Tag: main course

Shakshuka Nachos

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I don’t have exact measurements but I think you can wing it
.
1 tbsp butter
Kale (I used about 1/2 head, basically enough to fill the pan), torn into small pieces 
4 eggs 
1/2 can black beans, drained, rinsed and dried 
Corn kernels 
Chili lime seasoning
Grated mozzarella cheddar blend 
Salsa
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Melt butter over medium-high heat. 
Throw kale into the pan, make 4 wells and place an egg into each well. Sprinkle generously with chili lime seasoning. 
Spread on cheese, beans, corn and a few spoonfuls of salsa. 
Cover pan until cheese melts. 
Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole.

Asian Chicken “Arayes” with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

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After trying traditional arayes (which were fabulous), I decided that I wanted to try the same idea with different flavours and fillings. These were a hit for all (the kids ate them with ketchup).

Ingredients:
12-15 mini pitas 
1 lb minced chicken 
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup, divided
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium zucchini, grated and liquid squeezed out 
1/2 cup grated carrots .
Dipping sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice vinegar 
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint 
1 tsp minced ginger . 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Mix together chicken, soy sauce, 1 tbsp maple syrup, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, zucchini and carrots. Cut openings in pita and stuff with chicken mixture. Place on greased baking sheet and spray top of pitas with additional cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, brush with remaining 1 tbsp maple syrup, bake for an additional 10 minutes. 
Mix dipping sauce ingredients together. 
For a spicier option, feel free to add some sriracha hot sauce to the arayes or dipping sauce.

White Bean Soup with Sausages and Kale Chips

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I don’t know the source of this recipe but it is so delicious I wanted to share with you. Please let me know if you know the source so I can give proper credit. (I’ve might very minor changes)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp avocado oil 
1 onion, chopped 
1/3 cup each, diced carrots and celery 
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1/2 tsp sea salt (use a bit more if you’re using beans with no salt added)
Freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves 
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used water mixed with @traderjoesumami seasoning)
1/2 tsp liquid smoke 
3 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
2 sausages (I used @jacksgourmet )
1 tsp oil
Garnish with kale chips (see below for recipe)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook onion, carrots, celery and garlic with salt and pepper, until tender. Add in rosemary and bay leaves and cook for another minute. Add stock and liquid smoke and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in beans and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves. 
Use an immersion blender to partially blend, but leave some chunks for a nice hearty texture. .
In the meantime, slice hot dogs and fry in a bit of oil to cook. .
Serve soup topped with hot dogs and kale chips if desired. .
Kale chips ⬇️
Preheat oven to 400°F 
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread kale (washed and thoroughly dried) over baking sheet in single layer. Spray generously with additional cooking spray. Sprinkle generously with everything but the bagel seasoning. 
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp

Beef Arayes

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I kept seeing recipes for arayes and had to try them. This is my spin on this new fad – I hope to make variations of these arayes again because they were so easy and a huge hit! .
1 lb minced meat (not lean)
1.5 tbsp shawarma seasoning
1 tbsp zaatar 
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon 
12-15 mini pitas
.
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Mix together all ingredients except pita. Cut openings in the pitas and stuff with meat mixture. Try to flatten each pita, to spread meat mixture out evenly. 
Place on greased baking sheet. Spray cooking spray generously on top as well. 
Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. .
FYI – these were too flavorful for 2 of my kids so you can reduce the seasoning a bit for children. 

Humus Sabich Pizza

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My kids are obsessed with pizza – one night I suggested humus pizza and they love it! You can personalize it individually with whatever toppings you prefer. I make it with whatever vegetables and toppings I have on hand. I had leftover cauliflower, eggplant and chickpeas from last night’s dinner (see my previous post) and it was a perfect topping. .
I take a prepared naan bread and warm it, spread humus on and top with some or all of the following:
Roasted eggplant
Roasted cauliflower 
Chickpeas (roasted or not)
Olives 
Grated carrots 
Pickled turnips 
Hard boiled egg
Purple cabbage 
Roasted peppers 
Tomatoes 
Cucumbers 
I garnished with zaatar, tahini and fresh mint

Sheet Pan Shawarma Tofu

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Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dry with a towel
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets, washed and dried well
1 small eggplant, cubed
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 tbsp Shawarma seasoning, divided
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1 tbsp Zaatar
1 tbsp Cornstarch .

