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Snacking in the Kitchen

~ Culinary Adventures In & Out of the Kitchen. Recipes, Reviews, Culinary Musings.

Monthly Archives: August 2016

Homemade Garlic Aioli Recipe

26 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by snackingkitchen in quick and easy, Recipe, Uncategorized, whole30

≈ 3 Comments

Homemade Garlic Aioli Recipe

This recipe is a happy accident. I started out wanting to make mayonnaise, just to find out I only had extra virgin olive oil on hand. And as some of you might have discovered for yourself, mayonnaise made out of extra virgin olive oil does not taste right.

The truth is, the oil adds too much flavor. Not wanting to waste a batch of homemade mayonnaise, I added a pinch of ground cayenne pepper, an extra squeeze of lemon juice, and garlic. Voila! A happy accident turned into this versatile spread and dip.

Homemade Garlic Aioli

Ingredients

1 egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, grated (tip: use a Microplane)
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a cup of the immersion stick blender. Place the head of the blender at the bottom of the cup. Turn the stick blender on, and move it slowly up, while blending the ingredients. Once incorporated, taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Homemade Garlic Aioli Recipe 3

Now for the best part – trying to figure out what to do with this batch of aioli. Use it any place you’d add mayonnaise – sandwiches, salads, dips for vegetables of fries. Go wild!

Homemade Garlic Aioli Recipe 2

 

 

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How to Make Gazpacho with Poached Shrimp

19 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by snackingkitchen in Gluten Free, quick and easy, Recipe, Seafood, Shrimp, Uncategorized, whole30

≈ 2 Comments

The summer in Seattle has been especially hot lately, and this spicy tomato gazpacho with poached shrimp is exactly what you want to be eating. Cool, refreshing, requiring hardly any cooking, this vibrant meal will also take care of your abundance of garden tomatoes and herbs.

IMG_20160818_182831

Spicy Tomato Gazpacho with Poached Shrimp

Ingredients

3 cups tomato juice
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Hatch pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt to taste

***

2 bay leaves
raw, peel-on shrimp

Garnish with: avocado, basil, olive oil

Directions

1. Add all of the gazpacho ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until desired consistency. Adjust with salt, as needed.

2. For the shrimp, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add bay leaves and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the shrimp and set the timer for 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp immediately and peel. Serve right away on top of gazpacho with avocado, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

20160818_175615-1-1

Happy eating, friends!

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How to Make Sweet Potato Toast with Pesto & Avocado

12 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by snackingkitchen in Breakfast, Gluten Free, Recipe, Sweet Potatoes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, whole30

≈ Leave a comment

Just in time for my second round of whole30, sweet potato toast is sweeping the nation. Truth be told, I’ve been enjoying this culinary delight way ahead of its time in the headlines, but its sudden 5 minutes of fame (or will it be 15?) reminded me that I haven’t made it in some time. And so here it is, my version of the sweet potato toast.

IMG_20160811_123301

Let’s be honest. If you expect it to taste like toast, you’d be greatly disappointed. Because really, it doesn’t taste like toast. What it does taste is a perfectly balanced vegetarian breakfast or lunch entree that’s a bit sweet, savory, and stunningly beautiful.

Sweet Potato Toast with Pesto & Avocado

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 slices of sweet potato, 1/3″-thick
1/4 cup Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto
1/2 avocado, sliced
Balsamic Fig Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Arugula

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato slices and cook until tender, about 5 minutes per side.

2. Arrange slices of sweet potatoes over a bed of arugula. Spread pesto over each slice and top with slices of avocado. Drizzle with balsamic fig vinegar and sprinkle with salt.

This is just a beginning! Imagine these topped with a poached egg, or crispy prosciutto. Where would your imagination take you?

20160811_084935

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Kale and Basil Vegan Pesto Recipe

08 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by snackingkitchen in Cooking, Paleo, quick and easy, Recipe, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

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20160807_135850-1

Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto

I don’t often make my own pesto, but this year, the basil on my patio is out of control, and as I’m continuing my journey on whole30, I decided to add this bright, vibrant condiment into my kitchen collection. Since I had some kale hanging out in the refrigerator, approaching its death, I decided to save it and mix it in with the basil.

