vegetarian

Spiralized Cucumber Greek Salad

July 12, 2017

Even though my spiralizer is pretty much a one trick pony (it pretty much just spiralizes), it is one of my most used one-trick ponies in the kitchen. Especially in the Summer when I don’t feel like cooking anything and it will instantly transform something ordinary into something fun and unique.

Like this spiralized cucumber Greek salad. What makes this salad so special? Nothing really….except the spiralized cucumber. It just changes the whole thing. Instead of feeling like you are eating a salad, you almost feel like you are eating a veggie packed pasta (cold pasta, I’ll admit).

Now cucumbers are not the easiest things to spiralize thanks to all those seeds in the middle. But be patient with them and they will give you some beautiful cucumber noodles.

I like to lay my cucumber noodles out on a layer of paper towels to drain out some of the extra liquid.

The rest of the salad is pretty simple: sliced onion, bell pepper, and halved cherry tomatoes. You could add olives if you wish, but olives are pretty much the bane of my existence, so I left them out.

All that was left to do with this Greek salad was assemble it. I tossed all the veggies together and then topped them with some feta and fresh mint. Then when we were ready to eat I drizzled over some homemade Greek dressing.

After adding some roasted chicken, this was a complete and healthy meal. Plus so much more fun than eating your basic Greek salad. Who need that pesky lettuce anyways?

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Zucchini Squash Fritters

March 29, 2017

What is a girl to do when she buys a Costco sized bag of zucchini and summer squash? I mean, I can only eat zoodles so many meals in a row. Baking zucchini bread seemed to defeat the purpose of buying the zucchini in the first place (not to stuff my face with carbs). So I thought I would try something a little different: zucchini squash fritters!

Not only did I now have a healthy and delicious lunch option that wasn’t a bowl of zoodles, but was finally able to use the one attachment I have never used on my food processor! The grater!

Let me tell you, that was almost more satisfying than actually eating the fritters.

Start by grating your zucchini (and in my case, also some summer squash) in whatever way you prefer. If you have a food processor, break out that grater attachment and have some fun!

Then dump your grated squash into a colander and set it in the sink or over some paper towels. Sprinkle in some salt to extract the moisture a bit more quickly.

After about 15 minutes, transfer the zucchini to a couple layers of paper towels and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Add it to a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients, including two different types of cheese, garlic, turmeric, and black pepper.

I have been on this kick of adding turmeric to a lot of my food just for all the health benefits. (Don’t believe me? Just Google “turmeric” and you would have to dig pretty deep past all the healthy articles before you got to any recipes.) But it also adds a nice subtle flavor that goes really well with the zucchini.

Finally, mix the zucchini in with the rest of the ingredients and form into ball. Place the balls into a hot, oiled pan and press them flat into their fritter shape. Once the first side starts to brown, they should be easily lifted off the pan. If you meet any resistance, they may not be fully cooked, or you don’t have enough oil.

I guarantee you will be pleased with these little zucchini squash fritters. They are a little crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Since there is a little cheese hidden in there, every once and a while you will get a little of that melted goodness.

These made for the perfect light lunch and the second most delicious way to use up some extra zucchini (first if obviously this way).

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The Best Baba Ghanoush Recipe

March 6, 2017

Ok guys, confession time. I have this weird obsession with baba ghanoush. I love the stuff. This love affair started several years ago after trying the creamy eggplant dip at a Mediterranean restaurant in Dallas and was reignited during my experience on the Whole 30 diet last year.

Recently it has reached a whole new level thanks to our new favorite restaurant here in Charlotte, Yafo Kitchen. They make the best baba ghanoush I have ever had. The stuff is practically addicting. I will order an extra large side of the stuff just so I can take it home and eat it throughout the week. I also try and find new and creative ways of trying to trick the staff at the restaurant what their secret ingredient is. So far, no one has given it up.

But lucky for all of us, I think I figured it out on my own. Now I can make the best GD baba ghanoush anytime I want, and so can you!

Start with two good sized eggplant and stab them all over with a knife. Unless you want them to blow up in the oven, that’s your call.

Broil them until they are completely charred and wrinkled, but also totally soft inside.

Cut the eggplants open and spoon out all the delicious flesh.

Now here’s the fun part! Put all that flesh into a salad spinner (it’s not just for salad anymore, guys!) and give it a good spin to get out all that extra moisture. Then throw all of it into the food processor.

[Big thanks to Serious Eats for that tip!]

Too the egg plant, add some good tahini. How do I know if it’s good tahini? The less English there is on the bottle, the better! But the stuff from Trader Joe’s will also work just fine.

Now here is where this stuff goes from good, to great. Add in some sumac (probably not something you have lying around your spice cabinet, but I highly recommend getting yourself some if you like Middle Eastern food) and smoked paprika.

The smoked paprika is the kicker. It gives the baba ghanoush this mildly sweet and smokey flavor that is just heavenly. You can skip the sumac. Do not skip the smoked paprika.

We aren’t done yet. The last step is adding the garlic. However, I do not recommend adding a whole clove of garlic to the food processor. It will make the garlic flavor very harsh and almost spicy.

I recommend mincing it very finely then “pureeing” it with the side of a knife. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the garlic, then run blade of the knife at about a 75 degree angle over the garlic. Then mix it into the baba ghanoush at the very end.

Don’t you just want to stick your fave right into that work bowl? Just me?

You may change your mind after trying this baba ghanoush. I don’t care if you don’t really like eggplant. Or even if you have tried the dip before and didn’t like it. Try this one and I will almost guarantee that you will like it. I forced my husband to try it, even though he isn’t a fan of eggplant, and he actually liked it.

Actually, what he said was “I think this is better than Yafo’s”. Sure he might be biased and only said that to get in my pants, but let’s just pretend that it’s true, okay.

At the very least, it is so good that I licked the bowl clean, an honor I only reserve for cake batter and cookie dough.

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Veggie Fajitas

July 28, 2014

Back when I was in grad school had had no income, I was very good about creating meatless meals. I would take some of my favorite recipes and making them meatless. Like these veggie fajitas. Instead of the peppers and onions serving as the supporting cast to the chicken or beef, they are the main attraction along with mushrooms and squash.

I start by chopping all the veggies into strips of similar size. It doesn’t really matter how big or small, but it will make all the veggies cook more evenly. If you have a grill and wanted to make this on the grill, then I would suggest either roasted them whole, or in larger pieces and cutting them afterwards.

Because some people in my household think that if a meal doesn’t have meat, it will be boring, I make sure that these fajitas pack some major flavor. I start by mixing together a basic taco seasoning (chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper) along with a hint of chipotle chili powder to give it that heat and some smokiness.

I add the seasoning to a mixture of lime juice, vinegar, honey, and cilantro to make a marinade which is then poured over all the veggies.

Marinading vegetables may seem a bit unusual, but I think it really helps this dish have some pretty intense flavor. The mushrooms, in particular, really soak up a lot of that flavor.

I sauteed the veggies in a hot skillet, but the veggies can also be cooked on a baking sheet in a oven set to 375.

I love to serve them up on fresh whole wheat tortillas with a choice of cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole so that my husband and I can just create our own fajitas.

What other veggies would be good for these fajitas?

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