Mango & Tomato: side

5/1/23

Meatless Monday: Israeli Cous Cous Salad

Cous Cous salad with feta, pistachios, arugula

If you are looking for a fun side dish to bring to a potluck, I think you'll like my Israeli Cous Cous Salad. Quick shout out to my friend Lara for suggesting Israeli cous cous: I took it from there.

This salad is great not only for a potluck, but also for a picnic because it doesn't have any mayonnaise (I know... you are shocked that something I make doesn't have mayonnaise).

I brought this salad to my friend Jazmin's party with each ingredient packed into a separate container and mixed them all in a large bowl right before the party.

Israeli Cous Cous Salad

Ingredients (use whichever proportions you like)

Israeli cous cous, cooked

feta, crumbled

arugula

cucumber, diced

pistachios, chopped

dill, chopped

lemony dressing with a bit of wholegrained mustard (fresh lemon juice, olive oil, microplane'd garlic, wholegrained mustard, salt & pepper)

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (but reserve a bit of feta, pistachios, and dill to sprinkle on top).

3/2/23

Vegetarian Three Beans Chili

Vegetarian Three Beans Chili

Saute 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green pepper, and 1/2 minced jalapeño until the vegetables have softened.

Add 2 minced garlic cloves, salt, cumin, and chili powder to taste. Saute until you can smell the spices.

Add 2 cups [each] of black beans, chickpeas, and navy beans, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.

Serve with chopped white onion, feta, avocado, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, and a drizzle of chili oil.

Below is chili oil I made by following a recipe I found online that turned out way too spicy so I had to dilute it with regular oil.

The next time I would do it, I would heat 1 cup oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add 1/4 cup red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine. Take off the heat and let stand until it cools down. Strain and pour into a pretty bottle.

10/17/21

What To Do With Roasted Carrots: Hummus and Lentil Bowl with Feta and Pistachios

A few months ago I went to Ann Arbor, Michigan and discovered Lafayette Avenue Ceramics in a cute store. I immediately bought one of their speckled plates and have been using it ever since.

The other color of Lafayette Avenue Ceramics beautiful pieces I loved was dark blue. Today I'd like to share two recipes/ideas I created in collaboration with Lafayette Avenue Ceramics featuring roasted carrots, feta, and pistachios. The colors pop on the two beautiful pieces I received for our collaboration. You'll be seeing these quite a bit on my instagram.

Note: I roasted carrots at 425F with olive oil, salt, pepper and turmeric for about 25 minutes. The carrots for the hummus were diced; the carrots for the bowl were quartered in length.

Roasted Carrot Hummus With Feta & Pistachios

Ingredients

1/2 pound roasted carrots

1 cup chickpeas

3 tablespoons tahini

3-5 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 garlic clove, smashed

salt & pepper to taste

garnishes: crumbled feta, chopped pistachios, togarashi, chili oil

Directions

1. Puree all ingredients but garnishes in a food processor. Put into a shallow bowl. Top with garnishes.

Roasted Carrots & Lentil Bowl With Feta, Pistachios & Cilantro

Ingredients

labneh

cooked French lentils

roasted carrots

crumbled feta

chopped pistachios

cilantro

chili oil

Directions

Make a bowl ;)

Roasted Carrots & Lentil Bowl With Feta, Pistachios & Cilantro

Disclosure: this is not a sponsored post. This is a barter post :)

7/29/21

Mango Tomato Cherry Salsa Recipe

Mango Tomato Cherry Salsa

1 mango, peeled, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup cherries, pitted, chopped

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (I used one I grew on my windowsill!)

salt to taste

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

chips to serve

Shout out to my new Felt & Fat bowls I received as a gift from the company after being their super fan!!!

5/5/21

Watermelon, Mozzarella, and Sumac Salad

Watermelon, Mozzarella, and Sumac Salad is refreshing, flavorful, and holds a few surprises.

Normally, you'll see watermelon salad with feta and mint, but why not mix it up? Here, I used cubed fresh mozzarella, but you can go with burrata or halloumi! I'm not a big mint fan and used windowsill grown basil instead. The two other unexpected flavors were chili oil (if you like the heat!) and the lemony flavor from sumac.

Watermelon, Mozzarella, and Sumac Salad

Ingredients

watermelon, cubed

fresh mozzarella, cubed

fresh basil, torn

red onion, thinly sliced

chili olive oil

salt

sumac

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve.

4/7/21

Caesar(ish) Salad With Air Fryer Chickpeas

Salad with croutons, cheese, avocado, and crispy chickpeas

In the last few weeks, it seems that everywhere I look, I see Caesar Salad (mainly talking about my twin Anna and my friend Emily). A few days ago I decided to create my own version, but add air fryer chickpeas (because my brother sent me an air fryer lid for my pressure cooker for my birthday) and a few other ingredients. I also used ricotta salata instead of Parmesan.

