Pineapple Pickled Onion Salsa, by Diane

I had some leftover pulled pork from an event this weekend and decided to make lettuce cup tacos, and wanted to make a quick salsa to go with it. This wound up being so good I kept eating it plain with a spoon! It was super quick to make. Yum!

Ingredients:

Tomato (I used plum and grape here), small diced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Diced pickled onions (I do a quick pickle by slicing them and placing them into a jar covered with white vinegar, shake twice daily and ready after 1 day but can leave for longer!)

1 handful chopped cilantro

1 lime squeezed

1 small can crushed pineapple, liquid removed

1/2 jalepeño, seeds removed and diced small

Salt, pepper

Directions: Mix well, adjust to taste, enjoy!

 

Tzatziki Sauce, by Diane

 

This recipe comes from Love and Lemons, and I adjusted some things a bit (including throwing everything into a food processor rather than grating or mincing). I wouldn't change a thing because this was outstanding and I could like this off a shoe!! I made this to go with my sheet pan kebabs, and it was SO good together. It whips up super quick, too! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup full fat plain greek yogurt

1/2 lemon, squeezed (about 1 tbsp fresh juice)

1/2 tbsp EVOO

2 garlic cloves

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp dill mix (or 1 tbsp fresh dill)

1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Add everything to a food processor and whiz until combined and still chunky. 

Mediterranean Chicken Salad, by Diane

I decided to make these salads for dinners this week using the recipe for the Mediterranean Chicken Skewers. You can throw whatever you want in, but this is what I decided for this round. It was really good and a great summer evening meal that came together quickly!

Ingredients:

2 cups greens (I used baby kale and arugula)

1 chicken skewer

1/4 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 roasted red pepper, cut into cubes

3 tbsp pickled red onions (I used my recipe here)

1/2 cup hummus (I used my recipe here)

1/4 cup feta crumbles

Directions: Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

Spontaneous Salsa, by Diane

 

I was really craving chips and salsa the other night, but didn't feel like leaving the house. I was about to make my Spicy Fermented Tomatillo Salsa, but really wanted a tomato-based salsa. The issue was that I didn't have tomatoes, so after pulling a few ingredients, I found a jar of Rao's marinara sauce. In a pinch, I used it and whoa did this come out amazing!! I like it better than regular salsa, especially with how the flavors blended the following day! This was a happy accident I will definitely be making again! I also didn't have regular chips on hand, but the siete knock-off of Doritos actually made this way better- score!

Ingredients:

1 whole white onion, quartered

1/2 large poblano pepper, seeds removed

1/4 jalepeño, seeds removed

1 large handful cilantro leaves

2 cloves garlic

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup Rao's marinara sauce

Directions: 

Pulse all ingredients except marinara until chunky, then add in marinara and combine quickly to as blended as you like.

Whipped Tuna, by Diane

 

We've said this before...dips are hard to take photos of. But trust me, this is one of the best tuna salad recipes I've ever made!! This has some of the flavors of the Tuna Salad Bites I made earlier this month, but I also mixed it with the viral tunacado mousse that has been floating around the internet. This mashup is quick, healthy, easy, and a total keeper!! I ate mine with sundried tomato and basil almond crackers, yum!

Ingredients:

1 large can albacore tuna in water, partially drained (I kept some of the water in to reduce the mayo a bit)

2 tbsp mayo (I used avocado oil mayo)

Juice of 1/3 lemon

2 tbsp feta cheese crumbles

1 tbsp capers

6 small sweet baby gherkins

3 tbsp diced red onion

1 small garlic clove

1 pinch red pepper flakes

3/4 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp celery salt

Directions:

Whip everything in a food processor until creamy and smooth, adjusting seasonings for taste and mayo/lemon for texture. 

Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, by Diane

 

I saw this recipe by Plant You on ig, and thought I'd give them a try since we all know I love my air fryer. These were super easy, but my biggest complaint was the cooking instructions. You are supposed to cook them at 450 for 15 minutes and then flip and cook for another 10. My air fryer only goes to 400 and I did 10 minutes before I noticed one side was burning so I flipped them, and 5 minutes later they were almost all char. So I would definitely make them again but with a new cooking time, which I'll write below. I served them with her roasted red pepper sauce, which was also a good pairing- I added nutritional yeast to this and that made it way better!

Ingredients:

2 lbs brussels sprouts, ends cut off

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Steam the brussels sprouts for 8 min.

