm trees, ocean air, the beach just over half a mile away. And then there is my yard! The huge vegetable garden and fruit trees galore – we have fig, peach, orange, banana, apple and loquat trees and the avocado tree! Oh, that avocado tree! Besides that avocado tree, one of my favorite things, however are the beautiful grape vines behind the house. They span the width of the entire house and then some.
There are several varieties of grapes growing back there – to be honest I couldn’t even tell you what they all are! I think these pictured and used in this recipe might be moscoto (red table) grapes, from the little bit of research I did online. But I haven’t a clue. I just know they are yummy and I don’t have to do much to get them to grow!
Last year, I couldn’t seem to get to the grapes before the squirrels and/or birds did, so we really didn’t get to enjoy too many. But, this year I was determined to eat more grapes than the critters and we are definitely succeeding. The first day I went out to start collecting my bounty, I came back in with over 10lbs of grapes and that wasn’t even 10% of them. We have mostly been eating them as is, bringing them to friends and freezing them for a special frosty, sweet treat – but I have also been having fun getting creative with them. Roasting and grilling them, adding them to salads, to smoothies and juices, and more. I just have to forewarn you now, you may see a decent amount of grape recipes in the coming week or two.
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Spicy Ginger Sesame Asian Cucumber Salad (gluten-free + vegan)
This easy-to-make salad is one of my favorite go-to, quick summer sides. Now that the beautiful heirloom cucumbers in my garden are coming in strong, I have been enjoying this cool, crisp salad nearly every day. The many wonderful Asian-inspired flavors are all so perfectly well-balanced by the various fresh ingredients.
By allowing some of the liquid to drain off from the cucumbers, you can make this refreshing salad ahead and keep it chilled and not lose and of the amazing crispy crunch of the cucumbers. The cucumbers in my garden are quite high in water, as compared to other varieties, so I find this step particularly important when I use those. I also really love this salad with persian cucumbers, as they hold up super well and their flavor is incredible.
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Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Garlic Tahini Dressing
As always, I am late to the party on this one, but I finally got a Spiralizer last month and I have been obsessed with it, ever since it showed up. I have been having so much fun making salads, veggie noodles, curly cut sweet potato fries and all that good stuff. So, be on the lookout for many more recipes very soon.
For now, I have this super simple cucumber ribbon salad for you guys, that I have been living off of, with the beautiful cucumbers we’ve been getting in our CSA boxes. This garlicky tahini dressing is just so amazing, it is simple to throw together and full of so much great flavor. I’ve been making my own tahini* lately and that, in my opinion, really sets it over the top.
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Grilled Asparagus Spring Salad with Meyer Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette (Gluten-free w/ Vegan Option)
Spring produce honestly makes me giddy. I get school girl crush excited to stroll the aisles at the farmers market and my favorite organic grocery store and it feels like Christmas morning every Wednesday when I open the CSA box that our farmer drops off and I get to look inside. I am not sure how you feel about it, but I seriously think all of this fresh green goodness is definitely worth celebrating.
One of my absolute favorite in season vegetables is asparagus. I am not joking when I tell you I consumed about 3 lbs of it myself in a 24 hour period, one day last week. I love it. My two favorite ways to enjoy it is roasted in the oven and grilled. The smokey flavor and those char marks from the beautiful caramelization of the natural sugars are just perfection.
Oh and I personally find just picking those spears up with my hands and enjoying them, sans silverware, only enhances all of this! Try it, you’ll see. Read the rest of this entry »
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Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette {Gluten-free, Vegan}
Last month while in my yoga teacher training program, I basically lived on salads every single day for lunch. They are such a simple thing to pack up in the morning and with all the many variations, I never find myself getting sick of it, even if you are having it every day. Some days I added grilled chicken or cooked lentils, often I would skip out on cheese, but other days I would add some crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese. I would add nuts or seeds, dried fruit or sun dried tomatoes, etc. It was quite fun and always delicious.
I started out the month by making my own dressings and vinaigrettes and then on a trip to Whole Foods in a moment of weakness and desperation, trying to save some time where I could, I bought a couple different bottles of organic dressings and vinaigrettes. Of course, as soon as I tried all of them, I realized I could easily be making these myself and I realized how silly it was to buy store-bought dressings, especially because even when organic, they have far more ingredients than they should, many of which as strange preservatives.
I had bought a yummy creamy, vegan, smokey tomato dressing that I really loved and instantly realized I should be making this myself. And often. This Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette is creamy and full of so many amazing flavors. It is of course, great on a salad, it would make an amazing marinade for chicken or fish, it’d be great on a pasta salad and it’s delicious drizzled on your favorite sandwich or wrap. I bet it would also be incredible as a marinade and/or dipping sauce for these grilled artichokes, too. Tomorrow I am sharing a yummy recipe for a plant-based sandwich alternative and this is the perfect condiment on it. So keep a look out for that. Read the rest of this entry »