Directions:
Cut tofu into 1/2-3/4” cubes. Place on clean kitchen towel, fold towel over to cover top as well. Top with heavy cutting board and let sit for 30 minutes to squeeze out liquid.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix together cornstarch, 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp shawarma seasoning. Coat tofu with this mixture. Spread on half greased baking pan – tofu pieces should be spread and not overlapping.
Mix together remaining oil, shawarma seasoning, zaatar and sea salt. Coat eggplant, chickpeas and cauliflower. Spread some on remaining part of baking pan and the rest on a second baking.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until crisp. I left the tofu on the upper rack.
Serve over a bed of humus, as pictured. Garnish with zaatar, tahini and fresh parsley.
Alternatively, serve in a pita or laffa with your choice of traditional shawarma toppings. .
Thanks to @sylviafallas for sharing her shawarma eggplant, inspiring me to add 🍆 to this yummy mixture.

Facon and Spinach Stuffed Acorn squash

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Ingredients:
3 acorn squashes, cut in half and seeds removed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 package @jacksgourmet Facon, chopped
1 onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cup spinach
1 bag chestnuts
1 cup cooked quinoa


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix together oil, salt and pepper. Brush each squash half inside with oil mixture. Place on greased baking sheet and bake skin side up for about 40 minutes, until insides and soft and easily pierced with a fork.
While the squash is cooking, in a large pan, add avocado oil and fry facon for a few minutes. Put facon into a bowl but don’t clean out pan. Add onion to pan and sauté on low heat until soft and golden. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another few minutes. Add cinnamon to pan until fragrant. Add onion and garlic to facon bowl. To pan, add spinach and sauté until wilted. Place spinach into facon bowl. Finally, sauté chestnuts for a few minutes and then add to bowl.
Once squashed are out of oven, scoop out the insides carefully, making sure to keep shell intact. Cut up squash and add to facon bowl with cooked quinoa. Mix everything together and scoop into squash.

(Veggie) Hot Dog, Broccoli and cheese quesadilla

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This versatile meal can be made with so many different fillings – use peppers, cauliflower, lentils, grated carrots, tofu cubes etc etc etc. .
2 veggie dogs, sliced (I slice in half first so it’s not a choking hazard)
1 cup small broccoli florets 
1 sweet potato, chopped into small cubes
1-2 tbsp taco seasoning 
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
4 tortillas (can use GF)
Grated mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese 
Chickpeas .
Preheat oven to 400°F
Place hot dogs, broccoli and sweet potato on greased baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and taco seasoning. 
Bake for 20 minutes. 
Spoon some mixture, cheese and chickpeas into half of tortilla, fold over and pan fry until lightly browned and then flip. Cut into triangles. 
Enjoy with salsa or sour cream.

Mushroom Goat Cheese Spanakopita

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1 stick plus 2 tbsp butter, divided 
1 onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 box cremini mushrooms, gills removed and sliced 
2 cups spinach 
3 sundried tomatoes 
Splash of balsamic
1/2 cup goat cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
12 Phyllo sheets – I prefer using fresh but you can also used frozen, just let it thaw
.
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a long time until lightly caramelized. Add in mushrooms and continue to sauté. Push aside and add spinach until it’s wilted. Mix in tomatoes, balsamic, basil and goat cheese, until blended well and remove from heat. .
Melt remaining butter. 
Place 1 piece of phyllo on a piece of parchment paper and brush with butter. Repeat with 2 move phyllo sheets. Keep remaining phyllo covered in the meantime. 
Orient phyllo sheets horizontally. 
Cut into 4 even strips. 
Place 1 tbsp of mushroom spinach mixture in the corner of each strip. Fold over into a triangle and keep folding over until the end of the strip. 
Repeat with remaining strips of phyllo. 
Repeat this process with 9 remaining phyllo sheets. 
Brush triangles with remaining butter. .
Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned. 
You can freeze prior to baking and bake fresh. 
The steps are saved in my highlights in case my explanation of the folding technique isn’t clear.

Coffee Rosemary Rack of Beef Short Ribs

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3 kg rack of beef short ribs 
1/3 cup Trader Joe’s coffee rub (for a copycat coffee rub, check out this recipe from Cooking with Tantrums https://cookingwithtantrums.com/2016/07/coffee-garlic-rub/ )
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dry mustard (omit for passover)
Handful chopped fresh rosemary 
Fresh ground pepper . 
Mix together all ingredients except meat to form a rub and spread over beef. 
Bake uncovered at 375°F convection for 30 minutes 
Then 250°F non convection covered for 2 hours 
Serve topped with sauce from pan.