2. Flatten the sprouts with the bottom of a cup to smash, and lay in an even layer in a greased air fryer. 

3. Drizzle each side with oil, and sprinkle tops with seasonings. Cook at 400 for 5 minutes.

4. Flip the sprouts, season the other side, and cook at 400 for another 5-10 minutes until crispy. 

For the sauce: Blend 3/4 cup soaked cashews (soak for 30 min), 1 clove garlic, 1/2 roasted red pepper, 1/4 cup almond milk, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp nutritional yeast until smooth.

Korean Pancake Dipping Sauce, by Diane

 

This was the final part of our January Asian-inspired dinner. We had made a Korean kimchi pancake and needed a dipping sauce. This one turned out super well and was very easy to make! It would also be good for a dipping sauce for dumplings. Recipe from thefoodietakesflight.com

Ingredients:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

chopped scallion garnish

optional chili flakes

Directions:

Mix everything together until blended and adjust for taste!

Peanut Dipping Sauce, by Diane

 

This is not my photo but we forgot to take a good one here! This was a sauce for the Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls we made for a big Asian-inspired dinner back in January. I customized this a lot, but the og recipe is from evolvingtable.com In the end it was awesome, so I suggest you tweak all ingredients until you're happy with the taste! I also added in chili crisp bc we love this!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 clove minced garlic 

3-6 tbsp warm water

2 tbsp chili crisp

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except water to a bowl and whisk until combined.

2. Slowly add in water 1 tbsp at a time until you get the desired consistency.

Fall Bowl Sauce, by Diane

 

I've been OBSESSED with my Fall Bowl recipe, and it's been on rotation for dinners for a few weeks now. But last week I got some roasted brussels sprouts from a restaurant that had a spicy, creamy sauce on the side and used the leftovers in the bowl the next night- the sauce elevated this bowl SO much!! So I tried my hand at recreating it- and WHOA I knocked it out of the park on the first try! This sauce as a substitute for the OG sauce I used, plus roasted sprouts, have been in the mix of the Fall Bowl since then and I can't get enough of this healthy warm dinner on the fly. I would use this sauce anywhere- as a marinade for chicken even on the grill a la tandoori chicken. Yum!

As a bonus, I finally found a use for my ume plum vinegar- it's kinda like red wine vinegar but more sour and complex! The original copycat recipe had lemon, and as a hunch I used this- and wow was that a good idea! It adds an awesome complexity to the sauce, taste it before and then after and you'll see!

Ingredients (for one bowl/serving):

2 tbsp mayo (I have been using Japanese Kewpie mayo for the flavor)

1 tbsp coconut sriracha (by Ninja Squirrel at Whole Foods, regular sriracha would work too!)

1/2 tbsp ume plum vinegar

1/4 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, paprika

1/8 tsp each cumin and himalayan salt

1 tbsp water

Sunshine sauce, by Cheryl

We have embarked on our third Whole 30 journey. While we have bought some whole 30 approved sauces and dressings, we decided to make this one. We've used this as a dip for raw veggies, but I think it would be excellent as a topping for chicken! This is a good dipping option and tastes great. Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sunflower seed butter

Juice of one lime

1 tbsp coconut aminos

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

1) Mix all of the ingredients together in a sealable container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

Smoked Bacon and Crab Dip, by Cheryl

We have made this dip for the past couple of years as a snack before eating Thanksgiving meal with family. This dip is soooo delicious and satisfies any salty and seafood craving you may have. It was a crowd pleaser and we'll definitely make it again. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz crab meat (claw, lump, or both)

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup mayonnaise, plus more

3 scallions, sliced thin

2-3 jalapenos, diced

3 cobs corn, or canned/frozen corn in a pinch works fine

Jalapeno seasoning

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 lemon, squeezed

Directions:

1) Combine cream cheese and mayo until thoroughly combined and smooth. Add the remaining ingredients. If you're using corn on the cob then put some mayo on them and grill until you see grill marks. Mix until combined. Add extra seasoning if needed. 

2) Place the mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Heat in a 250 degree oven for 1-2 hours until dip is hot for serving.. Serve with baguette slices, chips, or pork rinds. 

Whole 30 Arugula and Basil Pesto, by Diane

 

For dinners this week I found some Whole30 compliant gnocchi (TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi) and wanted a sauce to go with them. Since tomatoes are inflammatory and therefore off limits on this protocol, I decided to create a dairy-free pesto sauce. This was really good and the perfect accompaniment!

Ingredients:

1 cup arugula

1 cup basil

1/4 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup pine nuts 

1/4 cup evoo (I also added a splash of truffle oil here

Salt and pepper

Directions: Blend all ingredients together and adjust as needed.