Caesar(ish) Salad With Air Fryer Chickpeas

Boston lettuce, torn into pieces

croutons

avocado, sliced

ricotta salata thinly sliced using a vegetable peeler

Caesar dressing (from a bottle)

air fryer chickpeas (drain and pat chickpeas with a paper towel to remove any moisture, then spray with olive oil and cook in your air fryer at 400 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes shaking the basket occasionally. season with salt)

This is one of my fat ass salads and was quite satisfying! I'm sure you can figure out how to assemble it yourself ;)

9/14/20

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts With Tahini Dressing And Pickled Red Onions

sweet potato, brussels sprouts, vegetarian, vegan, pickled onions, side, salad, healthy, cilantro

This past weekend I created a vibrant and healthy vegan side dish: Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts With Tahini Dressing And Pickled Red Onions.

This recipe is incredibly easy to make because you can make all the components ahead of time, and you can serve this side hot, at room temperature, or cold. Because it's vegan, it's good for you and you can bring it on a picnic without any worries of things spoiling.

A note on tahini dressing: I make mine without any specific proportions, but to taste. I learned a trick of pouring lemon juice over minced garlic and letting it sit for about ten minutes to infuse the lemon juice with the garlic. Then, strain and discard the garlic. Add tahini to the lemon juice, a pinch of salt, a pinch of cumin and enough cold water to whisk into a smooth sauce.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts With Tahini Dressing And Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed into bite size pieces

Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved or quartered depending on the size

za'atar

salt

olive oil

pickled red onions

tahini dressing

cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts with za'atar and salt to taste and enough olive oil to coat.

3. In a large cookie sheet, in a single layer, roast the vegetables for about 25 minutes, occasionally shaking the sheet.

4. Serve the roasted vegetables on a large platter topped with pickled red onions, drizzle of tahini dressing, and fresh cilantro.

8/31/20

Best Baked Plantains I've Ever Made

plantains, puerto rican food, zhoug, appetizer, gluten free, vegetarian, snack

I LOVE plantains and associate them with my friend Laura, who is Puerto Rican and always makes plantains when we see each other.

Last year I texted Laura to tell her I baked my plantains instead of pan frying them, and she said she did exactly the same a few days prior.

Since then, I've made several versions of baked plantains, but last week I perfected my technique!

Best Baked Plantains I've Ever Made

Ingredients

a very ripe plantain peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds

olive oil

salt

zhoug sauce from Trader Joe's or any other dipping sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Trust me: do NOT use aluminum foil because plantains will stick to it.

3. Lightly brush the parchment paper with oil. Layer plantain rounds in a single layer with space in between and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the plantain rounds and season with a bit more salt. Bake for 10 more minutes.

5. Serve with zhoug sauce.

I was so pleased with how these turned out! I think Laura would approve too.

8/3/20

Garlic Lemon Green Beans From Hemsley Hemsley

green beans, garlic, lemon, side dish, vegetables

Last week I received a surprise cookbook in my latest produce order from Washington's Green Grocer! After being a trusted customer for over 6 years, this was such a sweet gesture.

Looking through Hemsley Hemsley cookbook, I immediately flagged a recipe for Garlic Lemon Green Beans and made it over the weekend.

You basically steam the green beans while heating ghee (I used olive oil) with chopped garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice, and fresh parsley. Once the beans are tender, drain and add them to the "bath" and seasons with salt and pepper. Top with parsley.

I highly recommend doubling the recipe because it's great reheated in a skillet the next day.

cabbage, peaches, cookbook, hemsley hemsley, produce, corn, green beans

7/20/20

Meatless Monday: Patty Pan Squash & Corn With Feta Dip

Ready or not, it's another Monday!! If you are swimming in summer corn and squash, I have a super fast and flavorful recipe for you: Patty Pan Squash & Corn with Feta Dip.

Earlier last week I saw Ellie Krieger's instagram post about feta dip: basically feta, yogurt, herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic, and magically happened to have all the necessary ingredients!

I also had a few patty pan squashes and fresh corn, and thought the dip would be awesome on top of patty pan squash and corn pancakes.

But my pancakes UTTERLY fell apart. Such is life sometimes.

Instead, I sauteed everything together: grated patty pan squash, kernels of corn, minced garlic, chopped parsley, a bit of cayenne powder, one egg, a bit of bread crumbs, and salt.

I then topped this mixture with Ellie's feta dip and extra parsley on top.

This was a lovely lunch and I had leftovers for breakfast with an egg.

If you don't have patty pan squash, use zucchini or summer squash.

BONUS: here's a recipe for summer squash and corn fritters that actually works.

3/2/20

Meatless Monday: Aloo Gobi

This week's Meal Prep is entirely inspired by my friend Sangeetha who posted a picture of her aloo gobi on insta story.