This pesto has no cheese in order to be whole30 compliant, so it’s perfect for those who keep to a vegan lifestyle as well. Since I was making the pesto in my Vitamix, I was able to combine all ingredients at once and blend together. If your mixer or blender is less powerful, pulse the basil and kale first with walnuts and garlic, before drizzling in the olive oil and lemon juice. And as always, be sure to taste and adjust to your liking.

20160807_133158

Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto

Kale  & Basil Vegan Pesto

Ingredients

2 cups basil leaves
1 cup kale leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
1/3 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-4 cloves of garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in the food processor or a blender. Pure until desired consistency. Adjust with extra oil for a thinner pesto.

20160807_135115

Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto

I’ve served this kale and basil pesto over sauteed sweet potatoes with the spiralized chicken and apple sausage. I can see it going into eggs, zucchini noodles, and salads during next week.

Enjoy!

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Quinoa, Chicken, and Kale Salad Recipe

06 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by snackingkitchen in Chicken, Gluten Free, Lunch, Quinoa, Recipe, Salad, Uncategorized

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Find out how to make one salad that will be your lunch for the entire week. No more sad desk lunches! This vibrant quinoa salad with rotisserie chicken and abundance of vegetables is going to get your through the work day keeping your stomach happy and satisfied.

I’ve been making salads like this one for the last couple of weeks. I prep the whole batch on a Sunday night and divide it up among 5 containers. Then each morning, I pop one of the containers out of the fridge, chop up some tomatoes and fresh basil from my garden, and head to work, counting down the hours until it’s lunchtime.

Quioa, Chicken, and Vegetables Salad Recipe

Quinoa, Chicken, and Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
8 ounces Lacinato kale, chopped
2 rotisserie chicken breast halves, diced
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
4-6 rainbow carrots, peeled and chopped
1 English cucumber, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt

Daily add ins: chopped tomatoes, basil, avocado

Directions

1. Add quinoa and 2 cups of water into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the saucepan and cook until quinoa is tender and all the water is fully absorbed, 15-18 minutes. I’m a fan of using red quinoa, but any variety will work here.

2. Cool quinoa lightly and mix with kale. This wilts and softens kale just the right amount without cooking it or leaving it entirely raw.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients. To be honest, I rarely make formal dressings. Instead, I drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the salad, add salt, and gently toss it together to incorporate. Be sure to taste. Add more lemon juice (sometimes I use rice vinegar) or salt, as needed.

4. Divide the salad among lunch containers and refrigerate. In the morning, add chopped tomatoes, diced avocado, and basil to the day’s lunch portion and head out to work.

As the salad hangs out in the refrigerator, the texture changes, but the ingredients never become soggy or inedible. Instead, cucumbers turn almost slightly marinated, while the kale softens further, and quinoa plumps up as it absorbs the dressing.

So, you guys! Make this salad and don’t have another sad lunch desk ever!

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Paleo and Whole30 Tuna Confetti Recipe

01 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by snackingkitchen in Gluten Free, Lunch, quick and easy, Recipe, Seafood, Uncategorized, whole30

≈ Leave a comment

On August 1st (tomorrow!), I’m starting my second round of whole30. My first one was in December, about a year and a half ago. I made it through, but didn’t experience the promised euphoria and the non-scale victories promised by the program and experienced first-hand by many of its participants.

This time around, I’m armed with more time, experience, and most importantly, support of many friends who are joining me on this journey.

To keep things quick, simple, and easy, without too much shock to your system, here’s a whole30 compliant recipe for tuna salad. Enjoy!

Paleo and Whole30 Tuna Confetti Salad Recipe

Tuna Confetti Salad

Ingredients

1 can of white tuna, packed in water, drained
1 tomato, chopped
2 pickles, minced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons sweet onion, minced
1 tablespoon capers, minced
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to taste
Napa cabbage leaves for serving

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Serve in Napa cabbage leaves, if desires.

If you love your tuna salad on a creamier side, you can use whole30 compliant mayo, or stir in half of a mashed avocado.

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