Georgia Mustard BBQ Pork Cauliflower Crust Pizza, by Diane

 

This is my second week of an anti-inflammatory and Whole30 protocol, and I am pretty limited on what I can eat. As part of a running theme in which I was determined to eat something other than just chicken and steamed veggies, I decided to get creative. I made my first cauliflower crust, without cheese like most of the recipes called for (this recipe used coconut flour as the binder). I also had to get creative with the bbq sauce, as I can’t have sugar or tomatoes. I love Georgia mustard bbq sauce with pork at my fave bbq joint, and so I sought to recreate it here on this pizza. 

This was absolutely outstanding!! This sauce was a hit and would be great on pretty much anything. It was also incredibly filling for being a cauliflower crust. Definitely a winner!!

For the sauce:

1 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar (I subbed date syrup)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

2 tbsp butter (I subbed ghee)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I subbed a mix of the main ingredients of tamarind paste, coconut aminos, and cloves)

1 tsp each salt, black pepper, celery seed, Tabasco sauce

For the crust:

2.5 cups riced cauliflower, cooked and cooled to room temp

1 egg

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano (I omitted this since it wasn’t an Italian pizza)

Toppings:

2 cups shredded pork

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 small handful cilantro, rough chopped

Directions:

1. Mix all the bbq ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 min. Combine with pork and set aside.

2. Strain the cauliflower with a tea towel until all liquid is removed, and combine with remaining crust ingredients. 

3. Preheat oven to 425. 

4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and spread the cauliflower mixture out into a rough circle (don’t go thinner than 1/4 inch or it will break apart). Bake for 15-20 min or until golden brown on top. 

5. Remove from oven, top with pork and onions, bake for another 10 min or until onions begin to cook.

6. Remove from oven and top with cilantro. 

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Uukkous Al-Badinjan), by Diane

This week a friend and I found a list of all 195 countries and some fun new foods to try to cook from each one. We decided this would be a fun way to “have dinner together” virtually since we live far apart we would cook the same foods and eat together. I ran my finger up and down the list and when she said stop we landed on Bahrain. Having never tasted Bahraini food before, we were intrigued and picked three dishes to make for dinner. This roasted eggplant dip was the first one, and this photo is the only one because I tasted it and promptly tossed it out! I very rarely give up on a dish without trying to fix it, but here we are. The flavors were off in a way I can’t describe even though the ingredient list would make it seem like they easily blended together! My friend’s eggplant blew up in the oven shortly afterwards, so no one had a good report of this dish. But since Cheryl and I made a rule to post everything good or bad, here it is!! The other recipes were MUCH better, thank goodness!!


Ingredients:

3 large eggplants
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp salt


Directions:

1. Roast the eggplant until softened, and let cool.

2. Scoop out the eggplant and combine in a food processor with remaining ingredients until smooth.

Korean Bulgogi Burgers, by Diane

This burger recipe was pretty decent! I wanted to make them because I love bulgogi and they seemed easy to throw together. I would increase the soy sauce and sesame oil next time, and I also let them marinate a bit like true bulgogi, which I’ll include below. I ate them with a kimchi mayo I whipped up and Korean Pickled Cucumbers, so good!!!


Ingredients:

For the burgers:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp gochujang (or more depending on heat preference)
2 cloves garlic, minced


For the mayo:
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup kimchi plus 2 tbsp liquid (gochujang also makes a great sub here)

2 tbsp sliced scallions


Directions:

1. Mix all the burger ingredients and form into patties and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

2. Grill the burgers until cooked to preference.

3. While the burgers cook, combine the mayo ingredients in an immersion blender until thick and smooth.

Homemade Ranch Dressing/Sauce, by Diane

I created this recipe when I was on Whole30 because I had made a club salad and decided I really wanted a ranch dressing to go with it. However, before I thickened it up I discovered it was also a really great sauce over steamed veggies! So I’m posting this as both, because it was delicious as a sauce and a dressing and tasted shockingly close to the real thing! Plus it whips up in under a minute flat.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp mayo
2-6 tbsp milk of choice (if you want a dressing use 2, if a sauce use up to 6)
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper


Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adjust seasonings to taste and milk/mayo for thickness.

Filipino Shrimp Patties with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, by Diane

I saw a Whole 30 version of this Filipino recipe on @paleorookie's instragram, and was intrigued! Her recipe called for matchstick carrots combined with shrimp, scallions, and arrowroot flour that you pan fried. I know from experience that pan frying things like these fall apart, and sure enough a few people in the comments said this. So I wound up putting the mixture in a food processor and then air frying them (see last post- really trying to get the hang of this new appliance!).