Aloo Gobi is a combination of potatoes, cauliflower, and peas with Indian spices. After eating steak a few days in a row, I thought a bright and colorful vegetarian dish would be quite fitting for my meal prep.

I cooked "rice" made from lentils to go with this and packed lunches for the next 3 days.

NOTE: this is my version of the dish. After cooking potatoes and cauliflower directly in the pan, adding spices, and peas, I found my vegetables were under cooked and had to cook them further. The version of the recipe below is how I recommend you cook it instead.

Aloo Gobi
Ingredients
3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, diced into bite-size pieces
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
olive oil
1-2" piece of ginger, peeled, finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 cups defrosted peas

Directions
1. Parboil potatoes and cauliflower (in salted water) separately until each is nearly tender.
2. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. Heat.
3. Add potatoes and cauliflower to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add fresh ginger and all of the spices and saute until the spices become fragrant.
5. Add defrosted peas and heat through. Make sure potatoes and cauliflower are cooked through.

Optional: top with fresh chiles and cilantro.

11/8/19

Melted Green Cabbage from Sababa Cookbook

How do you elevate one of the least expensive and somewhat blend vegetables available in a store? Well, Adeena Sussman figured it out and shared her recipe with everyone in her cookbook, Sababa.

After following Adeena on instagram and seeing her repost photos of people making her Melted Green Cabbage recipe, I decided to make it too.

I used leftover 1/2 of a cabbage I had after making borsch last week. This meant using a smaller skillet and reducing the amounts of other ingredients. I browned wedges of cabbage in olive oil, then added garlic cloves and shallots, white wine and chicken broth, thyme, and then roasted for 2 hours in the oven!

Because I did not brown my cabbage long enough, I broiled it: not a huge deal. I finished the dish with sour cream and forgone the butter.

If I say so myself, the final results are gorgeous!

8/22/19

Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Smashed Potatoes: have you heard of them? By this point I thought everyone knew about these crispy on the outside and tender on the inside potatoes that are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Turns out I was wrong.

When a few friends came over for dinner earlier this week, I decided to make smashed potatoes as a side, and they LOVED them. "I'll have two" turned into "These are amazing: I want more!"

Smashed Potatoes

mini red skinned potatoes
water
salt
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

1. Cover the red skinned potatoes in a small saucepan with cold water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat slightly down and simmer until a knife can easily go through a potato.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425F.
3. Once the potatoes are tender, drain and dry them, and then use a cup or a glass to gently smash each of the potatoes without fully destroying them. This is rather therapeutic.
4. Oil a large cookie sheet and place the smashed potatoes in a single layer. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-25 minutes or until the edges are crispy.

Serving suggestion: poached salmon and arugula salad with strawberries.

7/16/19

Nectarine, Tomato & Blueberry Salad with Steak

It's over 90 degrees in DC area and supposed to get even warmer. I'm not even talking about the humidity factor!

I'm changing my Facebook status to "in relationship with AC."
Get it!? ;)

Over the weekend I used some of the produce I received as a gift from Seasonal Roots to make a salad to go along with leftover steak I made the night before without turning on the stove or the oven. The heat came from jalapenos!

Nectarine, Tomato & Blueberry Salad with Steak

Ingredients
nectarines, pit removed, flesh diced
tomatoes, whichever variety you like, chopped into bite size pieces
blueberries
jalapeno, minced
red onion, finely diced
basil, chopped
olive oil
salt

steak, sliced

Directions
Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Serve with sliced steak.

The combination of sweet nectarines and blueberries is not only great in a cake, but is lovely in this salad. The jalapeno and red onion add the heat.

7/8/19

Tomato, Mozzarella & Cherries Salad

I have a big announcement: this blog will now become a Meatless Monday blog!

KIDDING! :) It does appear that I've been mostly posting Meatless Monday recipes, so why not continue?

This past Saturday, my friend Sylvie gave me a bunch of home grown tomatoes and basil and took me to Costco where I bought fresh mozzarella balls which I then turned into this beautiful salad!

Tomato, Mozzarella & Cherries Salad
tomatoes of all shapes and colors, sliced or quartered as needed
fresh mozzarella ball, sliced
cherries, pitted and halved
fresh basil, torn
olive oil
salt
rose
fresh mint

Place tomatoes, mozzarella, and cherries onto a plate in a pleasing manner.

Top with fresh basil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt.

Pour rose into a glass and add a few mint leaves.

Have a great day!

7/1/19

Meatless Monday: Cauliflower Salad Adapted from skinnytaste

If you are in need of a side for your 4th of July get together, or need a fresh idea for using a head of cauliflower you have sitting in the fridge, I highly recommend Cauliflower Salad Adapted from skinnytaste.

I, for one, love cauliflower, and eat it often. I also, however, love potatoes. This salad is good as is, but I'll never give up my love of potatoes!

