Category Archives: Meatless Monday

Chilled Zoodle Salad with Herby Buttermilk Ranch

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Healthy, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Salad, Vegetarian

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When I wasn’t making loaf after loaf of my new go-to zucchini bread, we were eating this salad. On a hot summer day, the last thing I wanted to do was make zucchini lasagna or stir frys…and this zoodle salad is so adaptable it solved all of our problems. Here we have the basic version with a homemade, herby buttermilk ranch, but we ate this salad many times with store bought dressing (don’t tell anyone) and it was still amazing. Add different toppings, throw on some grilled chicken, just about anything works!

I found the secret to this salad was chilling the zoodles for at least an hour. It made them extra crunchy and took out some of the moisture so you didn’t have a soggy zoodle salad. Move over, lettuce…zoodles make summer salads more fun.

Recipe
Chilled Zoodle Salad with Herby Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
By Baked Northwest
Serves 2

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 medium zucchini, spiralized into “zoodles”
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper

For the Herby Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup of buttermilk, shaken
  • 3/4 cup mayo
  • 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsbp siracha (if you want to add some spice)!

Directions

Make your zoodles:
Using a spiralizer (I have the Paderno Spiralizer), make your zucchini noodles: I use the small spaghetti-sized blade for this salad, but the thicker noodle blade works great too! Lightly blot dry your zoodles with paper towels and place them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least an hour. I find refrigerating the zoodles takes some of the moisture out and ends up giving your salad a nice crisp crunch. You do not want a soggy salad! You can make your zoodles the night before and store in the fridge until you are ready to use them.

Make the herby buttermilk ranch:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the dressing to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors develop.

Assemble your zoodle bowl:
   Place the red onion in a small bowl and add the tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Add a little bit of salt and pepper and let stand while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Divide the zoodles in half and place on 2 bowls or plates. Add half of your toppings to each bowl; the carrots, olives, tomatoes, feta, and onions. Serve with the herby buttermilk ranch and enjoy!

 

Quinoa Tabbouleh

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Entertaining, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Weeknight Meals

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Quinoa TabboulehHave you ever found yourself with an abundance of an herb, and you don’t quite know what to do with all of it? Have you ever decided to plant something, thinking you would probably kill it, when all of a sudden you have too much of one thing?Quinoa TabboulehI feel like this has happened to a lot of home gardeners with mint. You imagine you are going to have some mojitos, maybe throw it in some tea, and that’ll be it. However…many times you are left with so much mint you just don’t know how you will EVER use it all.

This Tabbouleh salad is a great solution to your mint problem. Here we use 3 cups (!!!) mint to make a refreshing and healthy summer salad. Of course, if you don’t quite have that much mint in your garden you can easily use only 1-2 cups and you are still going to have a GREAT tabbouleh. The quinoa and cabbage really mix things up too.Quinoa Tabbouleh

Recipe
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Adapted from Bon Appétit
serves 8 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1/4 – 1/2 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1”-thick wedges, then very thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 medium head purple cabbage, cut into 1”-thick wedges, then very thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)*
  • 1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia), finely chopped
  • 4 cups assorted small tomatoes, halved, quartered if large (we used red and yellow cherry tomatoes)
  • 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh mint
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt, to taste

*NOTE: you can use only green or only purple cabbage – just make sure you have about 4 cups chopped cabbage total.

Directions

  • Place rinsed, dried quinoa in a pot and add 2 cups water. Bring quinoa to a boil, then let simmer, covered, on the stove until quinoa has absorbed most of the water. Fluff quinoa with a fork and remove from heat.
  • Toss quinoa, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, mint, oil, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl to combine; season with salt.
  • DO AHEAD: Tabbouleh can be made 4 hours ahead. You can toss with oil and lemon juice just before serving, but I like adding it right away and letting the flavors develop. This salad is great the next day, straight out of the fridge!

Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Easy, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Black Bean Quinoa Salad

 

We threw this together on a whim last night for dinner. It came together super easy and quick. It’s super healthy and flavorful. It’s totally portable and I’m probably going to bring it to work for lunch everyday. What more could you ask for, really?!?

To top it off, this salad is VEGAN!!! I was a tad skeptical of the “mole” vinaigrette, I don’t usually go for the mole dishes because I like to eat my chocolate AFTER dinner, thank you very much. But overall, the cocoa undertones are subtle and the chipotle gives it a nice spicy kick. This is not your everyday salad, although you may find yourself wishing you could eat it on a daily basis…

Recipe
Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Salad with Mole Vinaigrette
adapted from Cooking Light
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 3/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2-4 chopped mini peppers (or chopped bell peppers, fresno peppers, etc)
  • 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

  1. Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa well. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes until you can fluff quinoa with a fork. Let cool.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except for the olive oil; gradually add oil, stirring well with a whisk.
  3. Combine cooled quinoa and all salad ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add spinach; toss to combine.

Orange-Braised Carrots and Parsnips

09 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Healthy, Holidays, Meatless Monday, Side Dish, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian

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Orange Braised Carrots and Parsnips

I was looking for a great Thanksgiving side dish recipe for quite some time, and this ended up being the chosen one! Orange and carrots sounded like a winning combination and the addition of the parsnips mixed things up a bit.