I also changed the dipping sauce from the Filipino version with sugar to the Vietnamese version. I fell in love with this stuff during my time in Vietnam- it's on nearly every table in restaurants and its SO good. As it turns out it's also super easy to make and tastes just like in Vietnam! Plus it has no sugar which is good bc I'm on Whole 30. I had to use red pepper flakes bc I forgot to buy the small chilis they put in them, usually thai or bird's eye chilis, but next time will buy them for sure! Sauce recipe (both sugar and non sugar versions) from hungryhuy.com.


Ingredients:

3 cups shredded carrots
1 bunch scallions, green and white parts, sliced
1 cup shrimp, cooked and diced
1 egg
1/4 cup each almond flour and arrowroot flour
6 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. red boat fish sauce
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Optional: 2 tbsp. sugar and thai or bird's eye chilis


Directions:

1. Combine carrots through arrowroot flour in a large bowl. Add the mixture to a food processor just until the matchsticks become small bits, but don't overmix.

2. In an air fryer, make the mixture into patties and fry at 370 for 15 minutes, flipping halfway.

3. While the patties cook, combine remaining ingredients for the dipping sauce.

Spicy Fermented Tomatillo Salsa, by Diane

A coworker recently made us jars of this salsa for holiday presents, tied with a little bow. I hadn't tasted fermented salsa before, and I had my doubts, but let me tell you that one bite of this stuff led to me eating almost the whole jar in one sitting- until I remembered it was fermented and full of good bacteria, which made me stop and save some until the next day to be safe (nothing happened!). This is so easy to make and customize. The flavor is delicious, even though I typically don't love tomatillos. What makes it fermented is the salt, so it doesn't have a typical sour fermented taste like other items (kombucha, kimchi, etc). The recipe calls for red fresno peppers, which are smokier than the green version, but after 5 grocery stores with no red fresnos I got so desperate to have more salsa and knew I already had to wait a while for it to ferment that I just made it without (but it looks prettier with the pop of red, and festive for the holidays!). This batch makes about 9 1/2 pint jars, but trust me you'll want it all for yourself :)

Note: this tastes AMAZING with salted corn tortilla chips, but also would go really well as a topping or condiment in Mexican dishes! It would go perfect on my chicken al pastor egg bake, which is what I plan to try next!

Ingredients:

2 28 oz. cans tomatillos (keep the liquid)

6-7 jalapeno peppers, halved with seeds removed (you can reserve one pepper's worth for extra heat)

2 fresno (red) peppers, halved with seeds removed

1 large onion, rough chopped

4-6 cloves garlic

1+ bunch cilantro- discard stems, rough chop

juice of 2.5 limes

2 tablespoons salt Directions: 1. Place the peppers, onions, garlic, salt, cilantro, lime juice, and tomatillo liquid in a blender and blend at high speed until desired consistency (I made them small). 2. Add the tomatillos, blend until desired consistency (small chunks). Taste and adjust for salt and heat. 3. Pour into mason jars up to the neck, then top with a pre-measured circle of wax paper. Flatten the paper onto the salsa ensuring no air bubbles, then place the lid on tightly. 4. Store on a counter away from light for 2-14 days. Refrigerate after fermenting.

Almond Hummus, by Diane

This week I made some almond-based hummus for lunches, rather than using chickpeas. I combined two recipes, and it turned out really good! It's nutty, smoky, salty and a little spicy- highly addictive!


Ingredients:

1 cup almonds
8 tbsp tahini
4 tbsp EVOO
1/2 tsp salt (I used black truffle sea salt, but regular salt would work too)
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper, cumin, chili powder, and paprika (adjust to your taste level)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 lemon, juiced
1/2-1 cup water (depending on thickness)

Directions:

Soak the almonds in warm water for at least 2 hours. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Sundried Tomato Spread, by Diane

This week I made turkey burgers and I wanted some kind of sauce on them. I decided I wanted to make a pesto, and I knew I had two bags of sundried tomatoes, so I set out to create a sundried tomato pesto. The problem was that when I got home from the grocery store I forgot pine nuts and parmesan, so I thought I could just wing it. But when I tasted the "pesto" it was way too tart so I looked in the pantry for something to even it out and came across tahini. The end result is a mash up of hummus and a sundried tomato pesto which I am dubbing a "spread" because when you create your own wacky recipe and write a blog about it you need to call it something... I think this would work with other fun flavors as well!

Ingredients:

1 cup sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup smoked sundried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 handful basil leaves
1/2 cup tahini
1 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp dried parsley

Directions:

Blend in a food processor until creamy, adjust the ingredients as necessary!