Chili Lime Kale Shakshuka Nachos

This recipe doesn’t have amounts – but I don’t think it can be messed up!


Ingredients:
Tortilla chips
Kale – washed and dried well
Grated cheese (I used a cheddar mozzarella blend)
Chili lime seasoning (if you can’t find a seasoning blend, I’ve googled for online copycat versions)
Eggs (max 8)
Black beans
Canned corn 
Avocado, chopped 
Jalapeño, diced
Tomatoes, chopped 
Lime juice 
Fresh basil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
Spray a sheet pan liberally with non stick cooking spray. 
Spread tortilla chips over pan. Top with kale and grated cheese. 
Sprinkle liberally with chili lime seasoning. 
Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese begins to melt. 
In the meantime, mix together black beans, corn, avocado, jalapeño and tomatoes. Top with lime juice, chili lime seasoning and fresh basil. Set aside. 
Now back to our sheet pan – the cheese has started melting. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Form wells in various spots over the tortilla chips. Crack eggs and pour each one into a well. 
Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until you start seeing egg white turn white – keep in mind, the egg will keep cooking slightly when removed from oven. 
Top with black bean and corn salsa. 
Drizzle on additional lime juice if desired. 
Enjoy!!

Oven Baked French Fries

The magic of this recipe is the cooking method, not the seasoning. Here I posted a basic version but you can jazz it up with whatever you’d like!

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, cut into fries that are 1/2” thick 
1 tbsp smoky paprika
1.5 tsp sea salt, divided
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil


Directions:
Pour 1/3-1/2 cup oil onto a metal baking sheet – it’s should cover the entire bottom of the pan in a single layer. 
Place in oven, preferably on rack that can slide out of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp oil, paprika and 1 tsp sea salt. 
Coat potatoes with mixture. 
Once oven is preheated, carefully open the door and slide tray out, place 1 potato onto the tray – if it sizzles, it’s ready. Add remaining potatoes to the tray in a single layer. Bake for about 25 minutes, flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 
Remove from oven and immediately season with remaining sea salt. 
Enjoy!

Salted Chocolate Caramel Tahini Cups

Ingredients:
1 cup medjool dates (the softer the better)
2 tbsp tahini 
6 tbsp almond milk (you can likely use coconut cream or soy milk or even the water you use to plump up the dates)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt plus additional to sprinkle on top
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp honey


Directions:
Prepare muffin tins with liners – this recipe yielded 12 regular and 12 small chocolates. I imagine that it would make 15-16 regular sized chocolates.

Cover dates with warm water and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes to plump up. 
In a food processor, process dates, tahini, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Use a rubber spatula to push down mixture that goes up the sides. Keep processing until smooth and creamy – this may take a few minutes. 
In the meantime, place chocolate in a heat safe bowl. Place bowl over pot filled with about 1-2 inches of water (water should not touch bottom of bowl). Melt chocolate by bringing water in pot to a simmer. (Don’t allow chocolate to get wet!)
Once chocolate is smooth and melted, remove from heat and mix in honey. 
Spread about 1 tbsp of chocolate mixture at the bottom of each muffin cup. Next, drop approximately 1/2 tbsp of date caramel into the center of the chocolate. 
Top each with 1 tbsp of chocolate. Give the pan a gentle shake to try to even out the chocolate. 
Sprinkle a drop of sea salt (preferably coarse) over each chocolate. 
Refrigerate until set. 
This can be stored in an airtight container on the counter. I’m fairly certain it’ll freeze well (although I never tried).

Homemade Baked Falafel

Although this recipe is baked, it tastes fried because of the way the oil is heated up! Best of both worlds!


Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas (540ml)
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1/2 tbsp cumin 
1/2 cup parsley
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Lay on a kitchen towel to completely dry. 
In the meantime, add garlic and shallot to food processor. Pulse to mince. 
Next add in remaining ingredients, except for oil. Pulse – do not let it become a paste. It should look crumbly but you should be able to squish it in your hands to form a patty and it should maintain the shape. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for an hour. 
Preheat oven to 375°F. 
Pour oil onto a baking sheet and carefully place into oven while oven is preheating (preferably on a rack that slides out). Once preheated, wait an additional 5 minutes before adding the patties to the pan. 
In the meantime, form falafel mixture into individual patties (using about 2 tbsp per patty). Very carefully, open the oven and slide rack out. Drop patties into oil and return to oven. 
Bake for 15 minutes and then flip for an additional 15 minutes.

Miso Broccoli and Tofu Stir Fry

I first made this recipe just with broccoli as a side dish and it was so delicious, I figured I should make as an entire meal. While I haven’t tried it, I imagine this would work beautifully with boneless chicken as well.

Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu
3 tbsp miso paste
3 tbsp soy sauce or GF tamari 
1-2 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp almond milk (alternatively use regular milk or water)
Oil to fry (I used grapeseed)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 head broccoli, washed and cut into florets 
Handful (or more) sugar snap peas, trimmed
Drizzle of honey

Directions:
Cut tofu block into 3 lengthwise. Place each block onto a kitchen towel and wrap. Put a plate on top, in order to squeeze out liquid. Let sit for about half an hour. 
Cut tofu into cubes. Mix together 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp miso and some fresh ginger. Use mixture to coat tofu. Let marinate for an hour. Remove any excess marinade from tofu. 
Dissolve cornstarch in almond milk and pour over tofu, coating well. 
Heat about 2-3 tbsp oil over medium high heat on a large pan. Add tofu to pan and allow to crisp up before turning. 
Once tofu is crisp on at least 2 sides, remove from pan. 
Next add broccoli to the pan. When color starts to brighten, add 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp miso and remaining ginger. Mix well, allowing miso to coat all of broccoli. 
Add snap peas and sauté for another minute or two. 
Finally, add tofu back to the pan, along with remaining miso and soy sauce. Mix to incorporate and until miso is coated over everything. Drizzle with a tiny bit of honey and sesame oil. 
Serve with rice. 

Peruvian Chicken with Spicy Avocado Dipping Sauce

This recipe is inspired by @skinnytasteand the delicious Peruvian chicken on her website!

Ingredients:
1 cup beer
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 tsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp honey 
1-2 tbsp fresh basil (or mint, parsley or cilantro), chopped 
2 whole chickens, spatchcocked 
Smoky paprika


Dipping sauce:
2 whole avocados 
2 tbsp mayo
Juice 1/2 lemon 
1/2 tsp cumin 
1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (to taste)
1 tbsp basil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients from beer to basil to create a marinate. 
Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Let marinate overnight. I made sure to flip the bag over before I went to sleep and again right when I woke up to be sure both sides of chicken get to sit in the marinade. 
Preheat oven to 425°F. 
Remove chicken from marinade (I tried my best to scoop out all the garlic and herbs) and place on baking sheet, skin side up. 
Sprinkle generously with smoky paprika. 
Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Test for doneness with meat thermometer. 
In the meantime, prepare the dipping sauce, by mixing together all the ingredients.

Spicy Harissa Olives

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil, divided 
1 clove garlic
2 cups green olives 
1/4-1/2 cup harissa 
1 tbsp pickled jalapeños or 1/2 regular jalapeño (seeds removed), chopped into tiny pieces 
1 preserved lemon, seeds removed, chopped into tiny pieces 
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Sauté garlic in 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add in olives and harissa. Mix well and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add jalapeño and lemon. Mix well to incorporate. Remove from heat. Once cooled, mix in parsley. 

Taco Baked Potatoes

We haven’t gone grocery shopping since the physical distancing measures have begun. Instead we’ve been ordering, but a lot of the products I had chosen aren’t in the order when I pick up. If I was in the store, I would just substitute, but instead, I have to be creative with what I have. I really wanted to just make quesadillas but it doesn’t work with no tortillas, so the taco baked potato was born and it is so delicious!!


Ingredients:
4 medium russet potatoes 
Olive oil to drizzle on top 
Salt and pepper 
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and dried 
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (canned or fresh chopped up with juices)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili lime seasoning (alternatively use some chili powder and lemon or lime zest)
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. 
Brush potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pierce holes all over them with a fork. 
Bake for 1 hour. 
In the meantime, prepare the bean mixture. Use a potato masher to mash beans, not too much, you should still see some whole beans and some should be mashed. 
Heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add beans to pan and cook for a few minutes. Mix in tomatoes and cook until well incorporated. Add in spices, mix well and adjust to your liking. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
Once potatoes are removed from oven, allow to cool slightly. 
Slice potato in half, fill with bean mixture. 
Top however you’d like!

We topped with grated cheese and returned to the oven to allow the cheese to melt and then topped with homemade guacamole (mashed avocado, chili lime seasoning and lime juice). You can also add peppers, corn, olives, sour cream, red onion, cabbage etc 

Cheesy Zucchini Quinoa Patties

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked quinoa 
1 medium zucchini, grated and liquid squeezed out
1.5 cups grated cheese (I used a blend of mozzarella and cheddar)
2-3 eggs 
Salt and pepper
1 tsp smoky paprika 
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic 
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 
Oil for frying (I used avocado)

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients. Heat oil in frying pan. Form small patties. Fry until you see the edges browning. Flip GENTLY and fry the other side.

Moussaka

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 + 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, divided
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
3 tsp cumin, divided
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 lbs minced beef or veal or lamb
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp smoky paprika
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup tomato purée or tomato sauce (I used @tuscaninifoods crushed tomatoes thanks to @kosherdotcom )
Salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 tbsp potato starch or flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Brush lightly with oil, salt and pepper. Bake until nicely browned. Flip and bake until second side is also browned (not burnt). Marinate in mixture lemon juice, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, shallot and 1 tsp cumin for at least an hour and up to 1 day. .
Sauté onion, remaining garlic and ginger over medium heat until soft.
Add meat, parsley, remaining cumin, smoky paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, curry, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until meat is just cooked through. Add tomato and cook for an additional 10 minutes. .
Preheat oven to 350°F
Assemble moussaka – spread meat mixture in a 9×12 Pyrex. Remove eggplant from marinade and spread over eggplant.
Beat 2 eggs with flour or potato starch and drizzle mixture over eggplant.
Bake for 20 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.

This freezes well.