Orange Braised Carrots and Parsnips

I think this is pretty much a foolproof recipe as long as you make sure to check the dish about an hour after being in the oven. The first time I made this I thought the parsnips and carrots were a little soft (but still delicious), so when I actually made it on Thanksgiving I made sure to keep an eye on it and cook a little less longer, checking for firmness of the veggies.

Orange Braised Carrots and Parsnips

I also had never cooked with parsnips before and enjoyed them – they almost reminded me of a potato instead of a carrot-like vegetable!

Orange Braised Carrots and Parsnips

The best part about this dish is that it can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. It takes awhile to cook, but the pressure is totally off when you know you can make it early in the day and it still will taste good at room temperature!

Recipe
Orange Braised Carrots and Parsnips
adapted from Ina Garten’s Foolproof
serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound carrots, with greens attached
  • 1 pound parsnips
  • 1/3 cup small diced shallots (about 1 large shallot)
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 1/4 cups orange juice (about 3 oranges)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp miced fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

Place a rack in the upper level of the oven and preheat to 450F.

Trim and scrub or peel the carrots and parsnips. If the parsnips are thick, slice them in half or quarters lengthwise so they are about the same width as the carrots.

Place the carrots and parsnips in a baking dish that is large enough for them to lie flat. Add the shallots, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, thyme, red pepper flakes, about a tsp of salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Place the baking dish on a rack in the upper level of the oven and heat until the liquid becomes hot and slightly bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and set the temperature to 275F. Move the rack to the center of the oven. Cover the baking dish with foil and cook for another 60 – 90 minutes, or until the carrots and parsnips are tender. Discard the thyme bundle. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of orange juice and the parsley and season to taste. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

NOTE: I didn’t have a dutch oven large enough to lie the vegetables flat, so I went the route of doing everything in the oven. Ina first cooks the vegetable and orange mixture on the stove and brings to a boil over medium-high heat, then transfers them to the 275F oven. She also adds 1/2 cup of orange juice at the end, where I just added it all to the mixture before cooking. I think this is a “foolproof” dish either way!

Meatless Monday | Lemon-Chive Farfalle

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Pasta, Sauces, Vegetarian, Weeknight Meals

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Lemon Chive Farfalle

I think if I had an ultimate comfort food dish…this might be it. A creamy, yet light pasta dish that is perfect with a glass of white wine…that is exactly what I want when I’m in need of a little comfort after a hard day!

Lemon Chive Farfalle

This dish also comes together in no time and it’s best to eat it immediately – so make it when you’re hungry!

Lemon Chive Farfalle

Lemon Chive Cream Sauce

Feel free to add meat to this dish – chicken, bacon, pancetta, shrimp, whatever! It packs plenty of flavor as a meatless version though, and for Meatless Monday this pasta is excellent! Plus, Mondays are hard, and this is when I usually am in dire need of some comfort food…

Lemon Chive Farfalle

Recipe
Lemon-Chive Farfalle
adapted from Simply Scratch
Serves 4 as an entrée, 6-8 as a side

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Dried Farfalle Pasta (or any pasta you wish – I am partial to the bow-tie version for this sauce)
  • 2 small or 1 medium Shallot, diced small
  • 1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Flour
  • 1/2 cup Dry White Wine (such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio)
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Chives, Chopped
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper (or more to taste)
  • 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 1/2 cup Grated Pecorino, Parmesan, or Romano Cheese

Directions

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, reserving a cup of pasta water. Meanwhile, sauté the diced shallots in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Once the shallots have softened, sprinkle with two teaspoons of flour and cook for one minute. Stir in white wine until flour is dissolved and bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low and add heavy cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chives to the sauce right before you are ready to add the pasta. Grate a teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 cup Parmesan over the pasta and toss with the sauce. Thin out with a little of the reserved pasta water, if desired. Divide among plates and garnish more Parmesan. This dish is best served immediately.

Meatless Monday | Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Grilling, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

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Oh Hey. Sooo I know Green Tomatoes are kind of a “Summer” thing…But here in the Northwest…I still have tons of Green Tomatoes on my plants. I did get some ripe ones out of my summer…but some didn’t quite mature. But that’s okay…Because!!!Green Tomato CapreseFun times with Green Tomatoes! A recipe that is a bit healthier than Fried Green Tomatoes…These Grilled Green Tomatoes made into a Caprese Salad!Grilled Green TomatoesI like this recipe because it is waaay easier than Fried Green Tomatoes. Just marinade them in a little saucy sauce, throw em on the grill…and add mozzarella and basil! We took the extra step to melt the mozz under the broiler, but this recipe is great with fresh cold mozzarella as well!Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

Recipe
Grilled Green Tomato Caprese
serves 8 as an appetizer or side
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (we used regular, it was still delish)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 lb.)
  • 1 (16-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl or baking dish, stir. Add tomatoes and cover, letting chill for at least 1 hour.
  2. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Remove tomatoes from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill tomatoes, covered with grill lid, 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until tender and grill marks appear.
  3. Arrange alternating slices of warm grilled tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on a large, shallow platter. We put our dish under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese a little bit, it’s great both ways! Drizzle with reserved marinade; season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with basil.