Here's how I ended up making this recipe:

A few weeks ago, my mom sent me a link to Gina's, aka skinnytaste Low Carb Potato Salad. She said that even my dad liked it! Then, my twin Anna made the salad and said it was delicious.

Not wanting to be left out, I decided to make a batch of Gina's salad, but with a few changes:

1) I used only 4 eggs instead of 6
2) I used whole grain mustard instead of yellow mustard
3) I used cilantro instead of dill
4) I used cucumber instead of celery
5) I used bourbon smoked paprika instead of regular paprika

Helpful tips:

Make sure you cool the cauliflower completely before adding it to the other ingredients. I was impatient and added warm cauliflower to the mayonnaise and it watered down the salad.

The salad gets better as it sits in the refrigerator over night.

6/21/19

Corn Salad With Sesame Dressing

One of my favorite summer salads is a combination of raw corn with cherry tomatoes, avocado, olives, and herbs drizzled with olive oil and seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

Earlier this week, however, I stepped out of my comfort zone and made Corn Salad With Sesame Dressing slightly adapted from Savory Simple's recipe. The star of Jennifer's recipe is the sesame dressing: I want to put it on everything!

Because I very rarely make salad dressings, I was happy to see how easy it was to make Jennifer's sesame dressing. I substituted a few ingredients based on what I had in my cupboard, left out a few, and added garlic.

Below is my version of the dressing that I drizzled over a combination of raw corn, grape tomatoes, green pepper, red onion, and basil.

Sesame Dressing Adapted from Savory Simple
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
1 smashed garlic clove

In a small blender puree all the ingredients until smooth.

This dressing is also great in a cucumber and red onion salad. It'd be great in a chicken salad or drizzled on top of sauteed or roasted vegetables.

6/3/19

Roasted Vegetables With Turmeric Oil

Oh Hello Monday! It's been about a week that I've returned from my vacation in Oaxaca, Mexico, and I'm slowly getting back to cooking.

Over the weekend I made Roasted Vegetables With Turmeric Oil using beets and sweet potatoes from Seasonal Roots. I teamed up with Seasonal Roots to receive one box of their produce each month and to share with you an idea of what to make with their seasonal vegetables, fruit, berries, etc. I receive no compensation for these posts, but if you are a first time customer, you can get a discount of $15 from the yearly fee by using the code mangotomato.

The inspiration for this dish came after I saw my friend Lisa post a photo of a gorgeous watermelon and tomato salad using turmeric oil recipe from Bon Appetit.

I combined roasted, peeled and cut up beets and sweet potatoes with roasted cauliflower, drizzled them with still warm turmeric oil, and topped with salt and fennel fronds!

This dish is great served at room temperature and stores well in the refrigerator. Add a bit of quinoa, and you have a full meal!

NOTE: I recommend you actually peel and dice sweet potatoes before roasting them instead of roasting them whole and then peeling and slicing them.

5/6/19

Ottolenghi Inspired Pan Sauteed Asparagus With Almonds And Capers

Last week I checked out Ottolenghi's latest cookbook, Simple, from my library, and was intrigued by the Roasted Asparagus with Almonds, Capers, and Dill recipe. Because my oven was acting out, I don't keep butter on hand, and I had Parmesan left from another recipe, and a few lemons, I created my version of Ottolenghi's dish.

Ottolenghi Inspired Pan Sauteed Asparagus With Almonds And Capers

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
salt and pepper
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet
3 tablespoons capers
lemon zest
dill
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper and saute until your desired level.
2. In a small skillet, heat the remaining oil and quickly saute capers.
3. In a platter, serve asparagus topped with almonds, capers, lemon zest, dill, and Parmesan.

This dish is great served hot but also keep well as leftovers. It can be a great starter to the meal or as a side served with protein.

4/17/19

Smoked Salmon Spring Salad With Jammy Egg, Potatoes & Asparagus

Oh hi warmer days! The days when I don't want to heat up my kitchen and would much rather put together a meal from random ingredients and eat it sitting on my couch watching TV.

This Smoked Salmon Spring Salad With Jammy Egg, Potatoes & Asparagus was inspired by a photo I saw on Domenica Marchetti's instagram. Domenica made a version of Nicoise salad, but with smoked salmon instead of tuna. I immediately went to my grocery store to pick up smoked salmon, the only ingredient that was missing from all the other parts of the salad I had happened to have in my refrigerator. I also added cherry tomatoes and avocado.

Smoked Salmon Spring Salad With Jammy Egg, Potatoes & Asparagus

Boiled potato, cubed
smoked salmon, flaked
jammy egg, quartered (put eggs into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let them stand for 6 minutes, then immediately put them into cold water with ice)
Kalamata olives, halved
avocado, cubed
asparagus, pan sauteed
red onion, finely chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
olive oil
salt

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